What to look for

SnipeBoxer · #1 10-04-2009, 05:56 PM

Hello I'm planning on getting my first boxer. I no what to look for in a dog when picking but I don't know if there is anything specific i should look for in a boxer puppy. ill be looking for a female so if there is anything in that i should look at in that area 2.

SnipeBoxer · #2 10-07-2009, 07:09 PM

Getting the boxer soon. . . Is there anything important!?

jortman · #3 10-21-2009, 02:43 PM

I would go to the AKC website and look at the boxer breed standards. From there I would just make sure the Boxer fits the bill (lots of energy, curious, etc). Obviously looks healthy and make sure you take right to the vet to double check this. Other than that I think it is personal preference on what it should look like.

Caney Creek · #4 10-21-2009, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jortman

I would go to the AKC website and look at the boxer breed standards. From there I would just make sure the Boxer fits the bill (lots of energy, curious, etc). Obviously looks healthy and make sure you take right to the vet to double check this. Other than that I think it is personal preference on what it should look like.

That's probably what you should be looking for in the breeder not the puppy

Are the parents AKC registered, and is at least one parent champion titled? Have the parents been health tested for genetic diseases? Have you met the dam and does she have a good temperament? Where in the house are the puppies and adult dogs kept? Will the puppy you get come with a health guarantee of at least 2 years?

As for the puppy, generally the one who is running around with the most energy and curiosity, is going to be the biggest handful 3 months from now

If the litter is healthy and the parents are of sound temperament, most (if not all) of the puppies should be alert and playful. My advice would be to NOT pick the rowdiest of the bunch, and not the laziest either, but somewhere in the middle would be best. Observe the puppies playing amongst each other, and then remove one from the litter and observe how it interacts with you. If you get a good vibe, go with it.

Do remember though that picking a good BREEDER is the most important.

Mesquite · #5 11-05-2009, 03:22 PM

Depends on what you want. I personally don't think it's necessary to have a pup from a championship bloodline or even AKC registered if you're just looking for a great pet. Jake has neither, but he's everything I wanted in other ways. He won't be bred and he won't be a show dog and so I can't see paying breeder prices.

BxrMommieNAZ · #6 11-08-2009, 02:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesquite

Depends on what you want. I personally don't think it's necessary to have a pup from a championship bloodline or even AKC registered if you're just looking for a great pet. Jake has neither, but he's everything I wanted in other ways. He won't be bred and he won't be a show dog and so I can't see paying breeder prices.

The reason Zoe stated what she did isn't to have a champion PUPPY or for you to get a champion dog or for you to show or breed the dog, but to NOT support backyard breeders. If dam and sire were not champion titled with health and temperament testing they shouldn't have been bred in the first place and this constitutes a backyard breeder which IMO nobody should be supporting or condoning and by purchasing a puppy from folks like that that is what you (general you) would be doing.

**gmacleod** · #7 11-08-2009, 08:16 AM

In choosing a new puppy, the practices of the breeder are of paramount importance.

In the first instance, what you need to check for is that the breeder is screening their breeding stock for a number of serious hereditary diseases that are common in the boxer breed. Those diseases are arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC, aka boxer cardiomyopathy), aortic or sub-aortic stenosis, hip dysplasia and hypothyroidism.

In case it is not immediately obvious why this is so important - the reason is that these are diseases that are increasingly common, and that are devastating. They're the sort of thing that makes it likely that your dog may drop dead without warning aged 3-5, or else be diagnosed, but need very exensive treatment for the rest of its life. Once you've spend 10-20K on treatment for a dog, you start to see how why its not really worth trying to save a few bucks on initial outlay in buying a puppy if it means you take a greater risk of having to deal with the serious stuff later

So that is the most important thing. Anyone who is breeding boxer dogs without screening them for those diseases is irresponsible, and not worth taking a risk on. Before you ever see a puppy, you should FIRST see the results of the parent dogs test results. If they're not available, they haven't been done, and you should RUN away and find a better breeder. More information about the health issues that need to be screened for here: http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/vie...th-testing.htm and an idea of the potential consequence of not insisting on this here: Backyard breeding - the consequences

Less critical, but also important is choosing a breeder who is breeding with proper knowledge of the breed standard - and hence going to produce dogs that look and behave as boxers are supposed to. Generally, this means buying from someone who shows their dogs. Showing, of course, being the best means out there of determining if a dog is correct enough for its breed to be used as breeding stock (that is what dog shows exist for). There aren't too many people in this world who're objective enough to assess their own dogs accurately

So if the breeding stock aren't shown, there should be a good reason why not (and preferably some other means of getting an objective external opinion on whether or not the parent dogs are actually breed-worthy).

I lose count of the number of people who don't want to buy from show breeders because they "just want a pet" - and then are posting in disappointment (or even outrage) some time later because their dog doesn't look much like a boxer and people keep asking if its a mixed breed... The way to avoid this is to buy from someone who has had their dogs assessed for breed worthiness in the first place, and NOT from some fool who's put their own two pet dogs together without regard for their suitability.

Once the above two criteria are satisfied, you should look for a bright and healthy puppy, whose breeder sells her with a health guarantee (pref. +3 years), a spay/neuter contract, and the requirement that you would return the dog to its breeder if - for any reason - you're unable to keep her at any time of her life. With that, you've a pretty good clue that you're dealing with a responsible individual who is likely to be taking all care to produce quality, healthy animals that you can have some confidence in. I would avoid the sorts of irresponsibles who don't take that sort of care. Wanting "just" a pet does not reduce the importance of any of that