Boxer Puppy

Question
Hi, ive got a 14 week old boxer pup.  We are not able to take him out yet as we are waiting for his 2nd injection but we are aware that he will love a good run and are luckily surrounded by parks.  I was just wondering if there is any traning we could start now so when we are able to take him out we can let him off the lead?  Thank you

Answer
You absolutely CAN NOT allow this puppy OFF LEASH for any reason.  This is a high energy breed that often has a very high prey drive and he will TAKE OFF and you will NOT get him back.  He has no experience outdoors; no amount of training at this time will transfer to the outdoors, where he will be surrounded by an enormous amount of stimuli (birds, trees, breezes, other people, other dogs, squirrels, etc.)

To obtain a reliable recall requires months of training and it is age and breed specific: young dogs may have a fine response to recall command indoors in a training scenario but this will not transfer to the outdoors.  Certain breeds can never be trusted off leash (sighthounds, for instance.)  There's no shortcut available.  You can begin training this puppy indoors using positive reinforcement.  Go to ClickerTraining.com.  Start with a simple behavior ("sit", but use unique words for all your commands.)  Go slowly (very short sessions) with ONE command at a time.  Once the dog has learned to "sit" reliably, you can begin to train a recall.  Stand in front of the dog, give him the cue for "sit" (word or hand signal), then speak your recall command word (do not use the word "come", choose a unique word), click/treat, back away.  Dog should follow you and may sit voluntarily; if he does not, repeat above.  If he does sit automatically (on the third try it's almost guaranteed), speak your command recall word, click/treat.  Repeat a third time, end session.  What you are aiming for is a mental picture in the dog's mind: sitting in front of you already when your recall command is spoken for click/treat; this is creating a conditioned response (slowly and with NO distractions).  Once the dog has acquired the response to the recall command (you'll know this), start using it from a few feet away: dog should come and sit in front of you for click/treat.  Repeat 3x in a row, then quit.  Keep up this training, extending the distance between you (INDOORS) until you are able to leave the room, speak the command word, and have the puppy find you and sit in front of you (for jackpot reward: handful of special treat.)  Make a fun game out of it; once the puppy is taken outdoors, expect the puppy to behave as if he has NEVER BEEN TAUGHT anything; go back to square one (on long training leash ONLY.)

This puppy is quite "old" for having first vaccinations.  Your window of opportunity to socialize him to the outdoors, other people, dogs, etc. is about to slam shut.  Find a puppy kindergarten in your area that uses ONLY positive reinforcement (NO choker collars, NO coercion, NO punishment).  Use the next few weeks to observe a puppy kindergarten class.  Be sure all puppies are around the same age and that there is an EXPERIENCED positive reinforcement trainer supervising.  If you are satisfied with what you are seeing, enroll your puppy as soon as he is able to go out.  Teach him at home and bring him to class; slowly introduce him to other places, people, children, etc.  If possible, when puppy kindergarten is over, enroll him in a positive reinforcement beginner's obedience class.  Do NOT test this young dog by allowing him outdoors off leash.  He might pay with his life and you will regret it.