Breed Issues

When you bring a new dog into your home, you have no idea how that dog will react when left alone. Maybe Rocky will just sleep on the couch. Maybe Rocky will eat the couch. It is often a good idea to keep your new Boxer (particularly a young one!) in a crate while you are not home. It is not cruelty - it's a matter of safety for the dog. Case in point: Kaya (left) was adopted by a wonderful couple who take great care of her. Not long after they brought her home, they felt that Kaya was ready to be trusted out of the crate during their absence. Kaya ate a shoe - all the way up to the laces! After a pricey emergency vet visit, Kaya was back in her crate. About six months after that incident, they did reach the point where Kaya and her brother Bo can have limited access to certain parts of the house while no one is home.

 

A crate should never be used as punishment. It is a safe place for the dog. We give our dogs kong toys filled with treats and peanut butter to keep them busy while no one is home. You will probably need to start off with short absences if your dog was not crate trained as a puppy. Some dogs do well in the plastic airline-type crates, while others are more comfortable in the wire variety that allow them to have a better view of all that is going on around them.

 

A crate can also be a useful tool in the process of housebreaking a young dog. For more information on crate training, you can visit this site: Crate Training

Unfortunately, our beloved Boxer breed is prone to a number of health issues. As such, we want to do everything we can to keep them healthy, right? As part of our adoption process, we advise adopters about canine nutrition and the importance of buying quality food for the dog. Remember, just because your dog LIKES a cheap, low grade food does not mean it's good for your dog.  Most of us like candy but that doesn't mean it's good for us. Your dog is a family member and deserves better! We normally recommend keeping your new dog on a premium brand, such as Wysong, Canidae, Wellness, or Solid Gold.  The Whole Dog Journal always has great information about dog food choices.

 

There are some motivated individuals out there who follow the BARF (Bones And Raw Food) diet for their dog(s). For people who have the time to prepare fresh food for their dog(s), we think that's great. However you accomplish it, we just want to emphasize the importance of providing quality food. We want you to have your new family member for a long time!

Boxers love people. They love people so much that it is easy for them to become uneasy when the object of their affection has the audacity to go to work everyday. Separation Anxiety (which is a catch-all phrase that is often overused) can occur in varying degrees. In severe cases, a dog may become very destructive when left alone. Other manifestations include excessive drooling, barking, and temporary anorexia (refusing to eat while you are gone). Veterinarians sometimes prescribe medications like Clomicalm for these severe cases.

 

In milder cases, behavior modification alone may be enough to curb the behavior. An important step in the process is making sure that arrivals and departures are very low-key. Ignore the dog before you leave and when you return (for a reasonable period). If you spend a lot of time consoling the dog in preparation for your departure, Rocky might be thinking, "hey, this is worse than I thought! Now I am REALLY upset!" Don't allow that sort of anxiety to build up.

 

Some families have had great success with leaving a TV or radio on while they are not home. You might also try leaving a t-shirt or some other article that carries your scent, to comfort the dog in your absence. You can read more about Separation Anxiety and possible solutions here: Separation Anxiety

 

 

Check out our new page on buying a puppy.

All the world loves a puppy. We don't see too many puppies in rescue. If you want to purchase a puppy, please do everything in your power to locate a reputable breeder. A reputable breeder will not allow you to take a puppy home prior to 8 weeks of age. Those last couple of weeks are a very important time, during which the puppy learns valuable lessons from his mother and his littermates. Don't deprive him of that! You'll have years to spend with him.

 

Ask the breeder for proof that health testing was performed on the dam and sire prior to breeding. A good Boxer breeder will be able to provide proof that the dogs were tested for heart and hip problems, etc. The average "backyard breeder" will have both the dam and the sire under one roof. A better breeder will have selected a sire that belongs to another breeder, and both will have done careful research on the pedigrees of both dogs (to prevent in-breeding). American Kennel Club (AKC) papers are not particularly meaningful, but you should be able to obtain those from the breeder. Most purebred dogs (even those that do not bear any resemblance to the breed standard) have AKC papers. This is not an indication that the dog is of Champion quality or that the dog should be bred.

 

Finally, whatever you do, please do not purchase a puppy from a pet store. Pet store managers will try to convince you that the store's puppies come from reputable breeders. Nope! The puppies in pet stores come directly from puppy mills. You are not "saving" that sad little puppy in the cage. You are lining the pockets of a puppy-miller. So, difficult though it may be, turning your back on that puppy is the right thing to do. Better yet, do not patronize stores that sell puppies and kittens. To learn more about puppy mills: Puppy Mills

 

 

Nothing gets a group of Boxer fans quite so "riled up" as the ear cropping issue. In rescue, we see dogs that are cropped and dogs that are not. Both are fine with us. What is disappointing is to see a bad crop, or ears that were cropped but not posted and taped as they should have been. Ear cropping is a personal choice. Generally, it's not really necessary unless you plan to show the dog in the conformation ring (you can show an uncropped dog, but some judges will make it difficult for you). If you do decide to crop, please find a vet who will show you photos of other crops he/she has done. You must be prepared to put the work into the aftercare. Ear cropping has been banned in Europe for quite a while, and continues to be a controversial issue in the U.S.

 

A Boxer's tail is normally docked when the litter is just a day or two old. The issue of tail docking is not as controversial as ear cropping, because it is done very early and is not considered to be "major surgery."

White Boxers are not rare. Any "breeder" who claims they are rare (and sells them for exorbitant amounts of money) is simply lying. Because white Boxers have a higher risk for deafness (the percentage varies depending on which reference you consult), it is generally considered unethical to breed them. The breed standard for the Boxer (as written by the American Boxer Club and approved by the AKC) does exclude white Boxers. Therefore, a good breeder will make sure that whites are placed in good homes - generally selling them for a bit less than the colored counterparts.

 

White Boxers are as happy and healthy as any Boxer. Aside from deafness, the only other concern we have heard from white Boxer owners is the increased risk of sunburn.

At Green Acres Boxer Rescue, we have placed a number of deaf Boxers in loving homes. Raising a deaf dog is full of challenges and rewards. It requires the commitment of learning hand signals and an abundance of patience. Once you learn to communicate effectively with your deaf dog, you will find that he is as healthy and happy as any other dog, and does not have a reduced quality of life by any stretch. An excellent resource for learning about deaf dogs is Living With a Deaf Dog by Susan Cope Becker. There are numerous email groups, message boards, and web sites dedicated to deaf dogs.