[MaxBoxer]

Hello everyone,

Me and my wife just got a boxer puppy on friday.  His name is Max and he is 8 weeks old now.  He is doing very good and learning really fast.  He was trained on the potty pads where we got him and now he will only go outside unless its our fault for not taking him out.  He has only had 2 accidents in the last 3 days.  I was wondering what the thoughts are on keeping him in the bathroom while me and my wife are at work.  Today is the first day he has been by himself.  We put him in there because its tile floor, easy to clean.  I gave him a teething kong with some of the spray filling in between the grooves of it along with a long pillow he likes to lay on, and the blanket he sleeps on in bed.  We originally bought a gate to put up in front of the door but the doorway for our bathroom is too small for it so i just had to close the door, which will probably be scratched up.  I was wondering if its better to get a kennel or crate to put him in during the day or if putting him in the bathroom is ok?  My parents used to have a pug that they always put in the bathroom and it worked out well for him.  He was being fed Pedigree puppy chow before we got him and after reading on this forum alot i decided to switch him to the chicken soup for the puppy lovers soul.  Any tips would be great!

Thanks,
Kody

 

[beckhamboxer]

Welcome!

Where are you letting him sleep at night?  It's been our experience that using a kennel is best (wire or plastic, your choice).  We started doing that with Beckham at 8 weels, and you can put his blanket in there.  that way your door isn't scratched up.

Are you able to come home during breaks, also?  The MAXIMUM a puppy can hold his bladder is 4 hours, and I think at 8 weeks that's nearly pushing it.  I would recommend kennel for sure, and someone definitely needs to be able to take him out for potty breaks.

 

[MaxBoxer]

He sleeps with me and my wife in bed.  I know lots of people on here dont do that but it doesnt really bother us and we dont mind having a huge bed hog in the future  However, if it is really hurting him more we could switch.

Yes, im going home every day at 11 to let him out and to feed him his lunch.  im trying to keep feeding him at the same time every day which has been around 7am 11:30am and 6:30pm.  

What type of kennels are best?  I saw that tractor supply has a large plastic kennel with the metal door for only $60.

 

[samsonsmom]

Welcome to the forum!!! Can't wait to see pictures of your little guy...I would recomend a wire crate for a puppy, one that has dividers in it, that you can remove as he grows..The plastic crates are great for fullgrown boxers, esp if you ever travel as they are air certified. That's what I have and works great & totally escape proof! You don't want the crate soo big that he can use one end as his "bathroom" and the other to sleep...As he grows, you can remove the divider to allow him more space.
Good luck to you and please feel free to ask away with questions..You might find it helpful to read thru our puppy section & also the training one..There are a ton of new pups on here and a lot of good questions have been asked....

 

[Honeyec]

I would say he'd be fine in the bathroom - you don't HAVE to crate.  Once there aren't any bottles of bleach etc. lying around!  Also (and I speak from bitter experience here!) puppies seem to LOVE running all the toilet paper off the roll, so maybe put that out of his reach!  But yeah, once he's getting regular toilet breaks, he'll be fine in there.  Tink was always kept in our utility room while we were at work, but we were lucky in that we could leave the back door open and lock the door connecting the utility room to the rest of the house, so she had access to the garden all day.

 

[JessiesMom]

[quote="Honeyec\";p=\"9587":3mbt8l93]I would say he'd be fine in the bathroom - you don't HAVE to crate.

 

[southerngirls]

Welcome to the forum- post pics....we are addicts!!!  :lol:

there isnt an issue with leaving him in the bathroom as long as things are put up where he cant get them, obviously as he grows it will be a little bit harder. Personally we use a wire crate.  We got ours that has the divider for $70 at walmart. i like wire better than the plastic, but that is just personal preference. All i have to do is tell the girls to kennel up and they run right on in. Makes life a little easier from time to time

 

[Newcastle]

If the bathroom is puppy-proofed it is a viable option.  I do recommend crate-training, however - not that you must keep the dog in a crate always, but I firmly believe that every dog should be comfortable with spending a few hours in a crate.  There will be times in your dog's life that it will need to be crated (neutering, for one, and ear cropping if you choose to do that; emergency situations may require it, as well) and they're usually stressful - far better for the dog not to have the added stress of being unfamiliar with crating.

Having the puppy in bed with you shouldn't be a problem - we always have done this.

 

[MaxBoxer]

im not sure how to post pics on here??

 

[Mastray]

I say crate training is the answer. I also got the XL crate at Walmart with the divider for $70. I like the wire one better due to the fact that it's better air circulation and they can see through it much better. The bathroom is okay but as he gets bigger he'll start finding it easier to mess with things on the counter. If it's a guest bathroom that is practically empty but just with the basics... I could still see an older boxer bring down the shower curtain rod... chewing on the door stopper... the end of the counter... and of course scratching up the door. I've even heard of some boxers that have eaten holes into the wall... which I'm not really sure how that works... but I saw pics! I think the best thing expense wise for you and your puppy is to crate train. There are SO MANY benefits to it even though they know how to make it seem like its the worst thing in the world... the first week or so. And just like new castle said... if he ever has to be crated at the vet or just because your going out of town for the weekend... it will be a better experience for him.

Welcome to the forum and can't wait to see pics!

I just upload my pics to photobucket.com and then click on the box that has the

 

[mom2scoutandgunner]

Welcome Kody & Max!  

We use photobucket.com to post our pix.  It's easy and free.  If I can do it, anyone can!   Once you upload your pix you can copy the image code and paste it here.

As far a crates go, we didn't crate train our first (Scout)  but did the second and I would recommend having one on hand.  Our second one (Gunner) eats everything (including batteries from a flashlight he destroyed   )  It sounds as though you have everything under control with the bathroom idea though.  FYI, toilet paper can cause blockage in dogs so do make sure that it is out of reach!

Our boxers have always slept with us so I do not see that as a problem.  In fact, to me it is reassuring.  As puppies you will know when they have to go out and later as adults they will wake you if something isn't right in the house.

We use kongs too.  They are great!  We fill ours (tube style) with a little of his kibble coated lightly in melted peanut butter and then freeze it.  It will take a lot of time for him to dig all of it out and will keep him out of trouble.  Later on you can add other things like banana and apple bits.  Some people will also mix in plain unflavored yogurt with their peanut butter.

Good luck on your training and keep us posted on his progress.

 

[MaxBoxer]

I made sure that everything was out of reach for him so that he cant get into trouble.  We may try the crate route in the future.

 

[mom2scoutandgunner]

Oh My!  He's gorgeous!  What a cute little egghead  

 

[Mastray]

What a CUTIE! AWHHH he's absoluetly ADORABLE!!

 

[beckhamboxer]

OH WOW....he is so freakin' cute!!! that little face!

 

[tootsie]

Welcome to the forum!     Max sure is a little cutie-pa-too-tie!

 

[JessiesMom]

what a cutie patootie!

 

[MaxBoxer]

suprisingly no accidents in the bathroom all morning, however, i took him out right when i got home and he wouldnt go so i brought him back in and he peed on the floor, probably because he was mad at me.  Then he fell asleep on my arm, its so hard to leave him there. i wish i could bring him to work lol.

 

[Mastray]

You just have to stay out side with him and wonder around the backyard. He'll go... and the second he's done... treat him and praise him like crazy. Taking Odin outside at first was so time consuming cuz' he'd take forever to go but once he realized that he'd get a treat when he'd go outside it started happening a lot faster... unless he didn't really have to go... which is my fault when I take him out to much. Now that he's older he doesn't go as much. Try that... it just takes time.

 

[mom2scoutandgunner]

Yeah, treats work wonders!  I did it with both of mine.