“Walkies” is the command that signals a nice, peaceful walk. This isn't formal heeling — just a casual walk for both of you. Boxers, left to their own devices, tend to pull like sled dogs, so you want to start the basics of this early in your pup's life. Boxers are energetic, enthusiastic dogs who usually need to burn off energy with a walk, but they often get walked the least because energetic, enthusiastic dogs are also the worst pullers. It's too difficult and not much fun for the owners to walk while their boxer is pulling them down the street.

When your boxer is young, and therefore the lightest that he will ever be, it is the time to really instill this command and behavior. Start out with puppy on the leash, and say “Walkies.” If he forges ahead and hits the end of the leash, stop. Wait until the leash is loose again before you repeat the command and start again. It shouldn't take him too long to realize that he isn't going anywhere unless the leash is loose. However, it might take several training sessions.

Some boxers will give up with pulling on the leash fairly quickly, but the really enthusiastic energetic ones may not. They may stop, turn around to look at what the problem is — you. Hopefully, you have your slapstick with you, and you bring that to your boxer's attention. (See page 185 for an explanation of the slapstick.) If you have played the recall game, this will be a source of great excitement and joy to your boxer, so he'll come back. Use the slapstick as a lure to get a loose leash, and then you can say “Good walkies!” in all truthfulness. You and your boxer will be walking down the street, and he will not be pulling. This serves two functions. One is that you have now become a source of great interest and excitement because in addition to initiating the walk you have the slapstick, and you have greatly praised your boxer for not pulling.

Continue on your walk in a happy, upbeat way, and as long as your boxer is not pulling, keep praising. You might even want to bring some treats along for when he is not pulling, just to emphasize your point even more. Walking nicely on leash without pulling is a real skill, but with time and effort, your boxer can readily master it.