Boxers are a very intelligent breed and as a result can be highly trainable PROVIDED that you use the right motivation and techniques. They can be easily bored by repetition and as a result can come across as stubborn and strong-willed. The key is to make your Boxer decide to want to take part, not just to follow your commands because you say so.

After many years investigating different training clubs and as many different training techniques, we quickly ruled out the more traditional methods which, even though based on praise and reward, still use a high level of negative corrections. I was horrified when I joined a local training club, at a venue that would normally be associated with the welfare of animals and whose trainers were Border Collie and competed with them at a high level. We only lasted two sessons as they relied so heavily on bullying the dogs to obey with choke chains. This, is not only cruel in my opinion, but totally counter-productive with Boxers as they will soon dig their heels in and let you know they are NOT enjoying themselves by not responding.

A much better approach is through mostly positive reinforcement using rewards (treats or toy). Of course there are times when you need to ‘insist’ that your dog obeys you (as in the recall), but this can be taught effectively using a long lead and gentle guidance towards you using rewards. Timing is everything, and something that revolutionised my approach to training (both for show and obedience) was the discovery of Clicker Training.

Clicker Training

If you would like to find out more about Clicker Training, go to Karen Pryor’s website. She was one of the first people to bring clicker training to the dog masses and has written many excellent books, including ‘Don’t Shoot the Dog’.  For many years dolphin / sea lion trainers have used a whistle to signal when the animal achieved a task (before throwing it a fish). This is where clicker training originated, and these days clickers are used by many zoo animal trainers these days to help many different species learn desired behaviours. The main principle of clicker training is the use of a small hand-held clicker which, when clicked, the dog associates with the exact moment that it has achieved what you are asking for.  It can be a powerful tool, which enables the dog to work out for itself what you want, rather than you telling it what to do. This is ideally suited to our Boxers who so relish a challenge and hate doing activities that they view as pointless!

A quick example of the clicker’s power can be shown by teaching the ‘sit’.  Traditionally, you would either position the dog in the sit, add the word ‘sit’, then reward the dog with a treat or playing with a toy. Alternatively you could raise a treat above the dogs nose, hoping it will plonk its bottom on the floor. This works, but can take some time to perfect, or get boring for certain breeds :-)

The first, very quick, step of clicker training is to train the dog to associate the ‘click’ sound with receiving a treat afterwards. To do this, simply ‘click’ (with the dog in any position) and follow with a treat a few times. Your dog will quickly get the idea that if it hears a ‘click’ it will get a treat.

Now you can teach your dog behaviour. With clicker training, you don’t tell the dog anything. Just wait for it to assume the position and as soon as it does ‘click’ (no verbal commands or praise, which is quite hard at first, but praise only adds distraction), then treat as reward. Immediately the dog will try to work out what it did that caused the ‘click’ so that it will get another treat. It learns that the click is the praise. It only took us two attempts for Holly to learn that if she sat she would get a click and a treat! As soon as she had got this idea, we were able to add the ‘sit’ command for her to associate with the action.  Equally quickly, you can teach your dog to ‘stand’ for the show ring.

Clicker training is particularly valuable when the dog is at a distance, or is performing a more complicated action that cannot be ‘treated’ at the moment they have achieved the next step. The ‘click’ noise is so instant and well timed that there is no confusion on the part of the dog as to what they have done write (or not).  It can return to you for the treat AFTER it has achieved a click. This is so when teaching the dog to ‘hold’ for the retrieve.  It can be a learning curve with gradually increasing expectations.

E.g.

1. the dog shows interest towards the dumbbell on the floor ‘click’

2. The dog reaches forward to the dumbbell ‘click’

3. The dog touches the dumbbell ‘click’

4. The dog opens its mouth around the dumbbell ‘click’

5. The dog takes the dumbbell fully in its mouth ‘click’

6. The dog picks it up and holds it for a split second ‘click’

7. Gradually extend the time needed for the dog to hold the dumbbell before awarding a ‘click’.

This is only the start of teaching the retrieve, but hopefully you can see how the dog is able to work out what behaviour gets a reward by the click being so targeted. Also, the dog isn’t constantly ‘looking’ for the treat and is able to remained focussed on the task in hand. It is amazing to see your dog so involved and keen to get it right! Only when the desired behaviour has been learnt should you then add a command and name the action.

There are various tools that can be used in conjunction with a clicker, such as a touch-stick to help guide your dog into the correct behaviour if necessary.

 

Other good sources of information:

An invaluable book for first-time puppy owners is The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey

I have recently discovered Caesar Milan’s The Dog Whisperer who has an excellent knowledge of dog psychology, the importance of exercise, and how to demonstrate your leadership through body language and effective corrections to achieve a calm, submissive dog who is a balanced, secure and happy member of your ‘pack’.  You can see repeated episodes of The Dog Whisperer on Sky and National Geographic channels.

 

This is only a brief introduction to training techniques, but I hope will help you to find a successful way  to enjoy training your dog. Your dog with thank you if you do!

 

 

Training & Obedience

Dingo and Holly, second and third from left, performing the sit stay. I must have been mad to enter both in the same class!

Holly, carefully retrieving a dumbbell

Dingo’s recall.

The caption says it all!

The following photos were taken at British Boxer Club Open Show Obedience competition, April 1996 and appeared in Boxer Quarterly magazine.         (reproduced here by kind permission of the editors)