Boxers
 

Hey,

I need some recommendations about potentially adopting a 4.5 month old female brindle boxer pup. She needs to be rehomed due to a move/major life change.

So for those of you who have one, tell me about their energy levels, destructive-ness, etc.

This one is being billed as very smart, and house trained already.

We've had 2 Boxers and both were excellent pets. Although they had very different personalities they were both easy to train: obedient, good with children, well-mannered, and except for a few chewing incidents when young, were model dogs. The down-side to Boxers are the health issues. Our 2nd one we lost to Boxer Heart Syndrome at 5 years. Our first lived to 11 before cancer claimed him. Hope this helps.

Boxers are smart all right...also super high energy, curious and stubborn as all get out. (At least my girl is...:lol:) They can also be pretty destructive but mainly only when they get bored. But, if you regularly excercise both their body and mind they are fantastic companions and want nothing more than to hang out with you.

Lovely breed Catherine. Very active, needs regular runs! Affectionate. Health concerns are something to be aware of forsure and also seem to be prone to dog on dog aggression. I worked in a vet clinic for 6 years and nearly every boxer was aggressive towards other dogs. Just something to watch out for. But a nice breed despite that!

I will agree that boxers are aggressive... If my girl sees another dog she agressively tries to get over there to say hi and see if they will play with her. Playing with other dogs is the thing she loves the most.. :lol:

Health concerns are indeed a big part of this breed. I knew when I got Jaime that boxers can be more expensive to own then other breeds of dogs but if I had known just how much more expensive I probably would not have gotten her. Don't get me wrong I love my little girl and am very happy to have her. Im just saying I probably would be driving a nice new BMW instead of my beat-up Ford Ranger. My vet just got a new BMW though. Coincidence...I dunno. :surprise:

I noted there were heart issues and hip dysplasia to be aware of.

The aggressiveness worries me a bit, but from what I've read with good consistent training it can be curbed. I also read that punishment related training doesn't work very well at all, and that positive reinforcement should always be used. We're all about positive reinforcement, because I don't believe in punishment.

Also note health wise: Eye concerns since many have excessive drooping to the lids, possible nasal issues dues to smushed face, prone to allergies, and many cancers. Just to mention a few more to consider. However there are few large breeds that do not have a "list" to watch out for!:wink:
Yes aggression can be curbed with HUGE socialization! ESP while she's young.

if she's still a pup Catherine, I'd imagine she'd be fine and you'll be able to calm her down to where she's good with your other two. When I owned a male he was pretty much the same as muck's...he wanted to be friends with everybody. Which scared a few people at first but with regular training he new he needed to sit and wait to be pet rather than running and jumping on people/dogs/whatever moved infront of his face

They are really people dependent dogs and don't do well if everyone in the house is at work all day (they get destructive) .
My female can be dog aggressive but gets along well with dogs that she knows.She is also wonderfully affectionate and is a real clown, doing anything she can think of to get a laugh out of me :biggrin:

I have never met an aggressive boxer... however they are very boisterous in their play and come off as being so. They are super high energy but you have Dals so you know what that's all about. They do have very high prey drive, but many breeds are like this. They are smart but stubborn, and you would have to run the pants off of one, prior to doing any training.

They are plagued with cancer and most die at about seven years of age... much like my beloved rotties. They are charming and actually have a sense of humor, a true comic of the dog world.