I just posted this long post on my dog's prey drive and lost it. So he's got a strong prey drive. Fuzzy furry critters get him going and he tries to pull me down to get to them. He gets in a zone and doesn't hear me or "feel" his corrections on his prong collar. I would love to get some advice on how to handle this situation. Is there a competition that might help with this natual instinct? I would love to get him involved as soon as we get some obedience training. I will repost my thread over here if that's okay. I posted something in the dogs with kids forum and would like to have other Boxer people read it. See what you all think.
Thanks,
Kristy

do you have a club that trains schutzhund sport near you in t.x? schutzhund sport is good for teaching control...i tell people it is like karate for dogs.. it teaches disipline and focus...

my boxer was the same way but the difference was i created his pray drive towards furry creaturs with out really realizing what i had done at the time and i have never made that mistake again.. i used to work on a golf course in n.y and the owners had asked me to use my boxer to scare the wild geese away off the fairways and greens.... o.k i thought... until one time while camping he caught a baby deer.. he didnt hurt it but how shocked was i that he caught it?... very...

is your prong collar fitted correctly? it should sit right behind the ears and you should only beable to fit a finger in between the prongs and his neck... gotta ask....

Get a ball, and play with him!
Julie

He has a ball and he gets played with everyday but he doesn't have a yard to just run after a ball. He cannot be trusted off lead so "playing ball" is not the answer. I'm not sure what types of obedience training we have here. I will look into it. We need something to redirect his attention.

While I'm on the topic of training a boxer...I've done a little reading not much, only had him for a short time, on boxers and had a couple of questions. Do boxers tend to be a one person dog? He seems very bonded to my husband and will listen to him a bit more than me. It's hard to keep him focused on me but my husband can hold his attention through praise only. My praise doesn't seem to matter to him much so I use food treats and that only matters to him for a short amount of time. He has little interest in "pleasing" me. I was just wondering if this is breed specific or if I am doing something wrong with him. He seems to get bored of training quickly also. If he's not complying to a down and I try to put him back in a sit, he will just flat out refuse unless I push his butt to the floor, praise then he will stay. I know I need Ed's dvd on obedience and I plan on getting it very soon. I just wondered about this breed.

No his prong collar isn't fitted that tightly because my husband says it's too tight. I showed him the picture on this website and he thinks it's too tight when I take the extra link out. When that extra link is out it stays up behind the ears but if I have it the way my husband wants it, it will slip down to the lower part of his neck. I will READ to my husband what Ed says on the prong and how it's supposed to fit. Stubborn husbands and stubborn dogs what a life for me. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Do you have a fenced area that he can play in? If he is that ball crazy, it is a real shame he can't wear himself out with that. You can also get a LOOOOOONG line, and put him on that and throw the ball. In general, no, Boxers aren't one person dogs, but they can get more bonded to certain individuals, just like other breeds. In training Boxers: They become bored very easily, and are bright. You need to find what your dog loves (a ball), and when you ask for a sit, you accept only a very fast sit, and for that he gets the ball bounced and plays with it. Then, do the same for stay, and down, and come. Use the ball as the reward. Boxers can be stubborn. They won't aggress their owner away, but they sure can stay put REAL well. Use that ball he loves to train him to do anything you want. Don't leave the ball out unless you will be playing with him.
About the prong collar- I have one as well, but I found that the martingale I use has worked better. I can keep it higher on his neck, and have very good control. One thing to remember, when the collars are really high on the neck, this forces the dog into a very upright position, and strange dogs generally don't take a liking to this, although it may not be a problem. Listen, Boxers are very bright, but they are not a herding breed, or rottie, etc. They are sensitive, and intelligent, and will not be trained by force (they will more than likely just give up).
Julie

Okay Julie, I appreciate your information on the breed itself as that is something I need to know going into a training situation. I am confused as to why you keep referring to a ball. He's got high prey drive for furry critters. He will chase a ball a couple of times and then he's bored with that game and actually the ball has to be a furry ball or he won't even bother. Eventually he will refuse to retrieve it anymore. I haven't found what excites this dog yet other than his leash to go out on a walk. He's just average on wanting affection, liking treats, etc. I just need to find his "thing" and use it. I could possibly buy him a furry critter that's small enough to use as a treat for good behavior but won't that increase his furry critter prey drive?

I would like you to give me more information on dominant issues. I think we might have one. I don't know if it's a boxer thing or dominant issue. I just wish I could afford to have a trainer come out and evaluate him but I cannot. So I'm doing all I can to learn and figure out what we are doing right and wrong. If he IS dominant it's not a huge problem. He's never growled at anyone in the home although he has barked at people out on a walk and barked at one dog that approached us (I really need that dog mase) and I shooed off. When the dog turned it's back to walk off Lucien barked. I always correct this behavior because I don't want him thinking he is the boss. I want our walks to be under MY control. He is selective in who he will bark at when we are out because most people he ignores and then there is an occasional person that he just doesn't like the smell of I guess.

Look, a boxer may be all these sensitive (and stubborn) and wonderful things but he is a dog none the less. He still has dominant tendencies because he will stand over us if we are on the floor. He has tried bolting through doors (until we started using Ed's door technique <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> and he has tried to keep toys away from us if one of us has tried to take it to put it away. So although, breeds have certain "traits" that make up a general statement about the breed, they are still dogs in a basic makeup and have to be regarded as such. It is good knowledge to have breed information though so I thank you for that.

He doesn't recognize the ball as a prey item yet. Just let him chase it that one time and then leave him wanting more before you play with him again, maybe put him away in the crate after playing ball. Try to quit before he 'gives up'. Maybe do this several times a day, but always leave it very short...eventually he'll start loving the ball and will do anything for it.

Hi:
I will answer the best I can, each paragraph <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
I referred to the ball, because I think you mentioned it earlier (as he couldn't play ball because he can't be loose). Balls are great toys <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Yes, your boy has good prey drive. Prey drive is a good thing <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> You can train your boy well with this as a drive. He gets excited about other things on walks, partially because you are not as fun as the furry thing <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> If you find something he LOVES to play with, and bring this on your walks, your walks will be about you two, and not what else is out there. I routinely bring either food, or a frisbee or other toy when we walk, and my dogs pay attention to me <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

As for dominant issues. If the dog likes to stand over you when you are on the floor- don't get on the floor. Don't ever give him that opportunity, and if he portends to do this when you are on the floor, down him immediately. Do not let him get over you. As for barking at certain people, Boxers are natural guard dogs, and as such, they are not always fond of everyone. He sure can protect you, but once you tell him enough, he has to stop. This second paragraph really makes me think that you and he need some plain old bonding time. Spend relaxed time with him, playing with him, and just being with him. Get to know him better, and then integrate some obedience once your relationship is stronger. My Boxer LOVED obedience. I mean, LOVED it. Loved to heel, loved the recall, loved the dumbell. We had some seriously great routines going, where he just looked stellar. It was wonderful. We really got close then. I trained his obedience using attention for competition methods, and that boy NEVER took his eyes off me. Nothing like a drive Boxer doing the routine.

As for the last paragraph, all dogs are dogs- that is true, but if you truly want a good dog, a dog who is obedient, friendly to friends and family, and attentive, you first need a relationship with the dog. Taking a dog and presuming to make it a good one, just because he is "yours" is unfair to the dog. Dog's give us respect, and look for guidance from us when we take the time to do the same for them. I am not of the ideology of believing a dog must do what I ask, just because I am the human. I taught obedience classes for a long time, and another woman who believed and taught that, was demonstrating her methods on a pitbull, and got a nice bite for her efforts. I always had the fullest class, and the happiest dogs, and the people most proud of their dogs. Getting to the point where you *like* your dog takes work, and isn't about species specific behaviour.


Julie

Julie,
Thank you for your response. I guess it just takes a while to get bonded to your dog. This dog has had unknown circumstances so we are trying. We've only had him for 6 weeks and in that time, he's had to get neutered, use a prong collar (which I'm sure he's never had to before), learn that he's not the boss around here, take antibiotics and steroids, and get used to children (don't know if he was ever exposed to children). All in only 6 weeks time so I think that we will bond soon. It just takes time I guess. I care a lot about this dog. As you know boxers have the sweetest faces and expressions and if he wasn't so predisposed to being dominant, I would just gush over him all of the time. I did that when he got here and boy did I create a problem. I am learning about the breed. Just never owned a "guard" or working breed before. They come with a whole new bag of tricks for me to discover.

I did some reading last night on here and an article on turning prey into play. We are starting to do that to get out that prey drive energy. The only issue I can see that might become a problem with prey drive is running children. I just don't want him knocking them down because children run, it's what they do. So we shall just leash him up in the house and keep our eyes on everyone.

Thanks again.

I agree with the loooooong line. I do this with my dogs, it helps them to remember that no matter how far away they are from me I can still reach out and touch them. I like the long line idea, you beat me to it because thats what I as going to recommend.