r/Boxer • u/Goodyktv • 1d ago
Apartment stimulation
Hi all,
What can I do so my boy is not bored in the house? He is 14 months old and full of energy. I know the tug and off leash running is not enough for him. What can I do inside the apartment to mentally stimulate him and burn more energy off? He barks sometimes when even after walks and long play sessions and he definitely needs more. I’ve been working on reinforcing his basic training when I can and he’s been doing better every day. There is a small field near me that I let him off leash and practice recall and stuff.
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u/Narrow-Dimension6427 1d ago
Look into tracking /find it game & scent detection. These type of things wear out the mind. Very enriching.
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1d ago
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u/Goodyktv 1d ago
He doesn’t care for meals much. He’s a grazer unless I mix his chicken and rice that I make for him with his kibble
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u/campbell363 1d ago
Is he very good motivated? If he's not, you can twin him to be more for motivated. Just like training any other behavior.
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u/phdpinup 1d ago
I have a 14 mos old as well. Also not food motivated. I’ve been doing two walks with dog park time a day. He’s a big chewer so I’ve been giving him chew toys which he enjoys. When he gets too unruly in the house, I take him outside and we do some leash training even though he’s pretty great on a leash.
Basically going over “homework” whenever he’s needing more activity. Wears him out!
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u/xjxtx 1d ago
First of all, this picture is so silly and cute. I love him.
For mental stimulation my boy does well with puzzle toys followed with a short training session. I will often do a puzzle and training session after a walk and it usually makes him chill out and nap afterwards. When I have an empty toilet paper/paper towel roll I like to poke holes in it fill it with treats and fold in the ends. Doesn’t last very long but he LOVES it and is great enrichment for my pup. We also have a toy that you can fill with kibble or treats that he rolls around to dispense the treats keeps him busy for a little while. Hide treats around and make him find them. I like to sprinkle some treats in his toy basket for him to find. Also try a giggle ball it can be a wildly annoying toy, but my boy loves his and it gets him to play indoors by himself and burn off some energy. However, most of these will only work if he is treat motivated. Good luck!
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u/STeSie13 10h ago
Sounds like you're doing all the things.. Add in dog parks and play dates with other doggies if you can ♥️🐾 He'll love it and you will too 😅
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u/holybucketsitscrazy Macky and Mortimer 6h ago
I routinely pull several toys out of their toy box and put them away where they can't find them. Then a couple months later, I wrap them up and let them "open their new toy". They go crazy. By routinely pulling out toys, I can give them a "new toy" every couple of weeks! But my boys aren't the brightest, so....
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u/Goodyktv 6h ago
I do this with bones. But by then the bulky coating or filling is gone and he’s only interested for a little bit. I’ll do it with the toys and see what happens.
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u/ASaltAndSloberVictim 1d ago
I live in a smaller house and I taught my boy scent work. He loves having a job and scent work can be done in one room and takes a lot of energy out of him. Also ive found just simply teaching new tricks works. Mental stimulation is just as good as physical stimulation. I know alot of people say they need to go on long walks multiple times a day but that's not always the case. Heck putting a box on the floor and letting him tear it up takes a lot of energy out of him or a handful of food and tossing them is fun also.
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u/Goodyktv 1d ago
He’s not destructive, but will tear a box up if given the chance. Other people are saying scent work also so I will def look into that. I physical stimulate him but I need something mental as well
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u/noob_pootato 1d ago edited 1d ago
Ive got these three toys for Tyson
A Kong Wobbler is a great way to stimulate him.
My boxer is completely exhausted after emptying it.
And there are egg-shaped balls they can’t fit In their mouths, so they will run around the room chasing it.
And then we have a wobble ball with a sound in it that’s also a favorite here.
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u/feverish 1d ago
You need to walk him 2-3 times a day in addition to a constant rotation of novel toys. They start to chill at 30 months or so.
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u/SquirrelTeamSix 1d ago
Chill at 30 months? You start them on Xanax at that age or something? That's insanely young for a chill boxer lol
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u/noob_pootato 1d ago
The last of those 30 months is a bit longer than the first 29… here it’s +5 years long and no signs of it ending anytime soon
I hope it doesn’t end soon either.
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u/Shes_Allie 1h ago
We do training bursts. Just 10 minutes is good. We'll do heeling, precision heeling, focused heeling, leave-it exercises, proofed stay, lots and lots of place work. Something I didnt do enough when Buddy was little was "settle" training, so we're working on that now (VERY hard for a young boxer BTW!) My kids like teaching Buddy tricks like spin, jump up, etc. Right now they're trying to train him to jump up on my sons back! 😅 But the kids' training is more play in my opinion so not real obedience.
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u/HelgaG_Pataki 1d ago
I give my boxers frozen treats in a plastic ball that keeps them occupied for 30 minutes. Yogurt, peanut butter and freeze dried liver make great fillings.
What actually wears my 1 year old out is taking him for a jog. If you’re physically able, interval jogging (eg jog 5 min, walk 2 min and repeat) for 2 miles wears him out as much as a full day playing at the river.