Getting frustrated with my Boxer

I have a male Boxer who will be 2 in October. We love him, but we are becoming very frustrated with him lately and feel horrible!! He is a great dog... very playful and never ever aggressive.

Here is our frustration...
HE IS UP OUR BUTTS 24/7!!!!!
I know that he loves us and wants to be with us all the time, but I think this behavior has become somehwat extreme. When we are sitting down watching TV, he is at our feet.. if one of us gets up to go to the bathroom or into the kitchen or something, he literally jumps up and comes along, then follows us back to the foot of the couch again. When we let him out in the backyard, he won't go out unless one of us goes outside or stand at the door. If we walk away he will run back inside and if we close the door, he just sits there begging to come in! Every move either DH or I make, he he at our feet.. all day, every day.

I am 7 months pregnant right now, and this really became an issue after I became pregnant. I know he senses it, but what can I do so he relaxes a little bit? I feel like I have a shadow and after a while, it gets super annoying! He literally waits outside the bathroom door for me!!!!! LOL! Going up and down the stairs now is getting dangerous with him running along side of me and I'm afraid that I'm going to fall down the stairs one day. Once the baby is here, this is going to be even worse! I can't fall down the stairs with a newborn in my arms! HELP!

Any advice would be helpful!! Thank you!!

Re: Getting frustrated with my Boxer

My male dog is like this. We call him my shadow. I am not sure what I can suggest other than a lot of playing, walks, lots of love and attention (sounds like he already gets that) etc. He will adjust as baby comes along and gets older. You may feel guilty when you have less time, when baby comes but as baby gets older, it all works out and pup gets a new friend. My male dog loves to play with my now 21 mth old DD. It's the most beautiful sight, seeing him so happy to have a new friend.

Re: Getting frustrated with my Boxer

Boxers are still puppies at the age of 2... so there is still plenty of time to train him... unfortunately I dont have any experience with this type of behavior in any dog. Have you looked up any solutions online. Or even calling and talking to a trainer?

Re: Getting frustrated with my Boxer

My boxer is 2 1/2 and still doing this. I don't know what he's going to do when I go back to school this September. If you find a solution, please let me know!

Re: Getting frustrated with my Boxer

my 1 year old lab mix does the same thing.

Re: Getting frustrated with my Boxer

Thanks for the responses, ladies!!

Many of you seem to be experiencing the same thing, but is there anything that you are doing to stop the behavior? We had a trainer come in when he was a puppy and I might have her come back to help with this issue, in addition to getting him ready for the baby. I know there are definitely worse things in life than your dog loving you so much he won't leave you alone , but it's to a whole other level lately. Thanks, again!!

Re: Getting frustrated with my Boxer

I have this issue with Lola.. She is going to be 4 in Sept.. I do not see it ever changing or getting better.. She loves me to death.. he does everysingle one of those things you described in your original post.. The reason I dont mind I guess as much as you do is because she is 14lbs and I carry her all over the house like my baby.. It must be different with a bigger dog..

I cant see any solution to this other than a crate for some alone time..

The way I handle this issue with my dog is I just accepted the situation and embraced it.. She does everything with my DD and I.. She does bath time with us .. meal time, bottle time.. I am conditioned to know she is there so i rarely trip over her.. She lets me go up the stairs first when i hold DD. At night when its bed time she is waiting on the rocker for me to give dd her last bottle and put her to bed.. Then she knows its OUR time together after that last bottle .. We spend the rest of the night together .. eating carrots playing and cuddling. its become my routine and it works beautifly. Just try to relax and you will see she will eventually wander off on her own.. I hope my experience sheds some light on this..

Re: Getting frustrated with my Boxer

Riker is a bit younger but has done this since we first got him as a little pup. I think he has definitely gotten better with it because of boundaries we've set up. He is not allowed on our bed, he is not allowed in DH's shop area (which also happens to be the laundry room), and he is not allowed in the bathroom when one of us is taking a shower. We set up these rules to make sure he understands that he can't be with us every second and I think these boundaries have helped him realize it's okay to be without us sometimes when we are home. Now as for when we leave him home alone, that's a story for a different day! We're both teachers and I don't know what the heck he is going to do when we get back to work!

Re: Getting frustrated with my Boxer

Most pups are in the puppy stage til about 2 alittle over. I have to puggles and my first a male was the same til he was just over 2. Our second is a female and was calm since she had him around,lol.
Most pups come out of that stage.

Re: Getting frustrated with my Boxer

If this has gone on for the 2 years you've had him, it appears it is not a behavior "problem" per se, but just the dog's personality.

I have 2 shadows - one that needs to have eyes on me at all times and one that has to be within 5 feet of me. I feel your pain with the annoyance, but it's just something I have to accept.

Safety is important so you should step up your training now. I've had to teach my dogs how to climb/descend stairs for my own safety in my office building. I stand at the landing, leash in hand, and start to descend. I keep pressure on the leash so they are close to me (holding the handrail for support) and say "sloooooow" in a calm, smooth voice. Praise like hell when you get to the bottom. Repeat about 200 times.

If I know I'm just going to the kitchen and coming right back, I tell them to stay, and make sure to praise when I return.

If Ginger is in the way and I'm walking towards her, I've taught her to circle around behind me by walking right into her. Not hard, but enough that she knows if she doesn't move out of my way, she's going to get moved by me.

If I'm going somewhere they can't fit comfortably like the bathroom, I stay them t the door or when I'm ready to leave I either say "back up" or "out" depending on what I want them to do.

Training can absolutely help. But some dogs just have a co-dependent devotion to their owners that can't be changed. Now that I've found a way to live with it, I embrace it.

Re: Getting frustrated with my Boxer

Posted by Diana712

The way I handle this issue with my dog is I just accepted the situation and embraced it.. She does everything with my DD and I.. She does bath time with us .. meal time, bottle time.. I am conditioned to know she is there so i rarely trip over her.. She lets me go up the stairs first when i hold DD. At night when its bed time she is waiting on the rocker for me to give dd her last bottle and put her to bed.. Then she knows its OUR time together after that last bottle .. We spend the rest of the night together .. eating carrots playing and cuddling. its become my routine and it works beautifly. Just try to relax and you will see she will eventually wander off on her own.. I hope my experience sheds some light on this..