Tor

Oh thank you! That sounds great. I will try tonight, it really is about training the trainer ????

Just another little update/brag ????. I was looking through the dog tricks sticky and decided to try and teach Sebastian "shy" with some sticky tape on his face. We did about five minutes last night and three tonight, and he has already worked out I want him to cover his face with his paw without needing the sticky tape, just from cue-ing the word "shy"! Now we'll work on him holding it a bit longer, it's so cute, I need to get a video of him doing it. I've noticed that the things I've taught him using shaping rather than luring he remembers much better. For example, he still won't drop just from the word command, I need to guide him down with my hand. But he will high five and now do shy from the word alone. Maybe he doesn't like dropping. At training I thought he'd done a great drop from a stand and clicked and treated him before I noticed he still had his bum up in the air. Oops! He's still pretty over the top when he sees people or dogs, but I have been able to work on him sitting/dropping to say hello to people a few times. LAT still going well, I try and move into something interesting like catching thrown treats (another new thing!) straight away. Today he met a lovely family in our street and got lots of attention from the daughter who was about 7. He didn't jump at all and I managed to get him to relax and be patted after the initial excitement. He also did quite well meeting a few dogs on lead at training without jumping or pawing, things he never does when meeting dogs off lead, he's very polite then, but the excitement/frustration of being lead is too much for him atm. I've entered us for our club's Fun Day competition in two weeks, wish us luck!

Thank you Sarspididious. I'm not sure he's well-trained yet exactly, but he's coming along very nicely with DOL advice! I just adore him. Maybe we do have room for a little brindle girl in a couple of years...my kids think we definitely do, they've already named her Cookie, or possibly Coco ????

But I love feisty! I plan to be a feisty old lady

Oh! Didn't see the other replies. I was referring to the hilarious running Bassetts. And yes, a female Boxer is probably the obvious choice. In a couple of years, one of my boy's sisters may be having pups, the breeder kept two, both of whom are doing very well in the show ring. I just love so many breeds and life is too short. I am reserving Griffons to be my old lady dog though.

???? that's probably not far off what I look like when I run

That's what Sebastians breeder said about him "he's a cracker of a puppy" ????

I am in Melbourne! Down near the Mornington peninsula. We'd love to see you compete sometime.

Yes I want a great role model well established. Of course, I might have a bit more time in a couple of years for a dog with higher requirements. I am really enjoying training, I'd love to do more. It's a whole new world for me though. One reason I'm a bit hesitant to just get another Boxer is I love Sebastian SO MUCH, and he has been such a joy overall that I'm worried another wouldn't measure up. I know he's quite different to several of his siblings (big litter, 11, we keep in touch on fb). His breeder said he had the best temperament in the litter: Oh I should have said, I don't want a one person type dog. My last dog was a little Maltese X rescue and he bonded completely to me and just tolerated the rest of the family. Sebastian loves us all, and adores all the quite physical attention he gets from my daughters and their friends.

I'm not sure I'd be able to provide enough stimulation for a working Springer. We do do some training each day, I take him new places a couple of times a week, training once a week. But realistically, with two kids who I homeschool plus running the household and doing a bit of work - I think I'm at my limit just now. Basenjis were one of my favourite breeds when I was a dog-breed obsessed primary school kid ????. But I've heard they are really challenging...

Basically I think I want a Boxer in a smaller package ????

Oh they sound lovely. I will look into them more. My boy doesn't really do much of the typical feet boxer play, at least not yet. He likes to run mostly and do a bit of bitey face: he sometimes wrestles, but only really with his Goldie friend who basically doesn't run ????. I really love Amstaffs and Bull Terriers actually, but the getting along with other animals worries me, as well as the health issues for the BTs. The right Bull Arab or staffy X rescue is also a possibility. I have really loved raising my puppy though and I'd never get a puppy from anyone other than a reputable breeder. Too many unknowns I love the look of Brittanies and Springers but are they generally quite soft? I like the cheerful toughness of my Boxer.

I think a GSP might be a bit big - I'd probably go for another Boxer if I went that size. I do love English Pointers though, and Dalmarians. The Kelpies I know are very barky. Is that typical?

I've done some googling but I'm not quite getting it... I think I understand prey drive, is that chasing? My boxer pup loves to chase, he adores chasing and retrieving his ball, I discovered he'll even stop playing with other dogs if I throw his ball for him, he pounces all over leaves and bags blowing around. He wants to chase the cat, but he is getting MUCH better about that. I definitely wouldn't trust him with chickens or pocket pets, although he won't harass them in their enclosures when I call him away. Does he sound high drive? Medium drive? Am I totally misunderstanding the terms? I thought most dogs his size would be similar, but he has this Goldie friend who just looks at a ball being thrown and then goes back to sniffing the ground. He's not full-on in terms of energy and activity though, a good walk/play and some games and training a couple of times a day is plenty. He loves tug too. And what does it mean to 'train in drive'? Links welcome!

I hadn't considered these at all; I think I assumed the coat would take work? They are lovely dogs. Hmm, I think I'll put them on the list, although they are a little bigger. I'd be looking for a female in any case

A Brittany? I did see a gorgeous English Springer Spaniel at our training club, I don't know much about either breed tbh. Are they similar?

Thank you Showdog, I do try to be very careful. It's certainly not that much forced walking, but I do take him to run around freely, stopping, sniffing etc as he wants to at the dog park for an hour or so, sometimes longer. We don't go when there are lots of big dogs playing roughly, only when there are one or two dogs that we know well. Our breeder said the danger was mostly with repetitive movement, so walking for 45 minutes on leash is different to all the stopping, starting and changing direction of free play. For walking I have been following the '5 min per month of age' rule. I think it's contributed to how well he walks on a leash now too, and with a dog who is going to be a very strong adolescent/young adult, I felt it was extremely important to develop that as early as possible. It is something I worry about though, so thanks for the reminder.

Oh I have been wondering about a Beagle! I wasn't sure I'd be up to the training challenge. The Podengos look very interesting too, I haven't really heard of them before

Hello DOLers! I currently have an 8 month old Boxer pup, and in 2 years or so, I'd like to get a second dog. The obvious choice is another Boxer as I adore my boy, but I also thought it might be good to consider smaller, compatible breeds. I want to get startled with my breeder research etc early. So here are my pretences -low maintenance coat -energetic but with an off-switch -medium size - good with kids and new situations - good with other dogs and cats, or can at least be trained to leave cats alone - can run 8 or so km easily - tough enough to enjoy Boxer play - my boy is not generally rough though and plays well with dogs of all sizes. He has a tendency to get bossy with very submissive dogs though, but I know that has a lot to do with the individual puppy temperament We are a family with two kids who will be about 12 and 9. I do obedience with my boy once a week, train every day, he gets 45 - 90min walk/dog park/beach every day. Very much an inside dog and an important member of our family. He LOVES other dogs, but he is still a puppy and I'm not sure how he'll mature. His parents are both very social though. I'm hoping to do some agility later. I love Bassett Hounds, but I'm not sure they'd enjoy all the running? I love little Griffons, but I think they're too fragile. Fox terrier? I also love dogs that are a bit uncommon, in my area there are lots of Labs, Goldies and BCs, and I love having something recognisable but less common. Hit me with your suggestions!

My grandma used to have a boxer. But then it got stolen ????. I agree that they are beautiful dogs, however they have never really appealed to me. After owning a bulldog all the slobber and grunting would be nice to avoid with the next dog. I hadn't really considered them though, so thank you loads for the recommendation. My boy doesn't slobber at all really, except if he's super excited. Less than I remember my childhood GSD anyway. And he snuffles a bit, but doesn't grunt or snore unless he's lying with his face squashed into his leg or something. I think if they are properly bred for a good head shape they won't drool or snore particularly. They do have an undershot jaw, but not to the extent a bulldog does

I know they're a leap away from shepherds, but have you looked at Boxers? They are fantastic with kids, really intelligent, although they are not as easy to train as some more handler focussed dogs, generally good with other dogs and if you choose your breeder carefully and check the lines, the risk of many of the health issues can be minimised. They also have a good, deep bark when it counts and definitely look intimidating enough to the casual observer to be a pretty good deterrent. I have an 8 month old Boxer boy and he is a dream around the house, very happy to laze around and snuggle, super enthusiastic to exercise when it's time, so patient with kids and our training is going really well (thanks to DOL) even though I'm a total novice. I'm planning to do some agility for fun with him when he's older, tracking and then train him as a therapy dog. I would stress making sure you get the right breeder though. Ours placed my boy very carefully with us, as we are first time Boxer owners and his temperament was more suited than some of the others in his litter. He's confident but not dominant, loves everyone but can be attentive. I have him walking reliably on a loose leash now and his recall is coming along well. He picks up new commands and tricks within 3-5 minutes and remembers them, so in that sense he's very intelligent and trainable. But he does get excited and then his brain disengages ????. And come on, look at that face!

My dog (8 month old Boxer) is reactive to other animals, for him it stems from excitement/wanting to play rather than anxiety or fear. Still, I think many of the techniques are the same and we are having some good results with the LAT game. As long as he is far enough away to be under threshold - for him that's basically an across the street distance - he is learning to look and then look at me for a treat and then we quickly move away. When we can't be that distance away, for example, at obedience training, working very hard to keep him active and engaged with me works best. So still doing LAT, but also lots of LAM and games of tug. I also keep his brain working by doing tricks he likes, like Touch targeting, high five and catching a treat. Clicker training is turning out to be great for us as it seems to really engage his brain and get his attention. My thread in this section has tons of good advice and links, it's here - http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/266699-training-tips-for-a-7-month-old-boxer/

His eyelashes are the envy of all ????. Another good training yesterday. He was still very distractible but when we were actually doing the exercises he was great. I've noticed that the stationary ones are the easiest - he will hold a stay for quite a while and do all the crossing behind and in front really well, but as soon as it involves walking anywhere it gets trickier as he wants to head towards the other dogs. Still, we managed quite a bit of loose lead walking with sitting every two steps and his turning is also good - I get my feet mixed up though ????. By the end he was doing a lot of ground sniffing - is that a sign he's really had enough? I should finish before then if it is I think. There were two border collies in our class and I admit I was a little jealous of how handler focussed they were, even the little 11 week old. Sebastian's attention is much more "eyes to me, eyes away, eyes to me, eyes away". Although he did hold eye contact for much longer during the stays. Oh there was also a little KCC who was even more distracted, he hardly noticed his owner was there! But it's a bit more obvious with a 26kg baby ????. In four weeks our club is having a fun day and I'm going to enter the puppy class. Bit nervous but I think he'll do well. Oh and I taught him to catch a treat in his mouth to keep him busy while we were waiting to start. I just held it about ten cm above his nose and dropped it, we will try throwing and catching next

This is a very interesting thread as Sebastian also wants to play with and chase our old cat. He will stop as soon as I tell him and will be called away easily but he does go back. I have lots of places for the cat to go and I don't leave them together if we go out. We do LAT and rewarding for being calm around the cat - it's hard as probably 75% of the time he is fine, but when he's feeling active and playful, then he harasses him. At this stage he clearly means him no harm, he play bows at him and doesn't paw him or try to get closer than a metre but I'm worried it could develop into something worse. He has also managed to get to one of our chickens and did pick her up although he dropped her when I made him and she wasn't hurt. I have no doubt he'd play with them to death though. I'd like to train the kind of "Leave it" you have with your dog Willem, where she left the Guinea pig. I don't want to do a flirt pole though because of his joints, maybe that tug on a rope game? Right now when we tug I just let him win and he will drop it for a treat - I'd like to train take it/leave it better. I think he'd love lure coursing when he's older but I don't want to reinforce his prey drive without being able to control it if that makes sense? Sorry for the hijack, this got longer than I meant!

Here are some pics of my boy. I finally worked it out!