stubborn boxer

exup

Hello,
my girlfriend has a boxer and reading up on them, it appears they can be quite stubborn. which sums him up perfectly.
he is an ex-rescue dog and we believe he has been badly treated in the past. Especially if he knows he has done something wrong and expects a scolding - he will cower on the floor, or even wee.

tempermant wise, he is very loyal, and loves our company and will usually sit next to us, close enough so that some part of his body, such as a paw, or his ribs can make contact with you - probably for reassurance that you are there .
He isn't aggresive at all, and you can even pull his food from under his nose without even a growl. but getting him to obey commands such as sit, heel etc - he will stand off like he is doing it on purpose.

as I am more used to Border Collies, he is very very stubborn,
any tips?

tizerbelle

LOL! Big dog is boxer/rottie cross and far too intelligent for her own good at times and equally stubborn.

If he does something wrong, do not chastise him. For example - if he has an accident in the house, just clean it up, don't look at or interact with him. Just clean it and forget and try to understand the trigger - should he have been taken out for a walk earlier / was he over excited by someone etc and then work on removing the trigger rather than "punishing" the outcome.

Are you sure he is stubborn - has he been trained to understand what "sit" is? I would suggest clicker/treat training to reinforce/teach the commands - a few short sessions everyday - can be done while you are watching telly! - so that he understands what you mean - make sure you are using the same commands consistently especially if there are two of you involved.

If he really is being stubborn - then you need to be more so and basically, pick your battles and always try to set him up for success. Big dog used to hate being evicted from the sofa at bedtime when I first got her (also a rescue) and once even growled - she isn't an aggressive dog and has never growled since - so rather than exacerbate the situation, I got her lead, clipped it on, took her out in the back for a pee and on the way in, she went to her bed in the back (they are locked in the back room at night). After a week, I didn't need the lead and now it's just "bed-time" and she's off the sofa, out the back, does what needs to be done and then to bed - no problems.
Patience, persistence and consistency will win him round. Good luck with it.

sarabe

He's not stubborn just unmotivated.

You need a different approach to the one that you took with your Border Collies. My collies would work until the cows (or sheep) come home for just the reward of doing it.

My hounds on the other hand are very independant and therefore if I want them to do something I have to make sure that they think it was their idea in the first place.

Use food and toys and games in exchange for the behaviours that you want. Don't set him up to go wrong especially if he expects to be scolded. He needs to leave his past behind and move forward with positive reinforcement all the way.

tizerbelle

sarabe wrote: »

if I want them to do something I have to make sure that they think it was their idea in the first place.

LOL! Yes, perfect summation. Perhaps OP should ask his girlfriend for tips - women know how to get men to do things they want while making the man think it was his idea

exup

tizerbelle wrote: »

LOL! Yes, perfect summation. Perhaps OP should ask his girlfriend for tips - women know how to get men to do things they want while making the man think it was his idea

sorry I seem to have pressed the thanks button before I reread your post :D

I will just have to perservere with the reward system, but I don't really scold him verbally that much, I have heard that boxers simply will not react to negative reinforcement anyway, I think his motivation is closer to the problem, as he does understand the command to sit, especially if its to his benefit - but if he doesn't want to he will simply stand, stare at you and snort. after a few more "sit" commands he will just look away and ignore anything you say - if he had arms he could fold aswell I believe he would

tizerbelle

exup wrote: »

if he had arms he could fold aswell I believe he would

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

They don't need the arms though do they? The face and huffs/sighs say it all!

Big dog and I have our battles at times. It's like she's testing the boundaries again and I just have to get more stubborn than her. She once got too close to a visitors plate despite being warned off so was sent to her bed. Didn't want to go or stay there and ignored the "bed" command, so I lead her to her bed and told her to stay. First few times, she ignored me (and was almost back in the front room before I was) so simply put her back again and again and was prepared to do this all day if needs be. Fortunately she gave up so after 15 minutes on her bed I could call her back in and give her praise.

buckster

I've got an 8 year old boxer who is great with the kids but never does as hes told. He will sit, beg and even roll over (started to do that after getting an eye ulcer and needed eye drops putting in everyday for 3 weeks) only when he knows hes getting a treat for doing it. If I tell him off for doing something, the next day he will do it again. His thing is licking the fat out of the dish on the george foreman grill. I sometimes forget to wash it straight away and when I turn my back hes in there. I only have to lift the tray and he turns his head away cos he knows he done wrong but still does it They are lovely dogs and great with kids which is the main thing, but they can be really stubborn. I thought by getting a short haired dog that they would hardly malt but my dogs falls out by just looking at him :eek: