February 15, 2025 • 57 mins
Thinking about getting a Boxer or already have one bouncing around your home? 🐶💨 In this episode of The Yappy Hour, host Nathan Dunleavy is joined by Justyna from Bombproof Boxer, a breed specialist dedicated to helping Boxer dog guardians better understand and train their high-energy, intelligent companions.
Together, they explore what makes Boxers unique, the importance of breed research, common misconceptions, and expert training & socialisation tips. Whether you're a first-time Boxer owner or a long-time lover of the breed, this episode is packed with valuable insights to help you raise a happy boxer!
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Welcome to the Yappy Hour powered byYappily, the podcast for dog lovers
who want to better understand andconnect with their furry friends.
I'm your host Nathan Dunleavy andin today's episode we're diving
into the wonderful world of boxerswith Justyna from Bomb Proof Boxer.
Justyna is an expert on this amazingbreed and is passionate about
(00:24):
helping dog owners understand theunique needs and traits of boxers.
We talk about the importance ofresearching breeds before bringing
a dog into your life, the joys andthe challenges of living with a
boxer, and tips for training andsocialization, this high energy breed.
(00:45):
If you're a boxer owner or thinkingabout getting one, this is an
episode you won't want to miss.
So settle in, get a cup oftea, and let's get started.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (00:58):
Welcome back to the Yappy Hour powered by Yappily.
I'm your host, Nathan Dunleavy,and I'm so excited to bring
you our fourth episode today.
What makes it even more exciting is thatwe have our first breed specific guest
expert joining me today on the podcast.
So we have Justyna from Bomb Proof Boxer.
(01:21):
Justyna has a lot of expertisein the boxer breed, and she
advocates for breed research.
Her focus is on helping boxer ownersunderstand the unique traits and needs of
this very energetic and intelligent breed.
So without further ado, Justyna,welcome to the Yappy Hour today.
(01:45):
I'm so excited to have you as our third,as our first Pacific expert on the show.
How are you doing today?
Justyna (01:54):
very well.
Thank you so much for having me.
It's a pleasure to be here.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: It's so great to have you on. (01:59):
undefined
Justyna, for those who may notknow, please, could you tell us
a little bit about Bomb ProofBoxer and how it's all begun?
Justyna (02:09):
Oh, how far you want me to go?
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: You go as far as you like. (02:12):
undefined
I'd love to hear all about it.
Justyna (02:15):
So when I first started as a dog trainer, I was just regular
dog trainer running classes webinarsand, you know, seminars, one to ones,
everything dog training related.
And my Boxer Nella was alwaysmy demo dog in classes.
She's a brilliant demodog, my little star.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (02:36):
Oh
Justyna (02:36):
I started having more and more boxer owners joining the classes.
So,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (02:42):
Oh
Justyna (03:01):
they were Separated from the group because the dog was too
excited and was distracting the class.
There were People who were notactually felt welcome in classes.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (03:13):
No,
Justyna (03:14):
yeah.
So at this point, and because I alreadyhad loads of people with boxers, I've
created a class just breed specific.
So we had six, eight
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (03:26):
oh wow,
Justyna (03:26):
in a group and and you know, I always loved everything
about Doc train and back.
Those specific classes, theywere my absolute favorites.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh wicked, (03:37):
undefined
Justyna (03:38):
the way that actually boxer owners connect with each other
and the relationships they create,the friendships, it was beautiful.
Those people didn't feellike they don't belong there.
They were, they
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (03:51):
mm,
Justyna (03:52):
to those classes, not even mentioning
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: oh good, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, (03:54):
undefined
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Justyna (03:58):
And then COVID happened and lockdown.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (04:02):
Oh yes.
Oh, a certain pandemic.
Yes.
Okay.
Justyna (04:07):
this is where I obviously like everyone else had loads of time and
I was scrolling through social media.
And as a boxer owner, atthis point, I had two boxers.
and and I was going through somequestions where people asking
advice for you know, how to dealwith lead pulling, jumping, etc.
(04:27):
And sadly, the responses onsocial media were either outdated
or not necessarily positive.
And that was
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (04:36):
Yes.
Justyna (04:37):
my heart because it really doesn't need to be that way.
We need to stop thinking aboutthis, you know, way of dominating
our dogs and correcting their
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (04:48):
No,
Justyna (04:48):
behaviours, etc.
So
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: absolutely. (04:51):
undefined
Justyna (04:52):
well, maybe I will create a group where I will offer advice to boxer owners.
this group still exists.
It's called Boneproof BoxerDog Training Advice, people can
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (05:03):
Oh, wow.
Justyna (05:04):
and ask questions.
That group was it was growing so quickly.
I think now we have 15, 000 members there.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh, oh my, oh my gosh. (05:12):
undefined
Justyna (05:15):
you know, I had loads of time and I was posting some
training videos with my boxers.
I was giving people advice, et cetera.
And, and and it was helpful.
People really enjoyed it.
So.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (05:27):
Yeah.
Justyna (05:29):
I decided to start teaching online because
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (05:34):
Okay.
Yeah, you can,
Justyna (05:35):
I can help people all over the world, not just in my area.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (05:39):
yeah
you can meet, yeah.
Further people further afield online.
Yes.
Justyna (05:44):
this is where Bump Roof Boxer started.
It's actually called Bump Roof BoxerTraining Club, which is a online platform
with loads and loads of training videos.
training plans lots of informationabout the breed and specific subjects
on different things like adolescence youknow castration, diet troubleshooting
(06:09):
we literally cover everythingboxer related in a training club.
And again, we have,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (06:16):
wow.
Justyna (06:17):
Members from all over the world, New Zealand, Australia, England,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (06:21):
Really?
Justyna (06:22):
Poland Italy.
Yeah, so and people are
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (06:26):
amazing.
Justyna (06:27):
great successes through the training.
So, yeah, this is, this is why Ileft that general dog training ward.
focused on
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (06:36):
Yeah.
Fully focused on boxers.
Brilliant.
And why do you think that the boxer breedholds such a special place in your heart?
Justyna (06:47):
So it all started with my very first, not mine, it was
a family box across Great Dane.
I was a child, I was, I don't remember,five, six years old when my dad, got
this puppy and I remember this dogas, I only have positive memories and
very happy memories about this dog.
(07:09):
He was a
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh, that's lovely. (07:09):
undefined
Justyna (07:11):
us for all the family adventures in the winter where we
were running in the snow in the summerwhere we were swimming in the lake.
This dog actually saved my life.
He saved my family's life.
He saved lives of
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (07:24):
Oh, wow.
Justyna (07:25):
whole building full of 30 flats.
So this dog was my
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (07:30):
Wow.
Justyna (07:32):
I
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (07:32):
Oh, wow.
Justyna (07:33):
when I started thinking about getting a dog, there
was no other breed in my mind.
Even though I had other
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (07:40):
Like,
Justyna (07:41):
my childhood teenager, et cetera, it had to be a boxer.
So, this is where I got Nella.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (07:47):
yeah.
Justyna (07:48):
Then I got now I have three boxers, Nella, Mia, and Kalitsi.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh, okay. (07:51):
undefined
Justyna (07:53):
plus a foster boxer.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh, okay. (07:55):
undefined
Justyna (07:57):
And it's not only, you know, Ara is the dog I had when I was a child.
It's not only my girls that are meto be so close to the breed, but
actually all my clients boxers, I getconnected, connected with those people.
And I, and we're like a family.
So when they
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: That's lovely. (08:17):
undefined
Justyna (08:19):
I'm so proud of them, you know,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (08:22):
yes.
Justyna (08:22):
people struggle and we, we're helping them, this is
just, I feel like it's a magic,magical world, being around boxers.
So, don't get me wrong, I
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (08:33):
Oh wow.
Justyna (08:34):
I have, I have six dogs, so three are boxers, three are other breeds.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: You've got six, I've got seven, so (08:40):
undefined
yeah, I'm a multi dog household.
Justyna (08:46):
So yeah but
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (08:48):
So what other breeds of dog do you have?
Justyna (08:50):
Pomeranian, Mini American
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, Pomeranian. (08:53):
undefined
Justyna (08:54):
and Malinois.
Yeah,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: wow, that's the right handful. (08:57):
undefined
Justyna (09:00):
he can be, for sure, for sure.
No,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (09:04):
but yeah, but like you say, the boxers just
hold that special place in your heartfrom, from when you were younger and you,
you had no doubt had to be a boxer, so.
Justyna (09:14):
no.
I, you know, I never plannedto be a boxer trainer.
It was never my intention.
It just came naturally.
It came from people who actuallywhere coming to me, yeah, there, there
is something absolutely special forme in boxers and I will always have
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: that's lovely. (09:34):
undefined
So do you only specificallytrain Boxer breeds now?
Do you train other dogs breeds?
Justyna (09:42):
I only train boxers.
I mean, you know, I've gotclients from all over the world.
It can be, it can be quite a
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (09:49):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Justyna (09:50):
way I can stretch myself and it more.
Obviously I train my own dogs.
I eat
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (09:55):
Yeah,
Justyna (09:56):
mini Aussie.
So there is no way
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: that's fair enough. (10:00):
undefined
Justyna (10:01):
unfortunately.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: No, that's fair enough. (10:02):
undefined
You've got your, you've got yourniche now as that specific breed
and that's what works for you.
When I was doing in person training, Ithink I've only ever worked, actually,
no, I've worked with three boxers.
So I worked with a puppy boxer for initialpuppy training face to face and it was
a new the owners were new puppy owners.
So obviously that was important to getthe training started from the outset.
(10:25):
And then I did work with a twocouple of rescue boxes that
a lady had got from abroad.
I can't remember where.
So, yeah, so I had, I had actuallyworked with a couple of boxes when
I was doing in person training.
And yeah, they're suchlovely, lovely dogs.
So brilliant.
So just moving on just.
Dina then to our next section theimportance of researching breeds before
(10:50):
boxes are such a distinctive breed.
What are some of the key traits thatmake them so special, but also sometimes
that little bit challenging for owners.
Justyna (11:02):
Yeah.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: I can see you smiling there. (11:03):
undefined
Justyna (11:05):
I'm smiling because first of all, you're using the right words, when you
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh good, I'm pleased, (11:10):
undefined
Justyna (11:13):
thank
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: I'm so pleased. (11:13):
undefined
Justyna (11:14):
that.
What makes them special?
And what is important to knowwhen when getting a boxer?
Well, first of all breed characteristic.
It's something that those days peopledon't think about when they get a dog.
and I It's not onlywhen it comes to boxers.
I think it comes to all workingbreeds because let's not forget
(11:34):
that boxers are working breed.
And
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (11:37):
Yeah,
Justyna (11:37):
don't see them in a working world that much.
I hope will change with time.
but
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (11:44):
yeah,
Justyna (11:44):
working dogs and they used to have very specific jobs.
When we're not
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (11:49):
okay.
Justyna (11:50):
those jobs, we don't know what What might come out
of this breed characteristics?
So, not sure how much you know aboutboxers, but to start with, they were Mm
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: I don't, I don't know a lot if (12:02):
undefined
I'm honest, so please feel free.
Justyna (12:05):
first of all they were bred to help hunters to hunt
large animals like deer, wild
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (12:14):
Oh,
Justyna (12:14):
bear.
So boxer's job was not, not to trackthe animal, but once the animal
was tracked, they had to run andpin the animal, hold it until the
hunter came and finished the job.
So if you
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: oh right, (12:32):
undefined
Justyna (12:33):
they actually had to run really fast from the moment they
saw the animal, jump, grab and hold.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (12:41):
wow.
Justyna (12:41):
then Not like many working dogs, their jobs was changed a lot.
They were used for cart pulling.
They were used for herding.
They were used for protection ofthe either animals or house, etc.
So they actually had loads of jobsthroughout the breed development.
(13:05):
So it's not.
I'm going to use a collie example here.
Collies were always bred for one thing,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (13:12):
Yes.
Justyna (13:13):
were bred for many things.
But
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (13:16):
Okay.
Justyna (13:17):
main thing was to use their strength, their ability
to be athletic, and fast.
So this is what we see still in boxersthose days, after so many years.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (13:32):
Yeah.
Silence.
Yeah.
Silence.
Justyna (13:56):
because boxers are really curious dogs, they don't like to
miss an opportunity to have fun.
Then,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: They are very, yeah, they (14:04):
undefined
are like that, aren't they?
Play, playful.
That's the word I was trying to go for.
Justyna (14:09):
They are very playful, but also they are quite sensitive dogs, and I see
it more and more those days where they Whyare their abilities being so strong and
playful and connected with their owners?
In many situations theyare struggling emotionally.
So, when it comes to, always saywhen it comes to training boxers
(14:35):
and creating that boxer that youwant to adjust to your lifestyle.
There are of puzzles that need tocon, we need to connect together.
It's not just one thing we focus on.
We need to focus on their confidence.
We need to focus on impulse control.
We need to focus on makingsure that their brief needs are
(14:57):
met physically and mentally.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yes, that's important. (15:01):
undefined
Yeah.
Okay, brilliant.
Why is it so important for potentialowners, potential dog owners, to
thoroughly research a breed beforedeciding to bring one into their lives?
Justyna (15:18):
Mainly because every breed is different.
So it really depends what we, why we arelooking for a dog and where the dog will
live, what we can provide for this dog.
I think.
People see a cute puppy and they're just
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (15:38):
Yes.
It's always the way.
Justyna (15:41):
And then, especially if they don't,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: It's gonna grow soon. (15:43):
undefined
Mm.
Justyna (15:46):
So, having a boxer puppy, I mean, they are absolutely gorgeous, right?
You said you walked with a puppy.
Like, you just
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (15:55):
I did.
Yeah,
Justyna (15:56):
and your heart melts.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (15:58):
it's just so cute and you just want to like
Justyna (16:01):
Exactly.
And when they are so sweet, welet them to, would say, get away
with Some traits that, furtheron, once the puppy is growing, are
actually not doing us any favours.
So,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (16:19):
Mm.
Justyna (16:20):
the cute puppy to jump at us when it's looking for attention.
We will allow the cute puppy tochase butterflies in a field.
We will allow the cute puppy to stealsomething and shake it around and,
you know, run around doing zoomies.
Because it's cute.
But in six months time,it's not so cute anymore.
(16:42):
When this puppy is 30 kilos andjumps at you when you are carrying
a shopping bag that's not fun.
On
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (16:50):
not fun.
That's not
Justyna (16:52):
No it's actually, it can be harmful, you know, it can be dangerous.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (16:56):
Yeah.
Yes.
Justyna (16:58):
I actually have many people who get injuries because of their dog.
They're either been jumped on orthey've been pulled by I actually
had some injuries with my veryfirst boxer because she was pulling
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (17:11):
Yeah.
Justyna (17:12):
So.
Yeah, we need to think aboutthis when we are getting a puppy,
that this dog will actually grow.
And we need to think about how we wantthis dog to be like when it's an adult.
puppyhood is
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (17:29):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Justyna (17:56):
don't look for advice they, before they get a puppy
or at the very first beginning.
only when problems start, which
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: That's right. (18:08):
undefined
Justyna (18:09):
unwanted behaviour developed already where
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (18:12):
Yeah.
Justyna (18:12):
with the training right away from day one, there are
so many things we can prevent.
There are so many headaches we can avoid.
so yeah, it's very important to lookinto a breed before we get a dog.
But also it's not only lookinginto a breed, it's also
finding the right breed up.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (18:35):
Yeah, the right breed is Paramount, yeah.
Yeah.
I'm really big on people doing theirresearch beforehand and having a
session like this with a, a qualifieddog trainer or breed specialist, even
before they've even decided on like whatbreeds if they're doing, if they can't
make their mind up and there's a fewdogs that they like is, is to do your
(18:58):
research into that specific breed, findout what it was originally bred for.
Is that going to fitinto your family life?
You know, longer, longer term, youknow, up to 15 years or, or longer.
So I'm really big on sort of likeowners, you know, making sure
they do do their grade research.
And like you say, starting from dayone, because there's just so much that
(19:20):
you could stop from happening if they.
if they started it from day one.
What would you say are some of the biggestmisconceptions you've encountered about
boxes and how do you address those?
Justyna (19:32):
So many.
So
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh bless! (19:35):
undefined
Justyna (19:36):
Do you know, I used to get crossed when people
called boxers clouds because
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (19:43):
Clowns.
Justyna (19:44):
because they
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (19:45):
Oh.
Justyna (19:46):
always, it always sounds in the content like they're just stupid.
And I think it, it really depends whatsort of picture of a clown you picture
in your head you paint in your head.
So, if I think clown, that it's a vibrantperformer that brings joy and happiness.
(20:09):
Yes, that will
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (20:10):
yeah
Justyna (20:11):
if
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (20:11):
yeah.
Justyna (20:12):
about a clown who is very smart, because they need to learn some
clever tricks so they can turn thisordinary moment into something special.
Yes, we
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (20:24):
Yeah.
Justyna (20:24):
clowns, because they are clever.
And they can definitely
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (20:28):
Oh,
Justyna (20:39):
is that people say that boxers are untrainable.
It's just not possible to train them.
This is a boxer for you.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (20:47):
Okay.
Yeah.
Justyna (20:48):
Yeah.
So when people ask for advice, what canI do to stop this behaviour or something
and people say, oh, this is boxer.
You cannot stop this, which is absolutely
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: oh no, it's just, (20:58):
undefined
Justyna (20:59):
I,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: it's such a fairway comment. (21:00):
undefined
Justyna (21:02):
So yeah, the main thing is that they are stupid and not trainable
and they just silly clowns which
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (21:10):
Yeah.
Justyna (21:10):
disagree with.
I mean.
Like, all the boxers I workwith, they are so, so smart.
Sometimes when I
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (21:19):
Yes.
Justyna (21:20):
clients training videos, how much they achieved,
I will say it with pride,some of my clients boxers
are better trained than mine.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (21:32):
Wow.
Justyna (21:33):
You know,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: It's always the way. (21:33):
undefined
Justyna (21:34):
everyone's lifestyle is different, I think, because like me
or you, we know so much about boxers.
We understand dog, not boxers, dogs.
We understand that this is a dogbehaviour and sometimes we just allow
it because we allow our dogs to be dogs.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (21:53):
Yeah.
Justyna (21:54):
pet owners they are not being so, they have maybe been a bit
more strict in terms of their roles.
So
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (22:03):
Yeah.
Justyna (22:03):
why I say some of my clients, boxers are better trained than mine
because there are things where I'mlike, yeah, maybe I shouldn't let
my dog to do this, but whatever.
So yeah.
But definitely they can be trained.
The problem is that the more.
a dog experience or practicethe behaviour we don't like,
(22:23):
the harder it is to overcome it.
And it is definitely a harder with boxers.
Because as I said, they'requite sensitive dogs in general.
So all of the sudden when wechange something, they lose
a little bit of confidence.
And also when When, how do I say it?
(22:48):
How do I word it?
So, example,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (22:51):
Mm.
Justyna (22:54):
that cause reactivity in boxers.
And if a boxer practiced reactivitybehaviours for a few years, then it's
not going to be a quick fix to overcomethose problems with a boxer, because
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (23:08):
Mm.
Justyna (23:08):
have their brain connections And changing
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (23:14):
Yeah.
Justyna (23:14):
pathways in their brain requires a lot of work and consistency.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, definitely. (23:20):
undefined
Yeah.
And like you say, it isall about consistency.
You have to, like with all training,you get out what you put in and
you know, it sounds like the peopleyou're working with are really
committed to, to, to, to that as well,
Justyna (23:34):
Absolutely
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: which is great. (23:35):
undefined
I do have a little bonus question herethat was popped in from Kelly at Yappily.
Just that well, the, the boxer breedseems to be rising in popularity
again over the last few years.
Why do you think this is and whatshould potential owners keep in mind
when considering the boxer breed?
(23:55):
Oh, oh,
Justyna (23:58):
very popular a few years ago with Christmas art.
don't know if you remember theboxer jumping on a trampoline.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (24:08):
Vaguely.
Yes, vaguely.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Justyna (24:10):
So that was the
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: We played. (24:11):
undefined
Justyna (24:12):
where all of the sudden everyone were getting
a boxer because the way that I
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (24:16):
Ah,
Justyna (24:17):
them was like a family dog, which It's fine.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (24:21):
Yeah.
Justyna (24:22):
the dog was just making everyone laugh and was very cute.
And, you know, it was it was, it wasvery good at, and don't get me wrong.
I know the owner of the boxer whoactually took a part in that app.
And I know how much training actually went
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (24:38):
Oh
Justyna (24:39):
into making this app.
So it's not like,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: oh, okay. (24:41):
undefined
Justyna (24:42):
it's not that they just.
let a boxer jump on a trampolineand, you know, just bounce
up, up and down, up and down.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: That's good to know. (24:50):
undefined
Justyna (24:51):
actually, there was loads of training put into it.
I think that was the very first momentwhere they actually became so popular.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (25:00):
I see.
So we can blame one of the supermarketsthen, like, or one of the adverts.
That always happens, doesn't it?
People see them, and then theywant to go out and get one.
Justyna (25:08):
see a specific breed in a movie that is popular Then all of the sudden
you see that many people are gettingthis breed So yeah, that's That's
the commercial world we live in anyinfluences by it, but another reason why
boxers are getting more and popular isthink it's like with any other breed.
(25:34):
There is just more dogs in general.
So
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Particularly since lockdown. (25:39):
undefined
More, more copies since lockdown.
Justyna (25:44):
But sadly there is also lots of dogs in shelters.
Like the
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (25:49):
Yes.
Justyna (25:50):
That
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: It's a shame. (25:51):
undefined
Justyna (25:52):
they are full, they constantly full, constantly full.
Which, which means there's just been Moreand more boxers being born which is why
I think breeding should be regulated.
But obviously that's another
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (26:05):
Yes.
That's a whole nother episode.
Justyna (26:09):
Yeah, probably.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, yeah, yeah. (26:11):
undefined
So, yeah, unfortunately like you saya lot, well, most shelters, not just
breed specific ones for, but I, I thinkif we go back to if owners were more
prepared and they did their researchmore because a lot of people don't.
I think then hopefully that.
That would help the problem.
But I mean, obviously you'refostering a dog, a boxer dog as well.
(26:33):
So, you know, you're, you'redoing your bit as well.
So, you know, that's great.
So life of a boxer or boxersis our next discussion point.
So the challenges.
and joys of living with a boxer.
So they're so well known fortheir energy, their enthusiasm.
What advice do you have forowners to keep up with their
(26:56):
boxer's physical and mental needs?
Justyna (26:59):
So,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (26:59):
Variety.
Justyna (27:01):
So, first of all, we need to understand that the
more we exercise our boxers, themore we are preparing them for,
hold on, how do I word this?
So,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: That's okay. (27:18):
undefined
Don't worry.
Yeah.
Justyna (27:20):
them, we are creating this expectation of being exercised, right?
So, if someone
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (27:26):
Yeah.
Justyna (27:27):
their boxer, five miles every day and all of the sudden they
cannot go for a walk because I don'tknow the weather is horrific and you
cannot go outside or something, you'renot feeling well, then a boxer will
really, really struggle without that.
It's like, you know, we're buildingmuscle memory when it comes to exercising.
(27:47):
It's the same as whensomeone goes to a gym, right?
You constantly work out, workout, work out and you build
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (27:54):
Yes.
Yes.
Wow.
Yes.
Justyna (28:01):
exercise, right?
This is how you train your body.
It's exactly the same with boxers.
So while meeting the physicalneeds is obviously very important.
We also need to focus more on enrichingtheir brain and giving them some jobs to
do where they have to think and they haveto practice calming exercises because
(28:27):
all of the problems that people have with
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (28:30):
Silence.
Justyna (28:37):
been pre programmed in their brain.
It's our job to teach them.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (28:41):
Okay.
Mm.
Yes.
Mm.
Mm.
Yeah.
Good.
(29:04):
Okay.
Okay.
Justyna (29:10):
the same and the same, the same thing over and over again.
or they get mentally tired andthey, they cannot think anymore.
When they get overtired, they startpracticing unwanted behaviours.
So, and I see it so many times wherepeople practice loosely walking,
where they just In a boring way,feed their dog next to their leg.
(29:34):
And do this for 15 20 minutes.
And one, the dog is alreadyfed up with the food.
The dog doesn't getopportunity to be a dog.
And all of the sudden, the doggets bored, and there is nothing
interesting in this specific exercise.
this is where we get the element offrustration, and they start jumping
(29:54):
on the owner and biting the lead.
because that, training wasreally not fun for them.
so for example, in a trainingclub, have a lucid walking plan and
it's full of different exercises.
So it's not just feedingthe dog next to us, right?
We are adding little bits to breakthis Boring exercise, but also there
(30:21):
are different games that are justmake it unpredictable and make it fun
because That way the more we surpriseBoxers with something different the
more they want to engage with us it's
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (30:34):
Yeah,
Justyna (30:34):
It's fun
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (30:36):
yeah,
Justyna (30:37):
another thing that is very important when it comes to
enrichment and mental stimulationis also teaching calmness.
Because as I said, when they aretired, they make the wrong choices.
And again
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: yeah, yeah, yeah, just, (30:50):
undefined
Justyna (30:56):
energy into something, but they don't really understand that they
can just sleep and enjoy it as well.
So this yeah, this
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (31:05):
just,
Justyna (31:06):
we need to teach them.
But
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (31:08):
yeah,
Justyna (31:09):
living with a boxer, it's really not that difficult.
I feel like my boxers areeasiest than my other three dogs.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Wow, okay, (31:18):
undefined
Justyna (31:19):
forget that,
I've done loads of training with them.
And I, like, the
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: you have, (31:25):
undefined
Justyna (31:26):
it's not, it's not difficult.
It's something that comes out of habit,you know, you just do something in the
garden, you grab a toy and you do alittle bit of training with the toy.
It's not like
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (31:39):
yeah.
Justyna (31:39):
long training sessions.
So yeah, keeping it short, varietyand teaching those important concepts
as calmness and impulse control.
And if you cover
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (31:48):
Yeah.
Justyna (31:49):
you're going to have a dream boxer.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (31:52):
Sorted.
Yeah, I'm all about how likepromoting calmness, relaxation.
Cause it's like having a littlechild, like they're over tired.
They just don't know when to switch off.
What I took from that is thatvariety is the spice of life,
which is in every aspect of life.
And I'm a big advocate in less ismore, you know, you don't have to.
Walk your dog twice aday for an hour each day.
(32:15):
And, you know, you don't have todo like an hour's training session,
just little bite sized chunksbreaking it down, keeping it fun and
exciting and keeping them engaged.
So definitely less is more.
So they're so intelligent boxers andthat intelligent poly does impact
their training and daily life.
Are there any specificchallenges or benefits at all?
Justyna (32:37):
Sorry, can you repeat the question?
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, so how does a boxer's (32:39):
undefined
intelligence impact their training
Justyna (32:44):
Okay.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: and daily life? (32:44):
undefined
Are there any sort of specificchallenges or benefits of that?
Justyna (32:49):
yeah, as I said, they're very curious.
So they, when they see somethingunusual, they want to investigate.
When they see something fun,they want to be a part of it.
When they get super excited, reallystruggle to bring that energy down.
So sorry, I forgot yourquestion again, the last part.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: No, that's, that's absolutely fine. (33:10):
undefined
So obviously they're,they're very intelligent.
How does that intelligent impacttheir training and daily life?
So the specific challenges and benefits.
So you mentionedobviously they're curious.
What what what other thingsdoes they're intelligent?
Justyna (33:25):
from the breed characteristics, really, because
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (33:29):
Yes.
Justyna (33:29):
when they don't know what to do, So, when they are tired, when they
are frustrated, when they simply don'tunderstand what we want from them,
or maybe when they're overwhelmed bythe environment, they would choose a
behaviour that is very natural for them.
in
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (33:47):
Yes.
Justyna (33:48):
be jumping.
So,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (33:50):
Yeah.
Justyna (33:51):
you know, I, It is a kind of clever way of how their brain and body is
working because then it got straight tothe roots of what they were bred to do.
but
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (34:02):
Hmm.
Justyna (34:03):
it can be very challenging.
I always say to boxer owners,try not to kill their energy,
but use it in appropriate way.
It's very important.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (34:14):
Hmm.
Yeah.
Justyna (34:28):
come to me with a struggle I always ask, to give me the perfect
scenario, the dream scenario.
How would you want your boxerto be in that situation?
When we have this picture,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (34:41):
Yeah.
Justyna (34:48):
very intelligent, but as I said, because they get so easily frustrated
and overexcited, it doesn't it doesn'tpay in their favour, unfortunately.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (34:59):
Yeah.
Justyna (34:59):
So we really need to be mindful that that energy can put them in trouble.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (35:07):
Yeah.
And it just goes back to beingyour dog's advocate again.
Being, being the advocate, beingyour dog's superhero, you know,
they need us to look out for them.
Justyna (35:18):
Yes.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Brilliant. (35:19):
undefined
So their boxes are incredible,incredibly loyal and family orientated.
How does this bond shape their behaviourand what should owners keep in mind?
When welcoming a boxer into their family.
Justyna (35:35):
Again, what do you want the dog to be as a part of family?
So, you
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (35:40):
Yeah.
Mm.
Mm.
Justyna (35:58):
it really depends what sort of household it is.
But the very important things when itcomes to training puppies are making
us as the best thing in the world.
Because if we skip the very firstimportant parts of building a relationship
(36:19):
then the dog will, will not beinterested in us out and about, because
everything else is more interesting.
so building relationship andthe correct socialization.
So many people get socialization wrong.
And socialization
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (36:38):
Yeah.
Justyna (36:39):
is so important.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (36:41):
Yeah,
Justyna (36:42):
I don't know if you want me to talk about socialization here in Boxer.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: yeah, well, actually, it leads (36:45):
undefined
nicely into our next sectionof training and socialization.
So yeah, I mean, really,it leads lovely into it.
So, you know, the importance ofearly socialization for boxers what
is the most important thing newboxer owners should focus on when it
comes to training and socialization?
(37:06):
So you mentioned about therelationship building, making sure
you're the most important person.
But yeah, how, how, how doesthat then impact socialization?
Justyna (37:16):
So still, many people think socialization is about taking the
puppy to many places, let the puppy to
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (37:26):
I know.
Justyna (37:26):
to so many people and say hello to 20 different breeds a day and different
sizes, different colors, et cetera.
Please don't do this
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (37:37):
Yes.
Justyna (37:38):
Please don't.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (37:39):
No,
Justyna (37:39):
don't do it with
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: there you have it. (37:40):
undefined
Justyna (37:44):
So, right, socialization is exposure, and this is
super important for puppies.
Puppies brain works differentlythan adults dog brain, okay?
We have this massive sponge that isgoing to take everything in, and that
will create, and that will create,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (38:03):
Yeah.
Justyna (38:20):
situations, puppies go through fear stages.
There might be situations where theyare so comfortable in some environments.
So we need to be mindful of this.
But most of the time, walks with a puppywill be Very attached to you because you
are the only person that they actuallyknow like there was lots of changes
(38:43):
recently They've been taken away fromthere The only place they knew from their
mom from their siblings from the noisesand smells that they were familiar from
the day They were born into your house.
So now You are their protectorand they see you that way.
People should take opportunity ofthat every single moment of a puppy
(39:04):
life, especially out and about.
So in my puppy course, every singleexercise that I filmed with my puppy was
out and about in different situations.
You can start training puppy outand about around distractions.
You don't have to start this at home.
(39:24):
that will be a massively beneficialfor Voxer because in those early
stages they learn whatever is aroundthem is none of their business
because they're having so much funwith mum right now in this moment.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (39:39):
Exactly.
Mm.
Mm.
Justyna (39:51):
run to this kids.
It was my opportunity to createbond and put this training
routine into into environment.
And the
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (40:02):
Mm.
Yeah.
Justyna (40:07):
there needs to be a toy involved every single time.
Interactive play not, not reallyplaying fetch because that's
not really beneficial for dogs.
But you know, teaching a puppy that,Staying around us in this close
proximity is a really good place.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (40:23):
Yep.
Justyna (40:24):
any anything that they experience during puppyhood with something nice.
So, I often talk about ditching the ball.
Just take your puppy footwith you out and about.
Use this foot, put it intosomething that will really make
a difference in their life.
So, yeah.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (40:42):
Yeah.
Brilliant.
Yeah.
And yeah, it's just about making you,making you more fun to hang out with
then, you know, the dog across theroad or whatever, you know, making
it fun and making them want to say
Justyna (40:57):
100%.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: you and stuff with, (40:58):
undefined
Justyna (41:00):
lots of people are a bit worried about actually taking a puppy out from the
house before a first vaccinations, etc.
And
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (41:07):
yeah.
Justyna (41:08):
need to be aware that they can catch some nasty diseases or bugs, etc.
Should they stop us from exposingthe puppy to different environments
with boxer puppies are quite
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Absolutely. (41:19):
undefined
Justyna (41:20):
We can carry them around.
We can take them for a car to travelso they can watch through a window.
We can avoid the.
where there is loads ofdogs, so they're not going to
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (41:32):
Yeah.
Justyna (41:33):
anything nasty, but we can still take them.
For example when the very first days I hadKhaleesia, I took her to my friend's gym.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (41:42):
Oh, wow.
It's something different.
Justyna (41:45):
was, you know, no problem to, to worry about anything that
she will catch, but it was a greatsocialization training experience for her.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, definitely. (41:54):
undefined
Different sounds and smiles.
You can get those puppy slings nowbecause obviously there's such a key
window of opportunity, isn't there?
When the puppy first comes home,like their main sensitive period.
So get get them out in a sling, getthem out experience in different sort of
sight, sound, smiles and environments.
(42:15):
Yeah,
Justyna (42:15):
but also socialization, it's not just related to puppies.
We can still socialize dogsthroughout their whole life.
It's just a different process.
But it doesn't mean that wecannot socialize them later on.
Especially people who rescue boxers,take them from some situations where they
maybe never, ever seen the outside world.
(42:37):
so we
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (42:37):
yeah.
Justyna (42:38):
socialize them.
We have not missed this opportunity.
It is just.
a bit slower and we need to be a bit more,
be more mindful of the dog's feelings.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, exactly. (42:52):
undefined
Definitely.
So are there any boxer specificbehaviours or quirks that owners
should be aware of during training?
Justyna (43:04):
Yeah, frustration is probably, frustration and boredom, like,
people say that boxers are stubborn.
It's not stubbornness.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (43:12):
I've heard that, I've heard that before.
Oh, gosh.
Justyna (43:15):
no stubbornness.
It's if a boxer doesn't do abehaviour that you asked for,
there are reasons behind it.
It could be because there is toomuch going on in an environment.
It could be that your boxer is simply notfeeling well, so performing this position
is going to make them feel uncomfortable.
It could be that the dog actuallydoesn't understand what you want,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (43:37):
Mm.
Justyna (43:37):
if they don't do what people want.
Will often disengage, move away,or they will actually feel like
they failed and they are not socommitted into doing anything more,
which we obviously don't want.
So we need to keep thetraining sessions short.
We always need to work withthe dog in front of us.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (43:59):
Yes.
Definitely.
Justyna (44:17):
of games, making it fun, using different rewards as well.
So again, if boxers, as wesaid, boxers are not stupid.
If they know what we have for them andit's not better than what is going on
in the environment, will make the choicethat is going to make them feel better.
(44:40):
So yeah, they might run awayrather than coming back to us.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (44:43):
Yeah.
Justyna (44:44):
it's
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Thank you. (44:44):
undefined
Justyna (44:44):
variety of training exercises, but also variety of different rewards.
Yeah,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, high value rewards and, (44:49):
undefined
Justyna (44:51):
It's
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: you know, (44:51):
undefined
Justyna (44:52):
what,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: things like that. (44:52):
undefined
Yeah.
Yeah.
Justyna (44:59):
with my youngest boxer when we do obedience training, because obedience
training, especially when you do awhole round, it can be a bit boring.
So I want her to remember that when wefinish this round she is going to do what
she absolutely loves and we'll both willbe jumping and it will be a crazy party.
So, but you know for some dogs it willbe a specific toy, for some boxers it
(45:23):
will be specific type of food, for someboxers it will be cuddles, for some
boxers it will be digging, you know.
Rewards are not just food.
This is again, something that peopleoften mistake when it comes to
training, reward based training.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, definitely. (45:41):
undefined
And I think a tip from thatis about adaptability as well.
You know, you may have a plan inmind, but you are going to have to
adapt that and mix it up a little bitto keep things, you know, exciting.
Justyna (45:53):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well with boxers, you know, they,they love doing lots of different
things and we kind of need to belike, we need to be, we need to be,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: We could all be more boxer. (46:05):
undefined
Justyna (46:07):
We need to, we need to think about how to have more fun.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Are there any, that leads us (46:12):
undefined
nicely onto my next question.
Are there any fun training orenrichment activities that you
think boxers particularly enjoy?
Justyna (46:20):
Anything movement related.
Boxers absolutely love movement.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh, movement. (46:25):
undefined
Yes.
Yep.
Justyna (46:27):
love to move.
So of the, one of the thingsthat most dog owners teach their
dogs is sit stay or down stay.
And I'm not saying you cannotteach a boxer to do this.
You absolutely can, but it would notbe my very first behaviours to teach.
It's not how I would start training.
(46:48):
Movement helps with so many things.
It helps to that stress bucket.
It helps them to be less reactive.
It helps them to move awayfrom a situation without.
Too much arousal.
They absolutely love moving.
That's why all the gamesin a training club.
Most of the games are movement relatedso because that when we ask them to
(47:14):
stand still or do nothing It's boring.
They don't want to do boring.
so
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (47:21):
hmm.
Justyna (47:21):
for sure when it comes to enrichment we can go back
to what boxers were bred for so
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (47:27):
Yes.
Justyna (47:28):
anything that will involve grabbing something and pulling.
That's why I really like interactiveplay, because we are meeting the breed
needs at the same time as we're building
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (47:37):
Mm hmm.
Mm hmm.
Mm hmm.
Yeah.
Justyna (47:56):
They love shredding things.
I mean, so many boxers owners ask howto stop their boxer to rip all the
Expensive bets or all the new toys justclearly tells you that you boxer loves
shredding So give them something to shred.
They love digging.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (48:15):
Yeah.
Justyna (48:16):
up a little digging area and all the enrichment games like
things that will help with calmness solicking or chewing but also something
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (48:31):
Oh, wow.
Justyna (48:39):
think because
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (48:40):
Okay.
Justyna (48:41):
faced, their nose might not be working as well,
but it's absolutely not true.
Man trailing, scent work, even simplegames where we're hiding treats
around the house for them to find.
They absolutely love it.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Thank you so much for that. (48:54):
undefined
Yeah, I mean, there's somuch information there.
Thank you.
We're going to start to sort of wrapup this episode over the next sort of
five or so minutes and bring it to aclose, but I, I just some final questions
that I just wanted to ask you Justyna.
If there's one message you'd likeboxer owners or anyone considering
(49:18):
a boxer to take away from thisconversation, what would it be?
Justyna (49:24):
boxers are party dogs.
So play, play, play, play,play, and play again.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: I love that. (49:33):
undefined
Party dogs.
What's the one piece of advice youwould give to someone who's just
bought a boxer puppy home and isfeeling a little bit overwhelmed?
Justyna (49:45):
Well obviously join the Bumper Boxer Training Club.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: There we go. (49:50):
undefined
Nice plug there.
Justyna (49:52):
the, all the information for puppy owners are there,
including the six weeks puppy course.
There are information on ourwebsite for puppy owners.
people can reach to me throughthe free Facebook group, Pompidou
Box Adopt Training Advice.
But feeling overwhelmed is normal.
So
(50:12):
Think
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (50:13):
yes.
Justyna (50:13):
need to understand that Yes.
It's a big change in the house.
It's big responsibility.
So often this overwhelming feelingcomes because we understand how much
responsibility we've got on our hands.
And I think this is actually a goodthing because this is what makes
people to do more research and andtry to do the best for their boxer.
(50:39):
But yeah.
Rather than, I would always adviseto look for professional advice
rather than asking on social media.
I mean, I know I've got this very
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (50:49):
Okay.
Justyna (50:50):
free social media group where I offer advice,
but you get the advice from me.
I don't allow people from everywhereto say what they want to say.
Because that
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (50:59):
Exactly.
It has to be from a professional,
Justyna (51:02):
so
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (51:02):
has to be from a qualified professional.
Justyna (51:04):
Yes.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (51:06):
Yeah.
Brilliant.
I'm going to put you on the spot hereslightly, but obviously we've got lots
of different guests that are appearing.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
And you've coped so well.
You can, you can have a, youcan have a breather in a minute.
We've covered so much as well.
The time's gone really quickly.
So.
Obviously, I've, I've got lotsof guests that I'm looking to
(51:28):
have on to the, the yappy hour.
Is there anyone within theindustry that you think that
we should look to invite on?
Anyone that, is there just oneperson that stands out at all
that you think we should get on?
Justyna (51:39):
people in the dog training world.
So,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (51:42):
So do I.
Justyna (51:43):
so many.
I mean, I'm going to startwith Craig Ogilvie because he
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (51:49):
Yes.
Craig.
Yeah,
Justyna (51:50):
amazing.
His knowledge is absolutely brilliant.
He's, He's been someone thatwas mentoring me for a while.
I absolutely love this guy and hisknowledge and how he is working with dogs.
I'm sure people can learn a lot from him.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Absolutely. (52:06):
undefined
Justyna (52:07):
for someone who also specialised in a breed someone for Border Collies,
that will be Sarah Heatherley.
She is absolutely amazing.
oh, I love Michael Shikashawith his aggression work.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (52:22):
Yeah.
Do you know of Mike?
There's lots of people.
Justyna (52:26):
Nick Thompson, who is brilliant when it comes to nutrition.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: nutrition. (52:30):
undefined
Yeah.
Justyna (52:32):
people.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: So there was more than one there. (52:33):
undefined
So you, you, you will double.
Justyna (52:36):
choose just one.
It wouldn't be fair.
I probably could go on and
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: That's no, that's fine. (52:39):
undefined
Brilliant.
So yeah, we do have lots of guestsplanned from vets, groomers, other breed
specific trainers and people as well.
Justyna, I know you mentioned someof your touch points just now, but
if our listeners want to be ableto get hold of yourself, what is
the best way to reach out to you?
Justyna (53:00):
We, social media, Facebook Instagram and TikTok.
We also got YouTube channel.
My website is bombproof box.com
and the free Facebook group, bombproofbox trainer advice, so people really
can find me through different sources,whatever they are using those days.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, just type in Bomb Proof (53:22):
undefined
Boxer, basically, and up you come.
Do you do any in person trainingnow, or is it all just online stuff?
Justyna (53:32):
So our training club members, they get opportunity to come to a
yearly camp in a summer, which takes
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh, oh, lovely. (53:38):
undefined
Justyna (53:40):
a full
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (53:40):
Oh, wow.
Oh,
Justyna (53:42):
Yes, it's absolutely my one of the favorite events of the year.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: That sounds great. (53:46):
undefined
Justyna (53:48):
can work one to ones with me and depending where they
are obviously if someone is localto me, I will meet with them.
I'm, I'm traveling quite a lot.
So every time if I travelsomewhere, I let my clients know
in advance that I will be here.
I will be here if they want to meet
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh, that's good. (54:03):
undefined
It
Justyna (54:06):
So, yeah, there is possibility to do in person training.
Sometimes I run workshops, butnot so many anymore because again,
Bonfro Boxer is growing and growing.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (54:17):
Wow.
Justyna (54:17):
and as I said, I've got six dogs.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (54:21):
I know.
Justyna, thank you somuch for joining me today.
It is been fantastic.
Like I, you know, you think you knowstuff, but I've learned so much and I know
that our listeners are gonna take awayso much from this conversation, you know,
research and the breed is so important.
I know you, you've been very busy, soI, I do appreciate you taking the time.
(54:45):
Just to meet with me today your passionjust shines through your, your face
just lights up when you're talkingabout the boxer breed and your own dogs
and, you know, you advocate for thebreed and it's just been so lovely.
I'm just having the timeto have a chat today.
So thank you so much forcoming on to the, the.
Justyna (55:07):
I absolutely love talking about boxers.
So, it's been a pleasureand it's been really fun.
So, thank you so much for having me.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Thank you for joining me (55:15):
undefined
on the yappy hour today.
Before I get started on today'skey takeaways, I just want to do a
shout out to Hounds and Hooves whocorrectly guessed on social media
that Justyna from Bomb Proof Boxerwas going to be our guest today.
(55:37):
What a fantasticconversation with Justyna.
Her passion for boxers and her dedicationto helping owners better understand
this amazing breed is truly inspiring.
Here are a few key takeaways
Researching a breed before bringingthe dog into your life is essential.
(55:57):
As Justyna highlighted, understandinga box's unique traits like their
energy, intelligence and loyalty canmake all the difference in creating a
happy home for both you and your dog.
Living with a boxer is ajoyful experience, but it
comes with responsibilities.
Meeting their exercise andenrichment needs, while embracing
(56:21):
their strong family bonds, is akey to a successful relationship.
Number three.
Training and socialization are criticalfor boxers and tailoring your approach to
their personality can help you overcomechallenges and build a stronger bond.
Justyna, thank you so much for sharingyour expertise and your love for the
(56:43):
boxer grade with us and to our listeners.
If you're considering a boxer oralready have one in your life, I
encourage you to check out Bomb ProofBoxer for resources and support.
If you enjoyed this episode,please consider leaving a review or
sharing it with a fellow dog parent.
(57:04):
Don't forget to subscribe so you nevermiss an episode of the Yappy Hour.
Thanks for listening andI'll see you next time.
Welcome to the Yappy Hour powered byYappily, the podcast for dog lovers
who want to better understand andconnect with their furry friends.
I'm your host Nathan Dunleavy andin today's episode we're diving
into the wonderful world of boxerswith Justyna from Bomb Proof Boxer.
Justyna is an expert on this amazingbreed and is passionate about
(00:24):
helping dog owners understand theunique needs and traits of boxers.
We talk about the importance ofresearching breeds before bringing
a dog into your life, the joys andthe challenges of living with a
boxer, and tips for training andsocialization, this high energy breed.
(00:45):
If you're a boxer owner or thinkingabout getting one, this is an
episode you won't want to miss.
So settle in, get a cup oftea, and let's get started.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (00:58):
Welcome back to the Yappy Hour powered by Yappily.
I'm your host, Nathan Dunleavy,and I'm so excited to bring
you our fourth episode today.
What makes it even more exciting is thatwe have our first breed specific guest
expert joining me today on the podcast.
So we have Justyna from Bomb Proof Boxer.
(01:21):
Justyna has a lot of expertisein the boxer breed, and she
advocates for breed research.
Her focus is on helping boxer ownersunderstand the unique traits and needs of
this very energetic and intelligent breed.
So without further ado, Justyna,welcome to the Yappy Hour today.
(01:45):
I'm so excited to have you as our third,as our first Pacific expert on the show.
How are you doing today?
Justyna (01:54):
very well.
Thank you so much for having me.
It's a pleasure to be here.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: It's so great to have you on. (01:59):
undefined
Justyna, for those who may notknow, please, could you tell us
a little bit about Bomb ProofBoxer and how it's all begun?
Justyna (02:09):
Oh, how far you want me to go?
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: You go as far as you like. (02:12):
undefined
I'd love to hear all about it.
Justyna (02:15):
So when I first started as a dog trainer, I was just regular
dog trainer running classes webinarsand, you know, seminars, one to ones,
everything dog training related.
And my Boxer Nella was alwaysmy demo dog in classes.
She's a brilliant demodog, my little star.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (02:36):
Oh
Justyna (02:36):
I started having more and more boxer owners joining the classes.
So,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (02:42):
Oh
Justyna (03:01):
they were Separated from the group because the dog was too
excited and was distracting the class.
There were People who were notactually felt welcome in classes.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (03:13):
No,
Justyna (03:14):
yeah.
So at this point, and because I alreadyhad loads of people with boxers, I've
created a class just breed specific.
So we had six, eight
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (03:26):
oh wow,
Justyna (03:26):
in a group and and you know, I always loved everything
about Doc train and back.
Those specific classes, theywere my absolute favorites.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh wicked, (03:37):
undefined
Justyna (03:38):
the way that actually boxer owners connect with each other
and the relationships they create,the friendships, it was beautiful.
Those people didn't feellike they don't belong there.
They were, they
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (03:51):
mm,
Justyna (03:52):
to those classes, not even mentioning
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: oh good, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, (03:54):
undefined
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Justyna (03:58):
And then COVID happened and lockdown.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (04:02):
Oh yes.
Oh, a certain pandemic.
Yes.
Okay.
Justyna (04:07):
this is where I obviously like everyone else had loads of time and
I was scrolling through social media.
And as a boxer owner, atthis point, I had two boxers.
and and I was going through somequestions where people asking
advice for you know, how to dealwith lead pulling, jumping, etc.
(04:27):
And sadly, the responses onsocial media were either outdated
or not necessarily positive.
And that was
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (04:36):
Yes.
Justyna (04:37):
my heart because it really doesn't need to be that way.
We need to stop thinking aboutthis, you know, way of dominating
our dogs and correcting their
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (04:48):
No,
Justyna (04:48):
behaviours, etc.
So
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: absolutely. (04:51):
undefined
Justyna (04:52):
well, maybe I will create a group where I will offer advice to boxer owners.
this group still exists.
It's called Boneproof BoxerDog Training Advice, people can
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (05:03):
Oh, wow.
Justyna (05:04):
and ask questions.
That group was it was growing so quickly.
I think now we have 15, 000 members there.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh, oh my, oh my gosh. (05:12):
undefined
Justyna (05:15):
you know, I had loads of time and I was posting some
training videos with my boxers.
I was giving people advice, et cetera.
And, and and it was helpful.
People really enjoyed it.
So.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (05:27):
Yeah.
Justyna (05:29):
I decided to start teaching online because
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (05:34):
Okay.
Yeah, you can,
Justyna (05:35):
I can help people all over the world, not just in my area.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (05:39):
yeah
you can meet, yeah.
Further people further afield online.
Yes.
Justyna (05:44):
this is where Bump Roof Boxer started.
It's actually called Bump Roof BoxerTraining Club, which is a online platform
with loads and loads of training videos.
training plans lots of informationabout the breed and specific subjects
on different things like adolescence youknow castration, diet troubleshooting
(06:09):
we literally cover everythingboxer related in a training club.
And again, we have,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (06:16):
wow.
Justyna (06:17):
Members from all over the world, New Zealand, Australia, England,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (06:21):
Really?
Justyna (06:22):
Poland Italy.
Yeah, so and people are
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (06:26):
amazing.
Justyna (06:27):
great successes through the training.
So, yeah, this is, this is why Ileft that general dog training ward.
focused on
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (06:36):
Yeah.
Fully focused on boxers.
Brilliant.
And why do you think that the boxer breedholds such a special place in your heart?
Justyna (06:47):
So it all started with my very first, not mine, it was
a family box across Great Dane.
I was a child, I was, I don't remember,five, six years old when my dad, got
this puppy and I remember this dogas, I only have positive memories and
very happy memories about this dog.
(07:09):
He was a
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh, that's lovely. (07:09):
undefined
Justyna (07:11):
us for all the family adventures in the winter where we
were running in the snow in the summerwhere we were swimming in the lake.
This dog actually saved my life.
He saved my family's life.
He saved lives of
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (07:24):
Oh, wow.
Justyna (07:25):
whole building full of 30 flats.
So this dog was my
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (07:30):
Wow.
Justyna (07:32):
I
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (07:32):
Oh, wow.
Justyna (07:33):
when I started thinking about getting a dog, there
was no other breed in my mind.
Even though I had other
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (07:40):
Like,
Justyna (07:41):
my childhood teenager, et cetera, it had to be a boxer.
So, this is where I got Nella.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (07:47):
yeah.
Justyna (07:48):
Then I got now I have three boxers, Nella, Mia, and Kalitsi.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh, okay. (07:51):
undefined
Justyna (07:53):
plus a foster boxer.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh, okay. (07:55):
undefined
Justyna (07:57):
And it's not only, you know, Ara is the dog I had when I was a child.
It's not only my girls that are meto be so close to the breed, but
actually all my clients boxers, I getconnected, connected with those people.
And I, and we're like a family.
So when they
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: That's lovely. (08:17):
undefined
Justyna (08:19):
I'm so proud of them, you know,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (08:22):
yes.
Justyna (08:22):
people struggle and we, we're helping them, this is
just, I feel like it's a magic,magical world, being around boxers.
So, don't get me wrong, I
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (08:33):
Oh wow.
Justyna (08:34):
I have, I have six dogs, so three are boxers, three are other breeds.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: You've got six, I've got seven, so (08:40):
undefined
yeah, I'm a multi dog household.
Justyna (08:46):
So yeah but
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (08:48):
So what other breeds of dog do you have?
Justyna (08:50):
Pomeranian, Mini American
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, Pomeranian. (08:53):
undefined
Justyna (08:54):
and Malinois.
Yeah,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: wow, that's the right handful. (08:57):
undefined
Justyna (09:00):
he can be, for sure, for sure.
No,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (09:04):
but yeah, but like you say, the boxers just
hold that special place in your heartfrom, from when you were younger and you,
you had no doubt had to be a boxer, so.
Justyna (09:14):
no.
I, you know, I never plannedto be a boxer trainer.
It was never my intention.
It just came naturally.
It came from people who actuallywhere coming to me, yeah, there, there
is something absolutely special forme in boxers and I will always have
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: that's lovely. (09:34):
undefined
So do you only specificallytrain Boxer breeds now?
Do you train other dogs breeds?
Justyna (09:42):
I only train boxers.
I mean, you know, I've gotclients from all over the world.
It can be, it can be quite a
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (09:49):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Justyna (09:50):
way I can stretch myself and it more.
Obviously I train my own dogs.
I eat
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (09:55):
Yeah,
Justyna (09:56):
mini Aussie.
So there is no way
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: that's fair enough. (10:00):
undefined
Justyna (10:01):
unfortunately.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: No, that's fair enough. (10:02):
undefined
You've got your, you've got yourniche now as that specific breed
and that's what works for you.
When I was doing in person training, Ithink I've only ever worked, actually,
no, I've worked with three boxers.
So I worked with a puppy boxer for initialpuppy training face to face and it was
a new the owners were new puppy owners.
So obviously that was important to getthe training started from the outset.
(10:25):
And then I did work with a twocouple of rescue boxes that
a lady had got from abroad.
I can't remember where.
So, yeah, so I had, I had actuallyworked with a couple of boxes when
I was doing in person training.
And yeah, they're suchlovely, lovely dogs.
So brilliant.
So just moving on just.
Dina then to our next section theimportance of researching breeds before
(10:50):
boxes are such a distinctive breed.
What are some of the key traits thatmake them so special, but also sometimes
that little bit challenging for owners.
Justyna (11:02):
Yeah.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: I can see you smiling there. (11:03):
undefined
Justyna (11:05):
I'm smiling because first of all, you're using the right words, when you
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh good, I'm pleased, (11:10):
undefined
Justyna (11:13):
thank
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: I'm so pleased. (11:13):
undefined
Justyna (11:14):
that.
What makes them special?
And what is important to knowwhen when getting a boxer?
Well, first of all breed characteristic.
It's something that those days peopledon't think about when they get a dog.
and I It's not onlywhen it comes to boxers.
I think it comes to all workingbreeds because let's not forget
(11:34):
that boxers are working breed.
And
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (11:37):
Yeah,
Justyna (11:37):
don't see them in a working world that much.
I hope will change with time.
but
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (11:44):
yeah,
Justyna (11:44):
working dogs and they used to have very specific jobs.
When we're not
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (11:49):
okay.
Justyna (11:50):
those jobs, we don't know what What might come out
of this breed characteristics?
So, not sure how much you know aboutboxers, but to start with, they were Mm
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: I don't, I don't know a lot if (12:02):
undefined
I'm honest, so please feel free.
Justyna (12:05):
first of all they were bred to help hunters to hunt
large animals like deer, wild
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (12:14):
Oh,
Justyna (12:14):
bear.
So boxer's job was not, not to trackthe animal, but once the animal
was tracked, they had to run andpin the animal, hold it until the
hunter came and finished the job.
So if you
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: oh right, (12:32):
undefined
Justyna (12:33):
they actually had to run really fast from the moment they
saw the animal, jump, grab and hold.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (12:41):
wow.
Justyna (12:41):
then Not like many working dogs, their jobs was changed a lot.
They were used for cart pulling.
They were used for herding.
They were used for protection ofthe either animals or house, etc.
So they actually had loads of jobsthroughout the breed development.
(13:05):
So it's not.
I'm going to use a collie example here.
Collies were always bred for one thing,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (13:12):
Yes.
Justyna (13:13):
were bred for many things.
But
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (13:16):
Okay.
Justyna (13:17):
main thing was to use their strength, their ability
to be athletic, and fast.
So this is what we see still in boxersthose days, after so many years.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (13:32):
Yeah.
Silence.
Yeah.
Silence.
Justyna (13:56):
because boxers are really curious dogs, they don't like to
miss an opportunity to have fun.
Then,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: They are very, yeah, they (14:04):
undefined
are like that, aren't they?
Play, playful.
That's the word I was trying to go for.
Justyna (14:09):
They are very playful, but also they are quite sensitive dogs, and I see
it more and more those days where they Whyare their abilities being so strong and
playful and connected with their owners?
In many situations theyare struggling emotionally.
So, when it comes to, always saywhen it comes to training boxers
(14:35):
and creating that boxer that youwant to adjust to your lifestyle.
There are of puzzles that need tocon, we need to connect together.
It's not just one thing we focus on.
We need to focus on their confidence.
We need to focus on impulse control.
We need to focus on makingsure that their brief needs are
(14:57):
met physically and mentally.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yes, that's important. (15:01):
undefined
Yeah.
Okay, brilliant.
Why is it so important for potentialowners, potential dog owners, to
thoroughly research a breed beforedeciding to bring one into their lives?
Justyna (15:18):
Mainly because every breed is different.
So it really depends what we, why we arelooking for a dog and where the dog will
live, what we can provide for this dog.
I think.
People see a cute puppy and they're just
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (15:38):
Yes.
It's always the way.
Justyna (15:41):
And then, especially if they don't,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: It's gonna grow soon. (15:43):
undefined
Mm.
Justyna (15:46):
So, having a boxer puppy, I mean, they are absolutely gorgeous, right?
You said you walked with a puppy.
Like, you just
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (15:55):
I did.
Yeah,
Justyna (15:56):
and your heart melts.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (15:58):
it's just so cute and you just want to like
Justyna (16:01):
Exactly.
And when they are so sweet, welet them to, would say, get away
with Some traits that, furtheron, once the puppy is growing, are
actually not doing us any favours.
So,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (16:19):
Mm.
Justyna (16:20):
the cute puppy to jump at us when it's looking for attention.
We will allow the cute puppy tochase butterflies in a field.
We will allow the cute puppy to stealsomething and shake it around and,
you know, run around doing zoomies.
Because it's cute.
But in six months time,it's not so cute anymore.
(16:42):
When this puppy is 30 kilos andjumps at you when you are carrying
a shopping bag that's not fun.
On
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (16:50):
not fun.
That's not
Justyna (16:52):
No it's actually, it can be harmful, you know, it can be dangerous.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (16:56):
Yeah.
Yes.
Justyna (16:58):
I actually have many people who get injuries because of their dog.
They're either been jumped on orthey've been pulled by I actually
had some injuries with my veryfirst boxer because she was pulling
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (17:11):
Yeah.
Justyna (17:12):
So.
Yeah, we need to think aboutthis when we are getting a puppy,
that this dog will actually grow.
And we need to think about how we wantthis dog to be like when it's an adult.
puppyhood is
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (17:29):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Justyna (17:56):
don't look for advice they, before they get a puppy
or at the very first beginning.
only when problems start, which
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: That's right. (18:08):
undefined
Justyna (18:09):
unwanted behaviour developed already where
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (18:12):
Yeah.
Justyna (18:12):
with the training right away from day one, there are
so many things we can prevent.
There are so many headaches we can avoid.
so yeah, it's very important to lookinto a breed before we get a dog.
But also it's not only lookinginto a breed, it's also
finding the right breed up.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (18:35):
Yeah, the right breed is Paramount, yeah.
Yeah.
I'm really big on people doing theirresearch beforehand and having a
session like this with a, a qualifieddog trainer or breed specialist, even
before they've even decided on like whatbreeds if they're doing, if they can't
make their mind up and there's a fewdogs that they like is, is to do your
(18:58):
research into that specific breed, findout what it was originally bred for.
Is that going to fitinto your family life?
You know, longer, longer term, youknow, up to 15 years or, or longer.
So I'm really big on sort of likeowners, you know, making sure
they do do their grade research.
And like you say, starting from dayone, because there's just so much that
(19:20):
you could stop from happening if they.
if they started it from day one.
What would you say are some of the biggestmisconceptions you've encountered about
boxes and how do you address those?
Justyna (19:32):
So many.
So
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh bless! (19:35):
undefined
Justyna (19:36):
Do you know, I used to get crossed when people
called boxers clouds because
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (19:43):
Clowns.
Justyna (19:44):
because they
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (19:45):
Oh.
Justyna (19:46):
always, it always sounds in the content like they're just stupid.
And I think it, it really depends whatsort of picture of a clown you picture
in your head you paint in your head.
So, if I think clown, that it's a vibrantperformer that brings joy and happiness.
(20:09):
Yes, that will
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (20:10):
yeah
Justyna (20:11):
if
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (20:11):
yeah.
Justyna (20:12):
about a clown who is very smart, because they need to learn some
clever tricks so they can turn thisordinary moment into something special.
Yes, we
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (20:24):
Yeah.
Justyna (20:24):
clowns, because they are clever.
And they can definitely
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (20:28):
Oh,
Justyna (20:39):
is that people say that boxers are untrainable.
It's just not possible to train them.
This is a boxer for you.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (20:47):
Okay.
Yeah.
Justyna (20:48):
Yeah.
So when people ask for advice, what canI do to stop this behaviour or something
and people say, oh, this is boxer.
You cannot stop this, which is absolutely
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: oh no, it's just, (20:58):
undefined
Justyna (20:59):
I,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: it's such a fairway comment. (21:00):
undefined
Justyna (21:02):
So yeah, the main thing is that they are stupid and not trainable
and they just silly clowns which
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (21:10):
Yeah.
Justyna (21:10):
disagree with.
I mean.
Like, all the boxers I workwith, they are so, so smart.
Sometimes when I
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (21:19):
Yes.
Justyna (21:20):
clients training videos, how much they achieved,
I will say it with pride,some of my clients boxers
are better trained than mine.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (21:32):
Wow.
Justyna (21:33):
You know,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: It's always the way. (21:33):
undefined
Justyna (21:34):
everyone's lifestyle is different, I think, because like me
or you, we know so much about boxers.
We understand dog, not boxers, dogs.
We understand that this is a dogbehaviour and sometimes we just allow
it because we allow our dogs to be dogs.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (21:53):
Yeah.
Justyna (21:54):
pet owners they are not being so, they have maybe been a bit
more strict in terms of their roles.
So
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (22:03):
Yeah.
Justyna (22:03):
why I say some of my clients, boxers are better trained than mine
because there are things where I'mlike, yeah, maybe I shouldn't let
my dog to do this, but whatever.
So yeah.
But definitely they can be trained.
The problem is that the more.
a dog experience or practicethe behaviour we don't like,
(22:23):
the harder it is to overcome it.
And it is definitely a harder with boxers.
Because as I said, they'requite sensitive dogs in general.
So all of the sudden when wechange something, they lose
a little bit of confidence.
And also when When, how do I say it?
(22:48):
How do I word it?
So, example,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (22:51):
Mm.
Justyna (22:54):
that cause reactivity in boxers.
And if a boxer practiced reactivitybehaviours for a few years, then it's
not going to be a quick fix to overcomethose problems with a boxer, because
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (23:08):
Mm.
Justyna (23:08):
have their brain connections And changing
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (23:14):
Yeah.
Justyna (23:14):
pathways in their brain requires a lot of work and consistency.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, definitely. (23:20):
undefined
Yeah.
And like you say, it isall about consistency.
You have to, like with all training,you get out what you put in and
you know, it sounds like the peopleyou're working with are really
committed to, to, to, to that as well,
Justyna (23:34):
Absolutely
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: which is great. (23:35):
undefined
I do have a little bonus question herethat was popped in from Kelly at Yappily.
Just that well, the, the boxer breedseems to be rising in popularity
again over the last few years.
Why do you think this is and whatshould potential owners keep in mind
when considering the boxer breed?
(23:55):
Oh, oh,
Justyna (23:58):
very popular a few years ago with Christmas art.
don't know if you remember theboxer jumping on a trampoline.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (24:08):
Vaguely.
Yes, vaguely.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Justyna (24:10):
So that was the
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: We played. (24:11):
undefined
Justyna (24:12):
where all of the sudden everyone were getting
a boxer because the way that I
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (24:16):
Ah,
Justyna (24:17):
them was like a family dog, which It's fine.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (24:21):
Yeah.
Justyna (24:22):
the dog was just making everyone laugh and was very cute.
And, you know, it was it was, it wasvery good at, and don't get me wrong.
I know the owner of the boxer whoactually took a part in that app.
And I know how much training actually went
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (24:38):
Oh
Justyna (24:39):
into making this app.
So it's not like,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: oh, okay. (24:41):
undefined
Justyna (24:42):
it's not that they just.
let a boxer jump on a trampolineand, you know, just bounce
up, up and down, up and down.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: That's good to know. (24:50):
undefined
Justyna (24:51):
actually, there was loads of training put into it.
I think that was the very first momentwhere they actually became so popular.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (25:00):
I see.
So we can blame one of the supermarketsthen, like, or one of the adverts.
That always happens, doesn't it?
People see them, and then theywant to go out and get one.
Justyna (25:08):
see a specific breed in a movie that is popular Then all of the sudden
you see that many people are gettingthis breed So yeah, that's That's
the commercial world we live in anyinfluences by it, but another reason why
boxers are getting more and popular isthink it's like with any other breed.
(25:34):
There is just more dogs in general.
So
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Particularly since lockdown. (25:39):
undefined
More, more copies since lockdown.
Justyna (25:44):
But sadly there is also lots of dogs in shelters.
Like the
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (25:49):
Yes.
Justyna (25:50):
That
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: It's a shame. (25:51):
undefined
Justyna (25:52):
they are full, they constantly full, constantly full.
Which, which means there's just been Moreand more boxers being born which is why
I think breeding should be regulated.
But obviously that's another
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (26:05):
Yes.
That's a whole nother episode.
Justyna (26:09):
Yeah, probably.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, yeah, yeah. (26:11):
undefined
So, yeah, unfortunately like you saya lot, well, most shelters, not just
breed specific ones for, but I, I thinkif we go back to if owners were more
prepared and they did their researchmore because a lot of people don't.
I think then hopefully that.
That would help the problem.
But I mean, obviously you'refostering a dog, a boxer dog as well.
(26:33):
So, you know, you're, you'redoing your bit as well.
So, you know, that's great.
So life of a boxer or boxersis our next discussion point.
So the challenges.
and joys of living with a boxer.
So they're so well known fortheir energy, their enthusiasm.
What advice do you have forowners to keep up with their
(26:56):
boxer's physical and mental needs?
Justyna (26:59):
So,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (26:59):
Variety.
Justyna (27:01):
So, first of all, we need to understand that the
more we exercise our boxers, themore we are preparing them for,
hold on, how do I word this?
So,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: That's okay. (27:18):
undefined
Don't worry.
Yeah.
Justyna (27:20):
them, we are creating this expectation of being exercised, right?
So, if someone
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (27:26):
Yeah.
Justyna (27:27):
their boxer, five miles every day and all of the sudden they
cannot go for a walk because I don'tknow the weather is horrific and you
cannot go outside or something, you'renot feeling well, then a boxer will
really, really struggle without that.
It's like, you know, we're buildingmuscle memory when it comes to exercising.
(27:47):
It's the same as whensomeone goes to a gym, right?
You constantly work out, workout, work out and you build
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (27:54):
Yes.
Yes.
Wow.
Yes.
Justyna (28:01):
exercise, right?
This is how you train your body.
It's exactly the same with boxers.
So while meeting the physicalneeds is obviously very important.
We also need to focus more on enrichingtheir brain and giving them some jobs to
do where they have to think and they haveto practice calming exercises because
(28:27):
all of the problems that people have with
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (28:30):
Silence.
Justyna (28:37):
been pre programmed in their brain.
It's our job to teach them.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (28:41):
Okay.
Mm.
Yes.
Mm.
Mm.
Yeah.
Good.
(29:04):
Okay.
Okay.
Justyna (29:10):
the same and the same, the same thing over and over again.
or they get mentally tired andthey, they cannot think anymore.
When they get overtired, they startpracticing unwanted behaviours.
So, and I see it so many times wherepeople practice loosely walking,
where they just In a boring way,feed their dog next to their leg.
(29:34):
And do this for 15 20 minutes.
And one, the dog is alreadyfed up with the food.
The dog doesn't getopportunity to be a dog.
And all of the sudden, the doggets bored, and there is nothing
interesting in this specific exercise.
this is where we get the element offrustration, and they start jumping
(29:54):
on the owner and biting the lead.
because that, training wasreally not fun for them.
so for example, in a trainingclub, have a lucid walking plan and
it's full of different exercises.
So it's not just feedingthe dog next to us, right?
We are adding little bits to breakthis Boring exercise, but also there
(30:21):
are different games that are justmake it unpredictable and make it fun
because That way the more we surpriseBoxers with something different the
more they want to engage with us it's
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (30:34):
Yeah,
Justyna (30:34):
It's fun
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (30:36):
yeah,
Justyna (30:37):
another thing that is very important when it comes to
enrichment and mental stimulationis also teaching calmness.
Because as I said, when they aretired, they make the wrong choices.
And again
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: yeah, yeah, yeah, just, (30:50):
undefined
Justyna (30:56):
energy into something, but they don't really understand that they
can just sleep and enjoy it as well.
So this yeah, this
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (31:05):
just,
Justyna (31:06):
we need to teach them.
But
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (31:08):
yeah,
Justyna (31:09):
living with a boxer, it's really not that difficult.
I feel like my boxers areeasiest than my other three dogs.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Wow, okay, (31:18):
undefined
Justyna (31:19):
forget that,
I've done loads of training with them.
And I, like, the
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: you have, (31:25):
undefined
Justyna (31:26):
it's not, it's not difficult.
It's something that comes out of habit,you know, you just do something in the
garden, you grab a toy and you do alittle bit of training with the toy.
It's not like
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (31:39):
yeah.
Justyna (31:39):
long training sessions.
So yeah, keeping it short, varietyand teaching those important concepts
as calmness and impulse control.
And if you cover
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (31:48):
Yeah.
Justyna (31:49):
you're going to have a dream boxer.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (31:52):
Sorted.
Yeah, I'm all about how likepromoting calmness, relaxation.
Cause it's like having a littlechild, like they're over tired.
They just don't know when to switch off.
What I took from that is thatvariety is the spice of life,
which is in every aspect of life.
And I'm a big advocate in less ismore, you know, you don't have to.
Walk your dog twice aday for an hour each day.
(32:15):
And, you know, you don't have todo like an hour's training session,
just little bite sized chunksbreaking it down, keeping it fun and
exciting and keeping them engaged.
So definitely less is more.
So they're so intelligent boxers andthat intelligent poly does impact
their training and daily life.
Are there any specificchallenges or benefits at all?
Justyna (32:37):
Sorry, can you repeat the question?
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, so how does a boxer's (32:39):
undefined
intelligence impact their training
Justyna (32:44):
Okay.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: and daily life? (32:44):
undefined
Are there any sort of specificchallenges or benefits of that?
Justyna (32:49):
yeah, as I said, they're very curious.
So they, when they see somethingunusual, they want to investigate.
When they see something fun,they want to be a part of it.
When they get super excited, reallystruggle to bring that energy down.
So sorry, I forgot yourquestion again, the last part.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: No, that's, that's absolutely fine. (33:10):
undefined
So obviously they're,they're very intelligent.
How does that intelligent impacttheir training and daily life?
So the specific challenges and benefits.
So you mentionedobviously they're curious.
What what what other thingsdoes they're intelligent?
Justyna (33:25):
from the breed characteristics, really, because
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (33:29):
Yes.
Justyna (33:29):
when they don't know what to do, So, when they are tired, when they
are frustrated, when they simply don'tunderstand what we want from them,
or maybe when they're overwhelmed bythe environment, they would choose a
behaviour that is very natural for them.
in
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (33:47):
Yes.
Justyna (33:48):
be jumping.
So,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (33:50):
Yeah.
Justyna (33:51):
you know, I, It is a kind of clever way of how their brain and body is
working because then it got straight tothe roots of what they were bred to do.
but
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (34:02):
Hmm.
Justyna (34:03):
it can be very challenging.
I always say to boxer owners,try not to kill their energy,
but use it in appropriate way.
It's very important.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (34:14):
Hmm.
Yeah.
Justyna (34:28):
come to me with a struggle I always ask, to give me the perfect
scenario, the dream scenario.
How would you want your boxerto be in that situation?
When we have this picture,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (34:41):
Yeah.
Justyna (34:48):
very intelligent, but as I said, because they get so easily frustrated
and overexcited, it doesn't it doesn'tpay in their favour, unfortunately.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (34:59):
Yeah.
Justyna (34:59):
So we really need to be mindful that that energy can put them in trouble.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (35:07):
Yeah.
And it just goes back to beingyour dog's advocate again.
Being, being the advocate, beingyour dog's superhero, you know,
they need us to look out for them.
Justyna (35:18):
Yes.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Brilliant. (35:19):
undefined
So their boxes are incredible,incredibly loyal and family orientated.
How does this bond shape their behaviourand what should owners keep in mind?
When welcoming a boxer into their family.
Justyna (35:35):
Again, what do you want the dog to be as a part of family?
So, you
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (35:40):
Yeah.
Mm.
Mm.
Justyna (35:58):
it really depends what sort of household it is.
But the very important things when itcomes to training puppies are making
us as the best thing in the world.
Because if we skip the very firstimportant parts of building a relationship
(36:19):
then the dog will, will not beinterested in us out and about, because
everything else is more interesting.
so building relationship andthe correct socialization.
So many people get socialization wrong.
And socialization
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (36:38):
Yeah.
Justyna (36:39):
is so important.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (36:41):
Yeah,
Justyna (36:42):
I don't know if you want me to talk about socialization here in Boxer.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: yeah, well, actually, it leads (36:45):
undefined
nicely into our next sectionof training and socialization.
So yeah, I mean, really,it leads lovely into it.
So, you know, the importance ofearly socialization for boxers what
is the most important thing newboxer owners should focus on when it
comes to training and socialization?
(37:06):
So you mentioned about therelationship building, making sure
you're the most important person.
But yeah, how, how, how doesthat then impact socialization?
Justyna (37:16):
So still, many people think socialization is about taking the
puppy to many places, let the puppy to
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (37:26):
I know.
Justyna (37:26):
to so many people and say hello to 20 different breeds a day and different
sizes, different colors, et cetera.
Please don't do this
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (37:37):
Yes.
Justyna (37:38):
Please don't.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (37:39):
No,
Justyna (37:39):
don't do it with
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: there you have it. (37:40):
undefined
Justyna (37:44):
So, right, socialization is exposure, and this is
super important for puppies.
Puppies brain works differentlythan adults dog brain, okay?
We have this massive sponge that isgoing to take everything in, and that
will create, and that will create,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (38:03):
Yeah.
Justyna (38:20):
situations, puppies go through fear stages.
There might be situations where theyare so comfortable in some environments.
So we need to be mindful of this.
But most of the time, walks with a puppywill be Very attached to you because you
are the only person that they actuallyknow like there was lots of changes
(38:43):
recently They've been taken away fromthere The only place they knew from their
mom from their siblings from the noisesand smells that they were familiar from
the day They were born into your house.
So now You are their protectorand they see you that way.
People should take opportunity ofthat every single moment of a puppy
(39:04):
life, especially out and about.
So in my puppy course, every singleexercise that I filmed with my puppy was
out and about in different situations.
You can start training puppy outand about around distractions.
You don't have to start this at home.
(39:24):
that will be a massively beneficialfor Voxer because in those early
stages they learn whatever is aroundthem is none of their business
because they're having so much funwith mum right now in this moment.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (39:39):
Exactly.
Mm.
Mm.
Justyna (39:51):
run to this kids.
It was my opportunity to createbond and put this training
routine into into environment.
And the
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (40:02):
Mm.
Yeah.
Justyna (40:07):
there needs to be a toy involved every single time.
Interactive play not, not reallyplaying fetch because that's
not really beneficial for dogs.
But you know, teaching a puppy that,Staying around us in this close
proximity is a really good place.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (40:23):
Yep.
Justyna (40:24):
any anything that they experience during puppyhood with something nice.
So, I often talk about ditching the ball.
Just take your puppy footwith you out and about.
Use this foot, put it intosomething that will really make
a difference in their life.
So, yeah.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (40:42):
Yeah.
Brilliant.
Yeah.
And yeah, it's just about making you,making you more fun to hang out with
then, you know, the dog across theroad or whatever, you know, making
it fun and making them want to say
Justyna (40:57):
100%.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: you and stuff with, (40:58):
undefined
Justyna (41:00):
lots of people are a bit worried about actually taking a puppy out from the
house before a first vaccinations, etc.
And
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (41:07):
yeah.
Justyna (41:08):
need to be aware that they can catch some nasty diseases or bugs, etc.
Should they stop us from exposingthe puppy to different environments
with boxer puppies are quite
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Absolutely. (41:19):
undefined
Justyna (41:20):
We can carry them around.
We can take them for a car to travelso they can watch through a window.
We can avoid the.
where there is loads ofdogs, so they're not going to
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (41:32):
Yeah.
Justyna (41:33):
anything nasty, but we can still take them.
For example when the very first days I hadKhaleesia, I took her to my friend's gym.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (41:42):
Oh, wow.
It's something different.
Justyna (41:45):
was, you know, no problem to, to worry about anything that
she will catch, but it was a greatsocialization training experience for her.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, definitely. (41:54):
undefined
Different sounds and smiles.
You can get those puppy slings nowbecause obviously there's such a key
window of opportunity, isn't there?
When the puppy first comes home,like their main sensitive period.
So get get them out in a sling, getthem out experience in different sort of
sight, sound, smiles and environments.
(42:15):
Yeah,
Justyna (42:15):
but also socialization, it's not just related to puppies.
We can still socialize dogsthroughout their whole life.
It's just a different process.
But it doesn't mean that wecannot socialize them later on.
Especially people who rescue boxers,take them from some situations where they
maybe never, ever seen the outside world.
(42:37):
so we
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (42:37):
yeah.
Justyna (42:38):
socialize them.
We have not missed this opportunity.
It is just.
a bit slower and we need to be a bit more,
be more mindful of the dog's feelings.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, exactly. (42:52):
undefined
Definitely.
So are there any boxer specificbehaviours or quirks that owners
should be aware of during training?
Justyna (43:04):
Yeah, frustration is probably, frustration and boredom, like,
people say that boxers are stubborn.
It's not stubbornness.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (43:12):
I've heard that, I've heard that before.
Oh, gosh.
Justyna (43:15):
no stubbornness.
It's if a boxer doesn't do abehaviour that you asked for,
there are reasons behind it.
It could be because there is toomuch going on in an environment.
It could be that your boxer is simply notfeeling well, so performing this position
is going to make them feel uncomfortable.
It could be that the dog actuallydoesn't understand what you want,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (43:37):
Mm.
Justyna (43:37):
if they don't do what people want.
Will often disengage, move away,or they will actually feel like
they failed and they are not socommitted into doing anything more,
which we obviously don't want.
So we need to keep thetraining sessions short.
We always need to work withthe dog in front of us.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (43:59):
Yes.
Definitely.
Justyna (44:17):
of games, making it fun, using different rewards as well.
So again, if boxers, as wesaid, boxers are not stupid.
If they know what we have for them andit's not better than what is going on
in the environment, will make the choicethat is going to make them feel better.
(44:40):
So yeah, they might run awayrather than coming back to us.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (44:43):
Yeah.
Justyna (44:44):
it's
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Thank you. (44:44):
undefined
Justyna (44:44):
variety of training exercises, but also variety of different rewards.
Yeah,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, high value rewards and, (44:49):
undefined
Justyna (44:51):
It's
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: you know, (44:51):
undefined
Justyna (44:52):
what,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: things like that. (44:52):
undefined
Yeah.
Yeah.
Justyna (44:59):
with my youngest boxer when we do obedience training, because obedience
training, especially when you do awhole round, it can be a bit boring.
So I want her to remember that when wefinish this round she is going to do what
she absolutely loves and we'll both willbe jumping and it will be a crazy party.
So, but you know for some dogs it willbe a specific toy, for some boxers it
(45:23):
will be specific type of food, for someboxers it will be cuddles, for some
boxers it will be digging, you know.
Rewards are not just food.
This is again, something that peopleoften mistake when it comes to
training, reward based training.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, definitely. (45:41):
undefined
And I think a tip from thatis about adaptability as well.
You know, you may have a plan inmind, but you are going to have to
adapt that and mix it up a little bitto keep things, you know, exciting.
Justyna (45:53):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well with boxers, you know, they,they love doing lots of different
things and we kind of need to belike, we need to be, we need to be,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: We could all be more boxer. (46:05):
undefined
Justyna (46:07):
We need to, we need to think about how to have more fun.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Are there any, that leads us (46:12):
undefined
nicely onto my next question.
Are there any fun training orenrichment activities that you
think boxers particularly enjoy?
Justyna (46:20):
Anything movement related.
Boxers absolutely love movement.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh, movement. (46:25):
undefined
Yes.
Yep.
Justyna (46:27):
love to move.
So of the, one of the thingsthat most dog owners teach their
dogs is sit stay or down stay.
And I'm not saying you cannotteach a boxer to do this.
You absolutely can, but it would notbe my very first behaviours to teach.
It's not how I would start training.
(46:48):
Movement helps with so many things.
It helps to that stress bucket.
It helps them to be less reactive.
It helps them to move awayfrom a situation without.
Too much arousal.
They absolutely love moving.
That's why all the gamesin a training club.
Most of the games are movement relatedso because that when we ask them to
(47:14):
stand still or do nothing It's boring.
They don't want to do boring.
so
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (47:21):
hmm.
Justyna (47:21):
for sure when it comes to enrichment we can go back
to what boxers were bred for so
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (47:27):
Yes.
Justyna (47:28):
anything that will involve grabbing something and pulling.
That's why I really like interactiveplay, because we are meeting the breed
needs at the same time as we're building
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (47:37):
Mm hmm.
Mm hmm.
Mm hmm.
Yeah.
Justyna (47:56):
They love shredding things.
I mean, so many boxers owners ask howto stop their boxer to rip all the
Expensive bets or all the new toys justclearly tells you that you boxer loves
shredding So give them something to shred.
They love digging.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (48:15):
Yeah.
Justyna (48:16):
up a little digging area and all the enrichment games like
things that will help with calmness solicking or chewing but also something
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (48:31):
Oh, wow.
Justyna (48:39):
think because
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (48:40):
Okay.
Justyna (48:41):
faced, their nose might not be working as well,
but it's absolutely not true.
Man trailing, scent work, even simplegames where we're hiding treats
around the house for them to find.
They absolutely love it.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Thank you so much for that. (48:54):
undefined
Yeah, I mean, there's somuch information there.
Thank you.
We're going to start to sort of wrapup this episode over the next sort of
five or so minutes and bring it to aclose, but I, I just some final questions
that I just wanted to ask you Justyna.
If there's one message you'd likeboxer owners or anyone considering
(49:18):
a boxer to take away from thisconversation, what would it be?
Justyna (49:24):
boxers are party dogs.
So play, play, play, play,play, and play again.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: I love that. (49:33):
undefined
Party dogs.
What's the one piece of advice youwould give to someone who's just
bought a boxer puppy home and isfeeling a little bit overwhelmed?
Justyna (49:45):
Well obviously join the Bumper Boxer Training Club.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: There we go. (49:50):
undefined
Nice plug there.
Justyna (49:52):
the, all the information for puppy owners are there,
including the six weeks puppy course.
There are information on ourwebsite for puppy owners.
people can reach to me throughthe free Facebook group, Pompidou
Box Adopt Training Advice.
But feeling overwhelmed is normal.
So
(50:12):
Think
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (50:13):
yes.
Justyna (50:13):
need to understand that Yes.
It's a big change in the house.
It's big responsibility.
So often this overwhelming feelingcomes because we understand how much
responsibility we've got on our hands.
And I think this is actually a goodthing because this is what makes
people to do more research and andtry to do the best for their boxer.
(50:39):
But yeah.
Rather than, I would always adviseto look for professional advice
rather than asking on social media.
I mean, I know I've got this very
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (50:49):
Okay.
Justyna (50:50):
free social media group where I offer advice,
but you get the advice from me.
I don't allow people from everywhereto say what they want to say.
Because that
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (50:59):
Exactly.
It has to be from a professional,
Justyna (51:02):
so
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (51:02):
has to be from a qualified professional.
Justyna (51:04):
Yes.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (51:06):
Yeah.
Brilliant.
I'm going to put you on the spot hereslightly, but obviously we've got lots
of different guests that are appearing.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
And you've coped so well.
You can, you can have a, youcan have a breather in a minute.
We've covered so much as well.
The time's gone really quickly.
So.
Obviously, I've, I've got lotsof guests that I'm looking to
(51:28):
have on to the, the yappy hour.
Is there anyone within theindustry that you think that
we should look to invite on?
Anyone that, is there just oneperson that stands out at all
that you think we should get on?
Justyna (51:39):
people in the dog training world.
So,
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (51:42):
So do I.
Justyna (51:43):
so many.
I mean, I'm going to startwith Craig Ogilvie because he
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (51:49):
Yes.
Craig.
Yeah,
Justyna (51:50):
amazing.
His knowledge is absolutely brilliant.
He's, He's been someone thatwas mentoring me for a while.
I absolutely love this guy and hisknowledge and how he is working with dogs.
I'm sure people can learn a lot from him.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Absolutely. (52:06):
undefined
Justyna (52:07):
for someone who also specialised in a breed someone for Border Collies,
that will be Sarah Heatherley.
She is absolutely amazing.
oh, I love Michael Shikashawith his aggression work.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (52:22):
Yeah.
Do you know of Mike?
There's lots of people.
Justyna (52:26):
Nick Thompson, who is brilliant when it comes to nutrition.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: nutrition. (52:30):
undefined
Yeah.
Justyna (52:32):
people.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: So there was more than one there. (52:33):
undefined
So you, you, you will double.
Justyna (52:36):
choose just one.
It wouldn't be fair.
I probably could go on and
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: That's no, that's fine. (52:39):
undefined
Brilliant.
So yeah, we do have lots of guestsplanned from vets, groomers, other breed
specific trainers and people as well.
Justyna, I know you mentioned someof your touch points just now, but
if our listeners want to be ableto get hold of yourself, what is
the best way to reach out to you?
Justyna (53:00):
We, social media, Facebook Instagram and TikTok.
We also got YouTube channel.
My website is bombproof box.com
and the free Facebook group, bombproofbox trainer advice, so people really
can find me through different sources,whatever they are using those days.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Yeah, just type in Bomb Proof (53:22):
undefined
Boxer, basically, and up you come.
Do you do any in person trainingnow, or is it all just online stuff?
Justyna (53:32):
So our training club members, they get opportunity to come to a
yearly camp in a summer, which takes
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh, oh, lovely. (53:38):
undefined
Justyna (53:40):
a full
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (53:40):
Oh, wow.
Oh,
Justyna (53:42):
Yes, it's absolutely my one of the favorite events of the year.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: That sounds great. (53:46):
undefined
Justyna (53:48):
can work one to ones with me and depending where they
are obviously if someone is localto me, I will meet with them.
I'm, I'm traveling quite a lot.
So every time if I travelsomewhere, I let my clients know
in advance that I will be here.
I will be here if they want to meet
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Oh, that's good. (54:03):
undefined
It
Justyna (54:06):
So, yeah, there is possibility to do in person training.
Sometimes I run workshops, butnot so many anymore because again,
Bonfro Boxer is growing and growing.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (54:17):
Wow.
Justyna (54:17):
and as I said, I've got six dogs.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour (54:21):
I know.
Justyna, thank you somuch for joining me today.
It is been fantastic.
Like I, you know, you think you knowstuff, but I've learned so much and I know
that our listeners are gonna take awayso much from this conversation, you know,
research and the breed is so important.
I know you, you've been very busy, soI, I do appreciate you taking the time.
(54:45):
Just to meet with me today your passionjust shines through your, your face
just lights up when you're talkingabout the boxer breed and your own dogs
and, you know, you advocate for thebreed and it's just been so lovely.
I'm just having the timeto have a chat today.
So thank you so much forcoming on to the, the.
Justyna (55:07):
I absolutely love talking about boxers.
So, it's been a pleasureand it's been really fun.
So, thank you so much for having me.
Nathan Dunleavy - The Yappy Hour: Thank you for joining me (55:15):
undefined
on the yappy hour today.
Before I get started on today'skey takeaways, I just want to do a
shout out to Hounds and Hooves whocorrectly guessed on social media
that Justyna from Bomb Proof Boxerwas going to be our guest today.
(55:37):
What a fantasticconversation with Justyna.
Her passion for boxers and her dedicationto helping owners better understand
this amazing breed is truly inspiring.
Here are a few key takeaways
Researching a breed before bringingthe dog into your life is essential.
(55:57):
As Justyna highlighted, understandinga box's unique traits like their
energy, intelligence and loyalty canmake all the difference in creating a
happy home for both you and your dog.
Living with a boxer is ajoyful experience, but it
comes with responsibilities.
Meeting their exercise andenrichment needs, while embracing
(56:21):
their strong family bonds, is akey to a successful relationship.
Number three.
Training and socialization are criticalfor boxers and tailoring your approach to
their personality can help you overcomechallenges and build a stronger bond.
Justyna, thank you so much for sharingyour expertise and your love for the
(56:43):
boxer grade with us and to our listeners.
If you're considering a boxer oralready have one in your life, I
encourage you to check out Bomb ProofBoxer for resources and support.
If you enjoyed this episode,please consider leaving a review or
sharing it with a fellow dog parent.
(57:04):
Don't forget to subscribe so you nevermiss an episode of the Yappy Hour.
Thanks for listening andI'll see you next time.
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