About The Well Bred Pedigree Boxer
$1500.00 for a boxer puppy, I am talking about a New Zealand
Kennel Club registered puppy from a reputable breeder. Good
breeders breed to a standard that they are judged by at shows
usually by overseas judges. When a breeder is successful in the
the standard required, and of their peers around the world.
Usually a lot of consideration for conformation (structure),
temperament and health go into a mating to produce a litter.
From that litter only one, or occasionally two, puppies will end up
in the show ring, the rest of the litter will go to pet homes. These
pet puppies also have the benefit of the knowledge and care of
their breeder and their owners should have the support of the
breeder throughout the life of the puppy, this is sort of an
explanation of what you can expect for the money you pay, we
charge the same price for a pet as for a show puppy.
You can expect to get your puppy at around eight weeks of age,
not earlier. This is the best age for a puppy to go to his new home
as the puppy begins to bond to his people and surroundings
about then.
When choosing a puppy observe the Mum with her puppies (if
you can) and watch her temperament with strangers and your
kids. If you can see the Dad too that would be an advantage. If
litters are brought up with a lot of human contact they are more
likely to be social and adaptable than puppies raised away from
family life and noises and contact.
I would suggest that once you have decided on what sex and
colouring you want that you put your name down with several
breeders as the Boxer seems to be very popular and most
reputable breeders have waiting lists. It is also important for you
to look into background and history of lines.
The Boxer Personality
Boxers are wonderful companions, comical, clever and can be
naughty. They require a great deal of patience when young and
are not the type of dog you can put out in a run and keep as a
kennel dog, they respond best to lots of human contact. They are
clean and love warmth particularly in the winter time. However
when they are young it is not a good idea to leave them alone in
the house they will be destructive if they get bored. I think it is
important to have a warm kennel with a good sized run where you
can leave him and know he will be safe and comfortable, maybe
while you are at work or even when visitors arrive that don't like
dogs (believe it or not there are some people out there that don't
appreciate boxer kisses). Dogs should always have fresh water
available at all times.
They are clean and easily trained if you don't allow them to be
dominant. However when correcting you should only need to raise
your voice - hitting is definitely not recommended.
Boxers are not a dog for shutting out in a kennel day and night,
they need to be part of the family and respond so well to love and
attention.
In my experience there is no specific difference in temperament
between dogs and bitches. They are like children they have
individual personalities, we have had soft smoochy girls and
stronger dominant girls. We have also had the same in boys.
Males are no less clean than females either in tact or neutered.
We found when our children were young that the dogs amended
their behaviour depending on who they were with i.e. rough and
tumble with our son and soft and cuddly with our younger
daughter. Males grow to be slightly larger than females and of
course you have seasons to contend with in bitches. If you don't
want to show or have puppies then speying is recommended,
seasons require that a bitch is out of the way of any male dogs for
about 3 weeks and happen every 6 to 9 months, there is also a
little blood involved etc. It is thought that speying a bitch will
reduce the incidence of some forms of cancer.
Males will wander if they are not appropriately fenced (actually so
will females).
Feeding
You will need to feed your baby four times a day for the first few
weeks and gradually reducing the number of meals as puppy
grows bigger and can eat more food at each meal - your breeder
should give you a diet sheet with examples of what puppy is used
to eating and the times. An adult boxer usually is fed once or
twice a day. You will also need to think about what you want to
feed your puppy. I strongly believe in natural feeding ie raw meat
and bones with leftover veges etc. all my dogs are fed naturally
and are very strong and healthy - nuts are convenient but are not
what a dogs natural digestive system is set up for. Boxers can get
skin problems and digestive problems and I believe these are
strongly related to the unnatural foods with additives that they are
fed. Anyway if you want to go natural I am happy to help out with
advice there.
Do not feed dogs onions as they cause anaemia. Chocolate is
also not good for dogs.
Vet Check
Your puppy should have had its first Vet check up and should
have been regularly wormed as a baby. Worming should be done
at 3 months and then only when necessary. Check inside puppy's
ears every now & then to make sure that there isn't any gunky
discharge that could indicate an ear infection. Keep toenails
short, your vet can trim them or you could get some nail clippers
and do it yourself being careful not to cut too close to the quick.
We recommend that you take your new puppy to your vet to
introduce yourself and to get puppy checked over for your peace
of mind. It is a good idea to get a check through your own vet,
and they will be able to tell you about any puppy pre-school
classes that they might run etc.
Training
At the early stages you will have to complete toilet training your
puppy, this will have begun with your breeder and is a relatively
easy process. The best way to train is to always take puppy
outside as soon as he wakes from a sleep and straight after a
meal. Praise him when he obliges and tell him how clever he is.
You will have a few accidents until he gets used to his new
environment and routine but this stage will pass very quickly.
Your family will also tolerate a biting period as he won't have
learnt to mouth yet. They have needle sharp little teeth and it is
important that young children understand that puppy doesn't
mean to hurt, and how to deal with puppy when he becomes over
excited and bites a bit hard. It is also important that puppy has a
safe place of his own that he can go to sleep without being
interrupted. I consider this very important because if puppy
doesn't get enough sleep he could become bad tempered and
snappy.
Puppies should also start an exercise routine with just short walks
when around 4 or 5 months old. Exercise can then gradually
increase as puppy grows and gets stronger. Don't push him
though as his bones will remain soft for a while and his joints are
easily damaged.
You will require a property that is very well fenced and a quiet
place where puppy can go to rest undisturbed e.g. a basket in a
corner of the family room, particularly if there are small children in
his family. Watch out for kids toys and anything that could be
within reach of puppy that could be damaged or could harm
puppy.
A well-socialized boxer should be happy and outgoing and
friendly, some of this is inherited from its parents and learnt from
its litter mates but as an owner it is important to keep your puppy
socialized with other dogs and people. As an adult you may find
that your boxer may not tolerate other dominant dogs and will
respond if challenged but he should never be excessively
aggressive to people (unless of course he is feeling threatened).
It is normal to bark at a stranger at the door on his territory but he
should settle as soon as he sees that there is no threat.
IMPORTANT - FEMALE BOXERS
If you have purchased a bitch puppy (or adult) you must be aware
that your girl will come into season and you should be watching
for signs from 6 months of age onwards. Your boxer's first season
may be anywhere from 6 months to 18 months and you can
expect for her to come into season regularly every 6 to 9 months.
The Season (sometimes called heat) will last about 21 days. In a
normal bitch the most likely and optimum time for mating and
conceiving is between the 10th and 15th days, however it is not
uncommon for bitches to conceive outside these days. Don't
underestimate the ability of male dogs to seek out girls in season
and they will go to extreme lengths to mate - so will the girls. They
must be carefully protected, it is tragic when a bitch has been
mismated (accidentally mated) particularly at a first season when
she is hardly developed (it can be harmful for her to have puppies
and will affect her own growth and development). The signs are
swelling of the vulva (below her anus), little drops of blood
gradually increasing as the season progresses - I wipe the area
each day when I notice swelling and the first day that I notice
blood is day 1 of her season. You may notice that your girl is
becoming more affectionate just before a season, or if you have a
male dog he may be taking more interest in your girl. If you are
not going to show and don't want to breed then the simplest
solution is to have her speyed. This is also said to be beneficial to
her health.
Be prepared to keep you girl well separated from all male
dogs for the entire period of her season.
Showing
If you are interested in showing your puppy or joining a local
kennel club or a Boxer Club please contact me Chris Jones I can
give you contact details for your nearest club. Boxers make great
show, agility and obedience dogs as well as great pets. They
thoroughly enjoy agility, perform well at obedience with a lot of
work and patience, and, if they have the right look and attitude
(and a lot of training for dog and handler), do well in the show
ring. Some people do sledding with their boxers others take their
boxers boating. Versatility is part of the Boxer personality and as
long as he is with his people he will be happy anywhere.
Old Age
As a Boxer ages he may become a little stiff or even suffer from
arthritis, there are many remedies available - talk to your vet to
find the most suitable treatment for your boxer. The older boxer is
a pleasure to live with and is happiest with a warm comfortable
bed and lots of love and cuddles.
The average life of a boxer should be around 10 - 12 years, some
say that anything over nine is a bonus. Some lines have greater
life expectancy than others. Main diseases affecting the boxer are
heart disease causing much reduced life expectancy and a
specific heart disease to Boxers called Boxer Cardiomyopathy
(ARVC) this causes, often apparently normal, boxers to collapse
and die at very young ages - it is hard to detect and can't be
ruled out by by normal heart testing. Hip Dysplasia causing pain
and arthritis, and sadly Boxers tend to be prone to cancer. Some
lines do have heart problems and the best advice I can give you
is to find out as much as you can about the parents, grand
parents etc. in the lines of any puppy you may be looking at. Most
good breeders are aware of these problems and are careful not
to carry lines affected. Cancer of course is unpredictable.
Good luck with your new boxer.
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