Boxer Antics Times 2...

Feeding and treat time in our house has taken on a whole new meaning since Duke joined us. Lucy likes to eat, but has never been very persistent during food prep time. She's content to lie at my feet, hoping that something will drop and probably wondering what goodies her mama's got in store for her. She hardly ever makes so much as a sound, if she's really hungry or something smells unusually delicious, there may be a little whimper, and she'll probably paw at my leg just to remind that she's waiting.

Duke's style of reminding me that he's waiting is very different. He's always hungry. Heck, I can feed him a huge bowl of goodies, and 5 minutes later, he'll be looking up at me with those gorgeous brown eyes asking me "Where's da rest?"

I have learned that I have about 30 seconds from the time the kibble drops in the bowl to the time that Duke begins to grumble. It's a grumble that you just can't miss, and it'll probably make you chuckle, too. He's a good boy even though he's being impatient, rarely does he move from his proper seated position.

He may be complaining, but he's still minding his manners!

Lucy, still being a bouncing boxer puppy (full of constant and amazing amounts of energy) is always in the mood to play, it doesn't matter what hour of the day it is, she's always running and looking for a toy. (Part of me thinks that she's just so happy to have someone to play with that she wants to get in as much play as possible.)

Duke loves to play sometimes and does a very good job at tiring out his little sister, but he's a big snuggler and likes to be close to his mama. He could be very content doing nothing but following me around the house and getting hugs and kisses. So, at times, Lucy has to put on her most convincing face and lure Duke into some sort of game.

Believe me when I say, she's got this down pat...

It's not big surprise to me that Lucy's favorite thing to do is tease, she's been teasing me with toys ever since we adopted her. Of course, she loves to tease Duke! She'll stand several feet away from Duke, whimpering with a toy in her mouth.

Duke will slowly, and very methodically pull himself from his lounging position and walk towards Lucy. He always looks so serious- it's part of his charm- and probably what makes this whole game between he & Lucy so comical. When he gets within 6 inches of Lucy and the toy, she takes off, and the game is on! I have 2 boxers running at full speed around the house. It didn't take Lucy long to figure out how to make Duke want to play with her!

I'm Pretty Sure They're In Love!

My Lucy girl and my sweet Duke are definitely displaying all of the signs of being in love... I couldn't be more thrilled that Lucy approves of the new boxer boy, but I had no idea it would turn out quite this way! I guess you could say that I was seeing them more as brother and sister than boyfriend and girlfriend. I guess there is just no way to predict how things are going to turn out.

One moment they're snuggling and kissing...




The next they're engaged in wild, crazy, noisy play...




I guess you could say that even though this isn't what Rob and I were expecting with the new addition to the family, we're thrilled that the kids get along and enjoy each other's company.

I've gotta say that both Lucy and Duke seemed thrilled to be in each other's company! And I'm sure it's not a stretch for me to say that Duke thinks he's found the best pillow in the world... Lucy doesn't seem to mind one bit!

2 Boxers Are Definitely Better Than One...

And I've got the proof right here. Just look how much fun Lucy and Duke are having with each other...
I brought both Duke and Lucy to work with me the other day. It was the first time that I've brought them both. I would say the day was a huge success. They spent most of the day snuggled up in front of the heater just like this. I'm pretty sure that Duke is appreciating that his new sister is a great headrest and Lucy doesn't seem to mind one bit!
I gave both boxers a marrow bone the other night before bed and anxiously awaited the result. I wasn't sure how well that was going to work out since those bones are such a hot item. But, both boxers settled right in and went to work on the bones.
I was pleasantly surprised when Duke tolerated Lucy sticking her nosy little head right in his face as he was working on his bone. His patience with her is definitely amazing at times.
Lucy and Duke had so much fun playing with Willy that they fell asleep together on the kitchen floor, both dogs holding a part of Willy, neither one was going to let go first. These two crack me up!
I just love these faces. Lucy always has such a comical expression on her face, and Duke is the exact opposite, he always looks so serious, even when he's being really silly with Lucy!

Everyone Working Toward A Common Goal

When it became clear that we were going to adopt Duke, I became fully prepared for having a period of time where Duke would need to adjust to his new humans, baby sister and his new home. I wasn't sure exactly what that would entail, or what he would require, but I knew that we would do whatever we needed to do to make him feel just how welcome he was to our family. What I wasn't anticipating was how short that time period would be, or how well I would handle the blending of both dogs.

The first 24-48 hours that Duke was with us, he was very reluctant to play with my bouncing, energetic and somewhat rude Lucy. Not being entirely sure how to handle this situation, I sought the advice of those who had been there and done this before. The advice that I got was golden, and I implemented the advice exactly as I was instructed to do; I just wanted everyone to get along! (I also learned a couple of things, remind me to do a post about "rude" dogs!)

Our challenges went something like this: Lucy would jump all over Duke, wiggle her bottom and beg him to play with her. Duke was rather unsure of us and his surroundings and he would let out several little growls telling Lucy to "back off". Lucy didn't take him very seriously, and things would escalate. There was no damage done because although Duke did not want to play with Lucy, he had no intention of hurting her. His words could get pretty harsh though, and Lucy wasn't exactly muttering sweet nothings in Dukes ears either. The whole thing sounded 10 times worse that what it actually was. All I knew was that it made me a wreck and was no good for the ultimate goal of having peace and harmony between my two boxers.

I became very alert to Duke's signals, and when he would look pleadingly at me and let out that little growl, I would pull Lucy away from him and make her sit. If she would return to Duke and refuse to leave him alone, I would separate the two dogs giving Lucy a chance to cool off and give Duke a bit of a break.

Of course, I was also paying close attention to Lucy's signals. When she would start bouncing all over the place and making those silly little "I'm feeling wild!" sounds, I did my best to distract her, or remove her from the situation.

I wondered how long this would go on, if Lucy would eventually get it and if Duke would eventually show us his silly boxer side and start playing with Lucy.

I got the answer to my question on Monday night. Lucy grabbed her jolly ball and started running around Duke with the ball. For the first couple of minutes, Duke ignored my silly little Lucy, but that only lasted a short time. Before I even knew what was going on, I had not one, but two boxers ripping around the house engaged in wild and delightful boxer play! I couldn't have been happier, and I'm pretty sure that Lucy shared my sentiments! It's been that way ever since, Lucy and Duke constantly at play!

I missed out on getting pictures of Lucy and Duke engaging in their first romp because I left my camera at work. But, you can be sure that I won't be forgetting my camera again any time soon because you just never know whats going to happen in my house with 2 boxers running around!

Nothing In Life Is Free

Several months ago, I came across the following article. I thought it was great reading, and a great concept. It was forwarded to me again by the director of the Rescue program that Duke had been fostered by. I thought I would share it here because we're always trying to better dog parents!

The NILIF program is remarkable because it's effective for such a wide variety of problems. A shy, timid dog becomes more relaxed knowing that he has nothing to worry about, his owner is in charge of all things. A dog that's pushing too hard to become "top dog" learns that the position is not available and that his life is far more enjoyable without the title.

It is equally successful with dogs that fall anywhere between those two extremes. The program is not difficult to put into effect and it's not time consuming if the dog already knows a few basic obedience commands. I've never seen this technique fail to bring about a positive change in behavior, however, the change can be more profound in some dogs than others. Most owners use this program in conjunction with other behavior modification techniques such as coping with fear or treatment for aggression. It is a perfectly suitable technique for the dog with no major behavior problems that just needs some fine tuning.

ATTENTION ON DEMAND
The program begins by eliminating attention on demand. When your dog comes to you and nudges your hand, saying "pet me! pet me!" ignore him. Don't tell him "no", don't push him away. Simply pretend you don't notice him. This has worked for him before, so don't be surprised if he tries harder to get your attention. When he figures out that this no longer works, he'll stop. In a pack situation, the top ranking dogs can demand attention from the lower ranking ones, not the other way around. When you give your dog attention on demand you're telling him that he has more status in the pack than you do. Timid dogs become stressed by having this power and may become clingy. They're never sure when you'll be in charge so they can't relax. What if something scary happens, like a stranger coming in the house? Who will handle that? The timid dog that is demanding of attention can be on edge a lot of the time because he has more responsibility than he can handle.

Some dogs see their ability to demand attention as confirmation that they are the "alpha", then become difficult to handle when told to "sit" or "down" or some other demand is placed on them. It is not their leadership status that stresses them out, it's the lack of consistency. They may or may not actually be alpha material, but having no one in the pack that is clearly the leader is a bigger problem than having the dog assume that role full time. Dogs are happiest when the pack order is stable. Tension is created by a constant fluctuation of pack leadership.

EXTINCTION BURSTS
Your dog already knows that he can demand your attention and he knows what works to get that to happen. As of today, it no longer works, but he doesn't know that yet. We all try harder at something we know works when it stops working. If I gave you a twenty dollar bill every time you clapped your hands together, you'd clap a lot. But, if I suddenly stopped handing you money, even though you were still clapping, you'd clap more and clap louder. You might even get closer to me to make sure I was noticing that you were clapping. You might even shout at me "Hey! I'm clapping like crazy over here, where's the money?". If I didn't respond at all, in any way, you'd stop. It wasn't working anymore. That last try -- that loud, frequent clapping is an extinction burst. If, however, during that extinction burst, I gave you another twenty dollar bill you'd be right back in it. It would take a lot longer to get you to stop clapping because you just learned that if you try hard enough, it will work.

When your dog learns that the behaviors that used to get him your attention don't work any more he's going to try harder and he's going to have an extinction burst. If you give him attention during that time you will have to work that much harder to get him turned around again. Telling him "no" or pushing him away is not the kind of attention he's after, but it's still attention. Completely ignoring him will work faster and better.

YOU HAVE THE POWER
As the human and as his owner you have control of all things that are wonderful in his life. This is the backbone of the NILIF program. You control all of the resources. Playing, attention, food, walks, going in and out of the door, going for a ride in the car, going to the dog park. Anything and everything that your dog wants comes from you. If he's been getting most of these things for free there is no real reason for him to respect your leadership or your ownership of these things. Again, a timid dog is going to be stressed by this situation, a pushy dog is going to be difficult to handle. Both of them would prefer to have you in charge.

To implement the NILIF program you simply have to have your dog earn his use of your resources. He's hungry? No problem, he simply has to sit before his bowl is put down. He wants to play fetch? Great! He has to "down" before you throw the ball. Want to go for a walk or a ride? He has to sit to get his lead snapped on and has to sit while the front door is opened. He has to sit and wait while the car door is opened and listen for the word (I use "OK") that means "get into the car". When you return he has to wait for the word that means "get out of the car" even if the door is wide open. Don't be too hard on him. He's already learned that he can make all of these decisions on his own. He has a strong history of being in control of when he gets these resources. Enforce the new rules, but keep in mind that he's only doing what he's been taught to do and he's going to need some time to get the hang of it all.

You're going to have to pay attention to things that you probably haven't noticed before. If you feed your dog from your plate do you just toss him a green bean? No more. He has to earn it. You don't have to use standard obedience commands, any kind of action will do. If your dog knows "shake" or "spin around" or "speak" use those commands. Does your dog sleep on your bed? Teach him that he has to wait for you to say "OK" to get on the bed and he has to get down when you say "off". Teach him to go to his bed, or other designated spot, on command. When he goes to his spot and lays down tell him "stay" and then release him with a treat reward. Having a particular spot where he stays is very helpful for when you have guests or otherwise need him out of the way for a while. It also teaches him that free run of the house is a resource that you control. There are probably many things that your dog sees as valuable resources that I haven't mentioned here.

The NILIF program should not be a long, drawn out process. All you need to do is enforce a simple command before allowing him access to what he wants. Dinner, for example, should be a two or three second encounter that consists of nothing more than saying "sit", then "good dog!", then putting the bowl down and walking away.

ATTENTION AND PLAY
Now that your dog is no longer calling the shots you will have to make an extra effort to provide him with attention and play time. Call him to you, have him "sit" and then lavish him with as much attention as you want. Have him go get his favorite toy and play as long as you both have the energy. The difference is that now you will be the one initiating the attention and beginning the play time. He's going to depend on you now, a lot more than before, to see that he gets what he needs. What he needs most is quality time with you. This would be a good time to enroll in a group obedience class. If his basic obedience is top notch, see about joining an agility class or fly ball team.
NILIF DOES *NOT* MEAN THAT YOU HAVE TO RESTRICT THE AMOUNT OF ATTENTION YOU GIVE TO YOUR DOG. The NILIF concept speaks to who initiates the attention (you!), not the amount of attention. Go ahead and call your dog to you 100 times a day for hugs and kisses!! You can demand his attention, he can no longer demand yours!

Within a day or two your dog will see you in a whole new light and will be eager to learn more. Use this time to teach new things, such as 'roll over' or learn the specific names of different toys.

If you have a shy dog, you'll see a more relaxed dog. There is no longer any reason to worry about much of anything. He now has complete faith in you as his protector and guide. If you have a pushy dog he'll be glad that the fight for leadership is over and his new role is that of devoted and adored pet.