More on Boxer Training

On May 1, Tom and I were working with the Boxers when a Sheriff car pulled in the driveway. Jamie had gone into town to get some food for the dogs. The man got out of the car and introduced himself as the sheriff where the two boxers would be going. He ask Tom if the two dogs he was looking at were the dogs that would end up in his county. When Tom dropped the lease to talk with him, he returned to the car and didn't see the dog drop in place and when he rolled down the window, he asked why the dog was lying on the ground.

Tom answered that when he dropped the leash, the dog will automatically drop in place as that is what they are trained to do. Tom told the sheriff to stay in the car and watch when I dropped my leash. We took several steps in the direction of the Sheriff's car and I dropped the leash. The dog dropped in place and I continued walking and turned away from the sheriff car. As I approached the dog, I reached down and picked up the leash and the dog immediately got up and turned to follow me.

Tom told the sheriff it was safe to get out of the car and he would introduce him to the dogs. The sheriff said he did not trust the dogs and would stay in the car until Jamie returned. Jamie pulled in the driveway then and asked Tom to help him unload the truck. Tom said that the sheriff was here to observe the training and was in his car because he did not trust the dogs. Jamie backed the truck up to the building where he kept the dog food and shut it off. He walked over to the sheriff's car.

He asked the sheriff why he did not trust this breed of dogs. The sheriff said that he has been attacked by boxers and several of the citizens of his county have been attacked by the boxers. Jamie said that he then had the right to be afraid of the dogs, but if he would get out of the car after we left to work in a fenced in area, he could see them in training. Jamie indicated for us to take the dogs to the fenced in area, which we did. Once in the area, we closed the gate and took the dogs to the far side away from the building. When Jamie had the sheriff at the second story, we started working the dogs.

Tom and I were confident of our dogs and put them through a full range of commands and dropping the leashes at regular intervals. We gave out treats for each correct command and none when they missed a command. After 50 minutes, Jamie waved us in and we brought the dogs up to the building. Jamie handed us another leash for each dog and then came down to be with us. Jamie took the leashes to be between the dogs and told the sheriff to come out and greet the dogs. When he stepped out the door, we told the dogs to drop which they did. The sheriff said the dogs are better behaved than he believed they could be and approached the dog Jamie and I were holding. I had our dog stand and Jamie asked if he was up to petting the dog. The sheriff continued his approach and stopped beside the dog. The dog stood still, the sheriff reached out and stroked his head, and the dog did not move.

Next, the sheriff approached the dog Tom and Jamie were holding. Again, when he reached down and petted him, the dog did not move. Then the sheriff backed away while watching the dogs and was surprised when they did not move. The sheriff turned and walked back in the door. Jamie took the leashes he was holding off the dogs and entered the door as well. At that point, Jamie closed the bottom of the door and instructed us to drop our leashes. When we did, both dogs dropped in place as expected. Next Jamie told us to move away from the dogs, turn, and call them. Both of us did, but the dogs stayed in place, which surprised the sheriff.

Jamie explained that as long as they were on a leash, they would not move. He had Tom remove the leash on his dog and asked that I call the dog. The dog did come to me, but dropped in place next to the other dog. Then Jamie called the dogs and both remained where they were. Jamie had me take the leash off my dog and then he called both dogs. Both dogs stood, but did not move. The sheriff asked if this was normal. Jamie said we train them for this and both are taught this, but earlier in training, they would have acted differently. When the dogs are ready for the good citizen test, we will have completed their training, except for the three or four days when the dog's new owner will work with them individually. Both new owners are receiving these dogs as replacements for dogs they are retiring. They will be bringing both retiring dogs back to us, as they have to build new fences and have expenses that prevent them from keeping the dogs.

The sheriff said his lack of trust and many living in the town near them also requested the fences because of prior dog's actions. Jamie said both understand this and are prepared to deal with this as long as people do not try to get rid of the dogs or create problems for the dogs. The sheriff said while he does not trust the dogs, this is part of the reason he wanted to observe them before they were brought into his county. He admitted that what he had seen today was changing his mind, but he still wanted to see them for the good citizen test and how they behaved in town. Then he added that he was thinking about escorting them to their new homes if the individuals agreed. If what he has seen today continues, he would be very hard on anyone that creates problems for either of the individuals.

He and Jamie talked until lunchtime and then he left. Jamie said that he was impressed today and while he still did not trust the breed, he was willing to be present for the few days of training with the individuals.

Jamie said he would be bringing in two or more Boxers for us to train as the sheriff felt that there were several individuals in his county that could just outright kill the dogs. I asked Jamie if it would not be better to prepare two German Shepherds. Jamie said no, the sheriff felt that if something did happen, the person hurting or killing the dog would need to pay for a replacement.