New to boxers- questions in general

[SoleilBxrs]

a few answers

hi there,

congrats on deciding on a boxer.. the best breed ever! (we have 2, a male and a female) anyways, i will attempt to answer a few of the quetions, from my point of view...

1) boxers are trainable. the bore easily, so repeating commands is not the way to go. Our male graduated 3 levels of obed. classes w/ flying colors (puppy k., adult, and advanced) our female, though having not attended classes, has learned A LOT from her big brother. and as to obed. trails, the lady who runs the obed. practice at local kc, has 2 boxers! she said the key is gettting them to focus. (she has the "watch me" command engrained in her boy's minds)

3) brindling- i actually think the true "reverse brindle" is much harder to find. our little Nikki was darkest of her litter, though she has lightened up as she has gotten older (the "stripes" have spread out). So i think finding a lighter brindle will not be as hard as you think (just make sure you find a rep. breeder)

5) Temperment- having both male and female, i think the males are much more calm/relaxed. Cassius is more clingy than Nikki, he is a 70lb lap dog. IMO boys are more loving/sweet. infact, i've read that girls are much more independant, and more likely to want to wander. Our Nikki is quite bratty, though we love her to death.. she can be quite a handful (i don't remember cassius being so crazy). but both our dogs are actually quite well behaved/calm..

6) Price- We purchased our pups from a reputable breeder (who shows and health tests) in California. Cassius was supposed to be a show dog, but as nature would have it.. it didn't happen. Nikki has just started her show career, she was supposed to be $1250 (but since we knew our breeder and this was our second pup from her we actually got a little discount ) Show dogs run about $1200 (give or take a few hundred), and pets about $800 (give or take)

7) get in contact with your local Boxer Club. Attend their meetings attend local shows, talk to breeders there.. they can point you in the direction of responsible breeders with pups.

8) we've looked at almost EVERY reputable boxer breeder website out there.. (atleast all the ones in Cali) that was helpful for us to get an idea of what a correct boxer should look like, and so much more.

hope that was helpful.. good luck!

-Kat, Cassius and Nikita

ps. i commend you for doing so much research before!

 

[FarleyBoxer]

I just wanted to add my 2 cents, echo Smooshie and say that if you are not interested in conformation you may want to check out your area rescue group. I understand the pull of puppies, but perhaps an older puppy or adult dog could allay some of your concerns about your skinkid and furkid, ie, you could adopt a dog with a known temperament.

Also, I don't think anyone mentioned that there is an entire forum here on boxer books that you will want to visit!

Camille

 

[Gypsy'sMom]

I don't think I will attempt to answer any of your questions specifically. Just wanted to say it's great that you are doing your research well in advance of getting your boxer.

You may want to check and see if there are any shows in your area. This is a great place to see some gorgeous dogs, and to possibly meet some of the breeders in your area. Alot of the more reputable breeders only have maybe a couple of litters a year, so if you start looking now, it will give you time to find someone you are comfortable with. This way you can be on their 'list' possibly before the puppies are even conceived. I think it's the Boxer Eastern Regional Specialty (may not have name exactly right)that is being held in Frederick MD the first week in October.

There are some older pics of Gypsy in my gallery. I would say she is probably a medium brindle. She was one of the darkest in her litter, but as was mentioned, as she has gotten older, the striping has gotten wider. (note to self - post new pics! )

Good luck in your search, you have found a great resource here, and keep us posted on how things are going.

 

[MerryB923]

You have made an excellent decision. I will just give you some examples of my experience- I am also a first time boxer owner- I have had him since Sept. and he just turned one year old.

He was very easy to train. Boxers are smart, but stubborn. When I tell him to sit, he does, eventually- when "he feels like it".

He used to jump a lot, but he is starting to calm down, we are working on it. Also when he gets really excited he runs in circles- hes a comedian so much fun!

He is lighter brindle- check out the photos of him not too close up on the coat but you can see- most people compare his brindle to tiger stripes- they look very similar

I bought a book called The love of Boxers- not the best in my opinion but helpful if you have questions when you are raising him/her.

I have never had a female but have heard that they have more of a tendency to run away. The males are laid back and loyal. I love my boy, but we're getting a girl soon.

I dont have kids yet, so Samson was only around children when I go to visit my cousins or friends that have children. All the kids love him and I am proud to say he has cured many children's fears of dogs. I have a cousin that will drag him around the yard when we bring him to family get togethers and he could care less how much she tugs at him. He likes to kiss their bellies. None better than the boxer when it comes to children

 

[Garrick27]

Excellent information - thank you!

I've read the thread on 'are females fiesty' and it seems like I may want a male - More laid back suits our style. Ultimately, it will come down to what the breeder rates the dogs temperment as and my own testing. I'm a firm believer in testing tempermant yourself. Even 10 minutes can show you whether the dog is more dominant, shy, meek, confident... basically rating the temperment from soft to hard. I doubt I'll find too many 'hard' or seriously prey driven, pain insesitive boxers. And thats a good thing hehe. I dont need a ScH III ;-)

I've also looked at the gallery today - specifically some of the posters - those are some gorgeous puppies! I haven't had a dog for maybe 10 years and I cant wait to get one again! Having a pal lean on you and give you the 'cheer up dad' look, running and catching and flying through the air. Ahhh good times. And yes - some of you have dogs similar to what I prefer - fawn to reddish with well developed swirl or stripes. But all of them are gorgeous =)

I know that the MD Boxer club is centered in Westminister, so I'll contact them soon. As you say, any breeder and myself have to decide that we trust one another and that we can be partners in our furry endeavor.


One thing I forgot to ask - house training? I assume since they sharp pups they do just fine. Ive seen it go both ways. But there are some breeds out there that I have seen that seem to take a long time to 'get it'.


Other than that I think I have a good feel for them. I'll be seeking out some breeders and groups soon to see them in action.

Thanks for the info. I'll be posting updates as we go!

 

[MerryB923]

Garrick- I couldnt agree with you more... having my new baby brightens up everyday of my life- I so look forward to getting home from work to see how happy he is to see me! Theres nothing like it! Noone should be without one!

My boxer house trained in no time. He probably went in the house once or twice before he figured it out. The crate really helped, but we didnt need it long at all- just watch out for the 6 month point! They get a little rebellious!

 

[M&M'sMaMa]

HI, Like you I did a lot of research before deciding on boxers. And once I did decide to get boxers, I prepared for 6 months with supplies and puppy proofing (and lots and lots and lots of reading and researching).
Let me quick give you a little background about my pups... I have a brindle male (Metal) and a fawn female (Magnolia) that are littermates. I got them at 9 weeks and they are now 6 months...
For your first question:
1. I found that the pups learned really fast. We started training the instant they came home at 9 weeks and have never really stopped. We use all positive reinforcement and it is working like a charm. Metal is so good that i could be outside and say "Go to bed" and he will run in the house, through the kitchen, through the dining room, go up the stairs, make a right, go into the bedroom and sit in his crate for however long it takes me to get up there! So far I haven't had any stubborn streaks... when they start getting to excited, I just put them in a "sit-stay" or a "down-stay" and reward them and they calm right down.
2. As for quirks... i'll tell you, we have tried and tried and tried and are still trying to get our pups to not jump and I'll tell you, i honestly don't think this will ever happen. They love people so much that they just want to jump up and kiss you... they calm down in a matter of 2 minutes but those first two minutes are pretty intense especially if small children are around (which we are sure to have the dogs under our full control if small children are around).
3. as for the brindle... i have a light colored brindle male and he is truly stunning. he is on my avitar, but it's hard to see. He actually looks tiger striped. I don't think brindles are rare at least not in the area i live in (PA) hopefully you will find one easy too.
4. I have read many books and I agree that Joan Hustace Walkers "Training Your Boer" is very good. I also enjoyed The Boxer Handbook by the same author and Boxers by Johanna Thiel. Of course BW is a jewel of a source for information.
5. Temperment i think varies in every dog but from my own personal opinion of my 2 pups distinctly different personalities... Metal is very chill, lovey and kind of dopey and he is VERY obediant. Magnolia is very playful, and very lovey-dovey (just like her brother) but she is very quick and smart and can be very stubborn at times.
As for price and breeders in your area it all depends... but best of luck and i hope i've helped you with some information! Best of luck

 

[l8krgirl08]

We got our first boxer when my son was 3 months old and we put him to sleep last summer at almost 8. They grew up together and I reccomend it. We got our baby now in March and my youngest was two in April. He absolutely loves Bugzy and Bugzy loves him. He puts up with all the ear and nub pullin without any aggresion whatsoever. They really are the best dogs for kids. Even with their size and strength they just seem to know when they're dealing with a child. My baby is a med. to light brindle although the pics in my gallery make it hard to tell. I love his color. My friend bought his sister and she's much darker. I think the lighter looks better but they're all beautiful. I think you are making the right decision with a boxer. Good luck!