The following list is meant to help you prepare for your new pup. There are a few things that you may like to have on hand before your new boxer pup comes home. I hope this checklist will help to make the transition period go a bit smoother.

General

• Paper Towels (Lots and Lots)
• Old Towels (For bathing, new pups are always making a mess of themselves)
• Old Blankets (For first bedding, don’t use your new pup bed until pup is fully trained as they don’t wash very well)
• Cotton Balls (For cleaning ears)
• Nail File (Very fine fake nail type file for smoothing nail tips)
• 100% Pure canned Pumpkin (from the baking isle of your grocery store)
  Pumpkin is a good source of fiber. When puppy has diarrhea or constipation, a tablespoon or two with every meal for several days should help alleviate symptoms. Freeze excess in ice cube tray for later use.
• Baby Gates (Check the baby area of Walmart, gates from pet stores tend to be really expensive. Take care not to get horizontal bars as pup will use them as steps to climb up. Also take note of the spacing, you don’t want the pup to get caught in the gate so pick one with very small spacing.)
• Bleach (You will want to be disinfecting the pups area daily. Also immediately disinfect any picked up stool spots.)
• OutDoor Play Area (You can build an area or setup an outdoor dog run. Be sure to put your fencing into the ground so the pup doesn’t dig out.)
• Outside Watering Dish (You can either keep this filled manually or You can get a great watering system at your local feed store, they have ones for watering cows that have a floating device in it that will keep the water dish always filled. You hook it up to your hose or outside tap.)
• PlayPen (Some people like to have a playpen on hand so the pup can be close to you when you are unable to attend them. Example: Cooking supper or doing paper work, the pup can be close by and stay out of trouble.)
• Peroxide (For small cuts that need cleaning. Do NOT use Neosporin!)
• Digital Thermometer (You should get a pack of covers and some KY as well. Normal Temp is 99.5f to 102.5f. If temp is above 103F or below 99F, consult your vet.

Pet Supply Store

• Pooper Scooper and Bags
• Food and Water Bowls (Stainless Steel or Ceramic)
• Storage Bin (For dry food)
• Collar and Leash (We send these home with pup)
• Training Lead (Long leash for training about 12-15 feet)
• Kennel/Crate (If you are going to kennel train - I suggest the large kennel at Walmart, it comes with a hard plastic removable liner that you can easily clean.)
• ID Tags (You can get these at the pets store for around $10. Get your pups name and your contact info engraved and have it ready for when the pup gets home. It is better safe than sorry.)

Food and Treats

• Pedigree Puppy Kibble (I’d stick with this for the first year then gradually switch to Pedigree Active Kibble)
• Pedigree DentaBone (Great for chewing and helps teeth)
• Puppy Biscuits (Milk Bones are great)
• Training Treats (These should be small chewy treats that are for training rewards only! You could use small cut up hotdogs NOT CIRCLES hotdogs cut in circles act as plugs and get stuck in a pups throat. Cut into circles then cut each circle in to 2 or 4 pieces.)
• Canned Milk (For the first little while you may like to give the pup some warm milk before bed to help him/her sleep. Mix 1 part canned milk with 3 parts warm water. Only offer this if you really need to as you want to get the pup off of milk.)

Chews and Toys

• Kong Toys (Kong toys are perfect, other toys may not last long with a boxer)
• Stuffed Dog Toys with Squeakers (Check these over for any parts that can be chewed off and choked on. You should always check toys regularly to ensure they are safe.)
• Rope Toys (Boxers love a good round of tug-a-war. Kong makes a nice rope toy.)
• Balls (Tennis balls are ok but when the pup gets bigger these will not last long.)

Grooming

• Soft Brush
• Fine Comb
• Puppy Shampoo
• Puppy Conditioner (Spray kind is ok too)
• Ear Wash Solution
• Dog Toothbrush and Paste
  
• Puppy Nail Clippers with Guard (If you cant get puppy ones I find cat ones work well for pups.)
• QuickStop (This is a powder septic that will stop bleeding should you cut the pups nail too short. This also works for small injuries, great to have one hand when you are out with your pup should they step on something sharp.)
• Small Scissors (For trimming around pads.)

Additional Items

• Bell for the backdoor (Hang the bell on the backdoor, use only the backdoor when taking pup out to potty. When you goto take pup out ring the bell each time. The pup will then learn this and ring for you when he/she needs to go pee ect. - When going out to play ect use the front door.)
• Book Vet Appointment (Get your appointment set for the pups 8 week booster. At this time you can get some Sentinel to treat the pup each month for all types of worms, parasites, fleas, ticks ect.)
• Obedience Classes (You may like to look for upcoming classes for you and your pup.)

I will add more items to this list as i think of them.

Just about 5 weeks have passed since we were blessed with these little guys.

The pups are doing excellent! Nice new teeth are in and pups are now enjoying kibble.

Pups have been collared now and have begun learning about leash walking. This can be tricky at times but they are trying very hard.

The little ones are very active now and love to play and wrestle. For those of you who have boxers you will know that no two dogs play like boxers play. They are rough and tumble little guys who never give up.

I am very pleased with the progress the pups have been making, they are all very quick learners and they all love to do well.

The pups are now learning about acceptable nipping. While this is natural for pups at this age it is important to begin teaching that nipping is not acceptable. This process can take time but it is important to continue this teaching at home.

A good tip to help with teaching about nipping is to correct the behavior and supply an item that can be chewed and nipped at. For example, when the pup attempts to nip at your feet ect make eye contact with the pup and say in a stern (not mean) voice “NO!”, then present the pup with a chew toy and let them know that THIS is ok to chew.

Its funny, the time for a breeder seems to go by far to quickly and in retrospect the time for a new puppy owner waiting for their new pup seems to drag on.