Considering a boxer dog puppy
Are You Ready for a Boxer Dog Puppy?
Most puppies are cute. But a Boxer dog puppy can take cute to an absurd level. Those enormous sad brown eyes, that impossibly short nose, that drooping mouth and that little body wriggling in paroxysms of delight–all of them make it seem that a Boxer dog puppy was designed to steal your heart before your head knows what is happening.
But inside that comical, antic, affectionate Boxer dog puppy lurks an intelligent, energetic, determined and strongly-willed Boxer dog, which at its adult height and weight will be a formidable canine indeed. And what you may not know about a Boxer dog puppy is that it will cling to puppyhood far longer than puppies of other breeds.
Your Boxer dog puppy will mature physically much sooner than it does mentally. Boxers need between three and four years to settle into dignified adulthood, and even then their degree of dignity will depend on how consistent their socialization and training has been..
You add a new member to the family the minute you bring a Boxer dog puppy home Boxer puppies are remarkably intelligent and eager to please, but if mishandled, will behave like class clowns. When brought into a home with other pets, they need to be socialized immediately so that they do not react with aggression or shyness.
If you have researched or, even better, spent time with Boxers, and understand the ongoing commitment required of Boxer owners, then you can start looking for a Boxer dog puppy. While you may lean toward getting one of the thousands of purebred Boxers surrendered for adoption each year, keep in mind that that you may have to overcome the mistakes of the dog’s previous owner.
Do some investigating before deciding to purchase a Boxer dog puppy from a pet shop. Many retail pet stores still get their animals from puppy mills, and you’ll have no way of checking the conditions under which your puppy came into the world.
If at all possible, get your Boxer dog puppy from a local breeder, whose facilities you can visit. See your puppy with its litter mates, and get an idea of its temperament. Does it seem to be the “leader” of the puppy pack, or is it shy and hiding behind its mother at your approach?
Are any recurring health problems in your prospective Boxer dog puppy’s family? Are you looking for a show dog? If you fall in love with a not-quite-championship-quality puppy, decide whether you want to sacrifice show potential for personality.
Plan on obedience classes and two hours of play time each day, or you will have a bored Boxer dog puppy. You shouldn’t expect your puppy to be ready for regular leash walks until it’s about ten months old, so make arrangements to keep it active in other ways. And crate train your puppy. It will be delighted to have its own space, and you’ll have somewhere to leave it for short periods when you can’t keep an eye on it.
A Boxer dog puppy is one of Mother Nature’s charmers, and over the years will return your love and loyalty a thousandfold!
