Free Dog Training Manual

Our 'Free Dog Training Manual' is really just a collection of tips and links we have learned through our many years of hands-on experience with dogs of all types, and Boxers in particular.

Tough Love

To a person not fully aquainted with the breed, the Boxer may appear quite intimidating. God has blessed the breed with a particularly athletic build, a set of powerful jaws and an energy level (at all stages of life) that can only be described as '24/7', when it comes to taking advantage of opportunities to play..

But to all of those readers who are interested enough in the breed to have researched it in the first place- don't let yourself be put off by all the "is the Boxer the right breed for you?" stuff that is out there.

For all his athleticism and the confidence that goes with it, the Boxer Dog is, by-and-large, a cream puff when it comes to interacting with his own (especially), and most other, humans.

In fact, for a ' natural gaurd dog' you should probably look elsewhere... as one reader says, "For a scartch behind the ears, a Boxer would lead a thief to the family jewels".

That's not to say, of course, his 'ferocious' bark my scare the thief off in the first place. Admittedly, a boxer or two in a garden can look quite intimidating, but that isn't their fault....

It is also notable that nearly all dog experts rank Boxers at the very, or near top, with regards to 'best dogs with chldren' category.

Socialite

This need for the 'human touch' can lead to serious separation anxiety as your dog expresses his frustration at being left alone. There are ways to deal with that, as you'll see here.

The Boxer's joy at meeting a friend old and new, is often expressed by 'rearing up' to put his front paws on the person as a greeting. This is a difficult trait to break, as it is the Boxer's instinctive (and rather unique) behaviour. One need only watch two Boxers greet each other to see this habit played out. But again the issue is addressable, here (LINK SOON).

Gotta Problem with That?

Keeping in mind while training your Boxer, that you aren't really "teaching" the dog, but rather showing him ways to demonstrate his affection and desire to 'belong'in ways that don't irritate (or even knock over!)nearby human beings, will help to keep the entire training experience in perspective.

If you can keep your training and playing strategy in such a perspective, weWe are confident you will find you will soon forget any thoughts of "intimidation", and rather get caught up in a "teamwork" spirit, that will have you and your dog, together, mastering whatever command it is you are working on at the moment.

Our help

Also, we will hope to prove to you that "negative" reinforcement not only does not work with Boxers, it can actually be counter-productive.

As non professional trainers, we will also direct you to some "real" dog handlers that we just intuitively seem to agree with based on what they say and their philosophies.

For example check out what Silver Paws has to say about the "4Ts" and positive reinforcement. They will be providing some content for our free dog training manual in the future, no doubt.

And in Corona, California our colleagues at Amazing Mutts provide a number of helpful insights on behavioral and training issues, we especially like what they are doing with the "community building" training. The are worth a look.

You can click here if you are looking for online dog training tips.

For puppy and dog training in Johannesburg check in with Furbabies. We love the "super puppy" qualification, and use the articles on their site as a training resource.

And for dog care basics be sure to check this site out!

"Qualified" disclaimer

As far as the 'intimidation factor' is concerned, when making your yes/no decision about the breed, it is important to read all the 'warning labels". But also to keep things in perspective, bear in mind that one is FAR more likely to be bit by a Chihuahua than a Boxer.

It is our experience that Boxers require training to become aggresive, in their natural state they are big, muscular, athletic, cream-puffs.

Here's our list of topics, it's a bit meager for now, but the site was born June 6, 2010 and isn't our full time job, check back with us regularly:

We hope you find our free dog training manual useful!

Free Dog Training Manual

Subjects in Alphabetical Order