BoxerB Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 I know this has been discussed many times but was hoping to get some advice and what would you do in my situation. We have a place down the coast and heading there this weekend. There is a huge off leash dog beach there which is off leash 4pm to 8am. I wanted to take my pup down and let hime have a run, but here's what I'm worried about. I have a 7 month old Boxer who is nothing but playful. Not my opinion, but actually observing him with other dogs he is in no way shape or form aggressive to dogs or people. BUT he is a Boxer and they have a unique style of playing. If i take him to the beach during the offleash periods, I'm concerned about how other dogs will react to his play style rather than how he will react. We've had this place for 20years and have been going to this beach regularly and from what I've noticed all the local dogs seem very well socialised and are all great at the beach with other dogs and people. But as I've never taken a dog there before I haven't payed extra attention to how they interact. He loves the water so i really want to take him. Should I? and if yes in my situation would you keep him on a leash even during off leash times? As a final point he has not been desexed yet. Am i worried about nothing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weasels Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 (edited) I'd take him on a long line, a 5m or 10m horse lunging rope for example. Poor boxers, they are goofy sweetie pies but yeah a lot of dogs really don't appreciate them (including mine) (edit: I'm assuming you don't have a head-snapping recall to call him away from other dogs?) Edited March 26, 2013 by TheLBD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara8430 Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 I took my girl down the south coast a couple of weeks ago shes a 18 month old lab who has pretty good recall but i wasnt 100% confident so i got a 33ft longline from K9 Pro which worked really well, even if i didnt have hold of the long line at least i stood a chance at catching up to the leash not just the dog. One thing i found on the off leash beaches people with dogs off leash tended to get irritated that i had my dog on leash cause their dog got caught up in my long line, but hay if i think my dog my bolt when another dog is heading out way id prefer to have the longline on her than not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxerB Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 Thanks guys, and long leash was what i was thinking as well when saying keep him on a leash. Tara8430, thats a very valid point. He's great and does come when called, but again, beeing a 7month old Boxer he does get distracted, and being his first time there have no doubt he may choose to ignore me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 When my Dally was a similar age I took him to the beach REALLY early in the morning. Less distractions and much easier to train/manage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 Can you suss out the other dogs before you let him off, even mention to owners he is a bit full on? I would keep a close eye on him and if he gets told to back off by another dog and doesn't put him back on lead. Being entire can often be a problem as other dogs often don't like them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 Not much point in having a beach house if you can't take your dog. Your sound well aware of the possible not-so-good-things, so I reckon you will all have a wonderful time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 I'd take him on a long line, a 5m or 10m horse lunging rope for example. Poor boxers, they are goofy sweetie pies but yeah a lot of dogs really don't appreciate them (including mine) (edit: I'm assuming you don't have a head-snapping recall to call him away from other dogs?) Totally agree with LBD. Boxers do have a unique play style and some dogs seem quite put off by it, poor babies. We have one in our obedience class and most of the other dogs avoid him and he really is the sweetest boy. Zig plays nicely with him but Zig is a social butterfly and loves to play with any dog that is up for a play. Good luck, I am sure you will have a great time - it should be exciting for your dog being the first time at the beach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinabean Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 Agree with LBD and Staffyluv, other dogs can find Boxers a bit over-the-top. Mine loves other dogs and play-bows at everyone (even a dog statue letterbox once). It all goes swimmingly until he gives them a friendly biff with a front paw. Thus, I'm careful about how I allow him to meet other dogs. I agree with the others that a long line is a good idea for the beach. I would try to go the first couple of times when it's quiet, and practice recalls. Have fun. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 (edited) Wasn't there a thread recently started by someone who had a boxer other dogs wouldn't play with? Maybe some tips there as well. ETA: Here it is http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/245364-why-do-dogs-hate-roxy/page__p__6082422__fromsearch__1#entry6082422 And a follow up :) http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/246263-remember-my-thread-about-roxy-the-boxer-x/page__p__6111805__hl__roxy__fromsearch__1#entry6111805 Edited March 27, 2013 by Danny's Darling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Does your dog have a reliable recall? Can you call him away from other dogs? If not I definitely wouldn't be letting him off leash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I don't understand having a leash on a dog in an unleashed area to be honest. I'd probably be miffed if my dogs were being tripped up by some big leash. If you are that concerned your dog may bolt then perhaps its not the best candidate for an offleash area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I don't understand having a leash on a dog in an unleashed area to be honest. I'd probably be miffed if my dogs were being tripped up by some big leash. If you are that concerned your dog may bolt then perhaps its not the best candidate for an offleash area. I would rather see a dog on a long line than running around off leash with no control or recall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weasels Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I don't understand having a leash on a dog in an unleashed area to be honest. I'd probably be miffed if my dogs were being tripped up by some big leash. If you are that concerned your dog may bolt then perhaps its not the best candidate for an offleash area. I would say it depends how many people are there and how you are using the leash. If there aren't many people around and you shorten the leash to normal length when they approach, until you can suss out the situation, there shouldn't be any problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two_black_dogs Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 As somebody who regularly takes their dogs to an off lead beach, (as in every weekend day over the last two or so years) I can honestly say the only problems we have ever encountered have been with dogs who are still on leash whilst others ( including ours) are off leash. My dogs (labs) love meeting all the other dogs down there and have no problems with the vast and varied playing styles of all kinds, including boxers. However, the one or two times there have been stand offs and snarling have always been from a boxer on a lead. Granted , we go there so often that they are just regulars in the pack who travel up and down the beach so they are pretty reliable when asked to move on, and with you being new to the beach, you won't have that , but I'd honestly say think again. I admit I am a total newcomer to the dog world, but it really does seem to me that keeping a dog on leash whilst all the others around it are off leash is more likely to cause your dog stress and exacerbate any potential problems. And I agree, long leads are damned annoying, not to mention dangerous if there are a lot of dog walkers. Good luck with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 people are not saying take your dog on a normal leash - I agree that is dangerous and you leave your dog no way of avoiding other dogs. They are saying use a long leash when it is quiet to practice recall. This is completely different than an extendable lead which is dangerous and can cut other dogs. You don't use a long leash to let your dog play with other dogs. The last young boxer I saw at the beach played with my dog nicely but got an a#$#$^ whooping from a lab that didn't like being boxed and pestered by a young dog that simply wouldn't leave him alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diva Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 One of the dogs that used to catch up at the local off-lead oval had terrible recall and used to drag a long lead as it ran around. Originally I was concerned about it being a safety hazard to other dogs but in all the times we played with him no dog had any issue, and mine run crazy hard. It was a soft long line, definitely not an extending lead which would be a hazard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I don't understand having a leash on a dog in an unleashed area to be honest. I'd probably be miffed if my dogs were being tripped up by some big leash. If you are that concerned your dog may bolt then perhaps its not the best candidate for an offleash area. I would rather see a dog on a long line than running around off leash with no control or recall. I hope you don't frequent dog parks then :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I don't understand having a leash on a dog in an unleashed area to be honest. I'd probably be miffed if my dogs were being tripped up by some big leash. If you are that concerned your dog may bolt then perhaps its not the best candidate for an offleash area. I would rather see a dog on a long line than running around off leash with no control or recall. I hope you don't frequent dog parks then :laugh: No I don't for that reason (dog owners rarely have effective control of their dogs) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Yes my point exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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