He lays in wait for his prey. Then he gets sleepy and has a nap. |
"Boxers are a bright, energetic and playful breed and tend to be very good with children."
Well, how perfect does that sound?? Immediately after that bit, and which we somehow managed to either not read at all or immediately forget, is this:
"They are active and incredibly strong dogs and require adequate exercise to prevent boredom-associated behaviors such as chewing, digging, or licking. Boxers have earned a slight reputation of being "headstrong," which can be related to inappropriate obedience training."
Incredibly strong dogs. I cannot emphasize enough how true that is. Dexter has the strength of an ox, and he regularly outruns my husband, when my husband is on a bike. This dog is a machine. He has eaten several pairs of my shoes, but only the expensive ones, so at least we know he has good taste. He digs in the yard like a backhoe, but only in very discreet parts of the yard, so you won't really notice it until you step in one of his holes and snap an ankle. He also goes completely deaf when he gets excited, so all those commands you spend hours teaching him will be rendered useless the exact moment you really need to use them.
The Boxer sites also fail to mention that they REALLY like to stick their faces in your face. Like, a LOT. |
In fact, my sister emailed this gif to me recently, with a message that if we had stairs at our house THIS IS WHAT DEXTER WOULD DO:
Because he's so weird and everyone knows it. And so are ALL THE BOXERS. And yet, we've never even considered trying to find him a new home. Because he loves our kids SO MUCH, and they love him.
So. I guess we'll keep the little monster. Before you professional dog trainers tell me that it's our fault he's such a space-cadet, trust me when I tell you I KNOW it's our fault. Consistency is key, and we don't really provide much. We've tried some obedience methods with limited success, and we're currently trying another system that promises super-ultra-maxi results. If it works, I'll link it here for anyone else with a "special" dog.
Until then, I've bought a shoe rack that he can't reach.
What a sweet boy he reminds me of my dog when I was little. My dog was name Billie and she was a girl Boxers are the best!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right.....of course you don't find a new home....he is part of your family. Enjoy every year you have with him. Dogs should keep a family active and the family should keep the dog active so everyone is happy. Sounds like an ideal match for all of you. Thanks for sharing such sweet pictures.
ReplyDeleteDee
I love boxers! They're the silliest dogs, you got that part right!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you read the part about them being very, very smart, but they are. Storm figured out how to open the chain link gate, and used to run free through the neighborhood whenever we weren't looking. Of course, we thought the kids were leaving the gate open the whole time until the next door neighbor remarked about his intelligence one day. So, that day we hid behind the car and watched him, amazed by that goober dog. Storm died a few years ago, and it is still one of my most treasured memories.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU for the sweet story about your dog. I truly laughed so hard I cried! Because you just described my dogS perfectly. Yes, TWO of them. Not boxers, but still incredibly goofy. And the video of Dex sliding down the stairs... HILARIOUS!! Thanks for the biggest, sweetest laugh I have had in a long time.
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