Knowledgable Boxer dog owners

ktj1891

ktj1891

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My family and I are about to embark on owning our first boxer dog. We would prefer a girl as they are smaller and easier to manage and will hopefully fit in with our other two small breed girls.

So my question is, what should be the things we definitely look out for when choosing a breeder and a litter. What health checks are a must?
How much would you look at paying for a healthy boxer pup?

In your experiences what are there personality and energies like? What are they like with other people and dogs?

My best friend has a male boxer and he is the most lovely dog but I can only compare the breed to him alone, which is not enough.

Any knowledge, advice or tips welcome!
 
Can't give you any advice, other than to say the Boxer's I've known have been just lovely, lovely dogs.

My aunt recently had to have hers pts, and it was a devastating loss for her.
 
Mum had a boxer and she was lovely but but but she was the most destructive dog we have ever had and we've had a few lol x

Wouldn't put me off though they are just great :D
 
I've had two, we adore them but many health problems. Our first had a heart murmur and we sadly lost him at 2. Our boy now is 10 and has been diagnosed with hip dyslpasia (sp) and has had three tumours but none cancerous. They really are amazing dogs our is a small dog and has been wonderful to train and not destructive at all.
 
I would add that my Aunt's dog had a cancerous tumour and was put down at 9, his sibling died from a heart condition at 7.

There does seem to be health issues surrounding the breed. But others may correct me.
 
Lovely dogs but tend not to grow up until about 2 years old, can be bonkers before that but lovable with it. Protective of their family but not aggressive. (this comes from a friend who has had several)
 
From what I have read they don't sound the healthiest of dogs- can anyone change my thinking on this? Who has healthy boxers and what breeder did you buy from?
 
Boxers from health screened parents are pretty healthy with a life expectancy of over ten years -the oldest I knew made just shy of 17 years (by a few days).

http://www.boxerbreedcouncil.co.uk/health.html is a good place to see what should be screened for.
http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/services/public/findaclub/breed/list.aspx?id=5116 is where to find your local breed club and make contact.

Ignore the KC assured breeders adverts as they only mean that some tests have been done - not that the results are desirable.
 
We had a boxer from a very good breeder. Lost him age six to a brain tumour, very sad.
Unfortunately they do seem quite prone to cancers as I've known a couple of others that had had problems.
He was a fantastic dog tho, hilarious most of the time but could be a cheeky little soul too.
 
I must also add that my ten year old boxer other than his hips is 100% healthily, still plays ball, nice walks, plays with other dog and new puppy. His breeders had three generations and lived a very good age 14-15. Only reason we didn't get another and went for a cocker pup was down to size and having two large breeds already so wanted something smaller but with energy.
 
I have had a few boxers - I'm just addicted to them! erh.. and who said they don't group up until 2yr old? At the moment I have a 10 and 11yr old - still not 'grown up'!!!
They do seem prone to cancers, I have lost 2 of them to that, aged 7 and 9. And also a couple have had cruciate ligament problems, as larger build dogs which leap about like loonies. Couple have also had (minor) heart mummers, but didn't cause mine any problems.
As others have said if buying from breeder you want to know parents have been screened and healthy.
They are FAB FAB FAB dogs!
 
We had a beautiful Boxer boy called Billy. He was just 2 months short ofmhis 10th birthday when we lost him. He started fitting at home and was pts. RIP Billyboxer

Anyway, you could not wish for a more faithful and fun dog. Even at 9 he was still a puppy and loved to play. He was such a good boy with babies and toddlers. My youngest daughter was the same age as him, we got him when she was 9'wks old and the pup was 8 wks old. She learnt to walk holding onto his bac, and my older daughter regularly went to sleep in his bed with him.

The problem we had with hismlegs was torn crutiate ligaments. This is common in Boxer dogs. NEVER throw a ball for your dog to catch, themstanding sprint start is fatal for crutiates. He had both bck legs repaired and then had to have the first one done again.

You will never regret getting a Boxer. I am verymjealous. I would love another. Next week we are picking up a working cocker spaniel for my OH to take shooting, but some day I hope to have another funny Boxer.
 
Boxers are amazing but crazy family dogs - be prepared for sensitive stomachs, excessive wind and saliva!! :)

Our family has had 5 boxers - all lovely family dogs. Sammy 1, Sammy 2, Sammy 3, Max and Daisy. The last two were from Boxer rescue.

Sammy No 1 pre me being born - was an escape artist and got run over.
Sammy No 2 fell out of an upstairs window, ate the seat out of my mums car so she had to sit on a plastic bowl, was an absolute poppet with me pulling him about as a toddler and died after had fits and was PTS he was 11yrs.
Sammy (aka Sammy bumkins) number 3 (He was bred in Storrington, W Sussex and related to Ducks cottage boxers? and had the white diamond on the back of his neck) and was a polite and well-behaved, lively chap and lived until he was an amazing 14 and a half - he arrived in the hot summer of 1976 and departed in September 1990 just before I left home to go to University - he saw me through my childhood and adolescence :)

Max (Maxi Doodle) was an awesome dog - he came from a divorced family and was lovely - however his recall needed some work and he used to run off with other dogs balls :o . He also did like a bit of a rumble - if a dog growled at him he would flatten them and hold them between his front legs. No teeth involved though. He was attacked by another boxer and broke his leg - my mum slept on a matress downstairs for weeks while it mended because he always slept in her bedroom and she couldn't bear to leave him alone downstairs. Later he was in a lot of pain and we think he had a tumour on it and he was about 9 or 10 when pts.

Daisy (Daisy dumpling) was our only girl and again a rescue and found dumped. She was an absolute sweetie and thought she was a lapdog. She was obsessed with balls and especially footballs. If she saw someone kicking a ball a red mist would descend and nothing would stop her getting it and then dribbling it! :o She was so good we thought she might have been trained to play football. One day when my friend was looking after her she saw a treat ball in the horses field - she jumped out the window and went in with the horses who went for her - luckily friend saved. When my mum died I inherited her. She was eventually overtaken by arthritis and pts - not sure how old because she was an adult when we got her.

We've never had a bad boxer - they are alot of fun and if I were in a position to have a dog now I would get one.
 
Been brought up with boxers, my family had them for 40 years.

Health

Heart murmurs
Skin cancer
Diabetes
General lumps and bumps which often need removed.
Sensitive guts, ours hardly eats and is sick every couple of weeks at least

Temperaments

Fun Fun Fun
Energetic
Super with kids but my knock over small kids by mistake
Very loyal and can be quite protective of family and home
Destructive early on but generally grown out of it, but they can wreak things pretty bad. A friend left hers in the boot of her BMW it ate right through the back of the seat to get in front as there was a dog guard. Actually destroyed the inside of the new BMW

My have actually once ripped the whole hall carpet up and shredded it , one ate a brand new saddle, the list goes on.


They are messy in the house so if you house proud forget it, mine walks about spitting her food all over the floor, wipes her grubby face on beds, sofas walls

I find dried on eye boogies stuck to my walls all the time

BUT

They are lovely lovely fun family dogs, lots of walks and attention is what they love, they think they are part of the family so you have to make them feel that way

Steffi my current one Insistes on sitting on your lap even though she 25kg, she does not understand why the little staffi can and she can't so we just let her as other wise she looks like her world has fell apart lol

She refuses to be left out of anything lol

We bought a new little bed for the staffie and she was like no I want it too and crushes into it

She never fails to make us laugh

The staffies like to share a bed and of she spots it she goes and crushes her way in

Here a few pics of her :-)







 
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LOVE your girl trying to get in bed with the staffie's. she's gorgeous.

Would just like to say that my boxer was never destructive, even in puppyhood, but would agree with the eye booger thing!
 
Boxers said:
LOVE your girl trying to get in bed with the staffie's. she's gorgeous.

Would just like to say that my boxer was never destructive, even in puppyhood, but would agree with the eye booger thing!
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Both my ones were as two family ones we had, but w shave the odd good one, I think with crate training etc more common now a days that helps a lot, if I got a boxer puppy now I would Defo crate train it for when being left alone.
 
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