[Drayken]

Ok, well, the breeder has finally decided which ones were show dogs, and which one he was keeping. Two others have show potential, and he is awaiting a buyers decision. We should know if one or both colored ones are available. Anyways, we can NOT make up our minds. My older son, my wife and I are all differing. Yes, I know, take the one that "chooses" us, but if it goes like last time, 2 or even all three of them will "choose" us, lol. So, IF we cannot isolate one from the others by them "choosing" us, we will need to make a hard decision. Here are the three pups:

White patched, brindle male, fawn female. (I am posting two fawn females, because I am not 100% sure which one it is! We will know tomorrow, since we are supposed to go and see/choose one.)

 

[sully]

Need more info!  Do you already have a dog, if so what breed, color, sex, etc?   What are the tough deciding factors?   Most people have an idea in mind at least which sex they want so that usually helps.  Maybe you want a smaller or bigger dog, sometimes it helps to see them compared to each other (although we know that isn't always foolproof).  I agree with you, most puppies will "choose you" so that's not always a help.  Play with the pups, watch them play with each other, see which one has the best temperament and seems the healthiest.  That's the best you can do.  Then again you can just wait until all are claimed by other people except 1  

 

[Drayken]

Here is our dilemma. My wife likes the white one. And to be honest, I have yet to find a woman that does NOT like him! If I were a single guy, I know which one I would get, lol. She also really likes the brindle. She will be the one home 80% of the time, and she thinks the male will bond with her better than the female, is this true? (I have seen alot of those dog shows, that show how the males get really possessive of the human female, when they are the ones home most of the time)

My older son wants a male, simply because he believes they will be more playful and snuggly/affectionate. How much truth is in that?

I want a male also, but can wait for a male when we get a second boxer in 2-3 years. I am partial to fawns, and I love that the fawn has dark haws. (Heather, this is your fault, I didn't even consider this, until after you mentioned it, lol) The brindle male has an odd coloring. Not the dark shiny coat I see, and definitely not light though. I wonder how it will look when older. And obviously the White is half price, not a deciding factor, but it does weigh in. And lastly, no 100% sure way to know if the white has perfect hearing, until after we purchase and take to vet. That part scares me.

So,

1) Do male dogs bond more with female humans, and female dogs bond more with male humans?

2) Do females "protect" the kids more? Our children are 3 and 12, both boys.

3) Females better watch dogs? (Not that we really need that)

4) Males more affectionate? I have also heard they are more food driven, like me!  :lol:

Atleast whatever we decide, we will be happy, because we are all willing to take any of the three.

 

[GabysDaddy]

OMG there all just adorable, I can see why it's such a hard decision for you to pick....you could always take 2 if your financial situation allows you....I love them all, I can't even pick a fav myself :lol:

 

[Drayken]

Need more info!  Do you already have a dog, if so what breed, color, sex, etc?   What are the tough deciding factors?   Most people have an idea in mind at least which sex they want so that usually helps.  Maybe you want a smaller or bigger dog, sometimes it helps to see them compared to each other (although we know that isn't always foolproof).  I agree with you, most puppies will "choose you" so that's not always a help.  Play with the pups, watch them play with each other, see which one has the best temperament and seems the healthiest.  That's the best you can do.  Then again you can just wait until all are claimed by other people except 1  

HAHA, that is what my wife said, she said it would be "meant to be". Ummm, there is ALWAYS a last one, lol.  :roll:  No other dogs right now. We hope to have two boxers within 3 years. Most likely one male, one female, since that seems to work better. Only temperament issues I saw last time we were there, was that the breeder would take his hand and "palm" the white's head, and the pup LOVED it. It would grawl and play bite and 'wrestle". I personally thought that may be a bad habit that he was teaching the dog, since it was trying to bit and tug at the hand. The breeder said the Brindle was a little shy, but he was not shy at all to us. He reacted just like the others.

If one of them does choose us, then I doubt anything else will matter. We may play for awhile and then go to the car, and see which one tries to jump in, haha.

 

[Sadiesmomma]

They are very cute! How old are they?

 

[sully]

I do believe that you should know by 6-8 weeks if a dog is deaf or not.  It shouldn't be your responsibility to find out either.   If they are really saying you have to buy the dog before you take him for a hearing test, that's not right.   I would also think that a responsible breeder would take back a white boxer puppy if it turns out to be deaf.   Deaf boxers obviously require special needs, I don't think they'd be comfortable handing them out to who isn't prepared for that responsibility.  I'm not a white boxer expert by any stretch, so I'm sure others here would know better.  

I think all dogs are different so it's hard to generalize, it's really left up to opinion and personal experience, but generalizations can be useful in these situations so this is my take:

1)  I don't believe a male bonds better with a female human, and vice versa.  I know a lot of people do believe that but I think if your wife is home a lot, any dog is going to bond with her quite a bit.  Again many will disagree with that but I personally think it's a myth. Oggie is attached at my hip, he loves my wife but he's definitely daddy's boy.  But I am home the most.

2) I do believe females tend to be more protective but I've seen many males that can be the same way.

3)  I do believe females tend to be more vocal, so that helps in being a watch dog.  I think males are good watch dogs but it's often a quieter watching.  Again, depends on the dog.

4) I don't know if males are more affectionate, some people think so.  Maybe females are just affectionate when THEY want to be.  I just personally like the male temperament better, they don't seem as moody or get phased by stuff as much.

A lot of this is based on genetics too.  If the parents are very vocal and protective, the pups are likely to be as well.  If the parents are more mellow, then same thing.  But if the parents are opposite of each other, who knows   :lol:  But it's likely that many of the pups in this litter will show similiar temperments.  

But if you're planning on getting 2 dogs eventually, you're mostly going to want a male-female combo so the order shouldn't matter much.  Personally I'd avoid the nipping/biting pup!  May not even be his fault but still, that's often something to avoid.  I see a lot more fawns and whites than brindles around here, so I think brindle pup would be cool (and harder to find for some reason).  But that kind of stuff is personal preference.  Like I have a fawn now, my next will hopefully be a brindle or white.  If I had gotten a brindle or white to begin with, I'd probably be looking for a fawn.  It's just the way it goes!

 

[mylittledeers]

OMG are they adorable!! The brindle or the white would be my pic. As far as checking deafness, how old are they??? If they're older (I think 9 - 10 weeks) try to get the white one alone so there are no cues from siblings and subtly make a sound without moving like jingling keys or clucking your tongue and check for a response. As far as your questions I don't know about the most boxers but I can tell you ours. Donner is my boy and Blitzen is my girl :
1) Donner is a TOTAL Dad's boy, I'm just wallpaper if Kelly is home  :lol:  Blitzen is pretty equal in her affection.

2) Our kids are grown but with friends/relatives Donner loves kids, Blitz is a little cautious around them, likes 'em, just cautious

3) YES!! Donner will alert and guard but Blitzen is VERY protective of her home and us! Socializing her is a work in progress :lol:

4) Donners affection is more subtle, he'll sit next to you then lay next to you and gently lay his head in your lap. Blitz is a pushy
   little thing and will jump straight into your lap, curl up and lay down quick as a wink :lol:  
Bottom line, male or female doesn't really matter it's the time and effort of training and socializing your baby that will be a deciding factor in what your dog grows into. I'd watch the pups interaction with each other, watch for the one who generally is confident but not a bully and who plays appropriatly (stops when others yelp) and comes to you willingly. They are all adorable, can't wait to see who you pick  :lol:

 

[PhoenixsMom]

They are all so adorable...it would be a hard decision. But you should put the color of them aside and figure out which one would best be suited for your family personality wise.

 

[Barbs2Ks]

I believe that females have more attitude but that is based on my Kiah; Keegan is the more laid back of the two.   I believe as Sully does that more often then not they will bond with who is around the most although Kiah's brother bonded with the son in the family even though the wife was home all day, as soon as the son is home from school they are together.

From the pictures, it looks like the male is a reverse brindle and I like his coloring.  You should talk to the breeder about his shyness that would concern me some.  All of the pups are cute, I would spend more time and look at their personalities and see which best suits you.

 

[Drayken]

They said the white is fine with the hearing, but I am always cautious. Yes, they would take him back if i found out that he was deaf, but then we would be out a pup. I guess, if we disregard the colors for now, and if it goes about the same way as last time, the brindle male would be the one. I did not care for the bite playing of the white, and we all seem to want a male. I am all for less attitude! I get enough of that from the kids! The brindle, although the breeder said he was shy, walked right up to us, like all the rest, and never seemed shy or jumpy. I talked to the owner of the stud, they visited to evaluate the dogs, and she said he was not shy at all, and if he was, he must have outgrown it.

I want to thank you all for your help. I know it is our decision, but having opinions, hints, tips, etc... always helps.

 

[HannaBanana]

Hanna has attitude that you need to control with exercise, she also has more drive than Kash.  Kash being a male is a 100% lap dog at 60lbs.  He is the sweetest thing ever, and has to be near or with someone at all times.  Hanna can sleep in a different room without being worried.

The breeder *should* know what pup will be ok as an "only" dog and what ones are more dependant on others.   I would go visit again, and let you son interact with them see what dogs respond to him and his touch as a group, then play with one each individually.  Observe and then decide.    Also see what ones are more playful than the others.   That would be my first deciding factor above sex and color.    But do know whatever one you end up getting, the way you raise, train and exercise him/her will most likely be a majority of how the pups is going to turn out.

The white has some pigment, colored eyes and my guess would be should be able to hear but the breeders should be making sure 100% with their vet that he does before even placing him in a home.   Also looks are looks.  Yes, we all want nice dark haws and tight eyes - adds to the expression, but they are pets and if they are bred healthy and good, the haws are only cosmetic.  When I got Kash I picked him right out from birth.  I wanted a classic fawn dark defined black mask.  His eyes started to droop.  Breeder asked if I wanted another on in the litter - as much as I wanted tight eyes,its not his fault and stuck with our pick!!!

 

[Drayken]

Thanks. It should be easier this time, since we won't have all 10 pups running around. Only two or three. I will have to talk to him about the white and vet checkups. I feel that I have done alot of "homework" when it comes to getting the dog socialized and starting training. We also plan to enroll in "puppy school". They allow us to bring our kids too, so they can see first hand how to handle the pup. We want, as they are called, one of the biggest "lap dogs", and so far, it seems that on this post, that goes to the males. I know people here say they tire of having their pet follow them everywhere, but my 3 year old does that already. I will just have a line now.

Hopefully I will be able to post more, tomorrow, and maybe even have a pick!

 

[samsonsmom]

The females tend to be a bit more independent, at least mine have been, and a bit tougher to potty train...As your wife is home and will basically be the "primary caregiver" whichever you choose, m/f will bond with her quickly...My males all have been "momma's boys", Angel is a true "daddy's girl" , but if I walk out of a room, even if she is snuggling with MARQ, she follows me...

Myself personally, I think the brindle male is lovely, course we all know I have a preference for them

""I know people here say they tire of having their pet follow them everywhere, but my 3 year old does that already. I will just have a line now. ""  

We call them my "minions" :lol:

 

[Mochagirl]

If that was me I would pic for attitude too. My fawn female was in the litter but I really wanted a male brindle.  When we went there to visit she was soo good with the kids.  The males just walked away.  Anyways after the 2nd visit and 3 hours later that day she was for us!  LOL so I got a fawn female and Im SO GLAD she picked us as a family!  Even the breeder said she hasnt done this with other people.  She followed us and wouldnt leave us alone.  Shes still the same today.

 Anyways if I was going colour from the pic I would pic the White and then the Dark Brindle.  Ive been looking for mate for my Mocha and family.  I would like another dog too!

Awww all these posts on puppys im starting to look again (thanks everone) LOL

 

[maddy_mae]

Aww..they are adorable!!! Based on my fawn female(maddy) and white male(baxter):

1) Do male dogs bond more with female humans, and female dogs bond more with male humans?
We have "his" and "her" dogs, my female is my shadow 24/7 and if my hubby isn't around then Baxter is too!

2) Do females "protect" the kids more? Our children are 3 and 12, both boys.
Maddy is 100% more protective than Baxter, it's rare that he gets pissed Also Maddy loves ALL children, Baxter isn't that fond tho...he just goes off on his own!

3) Females better watch dogs? (Not that we really need that)
Again Maddy wins this one....so yes

4) Males more affectionate? I have also heard they are more food driven, like me!
Both of mine are lovers and have little interest in food(they are never fed people food and rarely ever treats)

Of course.....my pic would be the ******!!! Good luck!

 

[samsonsaunt]

The brindle male and the fawn female(s) are my favs...but they are all adorable. Tough choice, especially if they all 'choose' you. Good luck!

 

[sshawkins]

I'm partial to males, but that doesn't mean girls can't be great pets as well. My 13 and 10 year old are a female and male, respecitively. The male has a much more even temperment and is just an all around incredible dog. The female, who I do love, tends to be moody and as she gets older more tempermental. Our 8 week old is a boy, and I'm seeing that same temperment shine through. Whateve you get your wife will bond with the puppy, and both boys and girls can be great pets. Just wait until you are with the puppies again; it seems to always work out for the best.

 

[odeya]

My female Freya, is much more laid back than I believe Jack is going to be. I don't really think you can judge temperament on sex though.

I have had two very laid back, easy going female dogs in my lifetime one f whom was very affectionate, the other...not so much. One very dominant, intelligent female (whom I adored and who's temperament I loved!).

I've only ever had one male besides Jack and we didn't adopt him until he was older (he died last fall). He did an excellent job of being protective (not that I need a "protective" dog but I don't mind it either, especially when my husband travels) but was very affectionate and easy going at the same time.

Jack seems to have a "middle of the road" personality though he'll definitely have more drive than Freya but he's great with the kids.

I wouldn't pick by color or sex. I would watch the puppies carefully tomorrow and then decide. You can tell a lot by just observing the way they interact with each other and your family.

I never thought I would have a male. I had always had females until we adopted Odin and my parents before me had always had females. Now that I've had both sex would never be the deciding factor for me.

Kerri

 

[Kalyn]

[quote="samsonsmom\";p=\"126183":3byhrvru]""I know people here say they tire of having their pet follow them everywhere, but my 3 year old does that already. I will just have a line now. ""