Nutrition, Grooming, Care, Training, Bringing Puppy Home
The Boxer is not the right sort of dog for everyone, so continue reading if you would like to know if you and a Boxer would be suited to each other.
The Boxer is not a small dog, and is very energetic and playful. They like to be active and included in everything. They are inclined to be boisterous which may not suit you or your lifestyle. Boxers mature very slowly, so act like puppies nearly all their life, though they do start to settle down at around 3 to 4 years of age.
Boxers need to be with their family and thrive on human companionship. They do not thrive, and indeed, can develop into 'bad' dogs if they do not spend time with their family. Many Boxers drool - it varies from individual to individual. Some may also snore. A lot of people are not able to live with drooling or snoring.
Though Boxers have a short coat, they do shed hair when the weather changes, just like other breeds. Daily brushing when they are shedding will help remove the dead hair, but you can still expect a bit on your floor and furniture.
Boxers suffer from exposure to extreme temperatures. Their coats are short and offer no protection against the cold, and their short muzzles make them unable to tolerate extreme heat. They are meant the be house dogs, even though they need plenty of 'outside time'. However, there are many people who successfully keep their boxers outdoors if the proper shelter from heat and cold is provided. I have always maintained my dogs outdoors, however there is plenty of shade and my doghouses are equipped with heat lamps.
Boxers often need some sort of training if they are not to become unmanageable. They must be given a positive outlet for their excessive energy or it will be exerted in negative ways, such as chewing or digging. Boxers are very intelligent dogs and are at their best when they are given firm, fair, fun training. If you want a dog who only wants to do what you say when you say, do not get a Boxer. Boxers are a very independent breed, very willing to work with you, but unwilling to be ordered around. Trained properly, a Boxer is the most delightful companion you could wish for.
Boxers are natural guard dogs and most will look after the family home and property. Some Boxers take this to the extreme and may guard too well for your liking, while others seem to have missed out on any guarding instinct.
� They need good exercise and are boisterous.
� They need human company.
� They shed hair, drool and snore.
� They mature very slowly.
� They are not pocket sized dogs.
� They have 'guarding' tendencies.
But as any Boxer owner will tell you - they are truly wonderful, and none of us would swap our drooling, snoring dynamo's for anything!
Feeding
Your Boxer is totally reliant on you for its food. This is a big responsibility for you as a Boxer parent. Your Boxer can not go out and purchase food for himself, or hunt for himself, so it is totally up to you to provide good nutritious food for him. Please also be advised that Boxers are large dogs and therefore, are capable of consuming large amounts of food. You will have to ensure that he does not get too fat and you will have to make sure that the calorie intake meets the amount of energy he expends or he will be too thin. A lean muscular Boxer is a joy to behold, so you need to make sure you are meeting his needs. Regardless of what you eventually choose to feed your Boxer, it is always best to follow the breeders feeding program when you bring your new puppy home. I feed a brand of dog food call Iams. This brand is generally available at your local feed store, Wal-Mart, Petco and Petsmart. A change of diet at this stage will cause tummy upsets in your pup. If you do decide to change the feeding program, do so very gradually, slowly introducing the new food mixed with the original food. There are as many ways to feed a dog as there are people in the world! It is up to you to decide what is best for your dog as an individual. Remember too, that what type of food suits one dog could be totally wrong for another.
One of the most common ways of feeding a dog is with a good quality commercial kibble. There are numerous brands, all offering different things, and suited to many stages in your Boxer's life. Not all brands suit all dogs. There is also commercial canned food, which some people like to mix in with the kibble. If you choose to feed commercial food, look carefully at all the ingredients and try and choose one with as few preservatives as possible. Many commercial foods are now preservative and additive free and also use organic ingredients. Please be wary of discount brands. They may sound attractive because of their lower prices. Unfortunately, you generally get what you pay for. Most of these brands are loaded with fillers and do not provide the proper nutrition for your dog.
Another way of feeding is to NOT feed any commercially prepared dog food at all, but to provide your dog with a totally 'natural' diet or to home cook. Raw, natural diets are now commonly known as "BARF" diets, which stands for Bones and Raw Food. The idea of these type of diets is to try and replicate the type of food you dog would eat if he was still in the wild. More and more dog owners are feeding this way and having great success with it. It is not a good idea to feed a BARF diet until you have researched it and understand the principles. Two very good books about BARF diets are "Give Your Dog a Bone" by Dr Ian Billinghurst and "Grow your Pup with Bones" also by Dr Ian Billinghurst. There are also many websites devoted to feeding dogs naturally, and a mailing list for Boxer owners to learn more about this way of feeding can be subscribed to here: http://www.onelist.com/community/BARFingBoxers. There is also a good non-breed specific BARF list here: http://www.onelist.com/community/BARF
Regardless of what you feed your dog there are a couple of things they should never eat. Onion (raw or cooked) and Chocolate are toxic to dogs. Care should be taken too with milk as many dogs are lactose intolerant and feeding milk can cause severe diarrhea with some dogs requiring hospitalization. If you do want to feed milk then you could use goats milk, preferably fresh. All dogs, regardless of diet, enjoy a nice big RAW meaty bone to chew on a few times a week. These raw bones are great for teething puppies and wonderful for keeping an older dogs teeth clean. Never, ever offer your dog cooked bones as their stomaches are not designed to digest cooked bone, and cooked bone will also splinter when chewed. Cooked bones are extremely dangerous for dogs. If your dog looks good and is happy and energetic, then you are feeding the right thing - well done!
Bringing Puppy Home
So your new puppy is ready to come home! This is a very exciting time. There are some things you will need to consider before your puppy arrives. Will someone be home with puppy for a while when she first comes to live with you? It is a good idea to arrange to have holidays when your new pup first arrives, or to arrange for someone trustworthy to be home. Your puppy will need to get used to their new home, and someone should be there to help them with this transition period. They will need to be crate trained and toilet trained and have fresh water at all times as well as getting fed on time. Young puppies will need at least two meals during the day time.
You will need a couple of good water bowls for both inside and outside, as well as a food bowl. There will also have to be a supply of food ready for your pup. Make sure you have a couple of very good quality toys for your puppy to chew on. You will also need several toys just for fun, flat collar and lead, flea / tick treatment, worming tablets etc. If you are planning to keep your puppy indoors, there is also bedding to get ready, a crate and a supply of old rags and cleaning agents for any 'accidents' which are likely to occur until your pup is housetrained.
It is a good idea if you and your family have a talk first about your new puppy to make sure you are all very consistant in the upbringing of your Boxer. Establish if your Boxer will be allowed on the couch for instance. You will only end up with a very confused dog if some members allow him on the couch and others don't!