Getting My First Boxer

[csilv]

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to be getting my little boxer! It's been about 3 years since I've had a dog of my own. My boyfriends dog just had puppies (yes, this was an accident. We made a sincere and valient effort to avoid it. But what can we say? Chunky stole a homerun himself during the World Series and dug his way over to the other side of the fence where Roxy was. D'oh!) I guess somethings are meant to be, and I guess I was meant to have this puppy. Her nickname is Shark Bait for now, but her name will be Vegas. We've obviously watched 'Finding Nemo' a few too many times. She's also the runt. The day she was born, I was just totally charmed by her. After some careful consideration as to whether or not myself or my household was ready to have another "kid," I decided to keep her. We're all very excited. She's only two weeks old right now, but I'm really glad to be able to have full participation in every second of her life, and I'm looking forward to all the memories we'll be forging together. I can't wait to take her home, but at least I get to see her all the time anyways. It'll be nice to have her to come with me on my morning runs and to hang out on South Beach with all the other dog owners. One of her brothers will be staying with my boyfriend's family 10 blocks from my house, so they'll be schoolmates and play pals, too. My family's has always had dogs, but I wasn't born yet when they had their first Boxer, Whiskey. So I've been reading alot about them to make sure I'm ready for when she comes home. In the last weekend I've read 3 books and I've been glued to this website. Well anyways, I couldn't contain my excitement any longer! :D Thanks for all the great info on this site. It's been really informative. By the way, maybe I get can a few more questions answered... Right now I'm debating the spading issue. I'm not plannng on breeding her, but she's going to be at my side every second, so I'm not worried about any accidents. But still I'd like to spade her more because I here that it can help prevent cervical cancer. On the other hand, I don't want to do it too soon because I'm scared it might mess up her growth developement, and I've also heard that spading them makes them get fat. So any advice on this matter will be greatly appreciated. And I know she can start puppy classes at 8 weeks of age, but how old is old enough to have her come with me to work out in the mornings? I mean, I figured it will be good routine to get her started in as soon as possible, but of course I don't want to rush her. That way we'll have some bonding time and both get our exercise, and we can use it to get some regular practice in her obedience training. At what age is it ok to have her doing about a solid half hour of exercise and training? My rotweilder was 4 1/2 months when we got her (miss her so much ) and all of our other dogs have been small breeds, so taking them to work out with me was never a option. Hope you guys can help.


Thanks

CS

 

[sashamom]

Congratulations!!
This site is wonderful and great for advice.....you can use the 'search' option and type in virtually anything and gets tons of information!! Good Luck and Enjoy!!
Sasha(also the runt of her litter) and Lisa

 

[Barb_IA]

Hi and Welcome to Boxerworld!

Barb and Lacey

 

[AZ Boxer Boys]

Welcome to Boxerworld and congratulations on your-soon-to-be puppy. The weeks will fly by and she will be all yours sooner than you know.
Cindy

 

[Basil's Mom]

If you don't plan to breed her you should definately have her fixed. There are too many unwanted pets out there, it's your duty to prevent more. Your vet can tell you the best time to do that. You never know when another accident could happen.
Congrats on your new family member.

 

[Gus’s Mom]

Hello and welcome!

Linda & Murray

 

[Sabrina Jay]

The pup was a product of an accident from what you stated. Believe me, if she is kept intact, more than likely that will happen to her also. For her health, please have her spayed. You can spay her at 6 months of age. Its also easier on them when they are younger. (in fact, you will probably have trouble keeping her quiet!). Spaying/neutering does not cause them to not reach their growth potential. It also does not cause them to become fat. (not exercising & over-feeding is what causes animals to become fat).

The pup should not be taken out to parks, beaches, classes etc until they have completed their series of vaccines. (Around 12-16 weeks of age). You can start the training process at home as soon as you bring the pup home. This starts with housebreaking, getting the pup use to scheduled feeding times, crate training, getting use to having their ears, feet and body touched. Start clipping the nails from early on and do this every week. Nothing says you have to get all the nails done at one sitting. If you have to, do one or two nails, play with the pup some, then do some more nails. Make it a fun experience for them, then they will learn that it isn't a big deal.

As far as running & excess jumping, you should wait until the dog is done growing. It will cause too much stress on the joints during their growing period. Walks are fine, but not hard running.

Make sure the pup stays with mom and littermates at least until she is 8 weeks old. (prefered age is 9-10 weeks). This is vital for proper social development, bite inhibination, and other lessons learned from mom and the other pups.

Use the SEARCH function key on the boards and you will find lots of previous threads on many of the items.

Good luck with your pup.

 

[csilv]

Thanks for the imput. She's not my first puppy, just my first boxer. So I'm used to the house breaking and socialization aspects of raising them up right. My boyfriend called me and told me that when he looked in on them this morning, her eyes were wide open. So I can't wait to see her again and take a few more pictures. Stay tuned!

 

[Boxeraddict]

Hello and Welcome -
We just finished our obedience training, they will not take pups younger than 4 months old - that falls right in line with the reason of needing to have all the vaccinations completed before the pup is introduced to areas that other dogs have been as mentioned by Sabrina Jay

Vegas is adorable, enjoy the puppy times and take lots of pictures!!

Wendy & Baron

 

[csilv]

Thanks. I'm Miami they admit puppies as early as 8 weeks. Strangely some of the books I've read recommend starting them at that age. Does anyone have any suggestions as to other books I should read?

Thanks