A boxer litter can range from 2 to 10 pups. However the average litter size is 6.

Boxers can live up to 14 years if loved and cared for properly. Some boxers however live only to the age of 10. It is a known fact that if your dog is happy and loved they will live longer.

Some major concerns are:

• cardiomyopathy
• sub-aortic stenosis
• hip dysplasia

Sometimes prone to epilepsy.

From age eight on boxers are more likely to get tumors than other breeds.

There is a tendency for allergies and some have been known to have heart problems.

Boxers may drool and snore, some have excessive flatulence.

Some white Boxers are prone to deafness.

With any breed there are always health concerns.

Could you imagine the list of health concerns for humans?

Best

Big yard, fenced in, lots of room to run and play.

Ok

Apartment, personal space like an always open kennel, daily walks and play time.

Poor

Small apartment, busy family.

Boxers do not do well with extreme weather, they chill easy and have trouble cooling down if they get too hot.

Height:

Males 22-25 inches (56-63 cm)
Bitches 21-24 inches (53-61 cm)

Weight:

Males 60-70 pounds (27-32 kg)
Bitches 53-65 pounds (24-29 kg)

Boxers jump because it is in their nature. They are excellent guard dog, police dogs and protectors. Boxers are a brave and noble breed that will jump on an intruder or “Bad Guy” and restrain him by putting pressure on the forearm, much like a Bulldog.

Boxers like to jump on you to give you a “Hug”. They see you hug other humans and this makes you happy, so they want to do the same thing.

What you want to do is teach him the command “Off”. When he jumps up on you, take his paws in your hand and firmly (Not too firm) and hold him up, look away and count to 5 in your head, he will try and pull away and maybe even whine, ignore this and once you have counted to five release him and say in a stern (not yelling) voice “Off”.  Continue in your normal happy voice until he tries this again, then repeat the steps.

This is only if you have a problem with the jumping, in our home we encourage the jumping and hugging. This is a great show of affection and a great way for him to play and wrestle. Boxers are a very playful breed and love touch and interaction.

NEVER!

When you were a child and messed your diaper .. did your mother out your nose in it? I think not. And if she had, what do you think this would have done to you emotionally?

Never and I mean NEVER put your pups nose in his mistake. This is cruel, pointless and teaches him nothing but to see you as a bad person. And people wonder why some dogs turn on their owners? Ugh.

Should your pup mess in the house you simply show him the mistake and use a low voice and say “Thats ok” then immediately take him outside and say in a happy voice “Pee Pee”.  You should be saying “Pee Pee” each time you take him out to use the washroom. He will soon learn the words and realize his mistake.

Firstly you need to realize that if your puppy messes in your home it is YOUR fault, not the puppy’s.

Puppies are much like babies, they need time to grow and learn how to control their bladder and to understand when it is time to go outside. You need to be paying attention to your puppy and realizing when it is time for him to go out. You should be taking him out each time he wakes from a nap, and especially as soon as he wakes in the morning. You should also be taking him out after he has eaten his meal. When you are house breaking you don’t want to give papers on the floor, what you are doing with this is telling him its ok to mess on paper - to the dog this means anything that resembles paper to him. Use a kennel for bedtime and this will help him learn to hold his bladder; dogs do not like to mess where they sleep. Pay attention to your puppy, get to know him and his actions. As children do the “Pee Pee Dance” when they need to go, each dog has his own way of showing his needs.

Boxers have been having their tails docked from the late 1800’s. It is the breed standard to have a docked tail, much like other breeds.

My personal view on tail docking is simple

1. Boxers are a very expressive breed and they do so by wagging their tails. Boxers tails however are very long and hard, they are forever banging their tails off of things and many times this causes fractures that never heal properly.

2. Our pups are given a longer “Show Type” of dock. This eliminates the chance of fractures but still leaves the pup with something to wag and express himself with. Boxers also lower their tails and try to hide their bottom if they feel threatened by another dog or situation, having a longer dock leaves them with enough tail to cover their bottom should they feel the need.

3. As I have mentioned boxers are forever wagging these long hard tails around. Now when you enter the home after being away the dog is excited and wagging his tail, the tail hits you and believe me, it HURTS. You of course react with saying “Ouch! Stop That!” or even merely change your expression. Now the dog does not understand what he has done to upset you, he only meant to say hello. This in long term will cause the dog mixed emotions about being happy. Everytime he gets excited - the tail hits someone - people are upset. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what this will do to the dog in long terms.

My standpoint on this issue is from experience, as you see our female has a natural full tail and I am speaking from experience when I tell you the tails cause problems for the dogs. This is not simply a matter of cosmetic as those with no experience will tell you.

We dock our pups tails at home for many reasons.

Home: No lengthy time away from the mom.
Vet: Pups must be taken from the whelping box and transported to the vet office.

Home: No trip outdoors at the age of a few days and chance of getting sick.
Vet: A trip at such an early age especially during cold months can be risky.

Home: No stitches!
Vet: Vet docked tails are stitched; stitches catch on blankets and pull causing pain.

Home: One cut, one peep and pup is back with mom and never says another word.
Vet: Vet docked tails require two cuts to be made forming a “V” shape, the skin is then pulled tightly and stitched up. As mentioned above the stitches tend to catch on things causing the pups a great deal of pain. They cry and whine for days afterwards.