Monday night was the first of six obedience classes for our new Boxer puppy. About a year ago we had a boxer/cocker mix and an AKC Boxer that we had to get rid of because of severe aggression issues. It got really bad, and before we bought the new guy, I said we were going to do everything possible to prevent that again. This was the first step.
We had an incident at the vet’s office where a fight erupted between Logan (our new pup) and another dog. Logan actually pulled the leash out of Matthew’s hands and took off for the other dog. So I was nervous about taking him into an area with lots of other dogs, and I had Brian come with us. He has a much calmer demeanor with dogs, and can pretty much get Logan to do anything. I am the one that needs trained! There were 10 or 11 other dogs there and Logan would not shut up. The trainer was trying to talk and he just kept yapping. I was feeling embarassed and trying to pet him to get him to calm down, and then Brian took over. He was petting him too when the trainer decided to make a point out of us. she called attention to what Logan was doing, and then what Brian was doing. He was actually encouraging the barking by giving Logan affection. Huh! And we thought the dog was stupid…
The trainer walked over and took the leash, popped it a slight bit and said “that’s enough“. For the rest of the class he did not make a sound! Whoa, I’m gonna like this.
We only had one incident where an 85 pound lab came over and there was a tense moment before they were pulled away from each other. The trainer explained that most other dogs are scared of boxers, almost like they emit their strength. The lab was curious and scared, but since he was bigger he walked over to Logan. Logan was scared and he felt like the lab was invading his personal space, so he tried to show his might. She assured us that we were doing the right thing by being in this class, and that we were going to have a great pet. I feel better now, but will wait to see how the rest goes. We may still call in Barkbusters to come out to the house for some training too.
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