I got my Boxer as a rescue when he was 3 yrs old (he lived to 8). When I got him he had no manners at all and, although he never started fights, he got attacked quite often as he likely displayed the wrong attitude and was poorly socialized. A Boxer is a great dog IF you establish yourself as the Alpha dog and are very consistent. They also respond very well to crate training (no destructiveness). With some quality time spent I could call my dog back when he was chasing a squirrel and he would come. If two dogs ever looked a little tense all I had to do was growl, bark or shake my keys and the situation was totally diffused. The training took longer than if I had raised him from a puppy but he was a fantastic dog that I would have put in any situation with confidence.
Amongst my parents and siblings we have now had 7 Boxers. You will never regret getting a Boxer IF you are willing to always be the boss. Also, once they get to be around 3 they settle down quite a bit.
I now have a Vizsla which is basically a Boxer sprinkled with sweetener.
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Best Regards,
Scott.
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