The Boxer is one the most popular breeds of dogs in North America, and for good reason. The Boxer is a loyal, intelligent, affectionate and eager to please dog. Making them easy to train with the right consistency and approach. Before getting a puppy one big question many have is are Boxers easy to house train?
On average Boxers are easy to house train with consistency, routine, and a proactive approach as an owner. The Boxer’s natural loyalty and eagerness to please are well suited for easy potty training techniques. House training your Boxer can be hard however if you are not proactive enough to set them up for success.
The determining factor in making your Boxer easy to house train is you. By following some very simple guidelines and techniques you will have your Boxer potty trained in no time. Consistency, routine, and a proactive approach are the foundations of house training your Boxer.
That and a little bit of patience as your Boxer puppy learns. Let’s dig in.
Are Boxers Easy To House Train?
As a new Boxer puppy owner making house training easy for both you and your dog will be up to you. Consistency and patience in your approach will be one of the first things you will need to master. As you house train your Boxer your approach to rewarding, where they go, and when they go, will make things easy.
Your Boxer puppy is a little sponge when it comes to learning. Consistent positive reinforcement of good behaviors during house training will pay off. Have a plan ahead of time of where you want your Boxer puppy to relieve themselves, and how you will reward the good behavior.
Routine is one of the first things you Boxer puppy will ever learn. Before sit, stay, and come are learned, your Boxer puppy will naturally be able to pick up on routines in their new environment. This is to your advantage to make house training you Boxer that much easier.
When your puppy understands when they will be going outside for potty training they can adapt to this quickly. When your Boxer puppy’s routine is inconsistent then they will relieve themselves when they feel the need. This will make potty training much more difficult.
Keep a regular potty break schedule with your Boxer puppy, and you will be on your way. I have more detailed tips on this routine coming up in the next sections.
Consistency and routine all roll up into what I like to call the proactive potty training approach. By keeping one step ahead of your puppy and getting them outside to potty, before they begin to circle the living room, you will save yourself a lot of clean ups.
Boxers, and most dogs for that matter, are easy to house train when you keep these 3 ideas in mind.
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How Long Does It Take To Potty Train A Boxer?
To reliably potty train a Boxer it will take as long as 6 months. Some dogs can be potty trained a little earlier, some a little more time is required. When your Boxer puppy is able to go without any accidents consistently for 6-8 weeks, you are pretty much done potty training.
That being said, you are ultimately responsible for how long it takes to potty train your Boxer. Following the ideas of consistency, routine, and being proactive will make potty training your Boxer puppy that much easier, and that much faster.
Now that we have covered some of the very basic ideas and the timelines on house training your Boxer, it’s time to dig into the details.
How do you stay consistent? What kind of routine works best for potty training your Boxer? How are you going to be proactive in making potty training your Boxer easy?
How Do You Potty Train A Boxer?
Tip #1 Be Patient & Practice With Your Puppy
Before you begin to potty train your Boxer it’s important to keep in mind that they don’t know the right and wrong spots to go to the bathroom. Patience and practice will be needed throughout this process. You can set yourself up for success perfectly, but accidents will still happen. That’s okay. Clean up the mess, and try again next time.
Tip #2 Never Punish Accidents
Never punish your Boxer puppy for having an accident in the house. Yelling, screaming, hitting, or rubbing their nose in it is very ineffective. It would be the same as doing this to a baby that poops in their diaper.
Not only is it not effective, it can create behavioral issues such as fear and anxiety in your dog. Just clean up the mess and move on.
Remember that if you puppy has an accident in the house this is your fault, and not your Boxer puppy. That’s okay, nobody is perfect. Next time try to be more consistent and proactive in your approach to potty training. There will be plenty of opportunities for redemption.
Rewarding Your Boxer Puppy When They House Train
Consistently rewarding your Boxer puppy when they go potty outside is crucial in their training. Your Boxer needs to know that what they did at that exact moment makes you very happy, and they get a treat or affection in return.
Tip #3 Consistently Reward Immediately After Your Puppy Goes Potty
When you bring your puppy outside to relieve themselves stay nearby them and be boring. Don’t give them a ton of attention in terms of play or excitement, just let them sniff around.
Be patient this could take a few minutes. Once your Boxer puppy has done their business immediately reward them and shower them in praise.
The goal here is to set your excitement at the beginning as neutral. Then get super excited and pleased the moment they finish going potty. Your Boxer puppy should feel like a champion each and every time they poop/pee outside.
Consistent positive reinforcement like this will quickly connect with your puppy and make potty training a fun experience for them.
Showing Your Boxer Puppy Where To Potty Train
Puppies don’t understand where they can and can’t go potty when first starting their training. You are going to need to show them the ropes and control your environment to make house training easy. Having a designated spot in your yard is a good start, but controlling the environment in the home is important.
Tip #4 Pick Your Potty Spots
If you have a backyard, or have access to a grass area outside your home somewhere, use this as your training area. Bring your Boxer puppy to this same area each time you bring them outside so they can make the connection that this is where they relieve themselves.
When you are in the home with your puppy it is important to control the environment. You may live in a large or small home, and each area of your place is a potential potty spot, until your puppy learns otherwise.
Slowly allow access to these different areas of the home once they learn the previous room was a no potty area.
Tip #5 Control Your Environment
Puppies are busy and curious little creatures, and you can’t watch them like a hawk each and every minute. Getting yourself a puppy play pen to give them room to play and be comfortable is a great way to control your environment and not have them sneak off to another room to do their business.
It is always ideal to have your Boxer puppy go potty outside on grass when house training. This can be tricky at times for those of you that live in say a high rise apartment building.
Oftentimes people will rely on things like potty pads to show their puppy where to go if they can’t make it outside. There are better alternatives however.
Puppy pads, besides being bad for the environment, are also an unnatural texture for your puppy to learn to go potty on. Simulated grass, or actual grass as your alternative to potty pads in these situations is a much better way to show your puppy where to potty.
I lived on the 10th floor of an apartment when I got my Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy. We couldn’t always make it downstairs by the time I knew she was needing to go potty. I had to resort to potty pads on the balcony, which wasn’t ideal, but this was before products like Doggie Lawn were known to me.
Tip #6 Use Alternatives To Potty Pads
Doggie Lawn is a natural, real grass puppy pad you can set up for your dog for those times you can’t get them outside to potty. Naturally covers up the smells, earth friendly, and lasts for weeks, unlike one time use puppy pads.
This product is such a brilliant idea. This will not only teach your puppy that grass is the spot to potty, but is just so much nicer to have in your home or on your balcony compared to those stinky, ugly, and sometimes messy potty pads. Check out Doggie Lawn as a great potty pad alternative.
Being Proactive In Your Boxer Puppy’s Potty Training
Proactive puppy potty training is going to be crucial to house train your Boxer in an easy, and routine manner. These tips alone saved me countless clean ups in the home once I learned them. Had I known a few of them before getting my Staffy, I may not have even needed the balcony potty pads.
Tip #7 Establish Routines & Be Proactive
As I mentioned earlier, dogs are creatures of habit, and your Boxer puppy will learn routines fast. By being proactive in their house training, you can make this learning even easier for them. Getting your Boxer puppy out to potty every couple hours is a good step, but an even better system is to get them out any time they:
- Wake up in the morning.
- Wake up from a nap.
- Finish eating or drinking.
- Finish chewing or playing.
- Start to sniff around the room.
- Whine or whimper near the door
- Come out of their crate.
Following these 7 simple routines saved me so many clean ups. These also teach your Boxer that once these activities are completed, that they will have a chance to go outside. Buying you a few extra minutes to get them outside.
When your puppy doesn’t have this routine, they are far more likely to relieve themselves when they feel the urge.
Having the routine and understanding that you will get them outside after naps, playtime, meal time, etc… will show your Boxer puppy a solid potty training structure. This kind of proactive potty training approach is hands down your best tool. I can’t stress how well this will work for you and your puppy.
Should You Crate Train A Boxer?
I would highly recommend that your crate train your Boxer. This can not only assist in making your house training easy for your Boxer, but is a great way to give your dog a relaxing and comfortable place to be when you are away from home.
Tip #8 Crate Train Your Puppy
Dogs don’t like to relieve themselves in places that they sleep and eat. This is instinctual behavior for even puppies. By crate training your Boxer puppy this can give you an opportunity to control your environment and prevent accidents in the home.
Just be sure to be proactive and bring your Boxer puppy outside as soon as you let them out of the crate.
Getting the proper size crate is important in potty training as well. You want your Boxer puppy to have enough space to stand up and turn around, but not so much space that they can take several steps in a row.
Too big of a crate will give them a corner to pee in, and too small of a crate is just not good for the dog to move.
Tip #9 Use A Properly Sized Crate For Your Dog
The iCrate is a great dog crate that you can get for your Boxer puppy. As your dog goes from puppy to adult they will need more space, and instead of buying new crates over and over you can use the iCrate divider panel. This allows you to adjust the size of your puppy’s space as they get bigger.
The iCrate is one of the top selling and highest rated dog crates on Amazon. A very affordable and high quality crate that will last you the lifetime of your Boxer. Check it out over on Amazon.
How Long Can A Boxer Stay In A Crate?
When using a crate for your Boxer puppy a good rule of thumb for how long they can stay in there is 1 hour/ age in months. For example a 2 month old Boxer puppy can stay in a crate for 2 hours, and so on. That being said you don’t want to crate your Boxer for longer than 4-5 hours at time. Puppy or Adult.
Tip #10 Give Your Dog Breaks From The Crate Regularly
Crates are a great place for your dog to relax and snooze while you are away from home running errands or at work. If you can come home from work on your lunch break to let your dog out for a stretch, a potty break and some play for 30 minutes that is great.
If this doesn’t fit into your schedule however you will need to make arrangements with a friend, neighbor, or dog walker to come give your dog a break from the crate. There are great dog walking services such as Rover that allow you to schedule walks for your dog from professional walkers in your area.
Rover will send you updates via the app on when your dog was picked up, dropped off, where they went, whether they did their business, and other fun personalized notes. Rover has a network of professionals in both United States and Canadian cities available. Check them out at Rover.com
How Many Times Should A Boxer Puppy Poop A Day?
A Boxer puppy should poop anywhere between 3-5 times a day. Sometimes more depending on their level of activity and the amount of fiber and type of food they are eating. If you Boxer puppy poops more than 5 times in a day don’t panic. As long as it is a solid healthy stool.
If you notice that your puppy is having loose, inconsistent stool or diarrhea throughout the day then something could be wrong. This could be something they ate that didn’t sit right. Try giving your puppy something like pure natural canned pumpkin (not the pie filling, the 100% pure) and monitor them for the next day.
When your dog has had inconsistent runny stool, or there is blood and diarrhea for more than 24-36 hours, it is time to bring them to the vet for a look over. A professional will be able to better assess what is making your puppy not feel well.
How Many Times A Day Does A Boxer Poop?
Adult Boxer dogs will poop as many times as 1-3 times a day. This is slightly less than a Boxer puppy. When your adult Boxer does poop more than 3 times in a day don’t panic. So long as they are having consistent, firm stool you should be just fine.
If you notice blood, runny and inconsistent poop for more than 24-36 hours then consult with your vet. When I first notice my Staffy has inconsistent poops I will feed her some natural pumpkin and 9 times out of 10 that helps firm things up. But always check with your vet if you are concerned.
How Many Times A Day Should A Boxer Dog Pee?
Adult dogs will need to relieve themselves 3 – 5 times a day. This can depend on their activity level and the amount of water they have consumed. Puppies have much smaller bladders and will need to go pee far more often. Between 5 – 8 times a day is fairly common for young puppies.
When you find that your dog is being far more frequently, and perhaps having accidents in the home after being potty trained, or just outside, it could be signs of a UTI. Consult with your vet if you are concerned with the frequency of your dog’s pee schedule and any unusual household accidents.
Final Thoughts
Boxers are easy to house train when you follow these simple 10 tips. The consistency, routine, proactive approach and a little bit of patience will get you and your Boxer puppy to your potty training goals. These first few months may seem like they will never end, but trust me they do.
Taking the time to follow set up your Boxer puppy up for success, and moving passed accidents with a calm and positive attitude will make all the difference.