Perhaps an unusual Boxer

mrsnow50 · #1 09-23-2001, 05:15 PM

Hello everyone!
I am new here today. My name is Michael. I live here in Little Rock, Arkansas. Next weekend, I take delivery of my new pal, a 7 week old solid white male Boxer whom I have named Montana, or "Monty" for short. Seems like I have been waiting for him for ages! He will join an already large family, with 3 cockatoos, one African Grey parrot, and a 6 month old cat named "Bozeman" Bozeman seems to be oblivious to the birds, (which kind of goes against the natural order) so I know Montana is going to be just fine! I have a nice home for him here in Little Rock, however, there is a very good chance that I shall be moving everything and everybody to the most awesome State of Montana in the very near future. I intend for Bozeman and Montana to be indoor animals, but I would like to know a few things from the board..
Given that Montana is a puppy, I have read the posts about crate training, and I believe I will follow this accord. What, if any, are the ramifications of a short-haired dog, such as a Boxer, in regards to the weather of colder latitudes? Naturally, he must be walked, and I will even invest in some clothing for him. (Of course, he will just love the fact that, in the spring and summer, it is a dog's delight there, since it never gets above 84 or so degrees and there aren't any fleas at that altitude!)
What am I in for? Is there anything you all can give me in the way of tips as to what kinds of special attention I can give to Montana to make him feel any more at home and happy?
I will send pictures as soon as I can do so. He is docked right now, and he has been issued his first shots, but the cropping will be up to me, (which I want to do) When is the latest that I can do this without him remembering his ears and causing problems?
Also, how rare is it to see a totally white Boxer, with white nails and blueish eyes? I have seen my puppy twice now, and he is awesome looking! He comes AKC and from very proud looking parents, both stout and large. I have more questions, but I won't overwhelm you without getting answers to these questions first. I think this board is very good and can have very positive results.

Rushing · #2 09-24-2001, 01:27 AM

Hey mrsnow50,

Welcome to the board!
You're getting him at seven weeks old? Seven weeks is kinda on the early side from what I have heard. Ten weeks is about when most pups leave home. I got my Gibson at eleven weeks.

I live in Minnesota so I know about the cold weather months. We put on a jacket and booties for Gibson when we go out on walks(which is never that long in the winter), but he is alright to run outside and do his business and come back into the house without the clothes on. When its really cold he hates it! I don't blame him.

As far as ear cropping goes, I think our vet said no later than 12 weeks. Its very hard on the dog and owner so if you do decied to do it make sure you have found a very good vet to do it. My Gibson's ears turned out perfect but I don't think I would ever do it again.

Good luck with your new pup!

I would love to move out to Montanna. Get to flyfish everyday!

gfurie · #3 09-24-2001, 07:31 AM

Hello

Congratulations on Montana. You will love him to death. I own two white females (Georgi Girl and Samantha or Sami). We live in NJ. As I understand it whites are not that rare. I believe that 25% of boxers born are white. I've seen others at the dog park that we bring our girls too. But of course the "regular" looking boxers are much more abundant. We hope to adopt or rescue another "regular" looking boxer soon. Often we are asked if our dogs are pit bulls we just smile and say "no" they are white boxers. Not many people have ever seen one.

Good luck with Montana!

mrsnow50 · #4 09-24-2001, 04:31 PM

To Rushing,

Thanks for responding!I agree that seven weeks is kind of early. My situation is that I have accepted employment out in Montana and they are wanting me (at least before the events of Sept. 11th) to be there for a particular job starting on the 20th of October. An engineer friend of mine where I work is the one who has the puppies, and he said that, yes, normally, he would wait until 8-10 weeks, or until the mother dries up and quits feeding them. At the time I notified him that I wanted Montana, I only had about 7 weeks left here in Arkansas. How, because of the snafu with the hijackings and relating to aviation (my field), I might be here a bit longer. He has already told me that he will provide all the shots necessary for immunization, the tail has already been done, and that momma has already begun drying up, or, at least, slowing down on the feeding. My friend was doing more for me as a time constraint, and releasing Montana to me slightly earlier than normal. I would presume, that, since I would be off of work for a two week period and on the road, that I could somehow take a surrogate role during the remaining weeks left and provide for him pretty much around the clock with several recipies and attention, looking to you all for guidance as to what would work in this situation. Thanks for asking! And, by the way, Yes! Montana is awesome for flyfishing and so much more! But, not all year round though! Summers are short and beautiful, but much of Montana's rivers are catch and release only...

mrsnow50 · #5 09-24-2001, 05:06 PM

gfurie,
Thanks to you for posting too! I appreciate the info on the white boxers...25% eh? I, for one, have never seen a white boxer, nor never knew they existed until I heard about this one! So, you have two of them!! How cool! They must be awesome! I will probably, at some point in time, decide to adopt a rescue Boxer, but at this time, I have enought pets! Bird food alone is more expensive than dog and cat food combined! I am in the wrong business!
My Mom used to fix a recipie of boiled beef and rice to our family terriors when they were puppies... skimming off the fat and letting it cool. They seemed to like this a lot, and it did help them grow. And, they are still alive today, some 14 years later! I am sure that some new ideas are out there, and I would welcome anything you might have as news!!!

gfurie · #6 09-25-2001, 07:55 AM

Dear Mrsnow:

I thought the same as you and I had never seen a white before I laid eyes on my Georgi Girl. It was love at first sight. My girls did fine on a good dry brand of puppy food for the first year then we moved to a non puppy formula. They are very healthy and in great shape. I have always and still do feed them twice a day. My husband and I work so after a year of having Georgi by herself, we thought it would be good to get her a companion. Now they never leave each others side. We let them have run of our yard (which is pretty big) during the day. They have access to our garage for shelter from the sun and rain plus an abundance of trees to lay under in the yard. They love the outdoors but of course in the winter they can't stay out all day. I think you will do fine with Montana although I am a bit worried about the age thing. Please seek some expert advice on this issue to ensure that Montana will grow up happy and healthy.

I was just in Montana over this past summer and I can't think of a nicer place to live. I would move there in a heartbeat!

Gfurie
mom to Georgi and Sami.