[Koushik]

I have a three and a half month old pup named Mike. Mike has the practice of eating tiny bits of paper and at times plastic. He is usually left free to roam around my house and garden. At times he eats polythene covers and assorted plastic covers when he finds them. Is this toxic?

Most of the times he excretes them and eating plastic covers does not affect his appetite at all.

Could anybody tell me about the toxicity of plastic and how to help curtail mike's intake of this?

 

[sully]

Anything plastic can be toxic but even more immediate is the threat of choking, especially for such a young pup.  Or if he eats a piece too big he may not be able to digest it and you could be in for a hefty vet bill.  Unfortunately a 3.5 month old needs to be supervised at all times if not crated.  Or if you want to give him some freedom, gate him off in a puppy-safe room/area.  You just have to remove EVERYTHING he might munch on.  He has to gain your trust.

 

[luvmyboxers]

I'm not sure about weather or not it is toxin.  I'm sure someone on here will know.  I do know that you need to really keep an eye on Mike.  He's still a puppy so I wouldn't give him free roam without watching him.  The plastic could get stuck in his throat or he may not pass it and that could cause major problems.
Also, welcome to the forum!

 

[Barbs2Ks]

I agree with the others, at that age he should be not be unsupervised.   Like Sully said, put him in a puppy safe area or crate for his protection when you aren't able to watch him.  We would love to see pictures.

 

[Koushik]

Hi Folks,

Thank you all for the reply. I do not have a crate, but I have built a brick house for him right outside the house, in the garden. However, Mike hates staying anywhere but inside the house. And we have to keep the door open so that he can go out for nature's call. If all doors are closed, he barks, asking to be taken out, I suppose. But if am doing something else, he is not able to hold back and does his stuff inside the house. So it is a little bit difficult to supervise him at all times.

And about crates, I thought it might be cruel to put him inside a crate. Even if he has to stay for an hour inside his brick house, he barks his head off.

Yesterday, after I posted, I asked my vet what to do. He asked me to spray some solution on all plastic stuff. I will be getting the name of that solution today. The logic he said was that it would make plastic taste bad and that would make Mike refrain from eating plastic.

Also, I have photos of Mike. Since I am new to the forum, I am not exactly sure of how to post these. I will find out how to do it and post it on this thread shortly.

 

[Koushik]

http://miketheboxer.blogspot.com/2008/0 ... -mike.html

 

[Koushik]

Not sure if it is allowed to post links directly like I've done. Please let me know if it is allowed.

 

[Rocky07]

Mike is very cute, love his black mask.

 

[sully]

Boxers should not left be outside, especially a 3.5 month old!   They are indoor dogs, mostly because they want to be with people, but because of their allergies and short coats, they can suffer outside in the elements.  A brick house in the garden sounds cold, damp, uncomfortable, solitary, and possibly dangerous.  This is a very important time for socialization, these weeks will define his personality, you don't want him scarred from a lonely prison in the garden.  A crate may seem cruel to you but is a lot safer and he can still be near you.  I personally do no not love the idea of crating a dog for long periods either, but it's useful for housetraining and just during the moments when you are at home but can't keep an eye on him.  A puppy peeing on the floor is part of owning a puppy.  So is supervising him and opening the door.  If he's already barking for you to open the door, you should be ecstatic.  My dog was 6 months old before he would even stand by the door.

The apple bitter spray stuff sometimes work, many people here have said it doesn't work for them.  I never used it, I would rather teach the dog what is and isn't acceptable while puppy-proofing the house.  

A puppy is a lot of work, no doubt.

 

[Koushik]

Thanks Sully. In the afternoon, I tried something different. I kept a piece of plastic before him and when he picked it up, I removed it forcefully out of his mouth. He again did it a couple of times, but I pulled it out again and again. He then left the plastic cover alone. I think I will try and repeat it for the next two days.

Though I had the brick house built for him, he seldom stays there. He in fact abhorred the place, but I solved that problem by keeping his food in there. Now he goes there once in a while to see if new food has 'materialized' And if there isn't food, I keep a bone or other chew toys. So he has learned to be inside the kennel for short durations. I will also consider buying a crate, but I wonder if after being allowed to freely roam in the house & garden, he would ever get used to a crate.

And yes, I am very proud of Mike's fast learning ability : Apart from barking to go outside, he has also learned to 'SIT', 'DOWN' & 'HEEL'. He also knows that he must not enter certain rooms in the house and that he must not try to play with elderly people or chew furniture. He also knows that he mustn't eat food if it is placed elsewhere in the house other than in his brick house unless ordered to.

Many thanks for your time

 

[Koushik]

Many thanks, Rocky

 

[maplesfolks]

well your puppy seems pretty smart, so I'm sure he'll get used to the crate in no time i you approach it right and make it a positive thing, there is a lot of threads in the training section on how to go about that.  and it is not cruel it's a "modern den" dogs are meant to be in dens by nature Maple loves her crate, but doesn't like to be left alone in the room, she'll cry and whine and that's something we need to work on.  but if he is in the crate at least he is in the house he can see and hear humans and that will make him much happier than being in a brick house in the garden, alone and blocked off not being able to see much.  Also I'm not sure where you are, how is there weather in your town?  Like mentioned above boxers are not intended for extreme temperatures they are indoor dogs.  we leave the crate open when we are able to supervise and Maple goes and plays in there, it's her space and she likes it.
this is 2nd day home and she was playing in there and storing anything she can carry

this is last week still loves playing in "her room"

good luck in whatever you decide, and keeps us posted and Mike is a handsome fella

 

[Koushik]

hi there

I got the crate three days back, and I still can't overcome the fact that Mike has to stay in there. Since Mike is behaving alright, he goes in there only when he tries to eat plastic. More like a jail, but then, I've noticed that his plastic eating habit has come down, since Mike always likes to roam around a lot. He does go into his crate if its opened, and I've now substituted the brick house with the crate when it comes to food. But I am leaving the crate open most of the times, and I hope Mike accepts it as his bed-room or something

With regards to climate, my place is usually warm/hot. It is the rainy season right now, so Mike loves it and I let him play in the rain now and then for a few minutes. But I wonder what is going to happen in April and May when temperatures will reach 110-120F. I've never had a boxer before and not many people here have boxers,   so I am hoping he would be fine.

 

[Boxerpop]

koushik you should never use a crate as a means of discipline. That is suppose to be there safe place to go, sleep ect.
You should look at the crate training area of the forums. Do you have protection from the heat for your dog? Don't know where you live but 110-120 is a little warm for a boxer. As far as the plastic goes pick it up so he can't get to it. You gotta puppy proof you're house.

 

[My_Harleigh]

[quote="maplesfolks\";p=\"96656":18azrbrn]well your puppy seems pretty smart, so I'm sure he'll get used to the crate in no time i you approach it right and make it a positive thing, there is a lot of threads in the training section on how to go about that.

 

[maplesfolks]

[quote="maplesfolks\";p=\"96656":1x4a2jif]well your puppy seems pretty smart, so I'm sure he'll get used to the crate in no time i you approach it right and make it a positive thing, there is a lot of threads in the training section on how to go about that.  and it is not cruel it's a "modern den" dogs are meant to be in dens by nature Maple loves her crate, but doesn't like to be left alone in the room, she'll cry and whine and that's something we need to work on.  but if he is in the crate at least he is in the house he can see and hear humans and that will make him much happier than being in a brick house in the garden, alone and blocked off not being able to see much.  Also I'm not sure where you are, how is there weather in your town?  Like mentioned above boxers are not intended for extreme temperatures they are indoor dogs.  we leave the crate open when we are able to supervise and Maple goes and plays in there, it's her space and she likes it.
this is 2nd day home and she was playing in there and storing anything she can carry

this is last week still loves playing in "her room"

good luck in whatever you decide, and keeps us posted and Mike is a handsome fella

Well said. I wanted to comment on Maple's cuteness. She sure has grown into them ears huh? And her "room" looks very cozy. Good job![/quote:1x4a2jif]

thanks Ginger yeah it took us a little while to figure out a comfy set up for her crate, but she loves it now

 

[Koushik]

Boxerpop,

During the last one or so week, Mike has not adopted the crate as his home. He has moved on from plastic to digging in the garden and scratching the aquarium )

As for the crate, he refuses to sleep there and keeps barking. He also looks at me as if I have done some great wrong to him. I think this is probably because when I put him in there, he is expecting his food. But am having a slightly better time because I can let him into the garden and the barks get muffled when guests are at home.

Mike stays inside the house most of the times or sleeps under the tree shade in the garden if there is some one sitting nearby. So the heat isn't getting to him.YET. I have to wait for May/June to find out how he reacts to the torrid weather. By the way, I live in Chennai (India). It is a seaside metro, and humidity is usually in the range of 70-80%. But funnily still, I have found all dogs from Siberian Husky's to Saint Bernard's to Malamute's here!!

 

[Boxerpop]

Sounds like you're making progress. I guess it's a little better digging holes than eating plastic. Were does the plastic come from?
Our boy Donner does not do well in the heat. We had to buy an A.C. unit last year to keep him cool. But then again all dogs deal with heat differently. Have you ever taken Mike to the beach and does he like it? Someday I would like to visit India.

 

[Koushik]

Hey. The plastic is either in the form of milk packets (he steals the milk packet, tears it open, drinks the milk and chews the plastic) - this happens when the milk packets are delivered home and we aren't there to pick them up like within 15 seconds, packed garbage bags which he occasionally tears and chews or more recently, we have cardboard boxes packed with household items. These boxes have transparent plastic layers on the outside. Since we can't put these anywhere high so that Mike can't access them, we have a problem. I've pretty much taken care of the milk packets and garbage bags by making the milkman ring the bell and putting the garbage bags in Mike's own brick house which he no longer uses

Yes, me and Mike visit the beach at least a couple of times a week for short jogging sessions. He loves the beach, I've even let him stand in the water on a tight leash. He is one dog who actually loves water. If he sees an open tap or the overhead tank is full and water flows, he would be right under it, skidding on the moist floor and getting himself dirtied.

But the only problem with Indian beaches is that there are lots of street dogs which are territory oriented. They would bark their heads off and sometime approach house dogs in packs. I've had to have a rod with me to ward those dogs off. But otherwise, the beach is a lot of fun and Mike has also learned to sit quietly in the car for the half hour journey to and from the beach I am very happy about that.

Sure, welcome to India, there are plenty of good places to visit

 

[Allie]

We lived in Madrid for 3 years - 2 with Allie.  The heat there in the summer really bothered her.  We ended up getting her a bandana that you soak in water and then put around their necks and that helped to keep her cool.  We also wipe her down with a wet washcloth.  Now we are in Tirana and were told the summer heat is very bad here, so we also got her a cooling pad.  I would suggest you do that for Mike.  Boxers are unable to tolerate heat and cold because of their short muzzle (smooshy faces).  If at all possible, keep Mike inside during the hottest times of the day and keep him where it is cool.  Air conditioning is a great investment and Mike will thank you for it later.

As for the crate, I left the crate open all the time and kept in the same room as me.  Allie would go in on her own and check it out.  I also put treats in there and she would go in and get those.  We would play with her by throwing her toys into the crate and she would retrieve them.  Eventually, I would put her in the crate, close the door for a few minutes, then let her out.  When she would come out, I would treat her.  Then I would leave her in there and walk off and come back after more time had elapsed.  I, too, put food and water in there, and when she was finished, I'd let her out.  She eventually got used to the crate and it became her "area."  Currently, though, she isn't that happy with the crate.  She's been traveling and so she knows when she gets into the crate, she is going somewhere.  

You don't want Mike to live in a brick house.  Bricks absorb and hold moisture.  Mold can also grow on bricks.  All of this can make Mike sick.  Again, Boxers are inside dogs.  This is because of their intolerance of heat and cold.

Since Mike 3 1/2 months old, you do need to puppy proof the home.  Allie had freedom that young, but I was home with her too.  Some plastics he may be able to pass, but you don't want Mike to ingest anything that could become lodged in his intestines and then have a huge vet bill, especially when it is easy enough to prevent that from happening.  I would stop letting him take the plastic from you and then forcefully removing it from him.  Mike may think of this as play and develop confusion when you forcefully remove it from him.  Just pick up the plastic, cover the garbage or take it to the dumpster or whatever you use in India, so he can't get into it.  Puppies, like kids, will always find something to get into and can't always predict what it will be.  

With that said, Boxers are incredibly smart dogs.  They learn quickly.  They are also very social dogs and need to be with their people.  There are plenty of books out there about Boxers and how to train them.  Get a few and ask questions here.  Allie is my first Boxer and I think I have every book known to mankind about raising a Boxer.  I also ask questions on boards such as this one and read about others and their experiences.