Boxer Pups Need Early Training
If you are brining home a new Boxer pup it means that it should be given some training and training should ideally start when the pup is about three months old. Even a younger dog can start understanding some basic behavior patterns that will be expected of it.
Here Are 3 Basic Tips For Training Boxer Pups
1. Assert Yourself as Pack Leader
Boxers, like all dogs, are a pack animal and they need a definite leader to follow. If you do not assert your position as the “alpha dog” right away, your Boxer will seek to become the leader.
Unless you want your dog ruling your household, it is very important that he or she learn very early on that you are in control. This will make them a better behaved pup 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 bad behavior 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 wait until he weighs nearly seventy pound and still thinks jumping on grandma is ok.
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 pulling 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 walk beside you 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 Encouragement Not Scalding
From all of the training help 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 that they did not understand 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.
Learning all about Boxers and their habits is so important because they are such a smart dog. Start with these training tips early on with your Boxer pup and it will be so much easier when you get down to the serious training in the period to come.