# help - how to tame a boxer dog



## arzosah (May 17, 2008)

Can anyone help with how to tame a 1 year old boxer dog?

my parents have got my brothers dog whilst he is away, and he is driving them crazy. HE is fine for my brother but no-one else.

He has so far, ripped a mat to pieces, ate several plants and veg in the garden, even though he is well fed and watered and has loads of toys to play with.

When you take him for a walk he pulls you along and jumps around in the air like a horse, barking and biting lead!

Any help would be greatly appreciated as he has my poor mam distressed and she has another week to go.

thank you


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

all i can say is good luck :lol2:


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## arzosah (May 17, 2008)

thanks, we are trying, I have even tried standing in the middle of the street and ignoring him whilst he is jumping round like a loon, and then when he is finished moving on a bit but its about 3 steps forward and he is up in the air again!!!!!!!!! maybe he is crossed with a horse!!!!!!


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

arzosah said:


> thanks, we are trying, I have even tried standing in the middle of the street and ignoring him whilst he is jumping round like a loon, and then when he is finished moving on a bit but its about 3 steps forward and he is up in the air again!!!!!!!!! maybe he is crossed with a horse!!!!!!


sounds typical boxer to me  not high on my fav dog list but are certainly cute lol

i do hope someone here can help though


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## coopere (Aug 6, 2008)

I walk my boxer on a halti to stop her pulling -but make sure you use the padded one as they have squished noses. Has it got something to chew on, like a decent tough toy or a bone? That may help stop the chewing.
Emma


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## arzosah (May 17, 2008)

yeah, he has a hard bone and rubber toys to chew on....he has been walked before with a muzzle on, a chain lead, a leather lead, the lead he has at the moment is a made of thick material ( as thats the only lead my brother left) nothing really helps.

I have heard that at 2 years old they calm down a bit...is this true?


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## Dizz (Mar 29, 2009)

LOTS of things to consider.

How long are the walks each day?

What games do you play with the toys?

Does your brother work and do you work ie, how long is the dog left alone for each day and what is it used to?

Has your brother/family owned dogs before - if so - what breeds, how old?

Has the dog ever been enrolled in any training classes before now?

Does your family have experince in dog training?


Dogs are usually not good only for one person. If they are good for that person it's because that person knows how to communicate with dogs.

If you are not being consistant, or the dog is bored or under stimulated it'd will likely act up.


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## KathyM (Jan 17, 2009)

Walk him on a simple Canac walking harness (bra type, cost about a fiver). Then he can't chew the lead. That's the first thing.

Then the questions above are good ones. How much exercise is he getting? What mental stimulation is he getting throughout the day (eg. how much clicker training, puzzle games, other interactive mental games)? How are you reacting to his behaviour?

Boxers do not do well with punishment (no dog does, but especially not them). They need a lot of low impact exercise, probably 3-4 hours + a day at that age. Chewing wise he needs distracting with suitable chew toys such as frozen filled Kongs. If he is alone when he is chewing, it is probably either boredom or seperation anxiety (common in bullbreeds). 

Boxers are incredibly clever (they don't look it but they are) and very keen to please, so get the balance of exercise and mental stimulation right and you're getting there. Other than that, don't let him where he is wrecking without 1 on 1 supervision and distraction - if you don't let him wreck the garden, he can't wreck the garden. 

M boxers calmed down at 7 and 11 respectively, that's when they died. They are like kangaroos on speed until that moment, and that's how I love em! Can I has? :flrt:


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## arzosah (May 17, 2008)

Dizz said:


> LOTS of things to consider.
> 
> How long are the walks each day? *as far as i know this ranges from 1 - 2.5 hours when my brother walks him. My dad is trying to do the same whilst he is away so he keeps a routine but is finding this difficult due to the dogs behaviour.*
> 
> ...


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## arzosah (May 17, 2008)

thank you all for help so far......maybe he is missing my brother.

Will give all advice to my parents and brother when he gets home

thank you


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## Dizz (Mar 29, 2009)

Well... sounds to me like they are maybe struggling to communicate.

I don't mean that in an airy fairy hippy way, I mean using correct tone and body language.

You have to be firm, but not over bearing. No means no. Don't shout, but lower the voice and say it firmly.

Do NOT keep repeating... no no no no no no no or stay stay stay stay etc - has ZERO impact what so ever.

You say something ONCE. If they don't respond, you pause or try another tactic before repeating the command.

PRAISE when they do something you want. Don't be afraid to look silly. Dogs LOVE squealy voices and child like praise usually.

If the dog is doing something like acting up on the lead, you firmly turn around and walk home. I know from experience my dog pulls when she is SUPER excited to go on a walk. It PAINS her to stop and sit or to turn around. THAT is her punishment... she pulls, I slow down or ask her to sit. She walks nicely, we get to where we're going and she gets a walk.

She SITS and STAYS before she is allowed to run freely. 

Try getting the dog to sit before he gets what he wants.

He wants to play ball, he sits for it.

He wants his tea, he sits for it.

Small things like this redirect the boistrous behaviour, and he will soon learn that good action = positive response from you.


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## bozwell (Jun 23, 2009)

*boxer*

i recently had to find a new home for my boxer due to moving home she was almost two and was also mental they never calm down .its the nature of them dogs they always on the go try getting rope toys cos it is closer to a fabric i found this helped and get a small squirty bottle with a small amount of white vinegar and fill with water everytime it does wrong squirt a little near him but not at him they dont like the smell so they tend to recognize it only happens when they naughty but dont know if it will help but good luck


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## animal addict (Jun 1, 2008)

:lol2: they do calm down with old age :lol2: my dog is a Boxer X but has mostly Boxer traits - she is the only dog I have ever seen throw cartwheels whilst out on walks when wound up - incredible!!! She broke most harnesses too but the one that goes around the nose too (forget the name as she doesnt need it now she has calmed down at the ripe old age of 15-16!!) was good at controlling her and punishment type reinforcement defo didnt work :lol2: she is very good now - no pulling or manic bouncing around but we had to keep up the work a lot with her -she had to know her place in the home and we had to be firm but fair with her too


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

Sounds like a typical boxer to me! They calm down just before they snuff it :lol2:


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Zoo-Man said:


> Sounds like a typical boxer to me! They calm down just before they snuff it :lol2:


You took the words right out of my mouth!!

My boss's husband loves boxers and just before Christmas they went out and bought 2 puppies! I warned them what they were taking on and that they would never calm down and having 2 wild hyper children in the house would only exite them even more.

They're now 11 months old and stupid!! By that I don't mean stupid as in intelligence, I mean stupid as in behaviour!


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

Yup! I used to really want a boxer when I was a teenager, but I'm glad I didn't get one now!

And to think, boxers are sometimes used as guide dogs in Germany!


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

No offence to boxer lovers everywhere, but I've _never_ wanted one!

I've never actually met one that didn't have a behavioural problem of some kind! :lol2:


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## KathyM (Jan 17, 2009)

Both of mine were fantastic dogs. Very energetic but VERY trainable. Seth had a bit of seperation anxiety but Ruby didn't do a thing wrong (apart from dared to have crossbreed puppies for her puppy farming previous owner of course!). I've never met a "bad" one, they're a fantastic breed, my absolute favourite - comedians and best friends rolled into one. :2thumb:


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

The problem with my bosses is that they just don't have the time that a breed like this needs! They work all the hours God sends and complain constantly about not having enough time for their children, so why they chose a breed that needed a lot of time spent on it (and I believe that some breeds don't need that as much as others) just because the husband 'likes' them, is beyond me. 

They do walk them, but they haven't time to take them to puppy class or to any kind of training class and most of the time they're left to their own devices and because there's two of them they wind each other up. Consquently they're not in any way biddable, although one is slightly better than the other, they jump up at people constantly - last week terrifying one of the childrens' friends who was visiting and like most boxers are totally incorrigible. 

My boss was bewailing this to me last week and I told her then what I told her when they brought them home - that they are a breed that is fun to be around, but needs discipline and having 2 complicates the matter because they do wind each other up when they get excited.


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## Dizz (Mar 29, 2009)

I've ALWAYS loved boxers, would love one, but not right now.

My Bo is 1/4 boxer, that's enough for me right now


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## Sid.lola (Jan 10, 2008)

feorag said:


> No offence to boxer lovers everywhere, but I've _never_ wanted one!
> 
> I've never actually met one that didn't have a behavioural problem of some kind! :lol2:


I've had them all my life and only one had behavioural problems which we were unable to un-teach him. They are very receptive to training if you communicate with them in the way they understand and don't let them get away with walking all over you.


OP - my boxers never got anything for free. They have to work for their dinner, they have to work to be allowed off the lead. Just simple things to start with like sit and paw.

Never give them what they want while they're in an excited state - they have to be calm (at least sitting) before you allow them to walk on or get off the lead or before you throw a toy for them or give them their dinner. That way he will know that you are in charge rather than you just following him around and keeping him happy.


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## arzosah (May 17, 2008)

thank you all for info.:2thumb::no1:

I have passed it on to my parents, so hopefully the week won't be too bad for my poor mother


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

arzosah said:


> Can anyone help with how to tame a 1 year old boxer dog?
> 
> my parents have got my brothers dog whilst he is away, and he is driving them crazy. HE is fine for my brother but no-one else.
> 
> ...


 Oh he sounds like a typical boxer. I used to breed them. They are nuts. If he pulls on the lead, buy a lupi harness. SOunds like he's not had any proper training which is a pity as an untrained boxer is a nightmare. Does he get plenty of off lead galloping on a daily basis? We are talking about an active large working breed here which should not be expected to live like a fat old labrador.


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## arzosah (May 17, 2008)

hiya, i am sure my brother takes him out and lets him off the lead for a run around as he has said he has nearly lost him at times when he runs off!!!!

Brother is back tomorrow so I have no doubt my mam will pass all info that I have been given on to him.

Update, since info giving is that dog has behaved much better in last 2 days other than eating another plant when he went outside lol

once again thanks for all info


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## fuzzielady (May 19, 2008)

arzosah said:


> Can anyone help with how to tame a 1 year old boxer dog?


 
Not unless you can stuff it:lol2: It's a boxer:2thumb:


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