how much do boxers shed?

antonios · #1 5th August 2011, 10:37 PM

Hello everyone. I am thinking to get a boxer companion and since i am a new dog owner i have tons of questions.
One of them is how much to those guys shed? what grooming they usually need? baths?

Thanks!

BxrMommieNAZ · #2 6th August 2011, 03:28 PM

Depends on the individual dog as well as diet. Personally, my Boxer eats a good quality food and gets a fish oil capsule twice a day so he doesn't shed very much at all. I also take the Zoom Groom brush and take 2-3 minutes and brush him 1-2 times per week which probably helps too. And I bathe either when dirty or every 2-3 months whichever comes first.

However, I had a thicker coated Boxer female, now she also did not shed much but she had a thicker coat and different hair texture.

A lot of it really depends on the food fed, supplements given, and climate, but on a whole my Boxers have never shedded a ton and didn't require intensive brushing/grooming. Baths I do at home with the garden hose, takes me 5-10 minutes, they air dry and are good to go.

Gilbert · #3 8th August 2011, 02:41 PM

Im a new boxer owner, i've had achilles for about 12 weeks now. He sheds ALOT... He leaves hair everywhere he goes. Maybe im doing something wrong.

BxrMommieNAZ · #4 8th August 2011, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilbert

Im a new boxer owner, i've had achilles for about 12 weeks now. He sheds ALOT... He leaves hair everywhere he goes. Maybe im doing something wrong.

What food do you feed and do you give any supplements? Also if you've only had him 12 weeks the shedding could be due to stress (new people, environment, etc).

Gilbert · #5 8th August 2011, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BxrMommieNAZ

What food do you feed and do you give any supplements? Also if you've only had him 12 weeks the shedding could be due to stress (new people, environment, etc).

I feed Science Diet for puppies.
No supplements
Wash him like every other week (he's white an get dirty pretty fast)
Now always seems happy and ready to play.
My car gets full of hair, lots of hair on the house floors, if im not careful when dusting my sheets before bed i can turn my room into a life size snow global... Thats how bad it is.

Sorry for stealing the thread

BxrMommieNAZ · #6 8th August 2011, 03:03 PM

I'd be willing to bet the food is the problem. Science Diet (despite the price tag) is one of the lowest quality foods you can feed. I'd encourage you to check out Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble and switch to a 4, 5, or 6 star food. Many of us like Taste of the Wild on here. You can visit the feeding section on this forum as well for other ideas. I think if you change the food you feed to something of higher quality you'll see a HUGE difference in shedding as well as overall.

You may also want to add 1-2 fish oil capsules per day once you switch foods as well. And be careful not to bathe too often, it washes away the natural oils. You may want to try just plain water and only shampoo once a month or so.

Gatorblu · #7 8th August 2011, 03:37 PM

I have had three boxers and they have all shed differently. My first girl had food allergies and was almost bald at one point. Once we started getting her on track she hardly shed at all. My boy has always been a bit of a shedder. But he has always had the softest coat. Almost like he never lost the puppy coat. When his became hypothyroid there was a change and his hair became more course but we got him on meds and he is back to being the softest boy ever. My third boxer Arabella who has no health issues doesn't shed much.

They get brushed with a zoom groom 1-2 a week and baths about every 3 months unless they find some way to get dirty. This usually happens when snow melts and I have a mud pit for a backyard. All in all boxers are probably one of the easiest dogs when it comes to grooming.