Anyone have an outside boxer?

[agaither]

Hello,

I have a 2 year old boxer boy that has ALWAYS been in the house. But he does enjoy running around the yard and just hanging out outside. My husband and I just found out we are having our first non-furry baby in October and my husband has decided to put a 24foot x 40foot chain link pen in the lot next to our house. Although I still want Bruce to be an inside puppy, because I couldn't bear the thought of him being banished to a pen, I would love to be able to take him out to the pen to spend a few hours a day by himself when our little house, the baby, the husband, and Bruce become too much to handle. I have never left him outside unsupervised and I am afraid of him getting too hot or too cold during the day. Anyone ever have an outside boxer or a part time outside boxer?

[BxrMommieNAZ]

I put my Boxer out in the yard but never for more than an hour and I am always constantly checking on him from our sliding glass door and he's always out with our shepherd.

Sorry but I personally think it's a bad idea to leave your Boxer outside unattended for hours. I had a baby, spouse, and 2 year old Boxer and managed to have everyone in the house just fine. You learn to adapt.

[bucksteemom2]

I am sorry but I agree with BxrMommieNAZ I think its a bad idea to leave your Boxer outside for hours unattended. My dogs do not go outside without me, my husband or the kids. We both have full time jobs, three kids and 2 dogs and they adapt to our lives just fine. If you set boxer on a schedule that works for the three of you then your boxer will adapt. We live next to two major highways though so the chances of them getting stollen is very high.

[samsons]

u ALL learn to adapt ! like others posted -

my grandson came to live with us ( VERY unexpected ( from the hospital) & Sam was 2 ) it was a shock to us & him. We live in the upstairs of our home , so long hallways & not alot of open space. our living room used to be a screened in deck( now a room ) !! so u can imagine how small things can start to feel ! we also have to go outside onto the deck, down stairs & around into the fenced in back yard. ( our stairs our just outside the yard)

we also have a teen at home , my DH has cancer, i work full time, ohh did i mention the 2 fosters we had at the time. we all managed was hard at times , but it worked !

LOTS & LOTS of baby gates, they will become ur best friend !

BUT we NEVER had to leave the pups outside, 1. i would just worrie to much . 2. stealing them. 3. just annoying the neighbors !

we did enjoy long 'potty breaks" I would put Lukas in his stroller & the pups to run in the yard ~ and i would fall into a comfy lawn chaise & NAP !!!!!

for down time , i would give the pups frozen kongs & put them in gated areas of the house - because of being upstairs I could gate off 3 areas ( thanks to the hallway ! ) and enjoy some peace !

it is VERY doable , you just have to be committed to making it work ~ of course it goes with out mentioning , introduce ur pup to the baby well, never leave them alone , & give the furbaby EXTRA attention ~ she will be confused about the changes & new tension in the house & could react to that in a way u might not like ( chewing , acting out, being mouthy, ect )

please dont put her in the yard ~ boxers are PEOPLE pups & want to be with us , and our new additions !!

sam was awesome when lukas came home - would lay at the floor where ever he was & come "tell us" if the baby even whimpered ( that was done in a loud woo wooo ) i returned the baby monitor after 3 days !! no need !!!! so just give it a try before u commit to putting the furbaby outside for long periods ! YOU just might find it all works out wonderfully ~ & u can return that baby monitor :P

keep ur posted on what u decide ~

lukassummer2010066.jpg picture by anderson49048 - Photobucket

this one was taken a cpl weeks ago
Lukas n Sam 2011 :: babyboxer012.jpg picture by anderson49048 - Photobucket


Enjoy BOTH your babys !! we will be ahre to help in anyway we can !!!

[EAO76]

An hour outside is ok but if your husband's plan is to keep him out there permanently then I feel very sad & disappointed for your dog. Please don't take it personally its just I have been doing Boxer rescue for years and I have seen so many wonderful dogs displaced due to a new baby in the family. I really don't understand why people think that a baby & dog cannot coexist in harmony. How is the boxer supposed to learn how to behave if he is banished to the back yard? All that will do is cause him to be more unruly (the exact opposite of what you want).

I have FOUR Boxers and a 2 1/2 year old child. When my son was born we had 3 boxers and added the 4th when my son was 5months old. I actually had to do very little work with my dogs to make them baby friendly. Our biggest challenge was teaching them not to wait below the highchair for falling food. Our biggest problem when it comes to our child & the dogs is teaching OUR SON to not pester and torment the dogs. Teaching our human child has been more of a challenge!

Boxer dogs are a breed that is known to be great with children. But like any dog breed, they should be trained appropriately to make sure neither the dog nor child is harmed accidentally. Parents must be willing to teach the dog and the child acceptable limits of behavior in order to make their interactions pleasant and safe. If those steps are taken then living with a dog can be a beneficial and wonderful experience for children. Dogs can enhance children’s self-esteem, teach them responsibility and help them to learn empathy. You dog is a living breathing member of your family with needs, wants & feelings. Having a child doesn't negate these facts! Don’t give up on your dog or banish him to the yard because you think you will have “no time for him” after the baby arrives. Your dog will be FAR better off, staying in his home, with the family he knows and loves, even if it means he does not get as much attention! People underestimate their dogs–they are very resilient, and given a little guildance can adapt to a baby & to a change in schedule.

Here is a little video of two of my dogs & son from when my son was about 9months old
Bath time with Boxers at One True Media - share slideshows, slide shows, **************** slideshows, free video sharing, video montages.

[Caney Creek]

I agree with the others. Probably not a great idea to leave him outside for several hours unattended. Besides the safety issue, I cannot imagine that your boxer will be happy with that arrangement. A new baby in the home means changes for everyone -- as it is he will already be getting less attention than he's used to. To put him outside ALONE for several hours each day on top of that... I just don't see a happy dog as a result of all this. Which I'm sure will only compound your stress knowing he's unhappy, AND of course you having to deal with some new behavior problems as a result of him feeling neglected and not getting enough exercise.

For this reason I really think you'd be better off hiring a dog-walker during your first few months with the baby so that your pup still is able to get some exercise. That will make him much calmer in the house. I hope your hubby is not thinking that this new pen is going to be your pup's "exercise" from now on.... a 24x40 area is barely enough room for a boxer to run in a circle. Besides, without a person or another dog to play with, there's not much motivation for him to run around at all. Sure he'll be out of your hair for a few hours but once you let him back inside he'll probably be even MORE stressed and hyped up from having been in "solitary confinement." Boxers are VERY people oriented and I think that you will find it to be in everyone's best interest if you take steps to prepare your boxer for the new baby so that he can remain in the house as part of the family.


Just wanted to add, GREAT video from EAO76. And she makes a good point too, boxers tend to be VERY good with kids, my Caney is also a wonderful example of this as she was not raised around children, she actually met her first "little person" when she was nearly 2 years old and did absolutely wonderful with the toddler. (See a photo in my gallery) Of course it might take some training but if you work at it I'm sure you can get through this!

[My Boxer]

Boxers are not outside dogs, they are people dogs. As mentioned before, having a dog with kids is not the problem. Having the kids around the dog can be the problem: toddlers falling on them, getting licked to death, putting on weight sitting under the high chair waiting for fallout, jumping into the tub with said toddler, being protective of their toddler, helping the toddler learn to walk as the toddler holds tightly to his collar, taking naps together, and on and on.

[TyTysmom]

Personally I have a hard time with any dog being left outside. Dogs are pets not farm animals. My sister has a new bf and he keeps his dog outside (lab).......I think that is cruel -- especially because his main reason for not letting him inside is because he doesn't want his music equipment damaged by the dog. We have plenty of music equipment around our house (my husband is a bass player) and our boxer has never done anything to damage any of it!

[rjkline]

I'm with the others. Boxers are people dogs. Bentley doesn't like being left alone for any amount of time. He's always at my feet, he lays on the rug in the bathroom when I'm in the shower. And if he's left outside for more then 10-15 mins he's whining at the door (loudly!) wanting to come in and be with us. I can only imagine how lonely and neglected he would feel if he was left outside for hours a day. We currently don't have kids. We plan to in the near future. But, Bentley is our baby, and having another baby won't make Bentley any less a part of the family. When you have a child and another coming, does the older child get pushed to the side? No one is saying it's an easy change that is coming. But learning to coexist as a family with your dog is part of being a responsible dog owner. Just my opinion.

[Sansal]

I agree that he shouldn't be outside for hours every day. But if he enjoys hanging outside and it is safe for him (can't escape and comfortable temperatures) I don't see anything wrong with him spending an hour here and there outside. Maybe you could give him a Kong or raw meaty bone to keep him busy. Would you be able to look out of the window and see him in the pen?
Our yard is not safely fenced so my dogs can not stay outside alone but if it was I know that Sky and Happy would enjoy spending time outside even without us once in a while, however they know that we would let them back inside once they show up at the door.

Is there a way to put up gates in your house so Bruce can stay in a gated area inside once in a while when you are busy?

[kcgal]

First of all, congrats on your big news!

The ONLY time I've ever left my dogs in their outside pen is when they've had a buddy with them. A board, unattended boxer is a sad, distructive dog that will begin to chew, dig and disrupt your life! We've all seen it happen too many times. Besides, a 2 year old dog will simply not understand why he's suddenly been dismissed from his home. Leaving him in his kennel for an hour or two at the very most would be 'ok'. Heat is extremly bad on boxers. So leaving him outside in the summer is asking for trouble.

I raised 5 (FIVE) children and every single baby came home from the hospital in my arms, to a slobbering happy boxer dog. My first child, now 23, was raised with my first boxer. His name was Mug and he weighed over 90 pounds. He was 2 1/2 when my daughter was born. If he barked and woke her up, she'd eventually learn to self soothe and fall back to sleep.

You will adapt. You all will. Dogs don't really 'reason', so all he'll know is that he's been replaced, he's boarded and his going to act pretty nutty, so hang in there and go with it. You'll be fine!

[bucksteemom2]

Boxer Dog Photo Gallery & Postcard - Braxston and Steeler


Boxers make great company for children This is my baby nephew with our boxer Steeler. It was instant love Give your boxer a chance please before you put him outside!!