Do I want a Boxer?

[Brennan Hill]

Hi all!

I'm new to the forum and Boxers. My family and I are thinking about getting a boxer to replace our long time companion, Jake, who recently passed away. He was a great Lab, and much loved. I have always liked Boxers, but do not know much about them. Any advice would be appreciated. We like active and friendly dogs, which boxers certainly seem to be. I am married, and we have a ten year old son and a 9 month old baby girl who already loves dogs, but is scared of cats. We have a small house and yard, but live at the beach and do a lot of walking.

I understand that Boxers can be great family dogs, which is a top priority. However, I am concerned about aggressive behaivor with other dogs. My Lab was very aggressive with other dogs, and that always bothered me. I always have felt that he learned that behaivor from my bestfriend's dog, who was also his best friend. That would not be a problem now as my friends dog is old and no longer aggressive. How much of a problem is aggressiveness with Boxers? There seem to be a lot of posts concerning the problem. I read in another post that females are often times more aggressive then males, is that generally true?

We live in Southern California, so the weather is suitable, but we may be moving to Seattle in a few years. Would that climate be a problem for a mostly inside-the-house boxer? How about camping and backpacking with boxers? I understand they are athletic, but just how sensitive are they to being outside at night?

Thanks for your time and help!

Brennan

 

[Christian C.]

Dear Brennan,

I'm so glad you're considering a boxer, though I know how much you must miss your Lab. First of all, they are great family dogs and can romp with your son and will probably be very considerate of your young daughter.

Secondly, I have a female who is great with other dogs--I think it's all in the socialization. She goes to "doggy day care" and is also a frequent and welcome visitor at a dog park. Naturally she's good with people too--there are several children who turn up each day to see if she'll be there and feed her treats.

The Seattle climate shouldn't be any problem for a boxer if they're just outside for walks, and the benefit is that even with all the rain their short coats towel dry with no problem. As far as your current house, I live in an apartment called the "Music Box" because of its small size and don't have a backyard but Georgie has adapted just fine. They are super-athletic and for an adult dog hiking and camping should be no problem. Georgie also loves walks in the woods and playing in creeks and if I liked camping I'd probably take her and she'd love that too--the main thing that boxers want is to be with their people, and if you're sleeping under the stars then the dog will be glad to join you.


Why don't you check out a few books on boxers? One good general book is "Boxers: A Family Favorite" by Stephanie Abramson. I'm sure you'll like what you read!
Good luck!

 

[webfoot]

We live in Salem, OR which is pretty much the same climate as Seattle. Our two don't like to go outside during the winter because it is so wet and cold. They run out, do their business and then run back in. As long as you don;t mind having them inside most of the time, I wouldn't worry about the climate.

We have a male and a female. The male is so easy going and loves everyone, including everydog he's met. My female is intitially VERY dog aggressive, but after about 10 minutes is usually fine and plays great. She was also very abused and neglected, so that may play a big role in it.

We have 3 little kids (6,5,3) and the dogs are SO good with them. They don't jump and even obey the kids commmands. Hoss just follows them around all day. We just got both of them this year, so haven't had a chance to go camping with them yet, but that is our favorite summer past time. Just a couple more weeks and the weather will be great for some backpacking!! Yipee! I'm excited to see how they like it.

Good luck with your dicision.

 

[ASY]

Just want to add my two cents worth. I agree with the two previous posts. We have five children, ages 2-17, and our 3 year old male, Scout, is a great friend to all of them including our 2 year old. as a matter of fact it is interesting to see the 2 year old drag the dog around the house and then see the dog drag the 17 year old around the neighborhood on roller blades.

We live in Portland Oregon. Seattle is very similar climate wise (it's only about 2.5 hours away. The weather is great for a boxer as long as you don't plan to leave it outside. We are an active family and Scout goes most places with us assuming he won't need to be left in the car too long. Of course anywhere he is allowed to come into, he does. When he cannot come along, he stays alone and loose in the house. We have never had a single problem with this.

lastly, we are a pretty tidy family. Neither my wife nor I like a dirty house. Neither did we want to make our home into a kennel. Scout, who is a rescue dog, has always been a perfect gentleman. He doesn't chew things up, tear up the house, jump up on guest, or any of the things we feared before getting a boxer. From our experience with other boxer owners, Scout appears to be pretty typical. I guess the most telling endorsment is that we are currently looking for a second boxer to add to the family.

Good luck in your search and with your move. You will love the Pacific NW.

 

[Lisa M]

That is a question that only you can answer. I would keep looking for more information about the breed.

If you are concerned about dog aggression, maybe consider boxer rescue. There are so many great boxers available for adoption in shelters and through boxer rescue groups. You can get a dog that has been with a foster home and whose personality toward other dogs, kids and even cats might be better known. You can meet the dog and determine for yourself how well it behaves with your kids and how they respond to that particular dog and how it is with other pets.

Casper gets along well with other dogs, but boxers can be tough palymates, some dogs don't like being punched in the face for some strange reason. At the park, Casper does great and even plays being very tolerant of a lot of behavior and signs of dominance from other dogs, but if another dog growls at him or starts a little skirmish - Casper is in there and doesn't want to stop until he is the victor. I have to watch him carefully and make sure that I don't get distracted when we are there. Other boxers are very good with other dogs all the time and some may not get along with other dogs at all. Boxers usually play nicely with other boxers, they have a unique way of playing it seems to me. But I think for the most part the breed is outgoing and happy go lucky, each dog will have its own personality though. A lot of that personality will depend on the owners and how well they socalize and train their dogs.

I would continue to research, maybe get or borrow a book about the breed or find some reputable breeders and breed rescue groups to help you with finding the right dog for your family. It takes time and I know it is hard when you lose one dog. Good luck.

 

[nanabear]

I understand that Boxers can be great family dogs, which is a top priority. However, I am concerned about aggressive behaivor with other dogs. My Lab was very aggressive with other dogs, and that always bothered me.

Brennan [/B][/QUOTE]

I just find that interesting...........my male got kicked out of a daycare recently (he hadn't been in a long time) for being too aggressive. The owner had a bunch of Labs there and described them as "able to get along with *any* dog."

My experience has been that my female was very dog aggressive (and I seem to read that a lot in posts here and elsewhere) and my male is much easier to get along with. More laid back in every way. Funny enough though, he is not as athletic as she was - he is lazier and much less tolerant of the heat, but he is BIG, 87lbs.

He can get along with *some* other dogs, if it is handled properly. He has more fun with ones that are nimble and quick - can run away from him and play chase. He can be too rough and some dogs don't know how to handle it. If they snap or growl at him, a fight will ensue. We don't go to the dog park anymore after a Husky came on strong with him, they got into it and he ended up at the vet with a bite wound.

But they are wonderful dogs and "just want to be included" - meaning they want to do whatever you're doing. Big lap puppies, very affectionate and people friendly. They *can* be a little too rough with small children - not because they are at all mean, just get carried away some times. And young ones are famous for jumping up. They take work, but make a wonderful family pet if you put in the effort.

I notice you have a 9 month old baby - that is a *lot* of work *grin*. I'll bet you would all be happy with an adult rescue, so you don't have to go through the puppy stage. It takes quite a while for a Boxer to mature. Good luck.

 

[abxonetwoa]

I think if you look at the big picture, you will see that just about every breed will have some bad apples. However, in my opinion the ratio of aggressive Boxers to good Boxers is far far less than the majority of other breeds (I could be way off with this one since there are so many breeds, but from my perspective I would put them in the top ten).

You have to take some things with a grain of salt on this forum as well. There are well over 2000 members probably with an average of two Boxers each (amazing enough). Let's just be fair and say there are 3000 total boxers on this board. 10% of this would be 300 boxers - I seriously doubt you would be able to find 300 boxers on this forum with aggressive behavior. I know these are very rough numbers, but my point is worst worst worst case scenerio you will have a 1 in 10 chance of getting a Boxer that shows agression.

Each and every boxer will have it's crazy day where you are asking yourself why!!! ...but the positives weigh an average of 70lbs when the negatives are just one or two ounces... (hah!)

My only concern would be your 9 month old child. I myself would not recommend *any* puppy to be around a young child without *strict* supervision. However, from my experience - if I had to be my money on a breed, I would pick the Boxer.

My conclusion - if you are looking to get a pet, I would look elsewhere... Buying a Boxer will get you a pet for only one day, a family member for 10-12 years, and truly wonderful memories for a lifetime.

 

[Brennan Hill]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, they have really been helpful! We are pretty sold on boxers at this point. I have some other questions regarding breeders that I think I'll ask in another post.

Thanks again

 

[Nomi]

Yes! You do want a boxer!

I could not hold back my excitement

 

[Nat]

I too spent a lot of time reading up, and looking into various breeds.....and I don't regret for a second picking my female Boxer.

She shows absolutley no agression at all (she actually gets beat upon by my friends Husky and Ridgeback), and gives so much love and dedication.

All the children in our street come for dog plays - because she is so gentle and loving with them. She will sit there while the younger kids tug and pull, and even try to ride her!