New Member seeks advice

[Matthewob]

Hello everyone!
My name is Matthew and my wife and I are investigateing the boxer as a dog for our family. We live in Northern Calif in a house with a large fenced yard. We have 2 sons a 5 year old and a 1 and a half year old. We have researching different breeds for a while and the boxer seems to have many of the traits we are looking for not the least of which is thier love of children. Also every boxer owner we run into has nothing but wonderful things to say about thier dogs. However there are a couple things I have heard here and there that I would like to get your experieced opinion on before we move forward.

1. Boxers are dog aggressive. While I will be certain to keep my dog on a leash where appropriate, I really don't want a dog which is constantly lunging at other dogs as we walk down the street. Also there are several dog parks as well as opens space where people often walk there dogs of lead and would hate to have to worry about my dog constantly getting into fights. Is there a difference between a male or female in this regard. I want to be able to have my dog get some excersise and have fun running and playing with other dogs.

2. Boxers tend to excessively chew and drool. (which can ruin your house)
We are planning to crate our dog.

Both my wife and I have jobs which allow us to be home at different times of the day. We also have a full time baby sitter who will be involved with the dog. So the dog will not be spending the whole day by him or herself. Also, are there any opinions on which is a better sex for a pet with kids. My wife wants a dog which will also offer her some sense of security when she is home alone or on a run. (I assume both sexes would be fine in this regard)

My last question: How much exercise do they need. I've read that they need alot but what does that mean. Obviously we would play and pay attention to the dog throughout the day - but in terms of "exercise" my wife and I go on a 2 mi. walk most days. Is this enough? Can thay learn to "fetch"? This was always a great way to exercise my goldern retreiver when I was in college.

I would greatly appreciate your responses. I love most everything I have read about boxers and I find them to be absolutely gorgeous but I want to be responsible and check them out as thoroughly as possible.

PS
I know my second son is still young consider bringing a dog into the family, but both my wife and I have had dogs and understand the time comittment involved in raising a puppy. While we have not ruled out a "rescue" we both would like our dog to be raised with our kids.

Thanks
Matthew

 

[brandi's mom]

I will try to answer some of your questions. As far as boxers being dog aggressive, I have not found this to be so. But i have socialized my dogs from a very young age. So far they have not met another dog they have not liked. I take them to petsmart all the time and have never had a problem. We do not have a dog park in my area, but do have a fenced park where dogs are allowed on lead, we frequent this area also without any problems so far..

As far as crate training, it is the right thing to do. neither of my dogs drool at all, except right after drinking, they do wipe their mouth after eating on anything they can find, but this is solved by catching them as soon as they finish their dinner. Also mine have only occasionally chewed inappropriate items, (furniture legs and a piece of linoleum) but i view that as "normal" in any puppy and not a "boxer" trait. They now only chew their things..

I have both a female and a male. As far as which sex is better with kids both of mine are great. But my male is way more laid back than my female. He is just a big lazy lug. But every boxer is different, they each have their own personality, i do not think the sex of the dog matters at all..

as far as excersize, i have a med size not fenced yard. I have 40 ft leads that i attach to harnesses and they play out every day for between 40 to 60 minutes. Sometimes more sometimes less. We also take a walk every day. Both of my dogs love to fetch.
and lastly, both of my dogs are also protective, if we are on a walk and they spot someone my male is the one that will move forward and do the "boxer position".. if in the house it is my female who is more protective, she barks and alerts us to things she thinks we need to know about while my male just lays there..

sorry so long but you asked a lot of questions, also i am sure you will get a lot of good info, these are my opinions with my two furbabys..!!

Good luck!!

 

[Scorpio]

Matthew,

Well I just got my first boxer pup hes 3 months old. I did a lot of research too. I know a lot of boxer owners around where I live and never met an aggressive boxer yet. Every boxer I have met when looking at puppies at breeders have always been gentle but excited.

I think if you bring your boxer on a 2 mi walk with you, you've got it made. They also need play time exercise too, fetch etc. they are quite energetic.

Can't seem to remember any boxer drooling?? My rottie does when he sees us eating he's a lush.

they are great with kids. Well good luck making your choice but of course the best choice is the boxer (my guys won my heart) just like having one more baby aboard :o

 

[Mommy2Cool]

Welcome to the Board!

I commend you for asking all the right questions before obtaining a new member for your family! It sounds as if you have done a lot of research!

I don't think that Boxers are aggressive at all! They tend to play roughly with other dogs, growling and wrestling, and to others it may look as if they are out to kill eachother. This is not at all true, it is just a Boxer at play.

Personally, I have a female, and she is wonderful with my children, she knows how to play differently with each of them. She will rough house with my older kids (8 and 6) but is much more gentle with my 2 year old. They all know how to treat a dog, but sometimes get a little too rough, and she doesn't seem to mind at all. I do not believe that the gender of the Boxer will make a difference, both males and females make excellent playmates, and if properly sociallized, will be very good with your kids.

Yes, Boxers can be aggressive chewers. But all puppies do, and if given appropriate toys, and re-directed, can easily be taught to chew their own toys.

My female does not drool. She will however drool at dinner time, but I think this is normal dog behaviour. Some Boxers drool more than others.

You asked which gender would make a better protector. In my opinion, both would. Nash only barks if someone comes in the yard or if someone, or another dog she doesn't trust approaches my kids or myself. Otherwise she is extremely friendly, and lovable. All of my children's friends adore her.

Lastly, you asked about exersize. I take Nash for nightly walks, and play with her in our fenced in backyard. As you have mentioned, we play fetch, and it is usually enough to wear her out. Boxers do need to have a lot of exersize if you want them to settle down in the house, but I believe this to be true for most larger breeds.

I may be biased, but in my opinion, I could not have asked for a better breed for our family. Nash makes an excellent family pet. You mentioned that you do not want to adopt a rescue. I can tell you from my personal experience, that is definately something to consider. I have 3 children, and did not want to potty train yet again! We adopted a 2 year old, and she is still very puppy like, in that she loves to play. But she was already house, and crate trained, and I did not have another baby around.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide!

 

[WAT]

Hi, everyone has done a great job on answering your questions so I will make this short. As far as you worrying about a Boxer and your children, there is no worry. My son is 15 months old and have 2 Boxers, Minx is almost 2 and Blaze will be 5 months. They are gentle around my son and look out for him. There is one problem though, they love to give him kisses, sometimes too many kisses! Other than that I trust them completely! Good luck with your decision, but I think you can't go wrong with a Boxer. Whether a rescue or a puppy!

 

[Sam S]

Hi Matthew & family

Welcome! What a wonderful choice of dog....there is none better than the beautiful, intelligent, loving boxer.
Boxers are NOT aggressive (although any dog can be), it is not in their general nature to be, in fact you maybe surprised to know Labs can be more aggressive.
Boxers can drool & chew, but no more than many other breeds. Our female NEVER drools, but yes our male does. Both have chew toys and once past the real puppy stage neither chewed on anything they weren't suppose to.
Its good that your dog will have plenty of company, as boxers need plenty of love and attention.
Ali is a particularly good watch dog and gives a "warning bark" when people walk past our home.
As far as exercise we walk Ali & Eric everyday up to about 4km, although 2 miles would be ok. Our boxers can "fetch" but don't very often "bring back", but this is a good game too!

They are great dogs, wonderful with children.....the boxer i had as a girl practically raised me (we got her when i was 8 months old).

Good luck....i hope this helps.

 

[Loke]

They are the best! Loke never is "dog aggressive" but she will lunge at dogs on walks because she wants to play! We got her as a puppy while my oldest child was only 5 months old, so they grew up from babies together. She was great! She took the ear pulling, lip stretching and being mistaken for a jungle gym all in stride! She is my 3 year old's constant companion. As for protection, I worry not when I am home alone. She can put a fright in someone if she wants to.

 

[Ally]

Obviously I'm a little biased but I think the boxer is an excellent dog to have around children. I have a 5yr old daughter and 2 year old son and our last boxer was great with them. (She died recently). I've had 5 boxers since being a child and none of them have taken too well to other dogs that they don't know. However it never really caused a problem for us. Holly would growl like mad when she was on her lead and act all tough but as soon as we let her off she would run a mile!
Out of the 5 dogs we have had (4 male 1 female) it was definitely the female that drooled the least and was the most placid. She also got on the best with other dogs compared to our 3 males. Not sure whether this had anything to do with her being a female or whether it was just Holly. She was a good guard dog and would growl at anyone who came to our door that she didn't know. Also the good things about boxers is they don't shed much hair. Good luck with your chioce. I would never choose any other dog than a boxer. They are the best.

 

[Dempsey J's mom]

Here's another owner's short opinions/experience:

1. My male is NOT aggressive, but will try to play with other dogs when we are walking on leash. That's my fault for not training him properly. We have a great dog park and my boxer is one of the favorites. Everyone loves him and he's never had aggression problems. As someone else mentioned, they can get pretty rowdy and growly when they play--just be aware that it IS play.

2. My male boxer has never drooled. He gets a little "foamy" when he exercises hard. he is also not a big chewer--in fact, he hardly chews at all. A rawhide bone will last him 6 months. I kept him in a crate while I was away until he was 16 months old.

3. I am a middle school teacher and take the boxer to class all the time. he loves those kids, and he is actually less hyper around them. I don't know how he is with tiny tykes.

4. He likes what some would call excessive exercise. The dog park has a mile track that I walk, and I usually do 4 laps. I figure he runs 2-3 miles for every one I do. This, however, is not what he NEEDS--just what he likes. He does seem to need to be exercised every day--or else no one sleeps at night.

Best of luck. Let us know what you decide!

 

[myrocky]

Well just to give my two cents.....I am a first time boxer mom and I could not of asked for a better dog. Rocky is a rescue and I got him when he was about 3/4 months old. He was house and crate trained in about 3days. He learned how to use the bell to let us know he wants outside by himself. I just hung it up on the door and he went to work. He is an

Any dog can be dog aggressive if not treated right and socialized poorly. And you will be surprised in your future adventures to see more labs and goldens being aggressive. Rocky just wants to play and that is why he lunges, which is being worked on.

Rocky has NEVER chewed anything else but his toys. He has not once touched anything that was not his. He is a very determined chewer and loves to chew. Kong is the only thing that has lasted us. Nylabones are thrown out in about a week, and we are talking the biggest one they make!

Even though he is a puppy he has protected me more than once. He had been living with us for a couple of weeks when I was walking him. A huge black lab came out and was growling and lunging at me, Rocky stood in front of me and growled right back. Mind you he was only 3/4 months old at the time. Now he has formaly met this lab and is fine with him, just don't mess with his mamma! Or he can be a That is only one example of him protecting the pack.

He does not drool at all. Might get a little something after playing. Very sloppy drinker, makes the worst mess! LOL

Things to keep in mind when thinking about the boxer:
1. big lap dog, they want to cuddle and be with you. Some ppl don't like that...
2. they need to be with their pack. They want to be around you constantly. They will follow you everywhere and check on you all the time. Again some people don't like that.
3. very rough players. They bite and growl and box other dogs. Most other dog owners don't understand and will think you dog is being aggressive. Just have to deal and maybe try and educate them...

Good luck in your search for your family dog! I hope you are successful.......