Boxer good family dog?

[Leshaface]

We're considering adding another member to our family and a brother for our Pug, Percy.

My cousin just had Boxer puppies (boys) and are selling them for $300.

Do Boxers make great family pets? Are they friendly with other animals? Do they have any health issues as they get older that would make them more expensive to have as a pet? I have no experience with Boxers.

Thanks for any help you can give me

ETA: Do I need to ask if they'll get their first shots and if they come with papers? Or do papers not even matter?

 

[eyor44]

Mine is part boxer so not sure how much this will help. She is very loyal and protective. She barks quite a bit. Loves to play and go for walks. Easy to take care of because the hair is so short. She does shed, but brushing helps with that. She minds well (better than the kids). As for health issues, she is almost 11 and while she is slowing down the only issue we have is she wets the floor a lot. The vet can't find anything wrong and we think it is due to being abused as a puppy. We adopted her from a rescue at about 8 months old. She's a great addition to the family. I know others who have full boxers and they love them.

 

[Leshaface]

Mine is part boxer so not sure how much this will help. She is very loyal and protective. She barks quite a bit. Loves to play and go for walks. Easy to take care of because the hair is so short. She does shed, but brushing helps with that. She minds well (better than the kids). As for health issues, she is almost 11 and while she is slowing down the only issue we have is she wets the floor a lot. The vet can't find anything wrong and we think it is due to being abused as a puppy. We adopted her from a rescue at about 8 months old. She's a great addition to the family. I know others who have full boxers and they love them.

Thanks for your reply

I've been doing some research on them and found that they make excellent family dogs! I'd just rather hear real stories from owners rather than 'facts' or statements about Boxers, if that makes sense, so thanks for telling me about your dog

 

[MEM]

We had a brindle boxer when I was a child (a million years ago!). He loved children and was very gentle, with one exception - like all boxers, he was very strong and until he was better trained, he would drag me down the street if he saw something interesting...not a boxer-specific issue, however.

According to my DH, boxers have only two expressions: angry and sad. On the inside they are sweethearts.

How old are your children?

 

[Leshaface]

We had a brindle boxer when I was a child (a million years ago!). He loved children and was very gentle, with one exception - like all boxers, he was very strong and until he was better trained, he would drag me down the street if he saw something interesting...not a boxer-specific issue, however.

According to my DH, boxers have only two expressions: angry and sad. On the inside they are sweethearts.

How old are your children?

Our only 'child' is a 1 year old Pug named Percy

But we are considering having children in the very near future.

 

[chrissyt27]

DH had a boxer and he was like a big kid, but we loved him. He loved long walks right up to the end. He lives to be 13, but got cancer, but I don’t think it’s uncommon for older dogs. He was very well minds and smart. He was fine around other dogs, big and small. They don’t like cats though. DH’s family has always had boxers.

 

[WheelCEO]

amazing amazing family dogs! Have 2 of them

 

[NYEmomma]

I absolutely ADORE boxers. I've never owned one but did work as a vet assistant for 5 years or so and they were my favorite breed. Such sweet, friendly, lovable dogs. If DH ever gave me the go ahead to get a dog, it would be a brindle boxer. Or a frenchie.

It does seem, however, from my experience at the veterinarian's office that they tend to have a higher cancer rate than other breeds. They also seemed more prone to eating things than other breeds. Take that how you will, though. Like I said, that's just what I observed.

It wouldn't stop me from getting a boxer but I'd probably look into purchasing pet insurance for that breed when I wouldn't necessarily for others.

Papers don't particularly matter unless getting it AKC registered is important to you. I would ask your cousin to provide the puppy's medical records though -- or at least a history of vaccinations. Puppies usually have their first set of shots and dewormer at 6 weeks.

 

[Leshaface]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

NYEmomma - I've been trying to search all over, regarding if it was important to have papers for your purebred puppy. Are the papers only good to trace back medical history through the parents?

When we got my Pug, she automatically told me that there were papers and shots included. My cousin hasn't said any of this, so I just asked her and am waiting for the reply. If the boxer puppy doesn't come with papers, should I not get him or does it not even matter? We don't plan on showing him and probably won't breed him. Thanks!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

My sis & her DH have had their boxer longer then they've had their boys *5 & almost 3* he's big and spends most of his time in their fenced back yard. I don't care for big dogs/dogs that shed.

 

[NYEmomma]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

NYEmomma - I've been trying to search all over, regarding if it was important to have papers for your purebred puppy. Are the papers only good to trace back medical history through the parents?

When we got my Pug, she automatically told me that there were papers and shots included. My cousin hasn't said any of this, so I just asked her and am waiting for the reply. If the boxer puppy doesn't come with papers, should I not get him or does it not even matter? We don't plan on showing him and probably won't breed him. Thanks!

I've never had a purebred myself so from my POV, papers aren't important if you're not wanting to show or to breed. But the AKC dog owners around here might have a different opinion on it (and I'd probably go with what they say, lol!).

I do think it's important that you get the medical records... the puppies should be in for a doctor's visit at LEAST once at 6 weeks. Most breeder clients that we had brought the mom & pups in within a week of birth or so just to have everything checked over. While that's not necessary, being proactive and current on vaccines/well visits shows a sign of a caring owner that treats their pets well. You'll also want to make an appt with YOUR vet for him to be checked over as soon as you adopt one. Two things you'll want to check for (and possibly ask your cousin if his/her vet checked) is for a heart murmur & un-descended testicles. Both seem to be somewhat common in Boxer puppies though neither are serious... unless it's a severe heart murmur. A retained testicle does mean a higher neuter bill though.

 

[ceecee]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

NYEmomma - I've been trying to search all over, regarding if it was important to have papers for your purebred puppy. Are the papers only good to trace back medical history through the parents?

If it's going to be a pet, papers don't matter. However, the price should fall accordingly. Make sure your older dog will get along with a pup too. Our older lab was 3 and hated when we brought a pup into the picture...luckily we were fostering it and later fostered a 1-2 year old lab that she liked a little better! We still say she liked being an only dog! The younger one tolerates her well and it's now been 5 years.

 

[MichiganKris]

I would recommend going to the American Boxer Club website at http://americanboxerclub.org/ . They have a lot of really good information there on health screens that should be done on the parents before they are bred. If those tests weren't done, it doesn't mean that the puppies will have the problems, but it increases the chance of that. As far as the AKC papers are concerned, the main reason for wanting those would be for showing (obedience, agility or conformation) or if you want to breed the dog later. If you know that you don't want to do those things, then the AKC papers don't really matter. The puppy should also have been to the vet at least 2 times before you would get it, once shortly after birth, and at 6 or 7 weeks for the shots. Also, not all puppies have worms, I always have my puppies checked to see if they have worms, before I deworm them. I don't want to give them the poison to get rid of the worms if they don't need it. My vet also agrees with that approach. I would also suggest contacting some Boxer breeders that are listed on the website, ask them a lot of questions, it doesn't mean you need to get a puppy from them, but it will help you with your decision if you talk to several people.

 

[pawla68]

We have 4, yes 4 Boxers. We also have 2 children, ages 16 and 13. Boxers are wonderful family pets. As others have stated, they can be head strong and hyper. With love and lots of exercise, they do really well. Ours are 9, 5 and we have 2 5month old pups. The pups are well behaved and do well, because they are expected to follow the rules as the older 2. They do need to be trained, but also do well with other dogs.

Hope this helps!

Paula

 

[Kate and Pete]

We have two boxers - and they are our kids! We do have friends who have children, and the boxers ADORE them. We would have them bring their kids over to play with our dogs because they loved kids so much!

They have very sweet personalities. Mine are both lap dogs (okay, AND they sleep in our bed, too...) and huge snugglers.

They are high energy dogs - they will need a yard to play in or to be taken on a few loooong walks each day. Mine are both 6, and neither one has shown any signs of slowing down.

To answer your question about papers - we never even sent ours in. We knew that we were not going to show/breed our boys, so it wasn't important to us.

You will love boxers if your family is high energy and has time to put into a dog. They're such a wonderful breed!!

 

[Kate and Pete]

We have 4, yes 4 Boxers. We also have 2 children, ages 16 and 13. Boxers are wonderful family pets. As others have stated, they can be head strong and hyper. With love and lots of exercise, they do really well. Ours are 9, 5 and we have 2 5month old pups. The pups are well behaved and do well, because they are expected to follow the rules as the older 2. They do need to be trained, but also do well with other dogs.

Hope this helps!

Paula

FOUR??!! WOW! (I would LOVE that!)

 

[Meals1007]

Four Boxers!!! I thought I was crazy with three! We have 3 boxers ages 11,9, and 4. We also have 3 children ages 5, 3, and 1. They are all very good with the kids and our middle dog (a female) puts up with more than she should ever have to! As other posters mentioned Boxers do have a higher cancer rate and tend to have heart problems so you should ask your cousin if the parents have been checked. We lost our last boy at 5 and a half to a heart attack which was very difficult. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Nettle]

We have a boxer as well. We Looove him, but he has cost us a ton of money. Thank goodness we love him..lol. He has had several lumps removed (boxers are notorious tumor factories), chronic yeast infections in his ears (finally after 6 years found something that cleared that up..Zymox off of amazon.com. We went through 2 vets and they never once prescribed anything that worked and it cost us THOUSANDS trying to give the poor guy any relief), and his teeth needed scraping/cleaning. Not to mention neutering, shots, a premium food, and that useless puppy training class at Petsmart..lol.

Is he worth it? Yes. Will we get another boxer? Probably not.

Now, dobermans on the other hand... I will Always have a dobie on hand.

 

[Wanderlust]

Four Boxers!!! I thought I was crazy with three! We have 3 boxers ages 11,9, and 4. We also have 3 children ages 5, 3, and 1. They are all very good with the kids and our middle dog (a female) puts up with more than she should ever have to! As other posters mentioned Boxers do have a higher cancer rate and tend to have heart problems so you should ask your cousin if the parents have been checked. We lost our last boy at 5 and a half to a heart attack which was very difficult. Good luck with your decision!

It's really hard to have just one, isn't it?

In addition to cancer and heart issues, apparently brain tumors are also common with boxers. I didn't know that until we lost one of ours to one.

 

[brekin67]

I love my brindle colored boxer, Mali. She is 3 years old and such a sweetheart. She is hands down the best dog we have ever had. She was easily potty trained and will come to one of us and whimper when she needs to go outside. She carries my shoes in her mouth to sleep with, but never chews them. She is very good with all children, including our daughter who has special needs and gets kind of rough with her. She has never been aggressive or assertive with our daughter or other children. She doesn't chase or bark at the neighbor's cat's. She has never had any health issues and only needs to see the vet for routine shots and checkups. She s very calm and loves to snuggle. We will only have boxers from here on out.