Thinking of buying a boxer-scared of health issues...

[leannerobbo]

Hi,

My name is Leanne and am new to this site.

We`ve just lost our little Mini Schnauzer to a sudden cardiac arrest only this week.Naturally we are totally devastated and will need some time to recover,however we have been doing our research and have decided a Boxer will be perfect.

A bit scared of the Hyperactivity after our last dog was so placid,but we are an fairly active family with three kids under 10 who could give our next "baby" so much love ,affection and fun times.

Having the events of the last week so fresh in our minds,we are a little wary of this breed because of the huge numbers of health issues and special dietary needs.

We are also quite busy,in and out of the house a lot- Would a boxer bark,fret and get destructive ? Our house is also quite small,but we have a decent yard.

My husband has said he could take the dog to work with him (can`t really play there) and take it for walks at lunchtime.We would also walk it in the evening.

As Boxer owners, are you able to advise me on this,and whether you feel we are making a mistake in wanting to buy a boxer.

This to us is a major decision and don`t want to get it wrong.

Thanking You ,Leanne

[KeeperBoy]

My biggest piece of advice is that is you do decide on a boxer go to a REPUTABLE breeder. If you really want to do everything you can to get the most healthy dog, that is the way to do it. I choose to rescue, but I know Keepers will likely have health issues down the road and we are ready to deal with it. Only you know what your heart can handle, but if you do get a puppy, get one from health tested parents.

As for their behavior, Keepers does fine when we aren't home. We crate him. But every dog is different.

[bruinsBoxers]

First I want to say EVERY pure bred dog will have some predisposition for certain diseases . You just have to know what they are and be sure the breeder you get you puppy from screens for those certain problems . Now remember that there is never any guarantee of perfect health when it comes to a living being .

Boxers are very active and with young cildren they can be a handful , it is very common for young kids to get knocked down and accidentially hurt . Just last week my 8 yr old got head butted and got a bloody nose . But at the same time I run a daycare and my boxers have been awesome with all the kids I have watched . But that is because of training and lots of it .

A boxer is a people breed , they need to be with people . If left along for long periods of time and if left alone frequently they can become destructive . A boxer is not the type of dog you can leave home along all the time or leave out in the yard alone all the time .

A walk in the afternoon and evening is good but boxers do best with more exercise than just that . Not as a puppy but as an adult they definately need more . Also a young puppy should be taken out every few hours , but at least once in the middle of your time away at work .

Crate trainig is also a good idea especially with young kids . You will have a safe place to keep the puppy when you can not keep an eye on him . And you will need to keep an eye on him . It will be just like haing another 1 year old in the house .

You will also need to teach your kids how to behave around the puppy . Boxers are very vocal & play very rough it can sound like the are trying to eat you when they play . This rough play and noise does not go over well with some kids( adults too) and they become afraid of the puppy . Kids get excited or scared and run and scream and the puppy will see this as a very exciting game and chase them .

As far as a special diet . Any very high quality food will work , you would most likely run into problems if you feed a low quality food .Many boxers do very well on a raw or homecooked diet .

And the most important thing is to only get a boxer from a reputable breeder . One who screens for all the health issues that boxers are prone to .
Many reputable breeder have waiting lists for their puppies . And just walking into a breeders home and walking out the same day with a puppy is not going to happen . A reputable breeder will want to get to know you and they will have a bunch of questions for you , they only want to be sure their puppies go to the best homes - and you should have a bunch for them as well .I will not decide where my puppies go until I have met the potential owners in person . Many breeders will also have a spay/neuter contract . You may want to start searching for reputable breeders now if you are definately interested in a boxer as it can take a while to find a breeder you are comfortable with and one who is comfortable with you .

[Spyglass Sally]

Welcome to the forum. We did it "all wrong" when it came to buying our Buddy. Went to a back yard breeder who could hardly wait to get the cash. The longer we deliberated, the lower the price dropped. As far as I can tell, Buddy's in great health but that doesn't mean he won't develop some of the problems a reputable breeder will screen for. We were more ignorant than anything else when it came to getting him and hope his siblings fared as well as him.

We have found him to be much more energetic and willful than we anticipated. Part of our education has been realizing that boxers are bully type dogs - maybe not to the degree of a pit bull, but more like that than a Golden Retriever. So you must be prepared to spend time training him and giving him frequent, vigorous exercise. He also will become destructive if he doesn't have things to chew on and play with. We started working with a professional behaviorist/trainer when Buddy was only a few months old. He was awesome in helping us learn about the breed and how to work with him.

We love his pugnacious personality which is also very sweet, loving and playful. We have two grandchildren, ages six and one, and Buddy is wonderful with them both. Their greatest danger is from loving exuberance, and part of the training, both of him and them (at least the six year old) is on how to play without getting too rough or wild.

Here's a video I took a few days ago of the six year old playing with Buddy. After a bit of running around, Marshall decides to pick up his toys. Notice he tells Buddy Sit and Stay and informs him that he won't be Released until the toys are picked up. Buddy watches while Marshall picks up his toys and then Marshall asks if he can give him a treat. What joy to watch them play

We have had issues with Buddy barking when we're not home. We live in a condo so this is especially bad. Or trainer recommended this bark collar which slowly ramps up if the dog continues to ignore warnings. It solved the problem. We have also used (after being instructed by our trainer on proper use) an electronic collar for when he's off leash (like on the beach). I have found just having it on him when he's in a high stimuli environment (like playing with Marshall) seems to help him control his wilder tendencies, being obedient without it even being needed. Some folks don't like either of those devices and if you can control your dog without them, that's great. For us, we found them very helpful, but again, under the direction of a trainer we were working with.

Do you know anyone with a boxer you can visit? It would be ideal if you could bring your kids and family to visit and play with one (or more) to see how you like the breed "in person". Sometimes reading about something is different than first hand experience. Maybe visiting either a breeder or shelter would be a place to start.

Let us know what you decide and feel free to ask more questions.

Sally

[AussieGirl]

Hi and welcome! I'm so sorry to hear of your loss .
I have three children aged 5, 7 and 10 and our girl gets along wonderfully with them (and the kids in our street whom she thinks come over to play with HER and not the skin kids lol), you just need to teach them (or any dog for that matter) what is acceptable behaviour/play with children. Just wanted to add I know someone with a Lab the same age as our girl who is soooo much more hyper than our girl.
As for health issues, well you are buying a living creature - there are no guarantees with living things no matter what the species, breed etc, etc. As Missi stated every breed of dog has some kind of health issue or weakness. I would suggest that you be informed on what issues are common for the breed of dog you are looking at, what type of testing that can/should be done on breeding stock (and check the breeder does this testing) and research if there is any thing that YOU can do to reduce the chances.
Diet, well there is no real need for a "special" diet, but regardless of the breed I would recommend that you feed a good quality food - diet is quite often the cause of health issues, even in a mixed breed dog.
Boxers are velcro dogs they want to be with their people as much as they can, our girl does okay being left at home within reason - again like any dog. If you make sure they get a good walk/run before leaving they are generally fine, but if you were to be out all the time and not give attention and exercise when you are home you will have a problem. My girl is lucky and there is someone home with her most of the time but there are times that I have been gone for 8 hrs, I made sure she had a good walk, left her a kong, treat ball and some other toys and she was fine.
One warning for you though, once you have a Boxer other dogs just don't seem to "measure up" lol I know alot of people who once they got a Boxer they vowed that they would never get a different breed of dog again lol they're kinda addictive.

[leannerobbo]

Thank You Sally ,Missi and Andrea very much for all of your wonderful advice.

We`re all visiting a breeder this weekend to see if we can cope with their exhuberance and make sure that the kids aren`t too terrified.

Sally,Buddy(and Marshall of course !)are just gorgeous.So well behaved,I`m so impressed.

My concern is for my 3 1/2 yr old little boy. He can be very naughty and is extremely
active.Really full on.
He wouldn`t hit the dog or deliberately hurt it,as he didn`t with our last dog.
It doesn`t take much to get him overexcited,and I`m just afraid he may get bitten if he flings himself on top of it or stirs the dog up.

I understand the importance of proper and ongoing training especially getting the children involved,so this will be a challenge I think. Especially trying to not let the dog jump up on them in play.You`ve all managed ,however ,so I`m sure we will too.

Wish me luck !

Kind regards,

Leanne and family.

[AussieGirl]

Originally Posted by Spyglass Sally

Here's a video I took a few days ago of the six year old playing with Buddy. After a bit of running around, Marshall decides to pick up his toys. Notice he tells Buddy Sit and Stay and informs him that he won't be Released until the toys are picked up. Buddy watches while Marshall picks up his toys and then Marshall asks if he can give him a treat. What joy to watch them play

Sally, I love watching Buddy and Marshall interacting with each other (Buddy's nub is always going when Marshall is around lol) - they are both so sweet

[AussieGirl]

Originally Posted by leannerobbo

My concern is for my 3 1/2 yr old little boy. He can be very naughty and is extremely
active.Really full on.
He wouldn`t hit the dog or deliberately hurt it,as he didn`t with our last dog.
It doesn`t take much to get him overexcited,and I`m just afraid he may get bitten if he flings himself on top of it or stirs the dog up.

LOL my little guy was a few months away from turning 4 when we got Ruby and he is a handful too lol (thats a bit of an understatement ) so I can understand where you are coming from. Here are a few photos so you can see what my three have put our girl through and how well they get along
Picture 0013.jpg
Australia Day 001.jpg
beach 041.jpg
Christmas 2008 016.jpg

[Spyglass Sally]

AussieGirl, I LOVE the pics!!! I wish Ruby & Buddy lived near each other. They seem so much alike, physically and temperament - separated at birth, lol! And your little girl is just beautiful!!!

[KeeperBoy]

How about looking into getting an older dog? Either from rescue or a breeder.