the other goofball

[Kaneman]

Originally Posted by wildchild

explain PLEASE what do you mean job to do?

Well Boxers are working dogs so they need to work. I'm a firm believer than any dog can behave any way you want them to regardless of age or breed. I'll just use my Boxer Jethro as an example.

My Dad got Jethro as a puppy to be a member of his two Boxer pack. After that cute little puppy stage Jethro became increasingly hyper and uncontrollable and developed destructive behaviors and extreme dog/animal aggression. He was so out of control that you couldn't even pet him because he would be all over you. The last straw came when he ate $3,000 worth of patio furniture. I offered to take him and "fix" him. Of course once we bonded Dad would've had to have killed me to get him back!

Jethro is extremely fast, more so than some greyhounds even. He LOVES to run...so I put him to work running. He pulls me on rollerblades or he pulls a cart with kids in it. I coupled that with structured walks and discipline. After a couple of months he was a completely different dog. The kind of dog that people say, "OMG, he's so well behaved, what do you do?" Everything we do is an exercise in calmness. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE to roughhouse with him and slam him on the ground and suplex him and let him chase me and so on....but only on my terms.


For my lab I chose the obvious and put her to work as a retriever. But not just a free for all, it has to be a structured working retrieve. I steadily increased the challenge and have her to the point where I can chunk a ball across the Trinity River while she's in a sit stay. After a couple minutes I release her and she brings it back.

Your dog's job could depend on what he likes to do and what you like to do. Keep it positive, and enjoyable and ratchet up the challenge. Jethro is to the point where he can pull me miles on end (9 miles is our record) without me ever having to skate.

You mentioned having a lot of land, which is great...but if your Boxer is like mine no amount of running around all day will drain her energy. She needs a challenge and a job to satisfy the need that we have bred into her as a working animal. Much like a police dog, the bond you develop with a dog that "works" for you is just incredible.
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