The Specific Aspects of Defence Training with Boxers
Defence Training is a process in which we try to encourage and develop the predatory instinct. We differentiate between practical and sports defence. In the case of sports defence, the dog is controllable and it isn’t headless stimulation of aggression against its surroundings. Such defence training can be good for any breed regardless its size. Dogs usually think it’s fun and they are happy with it in most cases. Any training, and it applies to defence training even more, should, however, be adjusted to the given breed. It will be easier for some dogs than for others. What are German Boxer dogs like with regard to this? What are the specific aspects of defence training with this breed?
Start with training only after the teeth are changed
“When it comes to defence which takes place in an organized way in a cynological organization or with the supervision of an expert, there’s no better funny activity for a boxer dog. I, myself, regularly go for trainings with my dogs approximately from three months of age. At first, it’s only about observing, and later, based on the dog’s behaviour, I continue with defence training, if possible. You need to wait for the active participation of the dog until the dog’s teeth change which is at around five months of age,” describes the beginning of a boxer’s defence training long-time breeder and trainer Michaela Martinů.
The ground rules of training
Even though any generalization, even when focusing only on one breed, is tricky, some tips and tricks for defence training and what to avoid can be summarized.
Precise performance of tasks The first very important aspect is that you should pay attention to properly and precisely performed tasks from the beginning, because any mistakes will be worse over time in boxers and it will be very difficult to correct and remove them later.
A firm bite “I recommend paying particular attention to developing a full, firm bite. It means getting to the level of the training when a dog is able to do a few perfect bites during a short intense defence session on a leash, and only then you can start with bites without the leash. It’s necessary to realize that it is physically demanding for the dog when the muzzle is blocked with the sleeve which leads to more difficult breathing and thermoregulation” says Michaela Martinů. Focusing on a full bite is also important because when it is not done properly, boxers have a problem to hold on to the sleeve and they only use a part of their short jaws.
Appropriate demands for the dog You cannot have extensive demands, which means demands that are not appropriate for the dog’s age, physical and mental maturity. This applies generally to all breeds, dogs develop over time and so do their muscles and bones and extensive demands can cause harm (even physical) to the puppy it will have to deal with for its whole life and these changes cannot be reversed.
A step-by-step approach With defence, as well as with any other discipline, it’s important to always take one step at a time, not to add 2 or more new things to the training. This applies even to a new training space, a new decoy, people present during the training, a new sleeve and similar things. Every change is demanding for the dog’s psyche, especially for young animals. Older and more experienced ones usually handle them better.
The responsibility is on us It is always necessary to remember that we are the ones responsible if the dog doesn’t succeed. It’s not the decoy’s fault because it is always up to us who we invite to our training. We should agree on the course of the training in advance and set it up depending on the current condition, preparedness, experience and physical maturity of the trained dog. If we don’t know how the decoy works, we should at first watch his/her training and then we should decide if we want to cooperate or not. The dog cannot be blamed for our mistakes, its mistakes are always our mistakes.
The conclusion
The success of the defence training is also greatly influenced by the regularity of the training and sensitive working with burdens. Boxers generally have worse thermoregulation, something is therefore more demanding for them to perform and you need to take it into account when guiding the training, especially in summer. On the contrary, in winter, you need to warm the dog up before the defence training, so its muscles cannot get hurt which is common for all athletes.
A necessary part of defence training should be the controllability training. “Controllability can be trained without getting into conflict with the dog. The dog’s aim is to catch the prey in a way we taught it to do that. We should make it clear and comprehensible that it will get this only when it’s controllable. With this, it won’t take long and the dog will fulfill the task happily. And I would like to paraphrase an older quote: every stable dog is a result of a stable owner – and that’s the key” concludes Ing. Michaela Martinů.
Every one of us has for sure encountered diarrhoea in our fuzzy friend. Usually, there’s nothing to fuss about, the body reacts to food that it isn’t capable to digest or that didn’t do it good. However, it is good to know, when we are capable of...
I have been sharing with you my experience with dogs and other animals for quite some time now and it occurred to me to wander a little bit into history as well, but into an interesting one! I’d like to introduce you to several well-known dog...
Allergy is a disproportionate reaction of the immunity system to common stimuli. It cannot be cured, but we can suppress its manifestations. In the last years, allergies in pets and dogs especially are on the rise. Currently, about 10% of house-dogs...
Today, we are going to take a look at the Feline Infectious Peritonitis - FIP, an utterly exceptional virus illness that always has a fatal end. Most of the cats get into contact with the viruses that cause FIP in their lifetime, even though the...
We can divide dog owners into two groups. The ones that allow the dog in bed and those that feel that this is no option. Let’s take a look at what such bed sharing with a dog actually entails.
If you like going on treks with your fuzzy friends, geocaching is something precisely for you. This way, you will liven up your trips and maybe you even discover places that you wouldn’t have found otherwise. I and my pack can’t get enough of it.
Contrary to dogs, cats have a strong bond with the place where they live. That’s why moving is very stressful for them and this stress may cause a number of diseases. It’s a good idea to plan everything well, so that you could make the situation of a...
Even though the dogs went through long years of domestication, they still retain fundamental instincts as we do. They might not be as strong as in wild dogs, but they still play a very significant role in the life of a dog and in their behaviour. So if...
Even though it’s been a long time since our four-legged furry friends lived a feral life, they still have the laws of the pack rooted deep down inside them. It is not acquired behaviour, the need to live in a pack is determined by genetics. And if...
It is no news that the dog isn’t only a pet and that it can also help saving human lives in various catastrophes. But have you ever thought about what it means for dogs to become rescuers? You haven’t? Well, then it’s the right time to set off together...
The usual pregnancy period in female dogs is indicated at about 58 – 65 days, the average is 63 days. In case of the nutrition of a pregnant female, possible changes in diet can be likened to the changes in diet of pregnant women. Pregnant female dogs...
The most frequent reason why your dog starts to gain weight is simple, as in most of people: they consume more energy than they spend. Some owners wave their arm at a well-intended warning that their pet has gained weight, stating that the dog is...