Hey from British Columbia

Ares · 06-16-2010, 11:29 PM

hey I'm Matt and obviously I'm new to the site and to boxers as well. I will be getting my first boxer in August as it was born on Tuesday. I have yet to pick the exact puppy but i would appreciate any advice on choosing the right one. ive been doing alot of research and none of the sites ive found have said what to look for when your choosing your dog. anyway thank you all.

Spyglass Sally · 06-17-2010, 06:16 AM

Welcome, Ares. I'm probably not the best to advise you on picking a dog since I know very little about the "right" way. We got our Buddy from a back yard breeder and I have to say pretty much lucked out. We didn't have any idea of all the things we've learned since then - from this forum.

This is a great group of people with a variety of areas of expertise. I'm sure you will find the information you're looking for from finding a good breeder to how to care for your pup through various stages of growth and development.

Welcome to the forum!

bruinsBoxers · 06-17-2010, 06:35 AM

Hi and welcome .

The best bit of advice is to pick you puppy based on his/ her temperment & personality NOT the color or markings . Many times people fall in love with the color but the personality is not the right fit and you have a dog that does not fit in with your lifestyle .
A first time boxer owner may probably have more than they can handle with the most dominant and in your face type male.
But a middle of the road or mellow puppy may fit in just fine .

Doreen · 06-17-2010, 06:37 AM

HI Matt.... glad to meet you. I too don't have recent experience at picking a puppy since my two were adopted from rescue... sorry. But like Sally said, there are people on here that will be able to help you.

Scout & Gunners Momma · 06-17-2010, 10:03 AM

Welcome Matt! Like Missi said, color doesn't really count. Hopefully when you go look at them, you will know instantly which one is yours. Scout came right up to us and stayed by us the entire time we were there. That pretty much sealed the deal with us. Maybe yours will pick you too.

I'm glad you are joining the world of boxer owners. There is nothing like owning a boxer

There are many knowledgeable people on this site. We can't wait to see pics when you do bring yours home.

Ron · 06-17-2010, 10:32 AM

Hello From Ontario!

make sure you ask lots of questions and use the Search tool

Ruby Red · 06-17-2010, 11:29 AM

HI there, and welcome. All my dogs have been older rescues but I have read around this whole subject just because I am interested in dogs and their behaviour anyway - this is some of the things I read:

There is a huge area of debate about which puppy you should actually pick. Some say you should pick the one that first comes to you. Some say avoid the one that is first on the mother's milk bar [this is likely to be the most dominant one] others say you should remove all the puppies from the mother and see which one the mother picks up and carries back to the 'nest' first..... Some say you should put the puppy in your arms and hold it on it's back and see what it does, does it try to get up? or does it just lie there? does it put up a fight? for how long? they advise against choosing one that doesn't submit and one that just lies there with no resistance. Avoid the smallest/weakest one - much as it may pull on your heart strings to want to take the weakest one - they may [not saying they will!] have health/behaviour problems later on.

Others say you take a squeaky toy or ball and roll it in the den and see how the puppy reacts - what does it do? is it frightened, curious, for how long? Avoid one that keeps well away from it and go for the one that is a little hestitant at first but then has the confidence to explore it. Middle of the road type pup I guess. There are no end of suggestions like this, these are just a few that I remeber reading over time. Not sure, I hold that much sway with any of them, tbh. I think at this age, it's not that possible to judge how the pup will mature, especially as environmental and herditary factors will all play a huge part in shaping your pup's eventual behaviour/attitude too.

Far more important that you check out the temperment of the parents of the puppy and that you get satisfactory answers about the health and heart testing of the parents too.

Here's a link - you might find the latter part of it interesting How To Choose The Right Puppy For Your Family

Hope some of this helps anway, keep us posted.........we just LOVE looking at puppy pictures here!

Ares · 06-17-2010, 10:30 PM

thank you all very much for the welcome and the advice i really appreciate it. im goin to pick out which puppy is mine on saturday... im psyched and cant wait lol. thank you for mentioning to go on personality not color cause i was focused on what color i wanted. im a little worried about how young they are since theyll be less than a week old. but i do get the pick of the litter as ill be the first one putting the deposit down. ill take some pics of whichever one i choose and post them on sunday

Dragon · 06-18-2010, 12:36 AM

howdie Neighbour!!! What part of BC are you in? what breeder are you using if registered? I have looked into most breeders in the three provinces...

I also spend a lot of time in BC... as a matter of fact I was there 6 hours ago.... and will be there next week too (different areas)

bruinsBoxers · 06-18-2010, 06:37 AM

AT less then a week old there is no way you will be able to tell anything about them except color and sex.
They are not walking , can't see , can't hear (their ears and eyes are not open ) they really just lay there and eat .

The first 2 -3 weeks is the critical period ,they have no immunity to anything yet and can die quickly . And not to mention the mother may ( should ) be very protective of the puppies , she may try and warn off strangers or hide the puppies . I am surprised they are letting anyone come and see the puppies at 1 week .

I would definately find out what happens in the puppy you choose and put a deposit down on dies . Do they give you another choice or refund your deposit ?