Baptism by Fire

[scwilliams]

Hello Boxer World!

I am about to become a new Boxer mom to 2 (!!) 7 week old male boxer pups. I am currently swinging from great excitement and anticipation to trying to prepare for the chaos, destruction and sleep deprivation. It's been 10 yrs. since I've gone through puppy-dom, and it's hard to recall just how hard it was.

Can anyone advice me as to whether or not we should crate them together for company (vs. giving them each their own crate)? And will there come a point when they should be seperated?

While the pups have grown up together, they are not litter mates, and have not shared a common crate to date. They do, however, seem to get a long very well. Of course, when they are old enough we'll neuter them which will hopefully mitigate some of the male-male fighting that can erupt later on.

Please wish me luck with my baptism by fire into the world of Boxers! And any advice will be most appreciated!

 

[ariane]

congrats on your new babies

well i don't have the answers you are looking for, as i am only a new dog owner myself... but congratulations on your new puppies and welcome to bw! can't wait to see some of your pics when you bring home your new arrivals!

 

[SammynDqtz]

Can't really help with your questions, I've never had two young pups at the same time. But I think if I did, I'd get them their own crates. Maybe someone else can give ya more info about that. Anyway, Welcome to BW!

 

[gmacleod]

Wow - two babies at once! Welcome, by the way - looking forward to hearing stories of your babies as they grow.

I would give them each their own crate - but let them sleep together in one crate except for overnight. The only real reason for that is toilet training. If you have any problems with one or other wetting the crate, its kind of hard to cut down on the space they have to help prevent this.

The other bit of advice I'd give - especially relevant with two - is to set a schedule for potty stops mid way through the night. Neither of them will be able to hold it all night long - but they might each go a different amount of time before waking you up. If you set an alarm for, say, 3 am to take them both out you will probably get a bit more sleep!

Good luck with your babies! And take lots of pics :D

 

[PINNED]

I don't have advice, but I do have a question :D

I was curious since they are not litter mates, how are they living together now at such young ages. Does the breeder have two males/females who had pups, or what?

...Just curious

 

[ljnash]

Two puppies at once! They will keep each other company, but I don't know whether they could be crated together. I'm sure someone here will offer some advice!

Welcome to BW! We look forward to pics and puppy stories!

 

[mobrian]

Welcome to BW.
My advice on the crating would be to crate them separately. Let them get used to being apart now because when they get bigger they both will not fit and that may cause some separation anxiety issues. Also, every week their playing will get a little rougher and in such a confined space one may get hurt or just really tired and grumpy.

 

[scwilliams]

Originally posted by PINNED
I don't have advice, but I do have a question :D

I was curious since they are not litter mates, how are they living together now at such young ages. Does the breeder have two males/females who had pups, or what?

...Just curious

Actually, the breeder owns the sire of of one of the pups (Louie) and the dam of the other (Dempsey). Unfortunately, Louie's mom died right after birthing her litter, so the mom's owner asked the breeder to take on the pups since she had other bitches and pups who would help socialize the motherless pups. [Just to make things even more confusing, the dam's owner is the breeder's mother!]

BTW, it is SO nice to be able to talk other boxer Boxer people! I just love this! Thank you to everyone who responded to my intital post. I'll let you all know how Baptism by Fire progresses, and try to figure out how to post photos.

 

[katie520]

you're in for it!

Just to let you know, you are in for the ride of your life. I know that having one boxer is an adventure...two will bring you twice the joy and happiness that one brings. It will also bring much frustration and aggravation because they are very active. Their intelligence can often get them into trouble and mischief if not watched closely. Good luck to you. You will soon learn how the boxer can take your world that you thought was fine before him and make it seem more perfect than you could have ever imagined. They have a way of looking at you with those sweet eyes and that smooshy face and it melts you. I love my Duke, and I will forever be indebted to his graces that he brings me daily. I am so glad that he has chosen to be in my life!

 

[Eleanor]

Oh happy days!!!! I got my boys at seven weeks Mack [almost 13] and Red [not longer with us]. It was one of the most wonderful times of my life. Yes, it was a lot of work and kept me EXtremely busy but it was great.

They each had their own crate but after they were potty trained you would often find both of them piled up in the same crate.