I like the breed, not sure I would have one as I love my gundogs, but I do love it when they give those soft kisses When we moved here, nearly 3 months ago now , one of the first people we met whilst out walking was a man with a 4 year old Boxer called Lottie. She is never on a lead, he rides around on a bike and she trots alongside him. She is a darling and always comes over to say hello, she pushes herself into me to have her bottom patted and I'm pretty certain she is trying to smile at me...my setters were great smilers and it looks as if she is doing the same thing, but obviously her face looks quite different to the setters. Leon loves her and follows her everywhere if they are offlead together and we are going in the same direction. The other evening we were out walking and we came across a couple walking a 12 week old boxer pup, she was as mad as a hatter and Leon was very taken with her, then we bumped into Lottie and Leon thought he had died and gone to heaven. Blow me if we didn't then come across a man and woman with two male Boxers, they were onlead and very friendly, they made friends with Leon but they were all trying to bounce about so we had a quick chat and went on our way. I've just come back from a walk and we bumped into Lottie, they also had her niece on the walk, she is just over a year old and adorable also, like two peas in a pod, except she has a tail and Lottie doesn't. Poor Leon didn't know which one to play with first Then we bumped into some people with another pup, 15 weeks old this time..he was gorgeous and I could have easily brought him home with me. Is there something I should know about Boxers? I know they have always been a popular breed but I have never seen so many in one area before...I haven't asked too many questions but, with the exception of Lottie and her niece, none of them seem to be related. I just wondered what the KC register is like..I didn't think people were breeding so much with the credit crunch.
wow, thats a lot of boxers i dont see many round here either... there is one i met a lot in summer but havent seen her for a while, but i know where her owner stays and it is a fair walk so think she may have just shortened it due to the weather. and there is a woman who has 2... they are the only ones around here i have seen lol
AWWW Sheree, so glad you are a convert to our breed. They do get under your skin dont they..and I see you got a bit of the Boxer snuggle, and kisses. Yes they are a popular breed, to popular to be honest, to many bred, to many in rescue.. Cant put my hand on the breed supplement at the mo , to give you the info on numbers bred (kc ones anyway) but they are amongst the higher end, Glad Leon has a few Boxer friends, I can just see them now, all doing that mad Boxer dash Be Careful Leon might decide he wants to be one
I don't recall seeing any when we lived in Northamptonshire, it was just a shock to see so many now we are here, and all at around the same time. There are quite a few Labradoodles here too Oh Jackie, I've always liked the look of them but never had a "hands on" opportunity before...those kisses are great too Since Leon met Lottie he makes a beeline for any that he sees, he seems to know that they are going to be friendly and up for a game, even though he can't keep up with them, poor old lad I did say to Clive the other day that as Leon likes them so much maybe we should look at getting him a friend ;-)
aww wow i wish i could see more boxers we have just the one in my area. shes lovely too. i wonder if certain areas have like one breed that is the most popular? maybe that should be a thread?
It would be interesting to see if certain areas attract certain breeds. When I lived in Lincolnshire it was mainly gundogs you would meet up with, in Northants we had a lot of labs and Jack Russells around the estate. Mind you, I do know that some people drive into the area here because the walks are so nice, so maybe that could account for it
I think sometimes it has to do with what people see. So for example Lottie is a lovely dog, well behaved, off lead etc,so I think that people in the area who have been thinking about getting a dog see her and think 'ooh, that looks a well behaved dog, we'll get one of those'. I saw a similar thing in our village when we had Kip - nearly everyone in the village who got a pup got a border collie. Mind you, since he passed away and we now have Stumpy who isn't nearly such an embassador for the breed everyone seems to have gone for labs instead
Awww, poor Stumpy I think you could be right, after all, if you see a dog behaving badly but know nothing of the breed, it could definately put you off owning one.
Oh thats sad...the ones we've met have been as mad as hatters, really friendly towards people and other dogs. Such a pity to hear that. :-(
Boxer rescue is run from Leighton Buzzard I think (correct me if i am wrong ) Wonder if that has anything to do with it! Tho they dont have a centre do they, they rehome home from home. We have zillions of Springers here...def the favourite breed here!
Oh I suppose it could be, although would they have baby puppies available?...I'm not looking though...I'm not ;-)
Sadly this can happen, for every friendly one you will see, there will be a dog aggressive one. Do you know the age of the ones you have met Sheree, as if they are pups .juveniles , then they may still be in the "everyone is friendly " stage, But the Boxer is a breed , that can be intolerant of other same sex, or dogs with a similar disposition to themselves. Someone once told me ( a very wise old man in Boxers) that they are lovers not haters, but !!! any negativity be other dogs they receive, they will give back tenfold.. !! Thats not to say ALL Boxers of all ages will be dog aggressive, as with all dogs it will all depend on the breeding , and enviroment... Bandit has been a soft old man for till recently, now with age and ill health he will not take any negativity form other dogs, and he has certain dislikes , other males of the same size!! Miller unfortunately has a flawed charater, she is as nervous as hell, and sadly has had problems with other dogs for a very long time. Other Boxers in my life and owned by friends, will be form one end of the scale to the other... they are all different. But another saying (by the same old chap) is once they learn to fight ,they become good at it, :? I think the Boxer is no different to many other "over confident " breeds, they ooze strenght and power along with a "aura" around them that intimidates other dogs, which can them get them into trouble and then you have that vicious circle of repetitiveness set in!!!
thanks for this bit of information, as you know i want a boxer (or at least think i do) can i ask you a question even though it may be slightly off topic?
you know when they heart test the dogs and they say dont breed from one that has a score of 2? can the score be in between numbers? like before i read in an ad that the bitch was 0 and the dog was between 0 and 1. can it be between, or does it just have to be 0,2,3?
Not it will be either 0,1,2, 3, 4 ,5, 6 If it is nearer the higher then the lower, I think it will be graded as the higher!! On the heart register they will be no 1/2 numbers, it will be as above.. only a 0 or 1 should be bred from, in some cases people will breed a 2, personally I dont agree with, but in extreme cases it is done, but should only be done by peopel who know their lines inside out!!
When heart testing they always round it up not down a cardiologist told me. When asking about heart testing don 't forget to ask about cardiomyopathy lines in the pedigree as reputable breeders will strive to keep their lines clear.You can check out boxers heart scores and the cardiomyopathy lines from The Kennel Clubs website.Good luck with your search it will be worth all your research in the end
