How confident am I with training a dominant and very intelligent dog breed?
If this is your first dog, a Boxer may not be the very best choice simply because they are very intelligent and can be rather stubborn and headstrong if they don’t see the humans as the alpha leaders in the group. This is not to say that Boxers are willfully negative or disobedient, it is simply part of the combination of a self-confident dog that is smart and a natural leader him or herself. All Boxers, regardless of how well trained they are, will test their owners every now and then. If you aren’t confident in being the leader or if the dog is not trained and worked with in a consistent yet positive tone and manner they will simply ignore the people around them and “do their own thing”. Boxers also need a substantial amount of routine exercise in addition to mental stimulation each and every day. A fairly brisk walk, a jog or run at least twice a day is highly recommended, as well as time outside in a large fenced yard when the temperature is conducive is ideal. They will self-exerc
