Dog Training > Dog Training > Boxer Dog Training

Boxer Dog Training

The boxer dog breed is distinctive and easily recognizable, with the trademark undershot jaw and well-defined chest. Boxers were bred to hunt down and hold prey until their masters arrived, and most of the physical and mental characteristics of boxer dogs are related to this historical task.

When it comes to boxer dog training, the breed characteristics mentioned most often are intelligence and energy. Boxer dogs are highly intelligent and bred for independent thinking, which can make boxer dog training both extremely challenging and very rewarding. Intelligence doesn't always translate into obedience in boxer dog training. Their intelligence can translate into stubbornness. Your boxer may know exactly what you want him to do, but your boxer dog training methods had better include good reasons why he should what your asking. As with most training, patience is the key to overcoming this boxer dog training obstacle.

Boxer characteristics in your favor when it's time to begin boxer dog training include his relative silence. Don't misread what I just wrote--their bark can practically be a roar when they choose to use their voice. But boxers tend to reserve their barking for alerting you to the presence of a stranger in his--and your--space. This makes the boxer a truly effective guard dog.

Another helpful characteristic of boxers is their instinctive desire for cleanliness. This should greatly simplify the house training component of your boxer dog training.

Boxers are very energetic and are surprisingly strong. Remember, they were bred to hunt down and hold game like bears and bison. So knocking over a man is no real problem for an adult boxer. That's why effective boxer dog training is so important--to curb any tendency your boxer may have to jump up and make body contact.

Untrained boxers also tend to pull on the leash and may end up dragging you through the neighborhood. Make sure that leads training is an early part of your boxer dog training.

Because of their high intelligence, boxers are easily bored. Boxer dog training needs to include lots of treats, praise, and anything that will help make training fun for your boxer. As boxer dog training progresses, praise will gradually replace the treats. Do whatever you can so that your boxer looks forward to his boxer dog training sessions instead of dreading them.

Boxer dog training should include lots of socialization training. Although boxers can be friendly dogs, it doesn't necessarily come naturally. Taking your boxer to boxer dog training classes is a great way to have him spend time around other dogs. Not to mention, you get a chance to rub elbows with other boxer owners and swap boxer dog training tips.

Boxer dog training can begin very early--as early as six weeks of age. You should plan for some serious boxer dog training when your boxer hits 13 to 16 weeks. This is the age range where most boxers start to assert dominance. Your strong leadership and consistent boxer dog training methods need to prevail so you can avoid future dominance and aggression difficulties. With any breed, problems are easy to avoid early than to correct later.

Some owners include the development of guard dog skills in their boxer dog training. Though not necessarily bred for this purpose, boxers' strong jaws and aggressive-looking stance are well suited to guardian duties.