Dogs are from Neptune

[lovemygracie]

I'm reading "Dogs are from Neptune" by Jean Donaldson and in one of her answers (about a 14 mo old boxer boy who lunges at and fights with other dogs), she says...

"boxers should be issued to their owners at age five"

!!
I assume she is kidding--however, I wouldn't miss the puppy stages for anything-- crazy (and sometimes bad) behavior and all.

What a statement!

[JulieM]

She's kidding. She even put a grin at the end of the sentence (that's what the <g> means).

Besides, even at age five you aren't going to miss the puppy stages.

[lovemygracie]

Though I didn't know what <g> meant exactly, I figured it meant she was kidding. (Thanks, Julie.)
I have to say that I don't like the comment much though. Boxers have short enough lifespans as it is and besides, you take the good with the bad! I'm not one for breed generalizations, either, esp. when they are negative.

[JulieM]

I guess it's perception; I didn't see it as negative at all. There's some truth to it - a heck of a lot fewer Boxers would end up in Rescue if they weren't placed in their homes until they were five.

[lovemygracie]

Yes, puppies (of all kinds, not just boxers) aren't for everyone and it is terrible that they end up abandoned because their owners didn't realize what they were getting in to. I can whole-heartedly agree that people who don't have the time or inclination to deal with normal puppy problems and exuberance should rescue five year old dogs!
(btw, I like Jean Donaldson's books and philosophy as a whole.)

[JennieWI]

well, I know I really appreciate it when I hear about someone else understanding the often highly energetic and childlike behavior of a boxer, whether with humor or otherwise. Sometimes I get the impression that some of my friends and family think I'm not training good enough, or that I "baby" my boy because I don't expect him to act like a zombie at the young age of one! That's why I love this website. I find understanding.