Communication, not Confusion

There's no way around it. If you have a Boxer, you
have a dog that is wired for action. The same genetic
selection which provides them with their loveable
temperaments and exceptional intelligence also gives
them overflowing energy and the muscles to knock a
human twice their size off his or her feet. So if you
have a Boxer, Boxer dog training is a must. And there
are techniques specific to Boxer dog training which
do not apply to other breeds.

Your Boxer dog training needs to employ methods which
will keep you Boxer interested. Boxers are bred to be
working dogs, and have a very strong drive to be productive.
They want to be given something useful to do, and will
be looking to you for cues that you appreciate the efforts
they are expending. And because Boxers were bred for use
in the bull and bear-baiting sports, they have extremely
high pain thresholds. Any Boxer dog training which involves
harsh physical treatment will not only be wasted on them;
it may encourage stubbornness and a complete refusal to
co-operate.

So, before you embark on your Boxer dog training adventure,
you need to make allowances for your Boxer's inbred personality
quirks. Keeping them in mind, you should succeed at Boxer dog
training. Your Boxer puppy will come to you having learned from
its mother and litter mates that every pack has rules. It will
be watching to see who decides the rules in your house, and if
no one seems to be the top dog, it will happily assume the job.
Boxer dog training, therefore, has to be consistent, with each
rule made clear and each infraction immediately corrected. And
the correction should always be the same.

It's important, therefore, that you do not confuse your dog. For
example, if your Boxer, behaving as a good watchdog should, barks
at the sound of footsteps on the porch, don't get agitated and
demand that it stop. Your Boxer will read your agitation as a sign
that there is cause for concern, and its protective instincts
will be heightened even further. The barking will increase,
and growling may ensue.

The Boxer is behaving the way it was bred to behave, and is taking
its signals from you. So successful Boxer dog training requires
understanding why your Boxer is reacting in a certain way, and
thinking about how you can communicate what change is necessary.

If you stay calm when you hear the footsteps on the porch, and before
opening the door fully, give your dog time to see who is there and
to pick up from you that there is no cause for concern, the chances
are good that it will understand the visitor is a friend, and retreat
from ferocious defense to delighted wriggling welcome.

When you take on the job of Boxer dog training, you'll have a pupil
who is bright, willing, and eager to please. It's up to you to keep
things interesting and non-threatening, and if you do, you'll have a
Boxer whose lifelong good manners and companionship will make you the
envy of you local dog-owning set!