Advise please - newley adopted 5 year old boxer girl.

[Dan978]

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HI all, we have owned several boxer dogs over the years but have always had them from pups.

This week we decided to adopt an older boxer dog from a breeders kennel, she is five and has had one litter of pups around two years ago according the breeder. She is the only dog in our house.

She has been with us for around four days now but will not wee or poo in our back garden (it's enclosed and secure). Even when taken out on short walks she still holds on for ages before either weeing or pooing and sometimes wont at all.

She does appear to be very nervous at times especially around people she meets and dogs ( she has snapped at a couple of dogs when they approach her). We always lead walk her she is never let off the lead.

I am hoping with time she will feel more relaxed and calm down and hopefully these things will become less of an issue, but in the meantime does anyone have any tips on how best to settle her in, especially around the toileting issues? We have tried leaving kitchen towels soaked in her wee (from a walk) in the garden weighed down in place with the hope this may encourage her but as yet no success.

Also just to mention she has been the vet and apart from some slight exchema for which she is now on antibiotics she seems in good health.

Thanks for reading.

Regards

Dan

 

[murphyrules]

Hi, I think you are right and that she just needs time, patience and love until she has settled in properly, 4 days is not a long time, she must still be very unsettled/confused as to what is going on in her life.

With regard to her not toileting in the garden, my Beagle is 9 years old now (had him from 8 months old) and he pee'd in my garden for the first time a few weeks ago after he had major surgery, Murphy will hold it in for hours until I walk him, one time I had proper flu and just managed to shuffle the dogs in to the garden a couple of times during the day to toilet, it got to 4pm and Murphy still had not done anything and I had to get dressed and walk him to the park so he would pee and poo!! My other dogs don't have this issue they go in the garden happily!

Also was she kept in kennels at the breeders? If she was maybe she is used to toileting on slabs and just does not realise yet that she can go in the garden.

I would go back to puppy basics with her and make a big fuss of her and treat her when she does pee on a walk and start using a word when she does, then when she is in the garden you can start saying the word you choose and she will realise she can go in the garden. my youngest will pretty much pee on command of "pee pee"

With regard to her being nervous of people and dogs on walks, if she was kept to breed and maybe show, she possibly does not have much life experience outside the breeders home/kennels so everything could be a new experience to her which she is nervous of,

I personally would recommend a training class that way you can get some advice from experts and it is a really good way of forming and strengthening a bond between you and your new dog whilst you get to know each other better.

Good Luck with her, and please post a photo when you have time, and keep us updated as she settles in :flowers:

 

[Dan978]

Hi many thanks for the advice.

She did seem a little more relaxed on her walk today and manged to wee and poo but just not in the garden yet but as you say that may take time, at least she is going once a day!

Also I will try the pee pee word advise also which sounds like a good idea.

Once she's a bit more settled I will definitely look into training classes also.

Will keep this thread updated with any progress and will also try and post a pic soon.

Thanks