Posted on 03/04/2009 3:36:02 AM PST by Tennessee_Bob
Good morning! My family (myself, my wife, and our 16 year old and 14 month old) have been presented with the opportunity to adopt a Boxer. His owner is being relocated and cannot take him with her. He's three years old, gets along with small animals, which is good seeing as we have two cats, and a Sheltie. I've read about them quite a bit, and have been around a couple of them. My wife has owned one in the past. I'm impressed with them, but I'd like to get some owner's opinions and suggestions.
From what I can gather from what the owner has told me, he's well socialized and loves kids. The things I've read indicate that they're great with kids, and are good family dogs. What have your experiences been? As a three year old, do you think he can adapt to another family?
Thanks in advance!
Great dogs, my favorites.
Picky eaters, they basically want your food.
Good with kids and cats.
Like toys, playing.
Not good retrievers.
Great jumpers.
Couch hogs.
Good guard dogs, will approach/run bark put up a good show, hit the door windows but won’t bite.
Not long lived.
Ear cleanings needed.
Low maintenance, other wise.
I have a two year old brindle female. She is a great dog. Very sweet and obedient. She is a good watch dog too but I’m not sure if she would ever attack an intruder, just scare them real bad. Boxer’s are known to be great with kids and good family dogs. They look tough but are very sweet. Just be sure you the time to properly excerise the dog as they are high energy....no question about it, you should adopt.
Other than that, boxers are fine dogs, as far as I know.
Sadly, they have short lives. Get the old (7-8)boxer a puppy to love teach and play with . PS> Boxers are good listeners and are highly expressive themselves.
I have a Boxer who is now 9 years old.
All I have to say about the breed is that they are the best dogs ever. Period.
Goofy, friendly to a fault, happy go lucky, loyal, and very affectionate. Superb watchdogs, but probably the worst guard dogs ever. They are just too nice for that.
They're sweet and loving!
We bought our nine year old Boxer when he was 9 weeks old.
I kid you not, he has made me laugh at least once EVERY SINGLE DAY since.
ping for a fellow Boxer lover
We've owned one and that is correct. Great dog, but high energy and wants attention. Make sure you can handle both requirements.
1. Have plenty of room for the dog to run, keeps em young and blows off part of the natural exuberance boxers have, especially when guests come to the house. Boxers love your friends and want to lick them, just to get to know them.
2 Feed above average quality kibble wet down with either beef or chicken broth. Average adult boxer eats 2 1/2 to 3 cups a day. Buy a chicken or some cheap beef, boil it slowly in a pot with veggies and garlic (dogs love garlic) then give one ladle over the kibble. Always feed at the same time, feed only once a day. NEVER feed table scraps. After they eat immediately wipe their muzzle with a damp paper towel this prevents them shaking their head and spraying your walls with food particles.
3. Checking for lumps is a must and easily done in the guise of rubbing the dog or petting the dog, helps your peace of mind and the dog will love you for it. ALWAYS massage the top of the neck, dogs love this.
4. A bath is not necessary unless you want to do it in the summer as part of the fun in the yard game with the water hose, which, by the way, they love and will mouth the spray all day if you let them. Wipe them down with BABY WIPES, 4 should do the trick and kill the doggy odor. GENTLY clean inside their ears with a baby wipe then rub some cortisone cream (walmart brand) inside their ears, stops the itching and most of the scratching of the head and ears.
5. Pepto bismal pills are super if they get a little upset stomach or vomit or salivate and pace excessively.
6. A Boxer will give it's life to protect yours, enjoy and respect that trait.
7. Now to the SAD side. If you must put your boxer to sleep due to age or disease go the the Vet's office, hold your friend and pet it while speaking softly and telling it that you love it and it is a good dog—while the vet inserts the needle and your friend goes peacefully to sleep. If the vet will not let you do that than find on that will. Your friend deserves your comfort in it's last moments. It will make you feel a LOT better also.
Hope this helps. These maxims have worked well for me over the 50 some years I have had boxers as friends.
Ours did the same thing too.
Neighbors had them - I hated them. Non stop energy, the neighbors would put them in the yard when they couldn’t take them inside anymore. They’d bark and patrol for hours.
Not a fan at all - too much; and I own a Wire Fox Terrier - not exactly a slow breed.
I feed my boxer a mix of kibbles & bits (cheap food) and canned pedigree. She has never had people food so she doesn't beg or go after my food when it's sitting out.
My only complaint about my boxer is that she sometimes wakes me up in the middle of the night and wants to go out. This is more my fault though as I should walk her better before bedtime. She also thinks she is a lap dog even though she weighs 55 lbs. If you want to see some pictures of my boxer freepmail me and I'll send you a link.
RE: #7
I have an awesome vet. When I had to have Pitch Cat put to sleep (he’d been with us forever, it seems, and kidney disease took him away), she let me hold him the whole time, and closed his eyes so I could take him home so my daughter (who he was absolutely loyal to) and I could bury him in a sunny corner of the yard.
She earned my total respect that day for the way she handled the whole episode.
We bought Max before he was even weaned from his mother and the owners let us bring him home during the day and take him back at night. George, my second boxer, was a rescue. He was quite the character. He loved to swim.
Exceptions don’t prove the rule.
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