Considering adding a boxer puppy to our family

[ThiryFamily]

We are ready to add to our family in the next few months (not in a hurry) and my husband would love to get a boxer. He has never had a pure bred dog and would like to make a boxer his first pure bred. I have had several dog breeds growing up including mutts and pure breds. I've also worked with animals over the years as a trainer, volunteer at various animal shelters and even a bet clinic as a teenager. So I believe I am able to train and handle dogs fairly well. I do know that boxers are "exuberant" and "spirited" therefore I want to make sure this is the right dog for our family. I am a full time mom (we have a 3 year old and a 1 year old) and I work part time from home. We currently have a 5 year old mixed breed neutered dog that is very patient with our children and they adore him. He is small to medium sized - about 24 lbs. My husband would like a dog he can go in runs with and be able to protect his home, but still be gentle and friendly especially to children. I know all dogs have individual personalities, but in general, does a boxer fit with us?

We want to make the right choice since the pup will be part of our family. We like to go places with our dog and have him/her in the house with us. We also would like to know if boxers are likely to play fetch and are willing to go for a swim.

Thanks in advance for any tips and advice - all is much appreciated.

 

[uglymugs]

Boxers are great family dogs, I own 2 9 month old pups and i have a 4 yr old. The dogs are great with the kids, but you will have to train them early to not jump on ANYONE... There big poweful frames combined with there joy to run and jump could hurt ( not intentionally ) one of the little ones. Mine are real patient with the 4 yr old but sometimes they get too excited and she gets knocked down. Of course there both quick to pin back the ears and lick her back to health..



As for guarding there Awesome at that, they look mean even tho there generally not. I know in my experience if someone were to try and harm me or anyone in the family they would step up without reguard for there own safety.. They will protect there familys with there life.

 

[Razr]

Not a Boxer expert, but...
I recently got another female after our last one past away last year.
Both of them adore(d) children, part of the breed. I have absolutely no issue with my 6 mo. puppy and 10 mo. old grand-daughter side by side.
She loves the other mutt we're sitting, even the cat.
Boxers (in my experience) can be destructive when left alone, but she loves the frisbee, and has no problem with water. Haven't taken her swimming yet, but she loves sticking her face in the sprinkler to get a drink!

 

[CoraBoxer]

You have to keep the boxer busy and tired. If you're slacking with this you will likely have problems. If you're (everyone in the house) consistent with the exercise and the training (discipline) you will have a very good dog that will love nothing more than to do everything with you.

I have 2, and always did my best to expose them to anything and everything especially if I see they are reactive to something. They both love to go jogging (Cora sometimes wants to play, thinking i'm running away from her), both retrieve/fetch and both swim. Maybe not as easy to get a boxer to do these things as some other breeds but they're willing to try anything.

Your kids can play a very important roll in socialising the dog, so long as you help them with that. Excited boxers can be jumpy and in your face. They can knock a lot of stuff over with their beaning, pawing and jumping including small kids. I've seen a boxer at a park run full speed at a person jump 5+ ft in the air and 'kiss' the person's face. This is not what you want .

Boxers in my experience are very attached dogs and make the best companions for active, fun, low stress life styles. You can have on sitting in front of you, talk to it and you'll see the different expressions they make with their face reacting to what you're saying its hilarious. They are soo smart. And they aren't all a handfull all the time. As puppies they are a lot of work. Kahner my rescue (2.5) just wants to chill and sleep when he's not out for a walk.

 

[CoraBoxer]

And to add something, with a boxer you can sometimes have people 'group' them as a bully. There are people that are intimidated and weary of them. But from my personal experience when they see the dog calm, obedient (not perfect but good) they always turn around. You will have strangers coming up to you wanting to talk about your dog. I live in an apartment closer to work atm and i experience this every day. In the elevator, on walks etc. I guess a lot of people have had bad experiences with dogs jumping, pulling etc and a strong looking dog like a boxer can be scary if you associate it with those behaviors. Small dogs aren't always good dogs, and big dogs aren't always bad dogs When I have people drawn to mine puts a big smile on my face. When they lean on me in the elevator or plop down on the floor tired from their walk. Such cuddlers.

 

[Jan]

Boxers make great family dogs. Your family is very young and it might be a good idea to rescue a slightly older dog. They will be a little better behaved around your young children and your husband would be able to go jogging with the dog right away. Normally you would have to wait for forced exercise until they are at least 18 months old. There are lots of wonderful rescue boxers out there that need a new home.

Good luck!

 

[ThiryFamily]

Grateful for the information

Thanks to everyone who replied. What a wonderful fountain of information - exactly what we needed.

Since I am home all the time a boxer seems to fit with his human companionship needs, but I can see a boxer will need lots of training to be well mannered especially with the children - in regards to not knocking the little ones over, etc.

I did present the idea of possibly adopting an adult boxer - I would love to skip puppy-hood since I would be the one experiencing most of the "joys" of raising a puppy, but my husband is convinced he wants a puppy. He has only had two dogs in his life (how does that happen, really only two ) and both were adopted as older puppies - 11 months and the other even older. So he wants the "puppy experience."

... So it seems our next step would be to possibly visit a dog show of some type to see boxers in action? Like I mentioned before we don't want to rush into it and I would like to be 100% positive this is the dog for us. My husband is already convinced

Oh and a couple more questions ... Do the bark more then most or are the average barkers (door bell, strange noise) and are they a smelly dog or rather clean? I usually give my Roo a bath about every two weeks sometimes if I get lazy :/ once a month. Would this be OK for a boxer? Less, more often?

Many thanks again.

 

[uglymugs]

Thanks to everyone who replied. What a wonderful fountain of information - exactly what we needed.

Since I am home all the time a boxer seems to fit with his human companionship needs, but I can see a boxer will need lots of training to be well mannered especially with the children - in regards to not knocking the little ones over, etc.

I did present the idea of possibly adopting an adult boxer - I would love to skip puppy-hood since I would be the one experiencing most of the "joys" of raising a puppy, but my husband is convinced he wants a puppy. He has only had two dogs in his life (how does that happen, really only two ) and both were adopted as older puppies - 11 months and the other even older. So he wants the "puppy experience."

... So it seems our next step would be to possibly visit a dog show of some type to see boxers in action? Like I mentioned before we don't want to rush into it and I would like to be 100% positive this is the dog for us. My husband is already convinced

Oh and a couple more questions ... Do the bark more then most or are the average barkers (door bell, strange noise) and are they a smelly dog or rather clean? I usually give my Roo a bath about every two weeks sometimes if I get lazy :/ once a month. Would this be OK for a boxer? Less, more often?

Many thanks again.

In my opinion i think a puppy around 6 months would be best (if you find one) but that is just my opinion. Getting him older is only a good idea if he has been trained otherwise he will just be bigger and harder to deal with.

My childhood boxer would bark if someone came to the door and knocked, or if you prompted him either by playing or saying in a deep voice '' who is it '' his hair would stand up and he would growl and bark . My two 9 month old pups only bark when playing with each other only once my female growled at a delivery guy and that was because he was loud and obnoxious and she didnt feel comfortable until I calmed her.
As for there smell boxers do tend to have thyroid problems which is why i reccommend feeding them Iams or another high end food. My brother has a male boxer who is 6 and he feeds him the cheapest dog food on the market. The poor dog is fat sluggish and smells to high heavens.

I will reccommend another dog if you guys decide to have a less hyper breed and that is the Bull Mastiff. They are alot like boxers temperment wise but alot more sluggish and alot bigger. The average male is 140 lbs. They need a strong minded family to keep there stubborness in check, but there generally great family dogs and protect there home.

 

[Jan]

... So it seems our next step would be to possibly visit a dog show of some type to see boxers in action? Like I mentioned before we don't want to rush into it and I would like to be 100% positive this is the dog for us. My husband is already convinced

Oh and a couple more questions ... Do the bark more then most or are the average barkers (door bell, strange noise) and are they a smelly dog or rather clean? I usually give my Roo a bath about every two weeks sometimes if I get lazy :/ once a month. Would this be OK for a boxer? Less, more often?

Many thanks again.

Visiting dog shows is certainly a good start. Make sure that the breeder does all the necessary health testing, for heart , thyroid, hips etc. and ask to see it.

Boxers tend not to be barkers, but there are exceptions. My first boxer, Markus, was not a barker. I lived in an apartment and barking was discouraged. People would would tell me that that they didn't know I had a dog. Moto was a different story. He liked to bark. :( It no longer mattered, because we now live in the country and don't have any close neighbors.

Good luck in your search for a puppy.

 

[lupe]

Idea...

Hi, I have had 3 boxers and fostered 2. I agree with Jan, a slightly older dog, I would say about 3-4 years of age would be a plus. In my experience with specially the boxer breed is that they are very needy. Want to be loved ALL the time. And with young ones around that will be a good thing. Plus, that age group would make an excellent running partner for your husband. Think! a babysitter for the kids and a distraction for the husband. Adopt one, you cant go wrong...-