Our puppy is finally home, and I need to share! (kinda long)

[Zolotoy]

Hi everyone,

After a long wait we finally got our baby boy on Friday (two days ago), who we named Ruski.

He is absolutely adorable, even more then we imagined. He has a face of an angel, and when he looks at you with those big eyes of his you can't say no to him. He adjusted remarkably well after a long journey by plane from interstate, and was very tired all day friday. Which did not stop him from playing and scaring the hell out of our two cats by barking at them.

I was ready to stay up all night with him as I thought he would cry all night from missing his brother, sisters and mom. However, he is absolutely adorable he slept all night and did not wake up till about 8am the next day.

We have been trying to feed him different things to see what he would prefer (the breeder did not tell me what she was feeding, even after numerous inqueries). He is eating well and seems to be very happy and energetic.

A few concerns:

He seems to be itching his ears alot. We cleaned them for him as they were quite dirty when he arrived. But he is still itching them. What worries me is that he may scratch himself so much that he will develope an irritation. Does anyone have any suggestions.

He seems to be peeing alot. I know that puppies pee all the time, but I never thought it will be this often. Can anyone tell me how often is normal, as I am trying to house train him and need to take him outside when he needs to go.

My two cats are not warming up to him at all. He really wants to play with them and tries to approach them, but they just hiss at him and run away. I really want them to get along! I can tell that Ruski would only be to happy to play with them, but how do I make the cats understand that he is not a threat?

And finally. My husband and I are at a disagreement. I really want to keep Ruski inside, but my husband says that he doesn't like dogs inside and that he will be fine outside (we have a large backyard). So far he has not protested greatly about me letting Ruski in, but he is definitely not happy. Can anyone suggest how can I make him understand that dogs need to be inside with their owners.

 

[Shakira's Ma]

Ruski

Zolotoy, first of all if there was even a hint that you would not be keeping this baby inside you should have never considered a boxer. Boxers are NOT outside dogs, they can not tolerate the heat and definately not the cold. . If you were intending to keep the dog outside then you should have considered another, more furry breed that can adapt to the elements. Boxers are not like other dogs, they are more human, and they would suffer not only physically keeping them outside but definately emotionally, the first thing I would consider is to get this cleared up with the hubby asap. Your question about the ears, I would suggest you have the puppy vet checked right away and have them to rule out ear mites. With ear mites the ears appear to be very dirty and after cleaning them the ears still itch very bad it is miserable for the little guy. About the cats, I would leave them alone and let the pup and the cats get to know each other on their own, unless, of course the cats are not declawed which could result in a very expensive vet bill for you if the puppy's eyes were to be clawed. It seems you have your hands full and what needs to be done right away is get that baby inside where it belongs and then get him to a vet for a complete check up and he will need to finish out his immunizations. Good Luck with your baby and tell your husband that leaving that pup outside is like leaving a skinkid (real baby) outside, it is just not right.

 

[DogNamed_Boo]

I have to agree ..Boxers are not an outside dog ...and especially a young puppy ..there is to much that can go wrong ..to many things...plus the fact the puppy can be stolen....:( Like Shakira's Ma said ...if there was even a question about keeping him inside ...you would have been better off with another breed ...Boxers are a people breed ..they love their people ....love & need the attention....To me its just not right to leave this wonerful breed outside ....

About peeing alot ...puppies do pee alot ...you need to take them out every 20 minutes or so ...they will stop in the middle of playing & pee ....also after a nap or in the morning ...pick him up & take him out ....don't let him walk to the door ....he'll stop & pee on the way to the door...use a key word ..like " lets go potty" or " "go Pee Pee" ..always go to the same place....& more important ...praise ...praise ...he'll catch on in no time ..

Good luck w/your hubby ...but if it was me ...I would set my foot down & say he is staying inside .....enough said about that ..!!!!

Good luck ....post some pics when you can ...

lovicon
Boo & Vickie

 

[angray]

Although Mugsy loves being outside, he is an indoor dog. He loves to play, but quickly becomes overheated and cries to go inside. In the winter, he hated to go out, and would only do his business out there. He hates the rain and cold, so we had to force him into being outside. I don't recommend that you keep him outside. Several of the books that I read before we were decided upon a boxer, stated that boxers were indoor dogs.

As far as peeing a lot. Mugsy went so often and we got him in the routine of peeing almost every 20 minutes, especially after naps, drinking, and eating. This gave him a routine and he quickly learned when he had to go out.

I don't know what to tell you about the cat situation. Is there any way you could let your cats sniff him without him jumping or barking?

Good Luck with whatever you decide.

 

[PattonsMOM]

I have to agree. Boxers are not otside dogs. Their fur isn't thick enough for harsh elements. Their muzzle isn't long enough either. Our babies can not handle living outside. Good luck with your husband on this. I would stand firm or find a new home for your new baby.

On another note, I can't wait to see pictures of your pup. Post some when you can.

January, Patton, and Asia

 

[Vela]

If your husband will not agree to him living inside you really should see if the breeder can take him back and find him a home that will allow him to live inside. First of all puppies get into LOTS of trouble and mischeif and should never be left outside anyway and secondly boxers are NOT suited to be outside dogs. As others have said they do not have the structure to be outsdie dogs. Every book I have ever read has told me they have to be inside dogs. Mine go out to play and potty but they live inside. Boxers are also very social and NEED their people. If they are not allowed inside with their families you will find they can become very destructive, out of boredom, bark and howl and whine a lot and sometimes become very antisocial to everyone around. With a boxer you aren't just taking on the responsibilty of a pet but of a family member. They are not like other breeds of dogs. They can develop very undesireable habits if not allowed to be with their people. Your husband is wrong, he will really NOT be fine to live outside all the time.

I would definitely get to the vet to see about the ears and to get a general checkup as soon as you can. Always good to get a health check on a new puppy.

As far as the cats go, give them someplace they can get away from him like a room or something they can get to but he cannot. You can use baby gates, etc. It is all new to them too and they will most likely eventually learn to coexist.

 

[lhsdavis]

My husband feels all dogs belong outside. But he slowly came around. He grew up where the dogs they had were strays and they really didnt like to be inside anyway. Now the only time he has a problem with it is when hes really irritated with me and he knows he'll get me going if he starts on about how my dogs were supposed to be outside dogs. I just agree with him and bring them in anyway. We have kind of met in the middle now, we have 2 acres fenced for them and they love it, so they come in when it gets dark or its bad(raining,cold, etc.)weather. I also will bring them in when I get home from work for a couple hours if they want. They really want me to come outside with them though, they dont miss anything then. They did sleep with us(which was only bad when they took from his side of the bed), but my male got so big it wasnt comfortable for them. So they each have a pillow in the living room, that way they can get to their water and do their security(looking for cats in the backyard) at night and now we all get rest when needed. I also pulled several articles off the webs about how they are shorthaired dogs and are not meant to be outside all the time. So its not that he doesnt agree about them coming in now(as if he doesnt bring them in when he knows they want to be inside), he just wants me to think hes me a huge favor. Besides my 2 yo daughter has figured out how to let them in now too, and thats one of her favorite things to do.

 

[FlashyTitus]

I was the same way for many years. Growing up, my father wouldn't allow dogs in the house. I always had the same attitude until I got my German Shepherd. My biggest fear was the dog messing and urinating in the house. Through lots of book reading and crate training everything worked out fine. After Max died I decided to get a boxer. I kept my books on the Shepherd breed and read them to famialize myself again with crate training. Then I bought a couple of books on boxers and the rest is history. I live in Wilmington NC. The winters get into the teens and the summers get above 100 degrees. A boxer wouldnt survive in this climate outside. I would personally try to find a new home for the boxer if you couldn't work things out with your husband. I don't believe taking the puppy back to the breeder would be a good idea. Evidentally the breeder isn't scanning their clients very well because if they were they would have never sold you a puppy knowing that you were going to have to keep it outside. I don't mean anything derogitory towards you at all so please don't take it that way. Before I purchsed Titus that breeder visited my house and asked lot's of questions to all of my family members. She made sure everyone understood that Titus would be taken care of properly before she would sale him to us.

 

[amandaryl]

Hello and welcome from a fellow Aussie

I have just been reading the other threads in relation to boxers being inside dogs and just wanted to say that my 15 month old boxer Jackson has always been an outside dog. He does come inside at night for a couple of hours and sits on his mat, but after that he is quite happy to go outside into his kennell.

I wish you all the very best with your new bundle of joy, boxers truly are a fantastic breed.

Amanda

 

[Zolotoy]

Thanks for all of your advice!

I just want to clear things up a little bit.

Where I live in Australia it never gets to cold. The coldest would probably be 15 Celsius (60 F), so I know that he won't get cold, but I am more worried about him emotionally. I love him to death and don't want to live him alone! As for my husband, his parents wouldn't let him keep his dogs inside so I think its just out of habit and I know that he is going to come around. And on the good side our puppy is spending almost all his time indoors at the moment. At the moment I only let him out to go to the toilet and play with me when it is sunny during the day. At night he stays in the laundry (we don't want him to scare the cats while we are sleeping), where he has a warm bed and a hot water bottle.

There is no way I would let him live outside, I just wanted some advice as to how to get my husband to understand that he should be inside without him giving me a dirty look. Anyway he has no right to complain I am doing a very good job making sure he doesn't get into mischief, and cleaning after his accidents.

He is a bundle of joy and I could never consider giving him up, I am just going to put my foot down and say that this is the way it’s going to be! Our baby is staying inside.

As for his ears we are going to get them checked out on Friday. He seems to be itching them less since we cleaned them, but he is still itching. The cats are now willing to approach him when he is asleep, but as soon as he moves they run for their lives! It is so funny to see as he is much smaller then them and they are still very scared. He has also been a very good boy in the toilet department; he seems to be understanding that he should be going outside. As soon as he feels like going he is heading for the door, however he usually doesn't make it that far .

I was also wandering about his biting. He bites all the time when he is playing and I am not sure if we should be allowing him to do this. If not how should we make him understand that it is wrong? When I tell him no he just thinks I am playing with him and gets even more exited.


Well thanks anyway.