Why are Boxer dogs so stubborn

The Stubborn Dog

I cringe whenever I hear someone refer to a dog as stubborn. It is patently unfair to label a dog as stubborn. Dogs do what works for them (as we all do), and when they arent doing what we ask, they have a good reason. When your dog doesnt respond to your cue, perhaps hes come to associate it with something aversive, perhaps he doesnt understand what youre asking, or perhaps hes too distracted or stressed and your request doesnt even register in his brain. In any case, its our job, as the supposedly more intelligent species, to figure out how to get our dogs to want to do what we want them to do.

Some humans believe dogs should do what they are told, simply because we tell them to. Because I said so! hearkens back to childhood, when parental directives were often accompanied by the implied Do it, or else! In these days of a more enlightened dog training philosophy, this coercive approach isnt what many of us want with our dogs. We prefer relationships based on a cooperative partnership.

If your dog isnt doing what you ask, consider these questions:

Are you training competently? Remember, dogs shouldnt have to do what we say just because we tell them to or just because they love us. We want them to want to do it. Make sure your reinforcers are valuable enough that your dog will eagerly offer the behaviors you ask for, and that you are marking and/or delivering the reinforcer with good timing so your dog associates the reinforcer with the desired behavior.

Is there something aversive about the behavior? Years ago, my first Pomeranian, Dusty, started refusing jumps when we were training for the Open Division of obedience competition. I didnt punish him for not jumping I took him to my veterinarian and discovered he had bad hips. It hurt him to jump. A behavior can also be emotionally aversive. If a car ride always means a trip to the vet, your dog could become very reluctant to jump into the car. Your challenge is to make car rides consistently predict good stuff a hike in the woods, a trip his favorite canine pal for a play session, or? If hes refusing to enter his crate because he has mild separation distress and associates crating with you leaving, alleviate the separation distress through behavior modification (and possibly appropriate medications), and then convince him that crating is wonderful.

Does he not understand? You may have taught him to respond to a cue for the desired behavior, but perhaps youve used body language prompts in the past without realizing it, and now, absent the prompt, he doesnt understand what youre asking of him. Fade all prompts if you want him to respond reliably to verbal cues. Perhaps youve always trained in the kitchen in front of the refrigerator, and so he thinks Sit means Sit in the kitchen. When you ask him to sit in the living room, he doesnt sit because its not the kitchen. Hes not being stubborn he needs you to help him generalize his behavior so he understands that Sit means to put his tail on the ground wherever you ask him to do it. Even your tone of voice can matter. If you usually give cues with a happy voice but your own emotional state causes your voice to sound different, he may not understand.

Is he distracted? If you havent generalized your dogs behavior to distracting environments, his attention will naturally be drawn to the multitude of exciting things happening around him. Hes not ignoring you; he probably isnt even hearing you because hes so focused on the fascinating world around him. Help him hear and respond to your behavior requests by training in various environments with gradually increasing distractions.

Is he stressed? Stressed is an even bigger challenge than distracted. When stress happens, the thinking part of the brain (the cortex) shuts down and the emotional part of the brain (the amygdala) takes over. We even have phrases in the English language to describe this phenomenon: I was so scared I couldnt think straight. I was out of my mind with worry. When your dog is so stressed he cant think straight, its unfair to blame him for not doing what you ask. Relieve his stress (remove him from the stressor, and/or do behavior modification to change his association with the stressor) and try again.

Your relationship with your dog will be so much happier when you stop characterizing him as stubborn and realize how you can help him be more responsive to your behavior requests. Now get busy helping him want to do what you want him to do.

Featured photo: Christine McCann/Getty Images

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Are Boxers Smart? Heres Why Theyre More Intelligent Than You Think

Boxers are some of the most cheerful and playful dogs you can find. Theyre some of the best family dog breeds because theyre affectionate, loyal yet active. But because they tend to have goofy personalities, owners may question the Boxers intelligence.

Boxers are average intelligent dogs when measuring for obedience & working intelligence. In fact, theyre the 90th smartest dog breed, according to canine psychologist Stanley Coren. Despite this, Boxers are intuitive learners and can easily learn from past experiences. Plus, their versatility also makes them a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to instinctive intelligence.

Theres nothing wrong with being average intelligent. Though Boxers ranked fairly low on the smartest dog breeds list, there are a number of reasons why theyre actually smart dogs. Lets examine the true IQ of Boxers and see what actually makes them smart dogs.

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How We Measure a Boxers Intelligence

The Boxer barely cracked the top 100 list of smartest dog breeds taking the 90th place. But if youre anything like me, you may be wondering how the experts came to this conclusion?

The ranking of smartest breeds was based on a single dimension of canine intelligence called obedience & working intelligence. It was created by Stanley Coren, a canine psychologist and pHD, and measured how fast a dog learns commands.

Of course there may be a correlation between breeds that learn quickly and intelligence. However, this is not a true measurement of dog intelligence (though a good starting point). It is, however, the easiest to objectively measure in dogs.

Corens Canine Intelligence Criteria

In Corens research trials, he asked 199 North American obedience trial judges from the AKC and CKC to help.The judges were given a criteria to evaluate, assess, and rank as many dog breeds as possible.The criteria they used for their trials is the following:

1. The number of repetitions necessary for a dog breed to learn a brand new command. Coren believed that a fewer number of repetitions needed means a smarter dog breed.
2. The success rate that a dog breed will obey a known command on the first attempt. Coren believed that a higher success rate meant a more obedientandintelligent dog.

Though Coren received a huge number of responses from the obedience judges, not all breeds made the cut for his final intelligence rankings. Rather only dog breeds with at least 100 assessments qualified to be included in the list. So rarer breeds didnt qualify.

In addition, not every dog breed was even tested. Only dog breeds recognized by the AKC or CKC took part in the trials. This meant that no intelligent hybrids, such as the Labradoodle or Goldendoodle had the opportunity to show off their intelligence.

Fortunately, Boxers are recognized by both kennel clubs so they did participate. Also, theyre extremely popular dogs in North America so finding 100 dogs for the trials was not a problem.

How the Boxer Performed

The Boxer scored in the average intelligence class, towards the bottom of the group. And although this may not seem all-that great, youd be surprised to see what other popular dog breeds are in the same dog intelligence class.

For reference, Australian Shepherds, Huskies, Great Danes, Dachshunds, Greyhounds and Shiba Inus were all in the same intelligence class.Coincidentally, these are some of the most popular dog breeds in the world so its great company to be with!

But what does being average actually mean for the Boxer? Being in the average intelligence class means that Boxers were able to learn a new command with 25 to 40 repetitions. Youd be able to teach a Boxer a new command in an hour or so, depending on the complexity of the command.

On the other hand, Boxers could able to obey a known command on the first try with a 50% or better success rate. Of course, there are reasons why Boxers could have scored so low in this department. But with the right motivators, you may be able to experience a much higher success rate.

Boxers vs. The Smartest Dogs

Boxers may not be the most obedient dogs in the world, nor are they fastest learners during obedience training. But how do they compare to the worlds most intelligent dog breeds?

Dogs that scored and performed the best are in a class of their own. And conveniently, this intelligence class makes up the top 10 smartest dogs.

These smart dogs include the Poodle, Border Collie, Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Doberman, Golden Retriever and the Labrador Retriever. Coincidentally, theyre some of the most popular dog breeds in America too.

The smartest dog breeds were able to learn a new command with less than 5 repetitions. These dogs are at least 5 times faster at learning commands than the Boxer! In fact, theyre able to learn a new command in just a few short minutes (for something basic).

Whats even more impressive is that theyre able to obey a known command with a 95% or better success rate! The top 10 dogs are almost two times as obedient as the Boxer! Not only are they smart, but also some of the most obedient pets.

Why Boxers Rank Low For Dog Intelligence

Boxers may not be the most obedient dog breeds ever, but is it fair to call them dumb dogs? The biggest flaw with the Stanley Coren dog intelligence trial is the criteria used to measure dog intelligence.

Its extremely difficult to standardize a dog IQ test. Not all dogs are obedient because different breeds, and even the individual dogs of the same breeds, have different motivators.

For example, the top-ranked dog breed is the Border Collie. However, these working dogs love obedience training because theylove to work and do it for the sake of working.In other words, theyre wired differently than the Boxer due to their inherently bred traits.

Some Boxers may have motivators such as dog games, treats or pets it really depends on the dog. Its worth it for you to take some time to figure out what your Boxers motivators are.But once you figure it out, training a Boxer can be as easy as any other dog breed.

Boxers are Stubborn, Not Dumb

Its been well documented that Boxers are stubborn dogs. Generally, the more stubborn a dog is, the less obedient the dog will be, especially with obedience training. So its easy to understand why Boxers may not have performed so well on an obedience intelligence test.

The reality is just because your Boxer doesnt obey your command, does not mean the Boxer doesnt understand what youre asking him or her to do. In that moment, the Boxer just doesnt want to obey for whatever reason. They will do as they please.

One Boxer owner tells us about his stubborn dog, saying:

My Boxer has turned into a very stubborn little guy. He walks away when youre trying to tell him to come, or sit even though he definitely knows what they mean.

Reddit User

Many Boxer owners can relate. Some owners suggest trying different treats if you encounter a stubborn Boxer. This could very well be their main motivator, as it is for so many Boxers. Theyre more willing to obey and train if you have some delicious snacks for them.

Also, its best to try obedience training with treats before dinner, rather than after. With a hungry stomach, Boxers may be much more willing to comply.

2 Reasons Why Boxers Are Smart Dogs

The truth is, theres so much more to dog intelligence than just obedience and working IQ. There are 3 components of canine intelligence: obedience, instinctive and adaptive intelligence.And according to Stanley Coren, the other two may be more important in determining dog intelligence.

The problem is that both instinctive and adaptive intelligence are difficult to objectively measure. But the good news is that Boxers excel in both instinctive and adaptive intelligence. With that said, lets see whatreally makes the Boxer a highly intelligent dog breed.

The Working Dog Intelligence in Boxers

Instinctive intelligence refers to the innate ability, skill or instinct of a dog breed. In other words, its what the dog was bred for. Believe it or not, prior to mainstream dog domestication, all dogs were bred for a purpose in society. In almost all cases, they did work that benefited humans.

We have retrievers that helped hunters retrieve shot game. Some served as trackers that would help hunters locate a specific animal. And of course we had guard dogs, such as the Doberman Pinscher, that specialized in protecting a person or property.

Lets take the Australian Cattle Dog for example. Theyre one of the best herding dogs in the world.The fact that no additional training is necessary for these dogs to start herding cattle speaks volume.

But how is herding a type of intelligence? The innate ability to round up cattle, guide them into a formation and drive them to a destination requires a lot of instinctive intelligence.These dogs need to know how and where to cut off the livestock to move them.

But what about the Boxer? Boxers were bred for a lot of very different jobs. Believe it or not, Boxers are some of the most versatile dog breeds in the world.

To name a few, Boxers were bred for cart-pulling, herding, large game hunting (boar or bison), bull baiting, guarding and even dog fighting. However, theyre mainly great family dogs, guard dogs and service dogs today.

These dogs have a unique instinctive intelligence, where theyre able to excel at so many jobs. And because Boxers were bred for so many different jobs, theyre pretty much the jack-of-all-trades for instinctive dog intelligence.How many dogs are smart enough to do this all?

The Intuitive Boxer Adaptive Intelligence

Another component of dog IQ is adaptive intelligence. This intelligence refers to what the dog can learn for him or herself. Can the dog learn from past mistakes? Are they able to solve problems? All of these are excellent questions when assessing adaptive intelligence in dogs.

Unlike instinctive, adaptive intelligence can vary great among individual dogs within the same breed. Not all Boxers are guaranteed to excel in this dimension of intelligence. But even so, most owners seem to describe Boxers as a breed with extremely high adaptive intelligence.

One Boxer owner gives us his theory. He says:

I feel like a smart dog learns all the rules very quickly. But a Boxer constantly pushes the technicality of the rules and figures out ways around them child thinking and figuring things out.

Reddit User

If that description doesnt scream adaptive intelligence, I dont know what does.Learning from past experiences is one of the top indicators of a dog with high adaptive intelligence.

Another Boxer owners call them the most intuitive dog breed hes met, even compared to the smartest dogs (Border Collies).The owner said:

Ive had two Border Collies and I know a dozen breeds very well, and another dozen well enough. Boxers are among the most intuitive dog breeds.

Reddit User

A Boxer with good intuition means that the dog is thinking for himself. Again, the ability to think on their own is a clear sign of high adaptive intelligence.

These are just two examples of adaptive IQ seen in Boxers. We went around the internet and into forums and there were plenty more stories just like these. Ill bet that if you asked any Boxer owner, theyll tell you very similar stories just like these!

Is Your Boxer Smart?

Sometimes its better to get the opinion of real Boxer owners. And surely, thats what we did. We asked this question and surveyed owners from the popular Boxer Subreddit. Heres what they had to say about their Boxers.

Real Owner Answers:

1. Cr250guy says Yes: I consider boxers to be a fairly intelligent breed in general (Im a vet). I always tell people, my boxer is quite smart. He will sit and mull over a plan in his head and I can see him thinking through a problem.

2. Squiddsential says Yes: Ive had labs, huskies and golden retrievers and ill say without hesitation that my boxer is the most smart and intuitive breed ive had.

3. Jameson837 says Yes: Its a little bit ridiculous how little respect is given to the intelligence of the Boxer. Theyre smarter than any dog ive met. Seriously, sometimes too smart for their own good.

4. Thebryantt says Yes: Just showed her what to do and have her treats, she has learned every trick she knows in one day shes so smart!

5. Shenochs says Yes: [My rescue boxers]progress has been amazing because boxers are SO. SMART. But, of course, when he transitions to my house, he will likely regress until hes more comfortable with us.

6. Shimmysteph says No: Im sorry, theres no way I can consider my Boxer Franky an intelligent dog. Sure they love me and are fantastic dogs, but they really really dont like obediencefor the most part.

7. Clusterphu says Yes: Dont let the silly faces fool you they are a lot smarter than people give them credit for. They can be a bit clumsy sometimes, they seem to have an innate ability to step on your feet and crotch when you least expect it.

8. Sacreduato says Yes: Ive had all sorts of mixes, my childhood dog was a Lab/German shepherd mix and I thought she was smart but some of the stuff my Boxer does is downright uncanny.

9. Tonofclay0429 says No: I swear hes the dumbest thing in the world, but I still love him. Hes the best dog ever.

10. Juantheman01 says Yes: As long as I have his favorite treats, hes the smartest do in the world. Hell bend over backwards to get a piece of those treats

So is your Boxer smart? Let us know in the comments section below! What makes your Boxer more intelligent than the experts give them credit for?

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