Boxers in cold climates

Noobowner · #1 09-19-2009, 07:37 AM

Hi all, my wife and I are new owners of a beautiful 4-5 month old boxer rescue pup. He is sweet intelligent and fun and we are thrilled with the addition to the family. One thing we have found is he likes to spend a lot of time in the backyard and we are wondering what others have found as far as how well they stand up in winter. I am currently researching and building an insulated dog house as the climate where we are gets extremely cold down as low as -30'C in the winter. I don't plan on leaving him outside in the winter at least not for extended periods as the boxer is obviously not equipped for it with the short coat and lean physique. My main question I guess is should he be ok in the fall and spring where the temperature is hovering around 5-10'C if he has the dog house to warm up in? I am not a big fan of crating him to be honest as I dont like the idea of a dog being stuck in a crate for 9 or 10 hours every day and would rather he had the freedom of the back yard as long as possible before the cold really sets in. We have a lot of baby gates as we have a 3 year old son and I am wondering how others have found the use of gates to keep their boxer in sectioned off portion of house or will they jump the gate. Guess those are my two main questions for the day, any input would be welcome. Cheers.

p.s great forum glad I registered.

**Jan** · #2 09-19-2009, 08:00 AM

Boxers are not outside dogs and should never be left outside, especially in the winter.

I would suggest that you get a dog door and if necessary you can confine him close to the door so that he can go in and out as he pleases. Some boxers like to spend lots of time outside, but you will find when it starts to get cold, their trips outside will be short.

Baby gates work well with boxers, there are some dogs that will jump over them. All I have to do is lean the gates up against a doorway. I would knock them over, by accident, when they were pups and they would fall down with a crash, so they are scared of them. I have done nothing to discourage their fear of gates as it makes it really easy to confine them anywhere, when I want to.

If you have a jumper, you might need to put up two gates up, one on top of the other.

Good luck!

Noobowner · #3 09-19-2009, 10:02 AM

Never be left outside? I understand they are subject to harsh conditions but I would rather see him outside during the day than couped up in the house if the weather is going to be nice. I was thinking I would build an insulated dog house and keep it on the back porch. To be honest the dog house is as much a fun project for me as it would be for the dog..probably more a fun project for me. What is the reasoning for not leaving your boxer outside during the day if the weather is permitting?

edit: I dont want a doggie door in the house as we have a lot of wild life in the area that could potentially take advantage.

**Jan** · #4 09-19-2009, 11:01 AM

You could always get a dog door that only opens for a dog that is wearing a sensor on his collar. I am willing to bet that given a choice your boxer would always come inside before going into a dog house.

Boxers with their short coats and short muzzle, makes them very intolerant of extremes in weather, either hot or cold. They just don't make good candidates for outside dogs.

The weather is just too changeable. It can seem very nice when you go to work in the morning, but storms can move in very quickly, despite what the forecasts say.

iluvfrankie · #5 09-19-2009, 11:48 AM

My girl stays in when we are out and has run of 3 rooms in our house- this did take awhile and did have some teething problems but she is a star in the house as long as we 'defrankie' the place- ie all books, edibles and tearables gone. I feel the same as you about the crate- I couldnt put Frankie in one. But i also would never leave her for 9 or 10 hours, boxers are very social and that is too long to leave them alone.

lkscooter · #6 09-19-2009, 11:52 AM

Did you have to fill out an application to adopt through this particular rescue? Did they ask where you would keep the dog during the day?

**gmacleod** · #7 09-19-2009, 12:00 PM

For what sort of time period are you considering? If its an hour or two here and there, and the temperature is mild, the dog has access to warm shelter, etc, then it's not quite the same issue as the proposition of leaving him out all day.

Aside from temperature, some of the things you need to consider are the likelihood of your dog being stolen (it happens!), and the likelihood of him becoming bored outside on his own (however much he likes being out, most dogs become bored after a while on their own). The problem with a bored boxer outside is that they tend to either become "inventive" in terms of keeping themselves amused (which either leads to damage to your property, or damage to the dog) or else they become escape artists who enjoy taking themselves out for a run around the neighbourhood

Since the average boxer can jump a six foot fence without even a running start, its not an insignificant problem - and one generally best avoided by the dog never discovering that he can (which is most likely if he doesn't have hours outside on his own in which to think of trying it).

gordnbec · #8 09-19-2009, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noobowner

Never be left outside? I understand they are subject to harsh conditions but I would rather see him outside during the day than couped up in the house if the weather is going to be nice. I was thinking I would build an insulated dog house and keep it on the back porch. To be honest the dog house is as much a fun project for me as it would be for the dog..probably more a fun project for me. What is the reasoning for not leaving your boxer outside during the day if the weather is permitting?

edit: I dont want a doggie door in the house as we have a lot of wild life in the area that could potentially take advantage.

Don't think you'll have to worry about wildlife in the house with a boxer at the door. It would have to be very brave or very foolish. With the weather you guys get i wouldn't leave any dog outside for long periods have you got a garage or laundry that open up to the back yard? If so you could make it so he can access these rooms and not the others and still build that kennel so he can make his own mind up.

Noobowner · #9 09-19-2009, 03:47 PM

I should probably explain a little better. My wife and I both work long days at times. I own a small hvac company and she works for the city. One of the bonuses to being self employed is I do come home during the day which gets Duke some attention. If I have no other duties other than supervising jobs I often take Duke with me in the truck. Lately I have been leaving him out in the morning then coming back around 10:30am to let him back in the house. For the last few days we have left him loose in the house with no incidents. We have a big back yard which had lots of shade until the neighbour cut down all her trees which is why I have been trying to come back and let him in before the afternoon sun hits. I have to say overall I am just blown away with how good this dog has been and from the sounds of it I should just stick to the current routine as is. We were worried that not crating him combined with boredom would leave him finding ways to cause problems in the house but I suspect that the reason that hasnt happened is he and the tom cat play together a lot....we really didnt expect that but they get along great.

Murp.mm · #10 09-19-2009, 04:12 PM

He sounds like a really good pup. As everyone said cold/hot weather is a no no for boxers but I would also be afraid of someone taking him as well. Taking him to work with you sounds great and I know of people who take their dogs on the job with them with no problem. As far as I can tell you're not having any problems with your little fellow being inside and that's the best place for him. If you're home it's fine to have him out in decent weather and you can bring him in if the weather changes. We have a huge deck and both my dogs love to spend time there but I'm home with them and they are in and out as they please. Once the cold weather comes they're only out for walks/hikes and to do their doo. I don't even like to walk my girl when the weather is above -8 or -9 and if she does it's with her coat and scarf on. I'm sure you'll figure out a way but I have to agree with everyone that it's not a good idea to have him out on cold days. Maybe you could put him in a doggie day care a few times a week and he could get socialized as well. Good Luck.