Hey everyone, Me and my other half are hoping to get a Boxer dog in the new year but i wanted to do some reading up in the meantime. I've read a fair bit on the internet but wondered if anyone knew of any good books that focus solely on Boxers. I've looked on amazon but none of them seem to be reviewed. If anyone has any suggestions i'd be very grateful! Regards, Esme
I have a copy of The Complete Boxer by Tim Hutchings and The Boxer Handbook by Joan Hustace Walker. Are you looking for training related books or just general boxer books? Borders bookshop has a good selection of boxer books.
Hi Carole, Thanks for your post, i will have a look at both of those books. Ideally i'd be looking for one that covers both training and general boxer info. I just want to do as much research as possible before committing to a dog! I'll also take a look at the Border Bookshop.
Boxers are great dogs I love them!!! There some great Boxer owners on dogsey with stunning dogs, they will be able to give you some great advice! Good luck in your search and get some pics up as soon as your new boxer arrives! All the best!
Crikey there are quite a few Boxer books that have been published over the years. As Carole has asked it depends really what you want from the books. Most will give you the breed history - how the breed was evolved. Most give you the general Boxer bits. A couple that are in addition to the ones above are Living With a Boxer - Edited by Sharon Hannibal. Published by Ringpress. The Boxer by Stephanie Abraham. Published by Howell Book House. This is an American based book but still a nice book. If you want to read all about the breed history a fab book is My Life with Boxers by Friederun von Miram-Stockmann. I have the new expanded version. This one is published by Classic Pet Books in the USA. The first two books you may be able to loan from your local library. So that you don't spend loads and find the book that you feel is the best for you. Another thing that is useful chat to people that own Boxers... you learn loads from them too. Boxers typically don't grow up - they may calm down a little once they reach two years old...but they are the Peter Pans of the dog world. They don't do very well if left on their own for long periods of time. They LOVE human company and can suffer with speration anxiety if left on their own. They NEED training - whatever you put in whilst they are young you WILL reap the rewards as they grow older. Remember what might seem fun and cute when the puppy can be picked up etc will most certainly not be fun and cute when they could weigh in at 6 stone and be full on and boisterous. They can be stubborn but this does not mean that they cannot be trained. It's just it may take a little longer. With perseverance, a firm hand and lots of kindness a Boxer can be trained as well as any other breed. They are normally very quick to learn house training.. Contrary to popular belief Boxers DO moult. They may be short haired but boy when they moult they moult. Some will slobber and yes it goes all up your house walls, on the LCD TV, just about anywhere.. Ace bleach is pretty good at getting slobber out of your clothes Give em an inch and they take a mile...so you do have to be firm and not waver...they know when you are weak. They do chew, they can grow out of it, but not normally until approx two years old..and some never grow out of it. But on the upside they are really loving to their human family, if you have kids where ever there's mischief a Boxer is normally in the middle of it with the kids... They have huge characters and are always full of bounce and life... Healthwise - Heart testing as Boxers can suffer with aortic stenosis, and also more recently in the UK Cardiomyopathy is becoming more common in some bloodlines. They also seem to suffer more than most breeds with cancer. The AHT is currently researching this. Some suffer with colitis, skin conditions relating to allergies, some have hypothyroidism, and very rarely some with epilepsy although it's not thought of as a hereditary problem. The Boxer average lifespan is 10 years old. Grooming isn't a big deal - a good brush out, a bath when needed, nails kept trimmed/filed, ears cleaned and teeth too. Exercise - Once a year old they can take as much as you can give them. But as a puppy you shouldn't over do the exercise. Be aware that owning a Boxer is highly addictive... I have 5
Depend on what you are wanting from the Book . I read "I wish I had a chamipon" by Mary Hambleton many years ago and I really enjoyed it.
What she said.... Please meet as many as you can, before you buy... to many end up in rescue, through lack of research..and as good as all the above books will be, there is no comparison to meeting and mixing with this special breed. If you can get to Discover Dogs at Earls court, or do a search for Boxer shows around the country, and go to as many as you can... Also the LKA will be on at the NEC,, another place to see and meet the breed and breeders.... this will be in Dec...(need to look up the date) but Boxers will be on "working day" P.S.regarding them growing up.... I have a almost 9yr old, who has just about (in the last yr or so) don so...and a 6 yr old, who is still as manic as she was at 1yr old... so beware, although we say they are late (very) to mature (mentally) some take a lot longer than others... This does not mean you cant have a dog who is under control, and well trained, but they do not " steady up" like many other breeds till much later in life.....IF EVER.........LOL!! You may feel I am trying to put you off.... not my intention, just to make you aware that this breed is 100% for you. Good luck, if you feel they are the breed for you, we may be able to point you in the right direction to finding a suitable pup.
Many thanks for all the advice. I'm not one to jump into something without doing a stack of research first!! I'm going to go to my local library this week and see what they have in the way of Boxer books or what they can get from other local libraries. I really want help in the training area i guess, i've always had dogs around be it my parents or when i lived with my sister but never been overly involved in the training. In terms of giving time to a dog, i'm lucky enough to work a mile away from my house and my partner gets loads of time off so i hope we're ok on that front but that is something i will be seriously looking at during my research. When you say they don't do well when left on their own, how long are you talking?? I'm not saying i plan on leaving him on his own for long periods of time but would be nice to know what others manage? Also is there any difference in sex? I really want a male but was curious as to whether there are any behaviourial differences??
