Love Boxer Dogs? Boxer Dog Training Tips, Including Boxer Puppy Training!
Boxer Dogs are great family pets. They can often be referred to as the clown of dogs because of their joyful personality and clumsy behaviour, which can be very entertaining! They are a loyal companion and make great guard dogs, alerting their owners of anyone who approaches the property. Also, they tend to love affection from people they meet, including children, and enjoy an energetic run around with other dogs they come across! However, as with all breeds of dogs, Boxer Dog training from a young age is important. In this article, we’ll be sharing some of our tips, including tips for Boxer puppy training, so you can find out more!
Boxer Dogs are a clever breed and can be quite trainable once you find the right reward to motivate them. The pros of this breed could go on forever. They really are amazing dogs. However, one of the main things people need to consider with this breed is their high energy levels!
If you do not have a particularly active lifestyle then the Boxer Dog may not be the right breed for you. Boxers are highly energetic and require lots of exercise and mental stimulation throughout the day. If you are unable to dedicate time to put into exercising your Boxer Dog or finding ways to give mental stimulation, then you will find it exceedingly difficult to train and get along well with your dog. They also hold a reputation for being stubborn. This can cause problems for when you are trying to get them to do something. You need to have a lot of patience and persistence for Boxer puppy training. They are quick learners but you have to get through that stubbornness first in order to train them really well.
Boxer Dogs are really energetic!
Top 10 Tips for Boxer Dog Training
If you’re considering getting a Boxer Dog, or you have one already and aren’t sure what the next steps are, training is really important! Many people worry that training their new dog is going to be hard. Yes, you have to put in work and effort, but it really doesn’t have to be difficult! Here are our top 10 tips for training Boxer Dogs to help you along your way…
Make sure to exercise before training
Boxers are an energetic breed and can become distracted easily. To help focus their attention on to you, exercise them before a training session. This will expel any excess energy that they may have, and allow your Boxer to concentrate on the more important things, like the tasty treat that’s in your hand.
Discover what your dog likes
When starting your Boxer puppy training, rewards are crucial. Every Boxer Dog is different and, as a result, they will all be motivated by different rewards. For example, some prefer treats and some prefer toys. You need to find out what your dog prefers and use that as a reward. If your dog likes treats, find their favourite treat. If your dog likes toys, find their favourite game. You can use these as rewards for good behaviour, which will make training sessions far easier!
Reward Accordingly
Depending on the exercise you and your dog are doing, you need to reward accordingly when it comes to Boxer Dog training. For example, if you are training your dog to walk to heel down the road, it may not be a good idea to reward your dog with a game of fetch. Here it may be best to reward using treats, in order to not encourage the exact behaviours that you’re trying to train them not to do in certain situations!
Focus on the good stuff
Even though your Boxer may exhibit unwanted behaviour sometimes, you still need to focus on the good behaviour. Don’t take their good behaviour for granted. As we said before, Boxer Dogs are stubborn, so reward their good behaviour and you will motivate them to do it more. The more you reward the good behaviour, the more likely it is that it will happen again.
Motivation
This is a similar point when it comes to Boxer Dog training. Boxers are known to be stubborn, but if we motivate them then they are more likely to do what we ask them to do. If we do not motivate our Boxer Dogs from a young age, then we can’t expect them to come back when called or to walk with you. Using their favourite treats and other rewards is the best way to do this.
Make sure to implement structured playtimes
Boxers love to play, however, we can’t play with them all day. So, we need to structure regular play times in for them. Dogs naturally want to play in the evening after their meal. You may notice that at some point in the evening they get a surge of energy and bounce around and want to play. This is a good time to play with them. You can also structure other times in the day to play, but ensure you end the game and let them know it’s finished. This is a key point with Boxer puppy training that will teach your dog that they can’t play all the time!
Boxer puppies are adorable, but don’t forget their training!
One, two, three, and go
Boxers are a very sociable breed and often get caught up with wanting to play with other dogs. To help with Boxer Dog training and for them to understand that they do not have to stay and play with every dog, you can teach them the 3-second rule. The rule is they can only meet for three seconds and then they are called away. This allows them a brief amount of time to say hello and then come back to you. If you do this enough, you will condition your dog to say hello and then walk on, making your walks a lot less hassle!
Change Direction
Boxers can be quite excitable when taking them out for walks and they may pull on the lead. To help combat this, you can change direction every time your Boxer Dog walks in front of you. This key point in Boxer dog training will teach them to follow you. And, if you reward them when they are well behaved and next to you, they will learn that they will get treats when they are beside you.
Consistency is key
It is very important to be consistent with the rules you are setting in place when it comes to Boxer puppy training. If you do not want your dog on the sofa but someone else allows it, then you will confuse your dog. Everyone in the household has to be reading off the same page in order for your dog to understand what it is you want from them. Set clear rules, and make sure everyone sticks to them!
Learning to settle
Teaching your dog to settle and relax is important for them so that not only can they unwind and relax, but they also understand how they should behave when you have visitors. You can do this by rewarding your dog for a ‘lazy down’. This is when your dog lays down but rocks their hips over to one side. When your dog is in this position you can reward them and pair it with the word settle. If you wanted to take it a step further you can teach them to do this in their bed. Taking the time to teach them this key skill will really help the harmony in your home!
What can good Boxer Dog training look like?
Here at Royvon, we absolutely love working with Boxer Dogs to help them reach their full potential and thrive with their owners! We’ve worked with many Boxers over our 60 plus years in business, so we know a thing or two about what well-trained Boxers can look like. Have a look at the video below to find out more! Don’t forget to visit our YouTube channel too, where we have plenty of videos about all different kinds of breeds that we think you’ll love.
Meet Pippa!
Pippa came to Royvon with obedience issues and problems with keeping her focus on her owner. She worked with our trainer Anna to help improve her behaviour! Anna’s main focus for Pippa’s training was to not only improve her focus, but also to improve her recall and ability to walk closely to her owner without being distracted. Anna and Pippa made great progress using positive reinforcement to reward her for ignoring possible distractions. Great work Pippa and Anna!
Here at Royvon, we love working with dogs of all breeds, not just Boxers! With options to suit everyone from group puppy classes to intensive one-to-one residential training, we can cater for all needs! Whether your pup just needs to learn some basic manners, or they have issues such as aggression and anxiety, our progressive and science-based training methods are here to help! Want to find out more about what we can do to help you and your dog? Just visit our website today, or don’t hesitate to get in touch to discuss what we can do for you!
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