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Table of Contents
Mental Stimulation for Boxer Dogs
Mental Stimulation for Boxer Dogs should use accessories and training tools that reinforce natural instincts and Boxer Breeding Characteristics.
These can be divided into two categories: Natural Instincts and Training Reinforcement.
Mental Stimulation For Boxer dogs should cover these 9 areas during exercise and play.
Instincts
- Chasing Prey
- Sniffing and Smelling –
- Jumping
- Tugging and Pulling
Training Reinforcement (Obeying Commands)
- Sit
- Stay
- Down
- Come
- Drop/Release
Boxer dogs have a long and storied breeding history. Because of the multiple and varied roles that Boxers have been used during their breeding history, they have earned the monicker of the “Ultimate Working Dog”.
Boxers have been used as
- Guard Dogs
- Police Dogs
- Watch Dogs
- Hunting Dogs
- Fighting Dogs
Mental Stimulation for Boxer Dogs should include activities that challenge and reinforce their innate instincts and intelligence when enjoying mental and physical exercise with your loyal companion.
Mental Stimulation for Boxer Dogs – Using Their Instincts
Boxers have been bred for many different roles before finally, becoming bred for their loyalty and companionship as family-oriented companions.
Their early breeding roles (see above) led them to acquire natural instincts that are still present in the boxer breed of today.
These instincts were essential in helping them be successful in the specific roles for which they were bred and trained.
These include
- Chasing Prey
- Sniffing and Smelling
- Jumping
- Pulling and tugging
When it’s time to exercise and play to meet your Boxer’s need to release pent-up energy and be mentally challenged, consider focusing some of the games and dog toys used in playing towards challenging their instincts.
Mental Stimulation for Boxer Dogs – Training Reinforcement
Boxers are intelligent dogs that can be trained to follow commands relatively easily.
See our post – Are Boxers Easy To Train? We Tested Our Boxers’ Abilities to Uncover The Answer.
Boxer dogs’ intelligence (they rank 48th in intelligence out of 190 dog breeds) and willingness to please, allow them to be trained to follow commands.
This is one of the reasons Boxers were utilized to be great police dogs, guard dogs, and messenger dogs during both world wars.
In addition to reinforcing their instincts, exercise, and mental stimulation should include training activities to reinforce obedience commands.
- Sit
- Stay
- Come
- Drop/Release
There are a number of great dog toys and accessories that can be used to reinforce training commands. We will discuss these in detail further in the post.
We recommend Brain Training For Dogs. A quality training program that includes easy instructions for training obedience commands. Click the button below to learn more.
Mental Stimulation for Boxer Dogs – Personal vs Professional Training
- A Vetstreet.com survey of 1,800 dog owners reported that 45.5% of owners provided dog training themselves while 46.7% to their dog to a training class.
Additional Training Statistics provided the following information on dog owner training.
- 8% of dog owners report taking their dogs to obedience class
- 73% of dog owners use some kind of training method
Reference: Petkeen.com
- The average time that a pet owner commits to training their dog, whether in-home or attending classes is 1-3 hours per week.
- Of taught commands, sit is the most widely taught and retained by dogs. The most known commands are: stay, release, and lie down.
Reference: Peteducate.com
Table 1 – Mental Stimulation for Boxer Dogs – Instincts and Table 2 – Mental Stimulation for Boxer Dogs – Training illustrate dog toys and accessories that can be used when exercising and challenging your Boxer dogs mind as well as the benefits they provide.
Table 1
Mental Stimulation for Boxer Dogs – Instincts
Instinct | Accessory/Toy | How it Reinforces the Instinct | Benefits to the Boxer |
Chasing Prey | Flirt Pole
| Reinforces their rapid response to chasing down prey and holding or retrieving it for their owners | Utilizes every major muscle group providing great exercise
|
Sniffing/Smelling | Sniff Mats
| Utilize their keen sense of smell to track and locate their prey (or treat) | Challenges both their sense of sight and smell to achieve the goal of locating their reward. Gives them a sense of accomplishment that they were using their sense of smell to locate the reward. |
Jumping | Frisbee/Soft Disc Hanging Bungy Toy | Simulates jumping on prey to immobilize it. | Utilizes all major muscle groups
|
Pulling/Tugging | Rope Toy | Simulates pulling and tugging at prey
| Utilizes every major muscle group
|
Tips for Instinct Activities
- Get actively involved with your Boxer and use it as a time not only to mentally stimulate them but build strong bonds with your loyal companion.
- Praise them when they respond to your commands. Boxers like to please their owners and it’s a great way to strengthen bonds.
- Start easy and gradually make the activity more challenging.
Watch out for Instinct Activities
- Set short time limits on Jumping and chasing Activities because they can place burden and stress on the joints leading to issues as they age.
- Teach your Boxer to return to you with the frisbee or other chasing or jumping toy so they don’t develop dominance and protective issues that may be harder to correct later on.
- Don’t overdo treats or rewards which can add additional calories leading to obesity, which is becoming a major issue with canines.
References
Table 2
Mental Stimulation For Boxer Dogs – Training Reinforcement
References: American Kennel Club (AKC)
Training Command | Training Command | Reinforcing Training Command | Benefits to Boxer Dog |
Sit | Treats Clicker | Use the clicker and treats and positive reinforcement to get the Boxer to sit on command | Learning a new skill
|
Stay | Treat Balls Clicker Tossable toy Treats | 3 components Sit | Reinforces the Sit command Teaches time duration and distance from the owner or reward |
Stay/Down (no Jumping) | Leash Treats Tossable Toys | Reinforce sit command Teach all 4 paws on ground Reinforce stay command | Learn a new skill
|
Come | Long leash Treats Toys and Games Hide and Seek | One of the more difficult commands to train.
| Learning difficult command
|
Drop | Clicker Treat Low-Value Toy | Reinforces the command to drop the play toy or object. | Learning difficult command
|
References: American Kennel Club (AKC)
Tips for Training Activities
- Use a clicker, treats, and positive reinforcement when training. The clicker will help the Boxer associate the clicker with the reward and the desired command.
- Always give the Boxer positive praise as they are learning new commands.
- Some commands will take longer for the Boxer to master so be patient. Based on the research, Boxers take a little longer to learn an initial concept but quickly pick it up after the first 2-3 attempts.
- Read our post Are Boxers Easy To Train? We Tested Our Boxers’ Abilities to Uncover The Answer to learn more about training a boxer and the research
- Be patient, your Boxer is willing to learn and please and they will master the command given the right amount of time to learn.
Considerations
- Don’t overdo treats or rewards which can add additional calories leading to obesity, which is becoming a major issue with canines.
Does Your Boxer bark a lot? Read our post on Do Boxers Bark a lot? 4 Best Reasons Boxers Bark.
Training Toys and Accessories For Your Boxer
Flit Pole (Also known as a Flirt Stick)
- A piece of exercise equipment that is used to entice your dog to chase and object
- Great training tool for reinforcing the Chasing Prey Instinct
- Check Prices at Chewy
Puzzle Toys
- Reinforce smelling instinct
- A great training exercise for mentally challenging your boxer dog
- Check Prices at Chewy,
Dog Frisbees
- Reinforce the jumping instinct
- Great for working on the come and drop it commands
- Check Prices at Chewy
Rope Toys
- Reinforce the pulling/tugging instinct
- Strengthens Jaws
- Great bonding toy for your BoxerCheck prices at Chewy,
Mental Stimulation for Boxer Dogs – Summary
Mental Stimulation for Boxer Dogs should include training on both the Boxers’ natural instincts and their ability to learn commands.
The 9 best ways Boxers can be mentally trained include:
Instincts
- Chasing Prey
- Sniffing and Smelling
- Jumping
- Pulling and tugging
Training commands
- Sit
- Stay
- Down
- Come
- Dope/Release
Training should be done on a consistent basis to achieve desired results and keep your Boxer mentally stimulated.
Use this training time as a great way to bond with your loyal companion.
Discoverboxerdogs.com are Mary and Chris Kustanbauter. We reside in Red Lion, PA with our two Boxers, Duke and Katie, who are both rescue dogs. We have been working with Adopt A Boxer Rescue for the past 17 years and have adopted 5 Boxers from this fine organization. To learn more visit our Home, Boxer Dog Family, and Blogs Pages Visit us on social media on Facebook – All About Boxers, Instagram, and Pinterest.
