Boxer Temperament: What’s it like owning one?
I know what you’re thinking: Boxers are so adorable, I wonder what it would be like to own one! Yes, I’ve thought the same thing. Boxers are cute, friendly, and who wouldn’t want to own one? Yet would they be able to get along with you and your family?
What is a Boxer’s temperament like? Boxers are very happy, energetic, brave and faithful to their owners and families. Boxers are quite the package deal, protective of their loved ones, yet so loving and fun. Although they may be jumpy and suspicious of others as a puppy, they offer the perfect personality for a family dog.
Before you purchase or adopt a Boxer, there are important details to know about their temperament and personality to help you decide if owning a Boxer is right for you and your family. If and when you do decide to adopt one, there are also some details below to help you make a good transition for everyone at home.
Boxer Temperament: What to Expect
Boxers are the perfect family dog because they offer plenty of love, energy, and are protective yet very gentle. The reason why families love this dog is
Boxers are good friends, they become attached easily and l
Boxers are medium to large dogs, built with a strong body. For females, they can weigh between 55-64 pounds while males can get up to between 60-71 pounds.
Boxers are protective. It is important to socialize them when they are young so they are comfortable in public with other people and animals. Although they are protective, they are very friendly and loving with children and others. When you think of the ideal “man’s best friend”, the boxer is definitely that.
Although they are protective, they aren’t the best guard dogs, so if you are planning on purchasing a top-notch guard dog, you probably shouldn’t choose a Boxer because they are so friendly.
Boxers also love to chew, which means you will want to purchase chew toys because Boxers love to nibble on your belongings.
You can look into some great chew toys like the Kong toy, which I mention later down below, which acts as a chew toy and a treat. Fill the Kong toy with a treat like peanut butter then freeze it so your dog can have fun licking and chewing on the toy. Perhaps this will help them avoid chewing on less tasty things, like your shoes!
Overall, Boxers have great personality traits and can bring a lot of happiness into your home. There are some cons to this dog and some details below about how to take care of a boxer to help you decide if adding a boxer to your family is the best decision or not.
Cons of Owning a Boxer
Now that you’ve heard how great these dogs can be, you should also know some of the negatives to
- Drooling
- Become Excited and Jumpy Easily
- Become Attached
- Need Plenty of Physical
exercise - Short Coat, Need to Be Careful in Cold Climates
- Separation Anxiety
- Being Over Protective
Now some of those may seem like positives, like being protective and become attached easily, but they can also be cons for people.
Boxers can be protective, but that isn’t a good thing because they can act unfriendly towards strangers. However, if you bring them around people often while they are young, this can help them be friendly and not as protective around other people.
The other one, becoming attached easily, can be annoying for some people because your Boxer may grow to love you TOO much. They will want to be by your side all the time and even get seperation anxiety when you leave them home alone. Although this is very sweet, this may worry some pet owners because they need to leave the home often for work and such.
If you are not willing to put forth the time to bond with your dog, then you may want to reconsider purchasing a Boxer because they need lots of love and attention.
Yes, it is true they love to get excited and jump around when there are people visiting, but this can be very annoying for some people. Boxers only want to offer their love and attention, but if you are not fond of his way of sharing love, be cautious about choosing a Boxer.
Feeding a Boxer: Providing the Best Health
Boxers are large dogs that use a lot of energy, so they need a lot of food to maintain the best health. This is especially true when the Boxer is a
Make sure this food is not too fatty, but that is a healthy option for large dogs. While they are a puppy you could try feeding your boxer Purina Pro Plan Puppy Dry Dog Food specifically designed to intrigue puppies while providing a healthy meal with vitamins and nutrients to help prevent stomach aches and help with sensitive skin.
Another great option for your Boxer as he grows is to try the Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets Dry Dog Food, made with a formula to provide great protein and few ingredients to ensure that there are no extra added things to make your dog’s stomach become upset. This also helps your dog to grow strong and stay healthy.
In order to keep a Boxer temperament happy and well managed, it is important to help them eat good food and remain happy.
Some other top choices for Boxers for food options are:
- Wellness CORE Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
- AvoDerm Natural Chicken Meal Dry Dog Food
- Eukanuba Breed Specific Boxer
- Royal Canin Boxer Adult Dry Dog Food.
Food to Avoid
There are a lot of foods that can help a Boxer grow, but there are some that you should definitely avoid. Stay away from foods with soy, corn and wheat. These ingredients don’t help your dog grow nutritionally and actually can cause food allergies.
Beware of ingredients on the back of dog food packaging. If it says “by-products” of anything like meat, it means it is not actually real meat but something of with lower quality. It is okay if it says Meat Meal because it is meat.
It is important that this meat comes from
Look for the real meat like if it says “meat” or “meat meal”. Those labels are two safe options.
Your dog is okay to eat some human food as a treat, like
Training Boxers: Is it Possible with their Temperament?
Training a Boxer may be difficult, but if you start while they’re still a young puppy, you can find great success even if the dog may seem stubborn at times.
Potty Training
Although Boxers can be very energetic puppies, it is possible to potty train them. It’s never fun cleaning up accidents, so the sooner you get the potty training thing down, the sooner both you and your dog will be relieved!
A good age to begin potty training is at about 8 weeks old. You can begin to do this after they have their meal times. Immediately after they eat, make a habit to take them outside. Let them begin to be familiar with potty time by saying out loud the word “potty” or whatever you choose to call this time. So that way they can become familiar with this time and the word.
One way to help them avoid making any mistakes or accidents in the house is the crate train the dog. By putting them in a crate when you leave the house, a place where they sleep and eat, they will be less likely to do their business in there. A crate can also be a place of security for the dog to feel safe and avoid making any messes around the house.
Remember it is important to let them out and exercise everyday. Just because you use the crate technique does not mean they stay in the crate, they need to exercise to maintain good health and to keep good temperament.
What it’s like Owning a Boxer: Physical Health and Grooming
Before you purchase a boxer, it is important to understand that how you take care of them will affect the way they act and treat you as well.
If you are willing to learn how to best care for them, you will be able to develop a healthy loving relationship. You wouldn’t be very happy anyway if you always had a crazy energetic pet who never got their energy out and smelled, now would you?
It is very important to help them physically get the exercise they need in order to stay happy as well as keeping them well groomed so that you are happy with the odors and know what you are getting into.
Exercise Requirements
Now from reading earlier, you know that Boxers are very energetic, especially as they are young. It is crucial that they have time to run around outside and get their energy out. Boxers need to exercise to be healthy and happy. The best homes for Boxers are those that have a consistent daily schedule to allow them to run and exercise.
To start, a Boxer needs to have at least a brisk walk, about 20 minutes, while still a puppy. As they get older, they need more time to exercise. As they grow, they have a brisk walk daily for as long as a half hour to 45 minutes long.
Puppies still are growing so they won’t be able to walk as long or play as long outside. It is important that they are not overworked too much, still being young.
Boxers are excellent exercise partners as well and they can be trained to catch a frisbee, jog with you, hike, and play fetch. This makes exercise a fun time for both you and your boxer.
Grooming
Keeping your dog well groomed will help you and your dog stay happy and healthy.
I personally think the best part about owning a Boxer is the fact that you don’t need to do much to keep them well groomed. Boxers have short coats, which makes it nice for
Although Boxers do shed, it doesn’t come out in huge clumps like other dogs. They need good nutrients in their food though to keep their hair looking shiny. A good diet will also help them to avoid flank alopecia and other hair diseases.
You can brush this breed’s coat weekly to help their coats keep clean and smooth. This also means they require
You can give them more frequent baths, but you need to be careful not to do this too often because it can make them feel scratchy with dry skin.
Although they don’t need very many baths, your boxer’s nails also will need to be trimmed. It is good to keep them short, but not too short that makes them bleed. One way to help keep the nails short while avoiding any bleeding is to file their nails.
Boxers need to have their teeth brushed daily. Brushing your boxer’s teeth daily actually prevents diseases which helps them live longer. There is a dog toothbrush and dog toothpaste you can buy, here is a link to an example of a fun toothbrush for dogs that also serves as a chew toy.
If this is uncomfortable, there is also the option to use a fingertip brush where you use your finger to brush the dog’s teeth until they become comfortable with a toothbrush.
Remember to clean their ears! You can get a substance from the vet to clean their ears.
Related Questions
How much do Boxers cost? Boxer puppies typically cost between $700 to $1,500. The price is usually lower for adult Boxers. However, over a year you can expect to spend between $500- $1,200 for your Boxer including food, shots, toys, and other necessities.
How much does pet insurance cost for a dog? Monthly insurance rates for dogs are between $10 to $100. You can also typically expect to pay $235 a year bringing your pet to the doctor for health issues. That’s why it is important to help your dog maintain good health so you can avoid more visits to the vet.