New boxer owner looking for advice

[barbiespoodle]

Hi to all you boxer lovers. I'm hoping a few of your will pipe in and tell me you personal experience with this breed.

Two weeks ago I finally had to take my very old chow cross in to be put down. I have a young standard poodle who is very dog social, so last week I decided to go to the local pound and find him a companion. I got good vibes from an 18 month old spay boxer bitch and brought her home to join my family.

I have never owned a boxer before, I have had limited experience with them in the past and they always struck me as a good natured type dog, a very different kind of dog than my beloved standard poodles, I think boxers look like they've been chasing parked cars, but still a good looking dog in their own respect.

It's the general breed traits, habits and basic care I would like some imput on from as many of you that would like to respond.

I do have some history on the breed, like how they got their name and Tosh sure lives up to that, I think it's cute.

It's the rest I get confused on because I work in a large retail store and 2 people I work with own one or more boxers and another's daughter has 2. I hear from one that they are gentle, intelligent, affectionate, great with kids, hear from another that they get aggressive as they get older and are not to be trusted and are impossible to train in any respect. I have also heard from several boxer owners that they are basically goofballs the first two years of their lives, basically pups during that time and I can deal with that, standard poodles are the same, takes longer to mature mentally and physically.

So far Tosh seems good natured. There are problems, but I consider that the 'new dog' type of thing, can't introduce any new dog into the family without some problems. Plus I do have to deal with the baggage she came with from her past life. Can't say she was abused or neglected, but I can tell she was brought up different than how I bring up dogs. We'll work on it, I'm sure it will all work out in the end.

This is her, don't get too critical, she's a $40 pound rescue, if I wanted a great boxer, than I would have gone to a breeder and paid for a great boxer, but then again, I really wasn't looking for a boxer, she was just the dog that gave me the best vibes at the pound. She's small, only just makes the 22" (at shoulders) minimum for a bitch, but that's fine, Chewie is on the large size for a standard poodle, almost 26", so I prefer a bit smaller dog, I have a tiny house and now two basically puppies tearing it up, lol. I do think she has pretty hind legs, and nice tight, arched feet, :D.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a248/mamaturkey/003.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a248/mamaturkey/001.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a248/mamaturkey/009.jpg

[Monkey]

they are cute together!! AWWW..

Well boxers are HIGHLY trainable.. BUT they need motivation... they can be a bit trickier to motivate but once you get them going..

A lot of physical exercise, and not trustworthy as older? well no dog is never 100% trustworthy and most dogs as they grow older do grow a bit grumpy and less patient so thats fairly natural. With guarding dogs that can express itself a bit more which I think makes people feel that they can't be trusted.

Other than that I dont know much.. I have only dealt with a handfull in different stages of life and they have all been happy go lucky pups but it is with them as all othe dogs, training, exersice and socialisation..

Good luck with her, she is SO cute..

[bunnyphone]

I've never owned a boxer but I've met lots in the park and they've all been really playful and sweet. I've never met an aggressive one, and they never seem to mind being bossed about by my little collie :)
I think sometimes people meet a dog that behaves a certain way, then pronounce that all dogs of that breed are like that.

[Melamaphine]

I've never owned a boxer, but in my experience of them there are two kinds...the ones that are uncontrollable and insane, and the ones that are insane but have excellent owners to channel it into something useful.

Most boxers are quite high-energy I believe, and I'm not sure how they rate in intelligence but the ones I've met weren't the sharpest tools in the box (one I knew just used to headbutt things incessantly). Another I knew just used to run around completely oblivious of its surroundings, it was dizzying to watch!

However, there's a guy that walks in our local park with a red boxer bitch, and every evening I see him training her and she is fantastic. The level of obedience and focus he has got from her is astounding, it changed my opinion of them somewhat as I thought they were all a bit on the slow side before then.

Having spoken to the guy with the boxer, he has told me that it has taken a lot more work on retaining her attention than it would with a collie for example, but he's proved it can be done. He said that it has worked well for him as naturally boxers are lunatics, channeling the energy into something she uses her brain for helps keep her on planet earth rather than in boxer la-la land!

[Chaz]

I have also met two kinds of Boxers but different kinds than melamaphine, most are lovely but there is two that are allowed off lead and are not dog friendly, for this I don't blame the dogs but the owners, these dogs are the ones that attacked my Honey on her first walk leaving her in stitches, but like I said I blame the owners. I like how playful they are and think that they are beautiful dogs. They can be clever, I remember seeing a photo in a book that there was two boxers who was the first to be used as night guard dogs in a London park so they must be clever.

[Spicy_VV]

OMG she is super pretty. I used to have Boxers and love them to death. They are easy to train, they are pretty quick learners and you can teach them all types of tricks, most are alert and good watchdogs but are overall pretty friendly, they can have several health problems from skin/food allergies to serious cardiac problems some causing sudden death or symptoms, they need sufficient excercise and can have a lot of energy. They love to play and of course love their family.

Yes some have aggression issues and they do start to show with age and time, but that is due to poor breeding, even with training and socialization the problems can still pop up, I had one which was nervous type and also developed some fear aggression issues. It can take a lot of patience and effort to deal with these problems.

I'd say they are goofballs much longer then that, many are goofy fun loving, silly "pups" their whole lives or most of it. It varies from dog to dog but many are that way, clowns.

[white cat lover]

I've got to laugh. I fostered a purebred Boxer for the 3 days it took for him to get adopted over a year ago. He was hilarious.

I'd take him for a walk, he'd decide he had enough - so he'd stop dead in his tracks. I think a truck could've hit him & not made him move if he didn't want to. So what did I do? I kept a treat in my hand. If he stopped it meant he was bored with just "walking" so we did some tricks. He'd then be ready to "just walk" again.

Smart as a whip dog. Just stubborn, too. Not aggressive, but did damage a kitty being an idiot-head that Boxers are. Placed him in a cat-free home.

[agilityk9trainer]

Interesting to hear the wide variety of opinions on boxers, and that's my experience with them as well. I've taught several in class and have know even more in the agility arena. They can differ greatly.

I think the one thing you most often see in common is that they are puppies for a lifetime. That puppy-head never grows up. This can be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on what you want to do with your boxer.

Several trainers I know call them "box of rocks" instead of boxers because it's hard to train through that puppy-head. In other words, they consider them dense. For boxer-lovers, please don't shoot the messenger here. I've known some pretty bright boxers, so i don't call them "box of rocks" myself. However I've known some dense boxers, too. I find they are a breed that does not have a in-bred level of intelligence that you can find in most pure bred dogs. (for example most border collies really are smart.)

As for aggressions, I've known some really aggressive boxers and some of the sweetest dogs ever were boxers. It's just a mixed bag with the breed. Most boxers I've known were high energy, but I also know several couch potato boxers.

So the reason you're getting so many different responses is because the breed really is a bit all over the road. And I'm sure regional or even national traits exist, too. So the boxers I'm familiar with may not resemble the boxers in your area.

It

[*Tera*]

I have 2 boxers.. Joey is 2 and a half years old an cowboy is 7 months old.. Joey is the best dog..he is so smart..he knows over 70 different commands an tricks an is SUPER easy to train..he picks up new tricks instantly. And was so easy to house break. He will do anything to please and gets so upset when he thinks he let me down. He is amazingly careful with children..he seems to know who he can be rough with and who he can’t.. He will wrestle and knock my husband to the floor but will just lay still if I try and wrestle with him..he wont even play tug a war with me..but will with my husband.. HOWEVER..he can be sneaky at times and will try and get away with whatever he can.. You have to be firm but gentle with him. He is very loyal and loves everyone..he will only become protective if we act suspicious about something (he knows a attack command) BUT he was not always the perfect dog..he used to chew on everything..he once ate a couch cushion. He used to chew on table legs and jump up on the bar in our kitchen.. Then when we brought my son home as a new born its like Joey instantly new he had to “grow up” (he was only one year old at the time) since we have had my son..who is now 15 months old..joey has not chewed on anything other then bones and he no longer jumps on stuff..and even thu he is only 2 years old he acts like a lazy old man with my son is around.. He is very careful not to move if my son is crawling on him..he lets my son pull on his lips and tongue and ears.. My son once tried to force feed him a bug..joey just sat there with his mouth closed tightly while my son tried to pry his mouth open..Joey is the most obedient dog I have ever met.
NOW about Cowboy..he is sooo different. He was hard to house break and will jumps up on people and chew on stuff he shouldn’t..no matter how much he gets in trouble.. he could care less if I am mad at him.. He just doesn’t have the pleasing personality Joey has.. Cowboy doesn’t want to do anything unless he gets a food reward.. And even for food he won’t do tricks more then once.. He is stubborn and very sneaky.. He has selective hearing and will ignore me when I call him..I once called him for 5 minutes and he just stood there with this back to me..then I said cowboy come here and you can have a treat.. And he came running..So I know its just him being stuborn.. But I would not trade him for anything..
I absolutely adore Boxers. I think they are so gorgeous and they can be so hiliours..they are truly big clowns…They make me laugh daily.. I have never met one that was aggressive or didn’t love kids. I plan on always owning a boxer. I hope this helped..if I can help you in any way just let me know..your dog is adorable..good luck!!!

[boxerpups]

Hi to all you boxer lovers. I'm hoping a few of your will pipe in and tell me you personal experience with this breed.

Two weeks ago I finally had to take my very old chow cross in to be put down. I have a young standard poodle who is very dog social, so last week I decided to go to the local pound and find him a companion. I got good vibes from an 18 month old spay boxer bitch and brought her home to join my family.

I have never owned a boxer before, I have had limited experience with them in the past and they always struck me as a good natured type dog, a very different kind of dog than my beloved standard poodles, I think boxers look like they've been chasing parked cars, but still a good looking dog in their own respect.

It's the general breed traits, habits and basic care I would like some imput on from as many of you that would like to respond.

I do have some history on the breed, like how they got their name and Tosh sure lives up to that, I think it's cute.

It's the rest I get confused on because I work in a large retail store and 2 people I work with own one or more boxers and another's daughter has 2. I hear from one that they areand are not to be trusted and are impossible to train in any respect. I ha gentle, intelligent, affectionate, great with kids, hear from another that they get aggressive as they get older ve also heard from several boxer owners that they are basically goofballs the first two years of their lives, basically pups during that time and I can deal with that, standard poodles are the same, takes longer to mature mentally and physically.

So far Tosh seems good natured. There are problems, but I consider that the 'new dog' type of thing, can't introduce any new dog into the family without some problems. Plus I do have to deal with the baggage she came with from her past life. Can't say she was abused or neglected, but I can tell she was brought up different than how I bring up dogs. We'll work on it, I'm sure it will all work out in the end.

This is her, don't get too critical, she's a $40 pound rescue, if I wanted a great boxer, than I would have gone to a breeder and paid for a great boxer, but then again, I really wasn't looking for a boxer, she was just the dog that gave me the best vibes at the pound. She's small, only just makes the 22" (at shoulders) minimum for a bitch, but that's fine, Chewie is on the large size for a standard poodle, almost 26", so I prefer a bit smaller dog, I have a tiny house and now two basically puppies tearing it up, lol. I do think she has pretty hind legs, and nice tight, arched feet, :D.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a248/mamaturkey/003.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a248/mamaturkey/001.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a248/mamaturkey/009.jpg

What a cutie, I hope you have along happy life with her.

I own Boxers, and have many friends who also own them

Boxers are a highly intelligent breed, they just fool you into thinking they are not.... they do need lots of exercise, but I am guessing your poodle does too.

They can become bored very easily...and heaven help the owner of a bored Boxer!!

Whoever told you they mature around 2, does not know Boxers.... make that around 7/8.. my boy is only just slowing down now..but can still give you a run for your money.

First and formost Boxers are a people breed, they need to be with their people, they dont do well confined away..be prepared to never go for a pee in peace again.

They are loyal, to their family, some can be weary of strangers, but OK when they are used to them...some just think everyone is there to ammuse them.

They are exuberant, boisterous bouncy overbearing goof balls ....and need to be taught boundaries, they need a firm gentle hand... anyone who owns a Boxer will not do the breed any favours if they allow them to become uncontrollable thugs....

And beleive me it is easy to allow this to happen...

Boxers can get into a lot of trouble with other dogs, they are hard to read, they can be intimidating to other dogs and owners.

Some Boxers can be aggressive, just like any other breed, some times it is down to nature other times it is nurture.... sometimes it can be down to old age, they like all dogs, get less tolerant when they become old...

At the end of the day they are all diffenerent, my two are like chalk and cheese , one lives her life to please, the other he lives his life with a whats in it for me attitude.

They can make you laugh , cry , happy , mad, all in the same day... they give you 100% love and devotion... and only ask to be loved in return.

I love this breed, and will never be without one.... warts an all.

[barbiespoodle]

Thanks all for the replies, guess boxers are like any other breed, there will always be some aggressive ones. The lady who warned me about the aggressive side has two dogs from the same breeder, repeat breeding, and they were also raised the exact same way, so that might have something to do with it.

Tosh is starting to fit in, we are finally starting to get over the new dog type of problems. She is still a good natured dog, bullheaded, but sweet. Plus I am having to get use to and understanding the needs of such a short haired dog, my other dog is a standard poodle and the one I just lose was a chow cross with a thick double coat. She just went out the doggy door to lay in the sun because she doesn't like how cool I keep the house, I might have to get her a doggy coat when winter hits, lol.