:) new owners of a 3 month old female boxer, every advice needed!(small dog included)

[awoww]

Hi there, This is my first post using boxer world so my apologies if this is the wrong subject forum.

My boyfriend and I are getting our female brindle boxer ("Oakley" born may 11,2011) and will be getting her next month on june 6th. We have a 4 year old male chihuahua (Toby) who is very protective of us but does not have anxiety issues since he is very used to us leaving him alone while we are at work. (never chewed on anything in the house but his food and we always leave toys and the tv turned on for him) He has grown up with one other small dog in the house so we know he can get a long just fine. My boyfriend and I have had a soft heart for a boxer for over a year now and have done some research on them and think they are the perfect bigger dog for us. I do have several questions that i would really love to know and need help with as she is still a puppy and this is the best way possible to get started, we have a month to get everything we possibly need as we want her to live a fantastic life.

1. To start off, What should we buy for her? Collar ? leash? crate? ect..
If crate is needed, would she feel jealous that my chihuahua is not in one and feel neglected?

2. How can i introduce Oakley to Toby when they first meet?

3. What would be the best food for a healthy growing puppy? And how many cups do they eat a day of kibbles?

4. What are ways to train her not to chew on our furniture, cable wires, shoes, clothes ect? Or will she notice that Toby does not do that and will copy him?

5. How many walks a day do they need?

6. Should i bring her around people a lot so she gets more socialized and friendly?

7. How do i train her not to be too aggressive while playing with Toby? and also not to jump around so much

8. How to pottytrain ?

Thank you guys so much for your answers I really appreciate every one of your help!

 

[Caney Creek]

Welcome, congrats on your soon-to-be new addition! And kudos on joining this site to give your puppy the best possible start on her new life!

1. To start off, What should we buy for her? Collar ? leash? crate? ect..
If crate is needed, would she feel jealous that my chihuahua is not in one and feel neglected?

- Collar and PUPPY leash -- not a retractable one, and not a big, heavy leash either, you want it to be lightweight so that she can drag it around on her own easily. That is the first step in leash training.
- Toys of all sizes, shapes, and textures, to stimulate all senses
- Chew toys -- nylabones, kongs, raw bones (NO rawhides or cooked bones)
- crate -- I think she should be fine with your other dog being out of the crate, Caney was fine with it as a puppy since we didn't crate Creek, we just put Creek's bed close to the crate.
- bed
- food -- a good quality All Life Stages food is all she needs, not necessarily a puppy food. Check out Dog Food Analysis for ratings and reviews on foods.
- food bowl
- an all-natural baby sunscreen if your pup has any areas of white fur (yes, they get sunburned!)
- enzyme-based pet stain cleaner, for the inevitable

2. How can i introduce Oakley to Toby when they first meet?

I would introduce them outside in your yard first, keeping a leash on Toby (don't need to hold the end of it just let him drag it around) just in case. This is assuming you have a fenced in yard... if you don't, find a closed-in area outdoors (without other distractions) where it's safe to have them off-leash. You want it to be a place where Toby will feel comfortable and not be distracted by other things, but also don't want him to get protective of his own "turf" if that might be an issue.

3. What would be the best food for a healthy growing puppy? And how many cups do they eat a day of kibbles?

A lot of members here feed Taste Of The Wild, it is grain-free and for All Life Stages, and is by far the most affordable food with a rating of 6 stars (rated on the DFA site I linked above). My girl Caney weighs 63 lbs and eats slightly less than 3 cups (that's measuring cups, not some giant solo cup ) of TOTW daily, split into two feedings. Based on your pup's projected adult weight and the food you choose to feed, this could vary. I'd suggest figuring that out first and then posting your question in the feeding forum later.

4. What are ways to train her not to chew on our furniture, cable wires, shoes, clothes ect? Or will she notice that Toby does not do that and will copy him?

Well it's definitely a plus that Toby doesn't chew the furniture so she won't be picking that up from him! It will just take training and consistency. And supervision, of course. That's where the crate will come in handy, so she can be in there whenever you're not home to watch her. When you are home and catch her chewing on something she shouldn't be, just take it away and give her something appropriate, like a chew-toy.

5. How many walks a day do they need?

As a puppy, walks should be short, and not so much for the purpose of exercise but more for getting out and seeing the world, and of course, for leash-training. Too much forced exercise is not good for puppies, so most of her exercise early on will be in the form of play.

Later on she'll require more walks, I'd assume at least an hour a day when she's a young adult. That could vary depending on her energy level. Every dog is different, so you'll just have to figure out what works for her when the time comes.

6. Should i bring her around people a lot so she gets more socialized and friendly?

YES! As many as possible, absolutely!!!
Socialization With People | Dog Star Daily

7. How do i train her not to be too aggressive while playing with Toby? and also not to jump around so much

Hopefully Toby will be able to put her in her place as needed, but being so small himself I'm sure you will have to intervene once in a while, until she learns the boundaries with Toby. When she gets too rambunctious, separate them. Make sure that she gets plenty of socialization, play-time and exercise apart from Toby, one to give him a break, and two to wear her out a bit so that she's not SO wound up when she does play with him.

8. How to pottytrain ?

SUPERVISION and CONSISTENCY! Never let her out of your sight in the house. Take her for frequent breaks outside. Make sure that she's not left in her crate for more than a couple of hours at a time (the "rule" for crating is one hour per month of age, topping out at 8 hours, and only if absolutely necessary) so that she isn't forced to soil her crate. If she makes a habit of this it could be impossible to break her of it. Don't scold her if you catch her going in the house. If you catch her in the act, QUICKLY pick her up and run outside with her. Wait up to 20 min to allow her to finish what she started. When she does, praise like crazy!

Come up with a potty command and use it every time she does her business. ALWAYS praise her like crazy whenever she "goes" in the yard. I mean CRAZY. The more excited you get = the more excited she gets = the more she will WANT to repeat this behavior that earns her a party every time.



Another issue you'll no doubt run into -- bite inhibition :D
Puppy Biting | Dog Star Daily
Teaching Bite Inhibition | Dog Star Daily

And, these are wonderful resources:
BEFORE You Get Your Puppy
AFTER You Get Your Puppy


Good luck!

 

[houboxmom]

Wow Caney - I wish I had read this advice prior to getting Milo! We got Winston at age 5 & he was already trained so when Milo arrived it was all new (and a little crazy)! Great advice!!!