Concidering a Boxer

[asanderd]

Hello! Okay I don't even have a dog yet, let alone a Boxer. But I wanted to know how are they with children. I have a 2 1/2 niece who will be 3 in February. She has always been pretty good with my cats. When we tell her to let them be, she will. She has never carried them. She's never pulled on fur or tails. So I expect her to be good with a dog. She has a Yorkie type of dog at home that she is good with. But my biggest concern is if the breed is in general good with toddlers. Are Boxers nippy? I guess I'm wondering how your dogs are with your kids. Any info and tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

Boxers, in general, are good with kids however as with anything else it depends on the individual dog. I have a now 9 year old, we got our first Boxer 3 weeks before my son was born, our second when he was 4 our third when he was almost 6 and all have been just fine with him. Your niece should NEVER be left alone with any dog so you will be there to monitor and correct any unwanted behavior as well.

 

[srennie]

We've had boxers since before my kids were born. Our first passed away when my oldest son was 5 months old. We got an 8 week old pup when my son was 8 months old. And while all puppies can be 'nippy' and need to be taught not to use their mouths on people, it is generally for the purpose of play. If you don't want to deal with all of the training involved in a puppy, jumping up, potty training, playful biting, etc. then a rescue dog is the way to go. You could even bring your niece to the 'interview' so you could be certain you get a dog she is comfortable with and a dog who likes children and displays appropriate manners and behaviors around children.

 

[asanderd]

We've had boxers since before my kids were born. Our first passed away when my oldest son was 5 months old. We got an 8 week old pup when my son was 8 months old. And while all puppies can be 'nippy' and need to be taught not to use their mouths on people, it is generally for the purpose of play. If you don't want to deal with all of the training involved in a puppy, jumping up, potty training, playful biting, etc. then a rescue dog is the way to go. You could even bring your niece to the 'interview' so you could be certain you get a dog she is comfortable with and a dog who likes children and displays appropriate manners and behaviors around children.

Oh yeah, no doubt in my mind, any dog I get regardless of breed will be at the very least within a few month of being out of the puppy stage. I know puppies require a tone more energy than what I'll have for my first dog. I of course would love a puppy later on when I'm more settled in life but right now I don't see have a puppy will be a good idea.

 

[whiskers]

Boxers are generally great with kids. I have nieces and nephews, and my mom does daycare, so it's pretty essential that our dogs tolerate kids and some of the rough handling a kid might inflict. Juno loves them, she runs around the house with them like she's part of their pack. She knows to be gentle with them. She was a SUPER nippy puppy and I could barely get my hands anywhere near her, but when the kids would pet her she would restrain herself pretty well.
One of my nieces is 1.5 years old, and is just starting to show interest in the animals, and is still learning how to pet them gently, as opposed to roughly patting them on the head... and Juno doesn't even seem to notice if she just had her ear pulled, or if she was just smacked in the face. She just offers kisses.

Of course not all boxers will be so tolerant, but all the ones I've met seem to genuinely enjoy being around children and are accepting of their antics.

 

[robertlopez]

Boxers are the family guys & gals

We just adopted a 1.5 year old boxer from a shelter. We had also done tons of research and decided on a boxer for the primary reasons that they are generally great with children as a breed. However, we knew that it would take some searching to find the right boxer for us. As with any dog, they all have their own personalities. We found Samson (our boxer) who was "rooming" with another boxer. We ideally thought we wanted a flashy fawn, however, any healthy, happy boxer was good with us. Samson is fawn with no flash and his room mate was just what we had envisioned for our future pet. However, upon meeting with both of them, we just knew Samson was the one for us because of his wonderful temperament and connection with us! The other seemed unfocused around us and a bit more stubborn. And I dont know if it is a biased opinion of a "mom" (I'm on my husband's profile) but he is quite the handsome fella!

Bottom line, I think boxers are a great choice for a family with young children. Ours are 2 (rambunctious boy), 5, & 7 (girls). We have had company over and everyone (im not exaggerating) even the skeptical have left in admiration. The best advice I could give, is to find the right pet for you so that your dog will be able to join his FOREVER home. Good Luck!

 

[asanderd]

We just adopted a 1.5 year old boxer from a shelter. We had also done tons of research and decided on a boxer for the primary reasons that they are generally great with children as a breed. However, we knew that it would take some searching to find the right boxer for us. As with any dog, they all have their own personalities. We found Samson (our boxer) who was "rooming" with another boxer. We ideally thought we wanted a flashy fawn, however, any healthy, happy boxer was good with us. Samson is fawn with no flash and his room mate was just what we had envisioned for our future pet. However, upon meeting with both of them, we just knew Samson was the one for us because of his wonderful temperament and connection with us! The other seemed unfocused around us and a bit more stubborn. And I dont know if it is a biased opinion of a "mom" (I'm on my husband's profile) but he is quite the handsome fella!

Bottom line, I think boxers are a great choice for a family with young children. Ours are 2 (rambunctious boy), 5, & 7 (girls). We have had company over and everyone (im not exaggerating) even the skeptical have left in admiration. The best advice I could give, is to find the right pet for you so that your dog will be able to join his FOREVER home. Good Luck!

Thank you for sharing your research and adoption story with me. I think the hardest part for all this with me will be not taking the first dog I see home! I have wanted a dog for so long that I'm afraid that I screw this up. I mean I know there is no wrong dog, it just might not be the right particular dog for me. But I don't want to get the one that's not for me and the dog end up being miserable. I can totally see myself doing the exact opposite that you and your family did. Taking the one I originally thought I wanted. I mean getting a dog is not like going to the bet store and picking out a gold fish or a hamster. It's a bit different. I don't want to screw anything up

 

[avaboxer]

Great choice

My boxer is great with my best friends kids and my cousins kids especially chloe. I never trained her to be good or bad around kids. I taught her the normal commands stay down sit etc. and the word NO. She tried to play with my five year old cousin who has disabilities and is scarred of dogs and he turned to her and said no and she stopped and gave him the confused boxer look.

With Chloe, now 22 m.o., Ava came inside with me and Paula and she watched chloe get changed and she got down on her paws and would crawl behind chloe watching her. It was cute. Chloe tugged on her ears and stuff and she never once offered to bite her. Of course, Chloe was about 14 months so she wasn't pulling hard enough to hurt Ava.

The biggest thing I can think of if kids are going to be around try to introduce them after they have been trained well.

My BFF let her kids go wild around my dog at 8 wks. old and it took me longer to reverse and retrain her to not run after kids although it was cute as a puppy.

 

[johann]

If you don't want a puppy (good choice, BTW :p ), I'd contact a good boxer rescue in your area and fill out an application. They will be able to help you find a dog that will meet your needs and fit in well with your lifestyle.

Johann is great with kids. He adores that they are just the right height for kisses and seem to not mind boxer slobber. A friend's 18 month old daughter bosses him around on their visits....she says "NO!" or "sit" and he listens (girl has grown up with a 180 lb mastiff). Pretty cute.

Good luck on your dog search and congrats on doing so much research beforehand.

 

[Davedbd]

We chose this breed for the simple fact that all we have heard are rave reviews about how well they are with children. Having said that, our 11 week old Tiara is great with my wife, me and our 11 year old son. However, around our 8 year old son, she is a nightmare. She sees him as either a toy or as my son thinks....FOOD. LOL!!
We are working with her and it seems she is getting it. It's normally 99% my sons fault. He is young and just doesn't get the whole alpha, pack, dominance thing. His every action invites play from the puppy. His sporadic movements, his squeaky voice and his inability to act dominant all contribute to Tiara wanting to just "PLAY". We intervene a lot and I guess that's just part of the job when you have young kids mixed with a puppy. We have no doubt that with constant reprimands, training and love that this puppy will grow into a wonderful dog. But it doesn't just...Happen. It takes time and commitment. The two of them together is simply two young kids playing. She just has to get that she is the dog and he is above her in the pack. And I am 100% confident that she will get it eventually.