Boxer owners your training advice please *pics added #40 & 61* - Page 4

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

New pictures of Isis she is 3w3d now. 1 month 1 day left till she becomes a part of our family
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/g...sis3w3dfba.jpg

[greenmagick]

very cute

[jennifercp8]

Aww, what a cutie! Take lots of pictures; they lose that "puppy" look pretty quickly.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I will pretty sure you all will get tired of seeing them

[Arduinna]

Originally Posted by femalephish

Don't worry about your cats- they'll train your dog.

Sorry but you can't rely on that, when we lived in the country we had a red bone hound and a chow that used to hunt together and find the feral cats and strays that came onto our land. They killed many a cat. Dogs with a high prey drive can and will kill cats.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I know dogs are a real threat to cats and I dont expect mine to have to fend a dog off it just isnt possible. I have no intention of letting her run loose since I do not have a fenced in yard. I do have a fear of her getting out (one of the kids opening the door) and harming one of my outside cats.

Not something I have to worry about for a few months since she will be in the puppy stage for a while and not a real threat.

The only thing I can do is expose her to my cats a lot so that she will see them as part of the pack maybe. I will also be teaching her the leave it command from the start and hopefully she will learn it really well.

[SquishyKitty]

Get baby gates so that you can block off the dog and give the cats a safe space. Our cats' safe space is my son's room, they have a perch there and the dogs aren't allowed in there anyways, so that's where you can always find at least one of them.

The important thing to remember about training is to be consistent from minute one, don't implement something unless you are going to do it that way every single time.

[stelly]

I didn't read all the replies here, but I have a white Boxer who is 5. We had 2 Boxers when I was growing up, and then I fostered a pair for 4 months the year before I got my dog. Learn from my mistakes!

-When you socialize with other dogs, make sure it's not just play time. We would have dog play dates with other puppies, and my dog now thinks that any time she gets together with another dog it's time to go beserk and play. It's so, SO irritating. She cannot leave the dogs alone and exhausts herself. We can't take her to family events if there is another dog because she obsesses over them.

-Recognize that Boxers play differently to other breeds. For this reason I reluctantly did not renew her dog park membership. It was getting to be too much - labradors snapping at her when she tried to box them, small dog owners getting upset when she pounced (with all good intentions) on their dogs and got slobber all over them... Her best friend is another Boxer and she plays very well with him.

-Be really careful to watch out for Bloat. My dog bloated when she was 2, even though she was on a raw diet. I was very lucky that she didn't torsion.

-Don't even bother with clicker training. I did this when she was small and it was a MASSIVE waste of time. I think only the most dedicated, 100% focused Boxer owner can make clicker training work. I've found positive repitition and praise worked best for her. She did great in group classes, but out in the real world she sucks on the leash. Make sure you don't let up on leash behavior for the first 3 years. If I had been more proactive, she'd be better. As it is, I have about 4 types of harness, head collar, martingale collar, Halti, Sporn etc. etc. and none of them help with her pulling.

-Because we raw fed our dog, she got used to being fed by hand and she is the most gentle dog around food. She was also trained to wait before eating anything (we say "take it!") which has been helpful with a toddler to stop her eating unsafe things off the floor like raisins.

-We taught the wait/stay/release commands and these have been great when taking her in and out of the car.

-Don't underestimate how bored Boxers get. They love to go out and see people/stuff. My dog is happier if I just take her out in the car on an errand, than if she gets left at home. Back in England, my Mum used to walk our Boxers 3 times a day for a total of 2.5 hours. I just can't achieve that, but in nice weather I aim for 4 hour long walks a week, and it makes her SO much happier.

-Watch out for the sunbathing, they can get burnt noses!

Enjoy your puppy!

[stelly]

Are you keeping the natural ears (please say yes, please say yes...)?

I love the natural ears, but really believe they need to be taped to create the best look. We taped my dog's ears for 3 days when she was about 4 months old and they now look SO good. It's very easy and prevents that helicopter look!

If you want, I can find the instructions I used... they were more complex than what I just found with a quick google...

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I will be taking her on daily walks to help me with my health. She will go everywhere that I can take her in the van.

Originally Posted by stelly

Are you keeping the natural ears (please say yes, please say yes...)?

I love the natural ears, but really believe they need to be taped to create the best look. We taped my dog's ears for 3 days when she was about 4 months old and they now look SO good. It's very easy and prevents that helicopter look!

If you want, I can find the instructions I used... they were more complex than what I just found with a quick google...

Her tail would still be with her if I had the choice so yes her ears will stay the way God made them. Like I told the guy I am getting her from I dont believe in cosmetic surgery for animals or kids. I have seen it mentioned about taping ears to lay right if needed. I havnt read about it yet because I am worrying about when to vax and what to feed and how to train the best way

I did find this looks very easy and something I can do Natural Ear Training Taping & Natural Ear Training Massage

Just 3 weeks and 6 days left till she comes and I am trying to learn everything I can.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Monday morning at 8:30A.M. I pick her up.

I am doing the last of the puppy proofing today and tomorrow. Dh is taking the week off so I will be home with him and a new puppy every day Plus dh expects to do some major house cleaning and organizing as well. Going to be an interesting week to say the least for me

[greenmagick]

woo hoo!!!!!

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

7 hours 30 minutes