My female boxer puppy is 9 weeks old and we have had her for 1 week she is very good no problems at night very smart she can sit, stay, and lay down, but yesterday when i was training her i said down and she went down then started barking at me, then today i told her down and she barked then went down. Is this normal?? she doesnt bark at any other command just down.

Also i told her to go to her bed for chasing the cats and eating there food and she wouldnt go, then she went to her bed but as soon as i turned round she tried to run in again so i told her bed and she started making noises then she run in to her bed??

Wow what a smashing little pup she is...going to her bed when told and sit and down...very talented girl.

Boxers almost always ask " Why" when you ask them to do something, they love to clown around and pull many stunts to make you laugh.

I feel your expectations of the standard of obedience you expect from a little pup are rather high.

"Bark bark" with a play bow means "play with me - I'm funny dont you think?"

Was just thinking Tooolz, the boxers signature talking/growl that can often be wrongly interpretated. When they are just larking around.

Sounds like the talents of this girls is exceptional so far.  Any of my Boxers took a while for the sit and stay :-)  It usually involved a whole lot of nonsense as well..

> "Bark bark" with a play bow means "play with me - I'm funny dont you think?"

he he he my puppy bitch sticks her bum in the air & wiggles her boxery bum & tail which i think means "ha ha get u can't catch me & my moo cow toy" still hasn't cotton'd on that if she runs round the sofa one way i'll catch her the other end ha ha

Your puppy is just wanting to play, if she's your only dog then that might explain why she's chasing the cat, she just wants some play time with some one.
ETA my 2 sound like they're shredding each other part but all it is....Quote Toolz "gob boxing" which is boxers playing

> but yesterday when i was training her i said down and she went down then started barking at me,

Are you spending far too much time training and not enough time at playing?

At 9 weeks, a 5 minute training session is more than enough, she is only a baby and has a short attention span.  Remember she has just left a gang of playmates, and all she would have done was play and sleep.

Telling a 9 week old pup to go to her bed for chasing cats and eating their food?  Why would she NOT eat it?  It was there, so was available.
Put the cats food out of her reach.

Do you not think that your expectations of her are way, way too high?

> i told her to go to her bed for chasing the cats and eating there food

You need to make sure that the cats' food (and their litter tray/s!) are out of her reach. Dogs are scavengers and are hot-wired by nature to consider any available food (and most consider cat poo a delicacy) as their own, to be eaten immediately.

So to be fair to her you need to keep temptation out of hr way.

Thanks for all the replies! maybe my expectations are too high i just want her to be the best dog she can be.

> i just want her to be the best dog she can be

Which is fair enough! Just remember that she'll always be a dog, and at the moment she's only a baby one at that. :-)

> i just want her to be the best dog she can be

In your position and with a 9 week old puppy, I would be aiming for the happiest she can be at the moment.
Dogs ( and humans) learn quickest by success.
Avoid, at all costs, telling her off - use any trick in the book to distract, avoid, occupy and in anyway encounter the need for reprimand.

Insisting that she is obedient at an early age will either completely subdue her or, more likely in a boxer, make her defiant.

Blue and Gemma cant you just imagine the little minx - chin on floor - butt in the air and those big rolling eyes saying " Oh Mommy cant  I just have fun?"

I quite agree with tooolz you dont wont to take the sparkle away from her at such a young age i am afraid that what you have taken on is a clown only with four legs,after having four boxers we have our name down for another boxer puppy we must be mad!

It seems to me your asking far too much from your puppy, whether it's a boxer or not. take things a lot slower and make things fun.
if your too strict now you could spoil the good work you've done so far.
my boxer is 9yrs old now and he still makes lots of noises but it's only him playing, they can be very vocal but in a nice way.

Was just thinking Tooolz, the boxers signature talking/growl that can often be wrongly interpretated. When they are just larking around.

Do Dals do this too? Every now and them when I give Jazz a command he will follow it but with a bit of a grumble. Also if I shout "NO" for something he will sit and then grumble. We call it his backchat but should I be worried?

>Do Dals do this too?

Yes. They can be very vocal and chatty, with a whole range of sounds. Whoever invented the phrase 'dumb animals' hadn't a clue!


Blue and Gemma cant you just imagine the little minx - chin on floor - butt in the air and those big rolling eyes saying " Oh Mommy cant  I just have fun?"

Definately..  I hope the Op is prepared she may still be in for the shock of her life but that is what makes them so fantastic.    :-)

>Do Dals do this too?

Yes. They can be very vocal and chatty, with a whole range of sounds. Whoever invented the phrase 'dumb animals' hadn't a clue!

Phew. wasn't worried about his normal chatting/howling/ weird sneezing but suddenly thought backchat was a bad thing. He always follows the commands whilst grumbling so we just let him get on with it.

Funny Spanish can do the growl talking also, unfortunately very often misinterpreted by owners and people who do not realise this.  For some reason it is more the males than the females. 

My Calida though is a right talkative so and so, but don't have a clue where she gets it from.

The Elkhounds are the same.

One male I bred and handle is very growly, he will throw himself on his back and growl his head off.

Had to teach him not to do it in the ring in case the judge thought he was aggresive!

Definately..  I hope the Op is prepared she may still be in for the shock of her life but that is what makes them so fantastic.   

Prepared!!!!! is anyone prepared for their first encounter with a Boxer LOL!!!

What a smart little cookie she is to , be sitting so obediently at 9 wks.

Boxers are a vocal breed, they also need to understand why  you want them to do something, they do have a habit of asking "why"   , and somewhere in that nutty make up of theirs..is stamped with very big  letters.........."whats in it for me attitude"...LOL!!!

But one look at those soppy drooping eyes, melts your heart.

Give her a chance to be a puppy, dont expect to much to soon... she sounds a bright little thing, she will pick things up , as she goes along.

You have never lived till you have discussed the events of the day with a gobby Boxer!!