Boxers are highly energetic dogs. Sometimes they are called ”Peter Pan” of the dog breeds. According to many owners, these are the dogs that never grow up.
Boxers are cheerful and very active dogs. So to calm your boxer down provide a lot of physical exercises ( walking, jogging, playing fetch, running ) but also mental stimulation is a must. Short home training sessions, as well as obedience training, can help your Boxer to channel the energy and learn how to behave and stay calm. Timeouts in the crate work really well with this breed.
The dog that is tired, entrained, and kept busy is less likely to display hyper behavior.
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How Can I Keep My Boxer Entertained and Calm?
The key to a happy, balanced and calm dog is a combination of physical activity, mental stimulation, and entertainment. They say that a tired dog is a happy dog!
Physical Activity
Boxers require at least 1 hour of daily exercise split into two walks. The more time you can spend outside with your dog, the better.
Since these dogs are exuberant and very active, walking at an easy pace down the street is not their cup of tea.
There are several ways to make them spend their energy outside: playing fetch, Frisbee fetch, or Flyball are great cardio activities that can make a huge difference in your dog’s behavior. Take at least 15-30 min for each activity. Do one cardio activity per day.
Making bubbles can also entertain you boxer outside. It’s important to purchase non-toxic bubbles formulated for dogs. Your Boxer will be thirilled with bubbles and some of them will end up in his mouth so if you use bubbles made for children those can cause upset stomach and vomiting in your dog.
You can find dog bubbles with different scents ( bacon, peanut butter…) but maybe the plain version is the best. Those scents are really artificial and some owners claim that scented versions don’t make good bubbles. However, some bubbles leave a sticky residue which you may find on your dog’s muzzle and paws. Use the warm wet cloth to wipe your canine friend after play.
Water games can also be a fulfilling experience for your dog. Local lake or friend’s pool are good places to go. Your Boxer dog will be happy to catch his favorit toy you have just thrown in the water.
If you have a nice yard you can purchase a pool specially designed for dogs or your kid’s pool can do work just fine. Dog sprinkler is another idea how water can entetaining for dogs. Your Boxer will have a lot of fun try to catch the water and also kept cool during hot summer days.
If you get back from work late and you feel very tired to go for a long walk in the dark with your dog, a laser pointer may help you in this situation. Go outside in your yard, sit in some nice, comfortable chair, take a laser pointer and start playing with your Boxer. Be careful never to point in his eyes with the laser and enrich this game by hiding some treats in the yard and then point towards them. Your dog will be thrilled with the game.
Dogs like playing with balls very much. Some Boxers are able to play with a ball for hours, pushing it in front his paws while others need a kind of stimulation so you can play a little soccer with your dog. In all cases, he will get tired. Just don’t let your Boxer plays with small, tiny balls that could be a choking hazard for him.
Don’t forget the Tug of War game, all dogs including Boxers love it. You can also set up a dog tunnel in your yard and look how your Boxer has been busy especially if you throw the ball jumps through the whole tunnel or if you put some treat inside or at the end of it.
Boxers love to run and stretch so these activities are great to keep them and their muscles in good shape.
Just pay extra attention if you have a puppy under the age of 1 year. Don’t let him overextend himself ( he will try it though) with excessive running or jumping as his bones are still growing and it can cause major orthopedic problems in the future.
Mental Stimulation
Sometimes mental stimulation may be more tiring to a dog than physical activity. Although physical activity is irreplaceable, keeping a Boxer’s mind busy and entertained will also help him to calm down.
Some studies have shown that dogs in general have the emotional capacity of a 3-year-old human. What does that mean? If you have kids or you spent some significant amount of time with them, then you know.
If you just let the small kids do nothing, soon they become bored and most probably overly hyper. It’s the same with dogs. If they have nothing to focus on, they get bored and destructive.
So if you want to have balanced and calm Boxer, it’s not enough just to take him outside twice a day (although going out is super important). You need to give him some interesting task that requires the use of his dog senses ( especially sense of smell).
For example, you can hide some treats in the room and encourage him to find them. At first, start with some easy to find places but later on work up to more difficult sessions. Of course, once they find them, they are all his!
If you have a yard you can play the same game outside. Hide the treats in the grass or elsewhere and let your dog uses his senses to reach the tasty bite.
If you have another person in your house who can hold the dog while you hide somewhere, that’s great. Your Boxer should find you and once he does, reward him for being a good dog.
Always use the same words to encourage him to start – ”Go Get It” or ”Find” and reward him with ”Good Boy/Girl”
You don’t have to play these games every day. Arrange them 2-3 times a week and your dog will be thrilled.
Since dogs like to gnaw, if you get some nice marrow bone, your Boxer will highly appreciate that. This can keep him entertained good amount of time.
Don’t forget the toys. Individual play is also very important. Nice, sturdy chew toys or treat-release toys will help your Boxer keep his mind and senses very busy. In the end, you get tired but happy canine!
There is a huge variety of dog toys on the market. Owners usually recommend KONG toys that you can stuff in with peanut butter or banana. For a longer run, freeze the stuffed KONG.
It’s very well known that chewing reduces stress and anxiety in dogs and releases endorphins as well as stimulates their mind keeping them busy.
You can also try with Monster mouth ( works the same as KONG, it can be stuffed with any treats your dog likes). A good option for chew toys is the Bully sticks. These sticks are pretty safe for your dog and rich in proteins. They can provide long-time fun for your Boxer.
Don’t forget rubber toys like rubber chickens or balls. Or squeaking toys like Air Kong Squeaking toys. Avoid super soft material toys for Boxers, as they can destroy them in a couple of minutes.
Your Boxer will be very happy to work for his food. Put some tasty bites in a puzzle toy or use a snuffle pad to hide some treats. He will be mentally stimulated plus he will use his sense of smell. A Win-Win!
Boxers also would like to play with RC cars. Bear in mind that the size of the car has to be adjusted to the size of your pet. The best ratio is 1:14. The speed of the RC car is also what matters. The more you pay the more speed you get, just remember when you are doing the purchase, that your dog might take it apart.
It’s good for your Boxer to entertain himself with the toys you bought him but still, you should play with him indoors for at least 15 minutes every day.
Don’t forget to rotate your dog’s toys every once in a while ( every two weeks for example). Like with kids, when Boxer hasn’t seen some toy for a couple of days, it looks totally new and attractive to him.
Obedience Training
Basic obedience training is essential if you want to have well-behaved and calm dog. The simple commands like ”sit”, ”stay”, ”come”, ”down” will help you to control better this energetic breed.
If you want to learn more about this breed and is it hard to train them to read our article ”Are Boxer Dogs Easy To Train( with Training Tips)”
Will My Boxer Ever Calm Down?
Boxers act like puppies longer than other breeds. The age of 1,5 -2 years is the typical age when owners search for ways to calm down their dogs. They are not sure if their Boxers energy level is fine since they have large almost adult size dogs that are acting like puppies.
After they turn 2 years Boxers start slowly to calm down ( of course if they have everything they need- regular physical activity, training, mental stimulation, care, and attention) but this is a rather gradual process.
They don’t tend to settle down really before the age of 3 or 4 years. Even when they mature these bundles of joy are full of energy. They require a lot of daily exercise and short walks down the street are just not enough for them.
Even the older Boxers, 8 years-old dogs will do the same crazy stuff, running around except they’ll spend a little more time relaxing than their younger buddies.
Conclusion
Having a restless puppy jumping around on everything could be cute for some time but in a long run, a Boxer that interacts with his guardians in a calm and respectful manner is a much better option.
They need a lot of exercise as well as mental stimulation. Proper training is a must otherwise you will end up with a hyper dog that is destroying your things and jumping on your guests.
On the other hand, if treated the way they should, Boxers can be very well-behaved dogs that still will bring joy to your life.
