Hi all, I'm new to this and am very interested in getting a Boxer. For all the positives of the breed, there sure are a ton of posts on this forum about how destructive Boxers can be when left alone at all. Are they only like this as puppies or throughout their lives? I have no interest in ignoring a dog or leaving him for any longer than necessary and I am confident that I would be a great owner. But with the specific breed, can you be a legitimately good Boxer owner if you work a full day? How do you guys manage it? I wouldn't want to put any dog in an unfair situation. Thanks!
Boxers when left alone?
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jamkaywill
Super Boxer
I got lucky with Abbie. She has never been much of a destoyer of my things.There is the occasional Bra & Panty theft where she grabs them and runs out side and throws them around. (
) As far as how long I leave her alone I work 8-5.She gets up with me and goes potty and plays ouside while I get ready then whe have a 10 min cuddle before I go to work. She is then fed breakfast right before I leave. I come home at lunch and let her out to potty play and then a little cuddle time before I go to work and then she is waiting at her window when I get home. So about 4 hrs at a time. She is on a schedule and loves it. Good Luck!
) As far as how long I leave her alone I work 8-5.She gets up with me and goes potty and plays ouside while I get ready then whe have a 10 min cuddle before I go to work. She is then fed breakfast right before I leave. I come home at lunch and let her out to potty play and then a little cuddle time before I go to work and then she is waiting at her window when I get home. So about 4 hrs at a time. She is on a schedule and loves it. Good Luck!
LILYLARUE
Boxer Insane
I work 8-5 and Lily is mostly in the crate during that time. I come home for lunch a few days, and sometimes she goes to work with me. She is quite content with her schedule. When I get home, she has free run of the house and all three get about 3 hours of playtime in the yard. A 20-30 walk for each before bedtime and they all passout by 10 pm. It works for them. The winter though is tough. They all get stir crazy and start trashing things about late march. LOL
larrygs
Super Boxer
Our story is pretty similar. We work about 8-6. Layla is crate trained so there is no opportunity for damage, or getting in the habit of damage. She turned 12 months today. We come home or have someone walk her every lunch so the longest time in the crate is about 5 hours. At the beginning, when she was younger we made provisions not to have her in the crate more than a couple of hours. We will eventually stop using the crate as we have done with our prior boxers. They usually let us know when they are too old.
You probably realize they need a lot of exercise and engagement with people. With her in the crate all day, she is ready to party at night. So don't expect to be a couch potato after work. We also go to dog parks and an occasional doggy day care.
I think the keys are a very consistent schedule, crate training, and lots of exercise.
BTW, we don't ever leave our boxers in a kennel for boarding. We fortunately have always been lucky enough to have dog sitters stay a night or two. Add to this obedience training and much attention to socialization and you get an idea of the comittment we and I am sure most people on this forum make.
I know others think we are crazy, but we feel this deep responsiblity to do what is right for what becomes a very close friend. Well worth it! Once you have a boxer, you will understand.
Good luck!
You probably realize they need a lot of exercise and engagement with people. With her in the crate all day, she is ready to party at night. So don't expect to be a couch potato after work. We also go to dog parks and an occasional doggy day care.
I think the keys are a very consistent schedule, crate training, and lots of exercise.
BTW, we don't ever leave our boxers in a kennel for boarding. We fortunately have always been lucky enough to have dog sitters stay a night or two. Add to this obedience training and much attention to socialization and you get an idea of the comittment we and I am sure most people on this forum make.
I know others think we are crazy, but we feel this deep responsiblity to do what is right for what becomes a very close friend. Well worth it! Once you have a boxer, you will understand.
Good luck!
kathysboxer
Boxer Insane
I don't think boxers are any harder to deal with than any other breed. I work usually 9-3 and some nights I go back to work 5-8. Tyson has had full run of the house since he was probably about 6 months old. He had always done well except for destroying a rubber tree plant and maybe another plant. But my BF's DD and DS were home, but they never really pay attention to him :(
We take him for walks, then play with him, have him chase the laser light, ball, frisbee.
I think they adapt to our schedules. When I get up Tyson usually waits at least an hour before he decides to wake up to pee. He really doesn't eat in the mornings, so I do put about a cup of food in his bowl in case he does get hungry when I'm at work. He seems to prefer to eat 7-8pm.
In my opinion, you just need to be devoted to them. Lots of training, love, hugs, kisses.
Good luck!
We take him for walks, then play with him, have him chase the laser light, ball, frisbee.
I think they adapt to our schedules. When I get up Tyson usually waits at least an hour before he decides to wake up to pee. He really doesn't eat in the mornings, so I do put about a cup of food in his bowl in case he does get hungry when I'm at work. He seems to prefer to eat 7-8pm.
In my opinion, you just need to be devoted to them. Lots of training, love, hugs, kisses.
Good luck!
dbetz
Completely Boxer Crazy
We pretty much have the same story as the others. Our dogs just turned 2 and for 1st year they were crated when we were at work. Around when they turned 1 one we started leaving them for short periods, an hour or so. We'd leave them with plenty of toys and they LOVE the interactive treat toys. For past 6 months they have almost free reign of the house when we are at work and we have been problem free (knock on wood!). They are alone for up to six hours.
The biggest problem we have returned to is that once Duke got the Bananas and the Cuties off the counter (my daughter left them at the edge). They ate all the bananas and left me the black peels, they decided they do not like Cuties - they peeled only one (would have loved to see that!) but only ate half of it.
Boxers are just too smart to be left bored in the house. We have always provided a million toys to help keep them occupied.
No better Dog in the world than a Boxer!
The biggest problem we have returned to is that once Duke got the Bananas and the Cuties off the counter (my daughter left them at the edge). They ate all the bananas and left me the black peels, they decided they do not like Cuties - they peeled only one (would have loved to see that!) but only ate half of it.
Boxers are just too smart to be left bored in the house. We have always provided a million toys to help keep them occupied.
No better Dog in the world than a Boxer!
undercg
Boxer Booster
My story is the same. All of my boxers have been crate trained until we are able to trust them. Cg currently has the run of the house. He was crated the first 3 months or so that we had him (probably less as he was over a year old when we got him). The only accidents happen when I work really late (12 hours). Even then he goes on the tile not the carpet 
It is usually a matter of time and trust. As soon as I get home, we immediately go out for a quick turn about the yard, then I change clothes and we go for a real walk. Otherwise the only mess is pillows knocked off the couch, bedcovers "nested", nothing major.
It is usually a matter of time and trust. As soon as I get home, we immediately go out for a quick turn about the yard, then I change clothes and we go for a real walk. Otherwise the only mess is pillows knocked off the couch, bedcovers "nested", nothing major.
Destructive Boxers?
My Mickey who is now at Rainbow Bridge and my Katie have never been destructive. Both, however, were older when we adopted them. We never crated.
I think the key here is exercise and "me" time with the babies when you are home. Even when I am gone for a few hours, Katie will go outside and run circles around the yard several times before she is ready to play. Boxers are a high energy dog and deserves to let loose.
I also got in the habit of leaving the radio or tv on when I'm gone. I think the human voice gives them a sense of security they are not alone. This is just something you might try.
Good luck!
My Mickey who is now at Rainbow Bridge and my Katie have never been destructive. Both, however, were older when we adopted them. We never crated.
I think the key here is exercise and "me" time with the babies when you are home. Even when I am gone for a few hours, Katie will go outside and run circles around the yard several times before she is ready to play. Boxers are a high energy dog and deserves to let loose.
I also got in the habit of leaving the radio or tv on when I'm gone. I think the human voice gives them a sense of security they are not alone. This is just something you might try.
Good luck!
My boxer has developed pretty bad separation anxiety. I was working on it with him and he had gotten better until I moved in with my girlfriend who also has a dog. Now it's cured/10 times worse. Cured in the sense that he is perfectly happy/relaxed home alone with his new best friend, a Shar Pei named Bishop, and they are almost never separate from each other. 10 times worse because on the extremely rare occasion he ends up without Bishop, he instantly freaks out, poos, pees, scratched a door down to 1/2 it's original width, shaking etc. So to answer your question - my dog is perfectly fine at home alone, except rarely when he is absolutely terrible. :p
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