Five Training Tips For Your Boxer Puppies
Below are five important training tips for Boxer puppies to get you started.
1. Assert Yourself as Pack Leader :
Boxers, like all dogs, are a pack animal, and they want a clear leader to follow. If you do not assert your position as the "alpha dog" right away, your Boxer may try to fill this position him/herself.
Unless you want your dog ruling your household, it is very important that he or she learn very early on that you are the one in charge. This will make them a much calmer dog because they will be looking to you for direction rather than stressing about taking on this responsibility themselves.
2. Eliminate Bad Behaviors as Early as Possible :
Many dog owners make the mistake of letting their pets get away with behaviors as puppies that they then have a hard time training them out of when they are adults. Letting your cute little Boxer puppy jump on guests when he is excited may seem harmless, but just wait until he weighs seventy pounds and still thinks jumping on grandma is allright.
It is important that you teach your dog not to jump on people when he is still a puppy, because if you don't he will continue to jump long after he is too big and muscular for it to be cute anymore. Do not give your Boxer any positive attention when he jumps on you out of excitement, or he will learn that this is an appropriate behavior.
You also do not want to let your Boxer puppy get away with tugging on his leash during walks. You may be able to hold him back now, but it can become a huge problem when he grows stronger and begins to drag you all over the park like a pull toy! Teach him to be calm and stick by your side during walks when he is a puppy so you do not have the difficult task of training him to do this once he has already developed the habit of tugging on the leash whenever you go outside.
3. Use Positive Reinforcement, Not Punishment :
Of all the training tips for Boxer puppies you may receive, this one is perhaps the most important to remember. Boxers can be very headstrong, and may continue negative behaviors in spite of punishment.
Being punished for something they were never taught not to do will confuse the dog and often cause it to act out even more. Boxers are very loyal and want to please their owners, however, so if they are given positive attention for good behavior, they will learn very quickly that this is the way they are supposed to behave.
4. Be Consistent :
It is incredibly important to stay consistent in whatever training method you use on your Boxer puppy. Inconsistency will confuse your Boxer pup and he will not know how you want him to behave. For example, you cannot get mad at your dog for jumping on visitors when you let him jump on you all the time. If you do not want your dog jumping on people, you can't let him jump on anyone, yourself included.
5. Keep Your Ultimate Training Goal in Mind :
The last of my training tips for Boxer puppies is to keep in mind what you want your dog to grow up to be. Different people want Boxers for different reasons, and you need to take these reasons into consideration when you are training your dog.
If you want your dog to be a watchdog, you need to train him to be aggressive toward strangers, but obedient to you when you are home so he does not attack guests. Similarly, if you want a dog you can take running with you, you need to get him used to strenuous exercise from a young age, and so on.
Following these training tips for Boxer puppies will help you immensely in the beginning stages of teaching your dog to follow your commands. Boxers are very intelligent and loving dogs, and if you take the time to train yours when he is a puppy, he will be a much more agreeable companion as he grows up.
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