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New Boxer Information - Topic of the Month

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

When a Boxer Steals

A Boxer, of course, does not understand the full meaning of stealing something. However, many Boxers have a habit of taking things. Some may take arbitrary items such as your shoes or hair brush. Others may take the toys of other dogs.

A Boxer may have a habit of burying the objects or the dog may simply run away once they have the object in their mouth.

Why does a Boxer do this? Is this a behavioral issue that can be fixed?

Let’s discuss in this new topic why a Boxer takes things, buries them or runs off with them…and what you can do to stop your dog from doing this.

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But...Why???

The reason for a dog taking something is very, very simple: they want it. A dog will have no concept that this is unacceptable unless you train your dog to know it.

In many cases, this is a throwback behavior, as wild dogs would gather many items and hide them away for a future use.

Taking & Hiding Food

•    A puppy or a dog who is new to a household may hide its food. Why?
•    The dog may be used to not having enough food
•    The dog may be used to having to “fight” other dogs for food and may have developed a habit of hiding their food.

This generally is an issue that is resolved on its own, once the Boxer puppy or dog starts to feel secure in the home.

There are some things that you can do to help:

Always keep your Boxer’s food dish in the same area...This should be away from people and activity - they need to feel as if their food is safe...and that no one will bother them while they are eating - a dog can get very nervous if someone comes near their food as they may think that the person may take their food away! Even if no one has ever done that before, that instinct will kick in.
Feed your Boxer on a regular schedule. Your Boxer may not be able to read a clock; but your Boxer will know when it is dinner time. Try your best to never be late in feeding your Boxer.
Keep fresh water available at all times. You may find it helpful to add a few ice cubes to the water, so that as they melt, fresh water becomes available.

Taking & Hiding Objects

A puppy who is teething may be so uncomfortable, that they take any objects that they can get their mouth on. If they gather a lot of objects, they may hide them to use later. A puppy will have an overwhelming need to chew on just about anything. Your Boxer may understand that it is not acceptable to take your shoe, so that puppy may hide it in order to hide the fact that they just did something that you find unacceptable.

If you puppy is teething, taking and hiding objects, you can help by:

Buying some high quality teething toys and scatter them in the house. As your puppy roams around, looking for an object to chew on, your Boxer will find some very helpful teething toys! In turn, you will be more than happy to see your Boxer gather up the toys and keep their “secret stash” of teething toys.
Whenever you see your puppy taking something that is not appropriate, take it away and replace it with a teething toy. Praise your Boxer when they begin chewing on the toy or even if they run off with it.

Taking Objects to Gain Attention

Boxer puppies and older dogs may take items to gain your attention. If you go running after your Boxer each time they take your shoe, your Boxer will learn that taking your shoe= lots of attention.

There is help for this:

Do you best to keep all expensive or sentimental objects out of reach of your Boxer. If your Boxer cannot reach them, you will not have to chase after your dog.
Take the object away from your Boxer and make a trade for something that you dog will find much more interesting. Older dogs and puppies who are not constantly played with can become bored very easily. Your shoe may not look like a lot of fun, but the smell and texture of it is of interest to a bored dog!
Dogs who need more stimulation should be given interactive toys. These will be dog toys that make noises, move when the dog completes an action or holds a yummy dog treat inside in which the dog must work for hours in order for the treat to be released. Your Boxer will find this much more fun than taking your shoe!
If your Boxer does take something that is inappropriate, as long as it poses no danger to your dog, do not run after your Boxer and chase them. This will be encouraging the dog to continue the behavior in order to play the game of “chase”. It is best to slowly approach your Boxer and make the trade for the interactive dog toy. Alternatively, do not allow your Boxer to engage you in a game of tug-of-war. Again, this will only prompt your dog to continue to take things, as they will learn that the outcome will be a game of tug!
You can help by obtaining an actual tug-of-war dog toy. This is usually a safe, strong rope with grasps on either side. You can set aside a certain time of the day, when your Boxer can expect that you will play this with him or her. Knowing that they have this daily fun to look forward to, can lessen the time that they put forth into taking objects in order to force you to play the game.

Taking a VERY Important Object

There will most likely be at least one time that your Boxer takes something of great value to you. You will not want to engage in tug-of-war, for fear of the object being damaged. Your goal will be to get that object back as soon as possible before your Boxer scratches/ damages it.

How can you trick your Boxer into wanting to return it?

If your Boxer is reluctant to make a trade for a dog toy, you can try to change around their objective. They take an object and run from you, usually expecting a chase. Change this and run away from your dog. Encourage your Boxer to chase after you and make the game be: “Chase me and give the object back” Make this game challenging to your Boxer, run around corners and furniture. The harder it is for your Boxer to chase you , the happier your dog will be when he or she finally does catch up to you! The end of the game can be signaled by your Boxer giving you the object and you handing over a treat.

Taking and Burying

The urge to bury objects runs thousands of year deep in a domesticated dog’s ancestry. Many dogs are so pleased to obtain a dog bone, only to bury it before they can enjoy it!

A Boxer may also take their favorite toys or objects with their owner’s scent and bury them. This is a hoarding habit that is hard to break.

If your Boxer is constantly burying things in your yard, it may help to give your Boxer their own space to bury things. This can be a children sand box or a small area of your yard in which your dog is shown that it is acceptable to bury his things. This way, if you ever notice something of importance missing…you will know where to look!

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