Boxer: temperament, training and care

At a glance

Temperament

• Playful and bouncy well into adulthood
• Great with children
• Jumps up to greet

Training tips

Teach Sit for greetings: four paws on the floor earns the hello.

Boxers can be independent thinkers. Find what your dog will really work for, keep sessions short and fun, and expect to repeat things more often than with an eager-to-please breed.

Start with a marker word, sit, come and leave it. For a puppy, see the puppy training guides.

Exercise and energy

A healthy adult Boxer typically needs around 60 to 90 minutes of activity a day. Walks alone rarely cover it: add sniffing games, training and play so their brain gets tired too. Puppies need much shorter sessions while they grow.

See how much exercise a dog needs and our games and enrichment ideas.

Health to watch

Things the breed is known to be prone to. Ask your vet what to check for your dog.

• Heart. Heart conditions run in the breed: a yearly listen at the vet catches them early.
• Breathing and heat. A short nose makes cooling down hard: walk in the cool of the day and stop at heavy panting. See: Heatstroke.
• Bloat. A deep chest raises the risk of a twisted stomach: no hard play for an hour either side of a big meal. See: Bloat (Twisted Stomach).
• Cold weather. A thin coat and little body fat: a coat on cold walks, and short trips out in winter. See: Too Cold (Hypothermia).