[hoppy]

We have a one year old female boxer (spayed) and are thinking of getting another boxer at some point this year.    

I was hoping to get some advice on a few issues.

First of all we live in a townhome which only has a small yard.  This has not really been a problem for Maggie since she gets 1-2 walks a day and we live less than hundred yards away from a park.  She has done quite well with this setup.  However, my concern is whether two boxers in a townhome is too much.  She is a very exuberant dog, which of course is what makes boxers endearing, but I am wondering if giving her a companion will create a situation where both she and the other dog become overexcited to the point of becoming unmanageable.  

Second what recommendations do people have on adoption vs. getting a new puppy.  I would really like to take in an abandoned boxer but I am concerned as to how well he/she would get along with our pup.  Also how easy it is to crate train a dog that is not a puppy.  

Third -- Is a male preferable to a female.  In doing some research, it appears that the general consensus is that opposite sexes work best, but I was wondering if there were any other perspectives on that.

Fourth -- how do you introduce a puppy to a fullgrown boxer?  Our dog does not have a mean bone in her body but she can be a little rough in how she plays with other dogs.  It is not a problem with other big active dogs but I worry that she would be too rough with a small puppy.  Are they instinctually gentler with puppies or is there some sort of way you gradually train them to take it easy on them?

Thank you for any feedback.

 

[mom2scoutandgunner]

First of all, welcome!  I hope you can find all that you need here at the forum.  Everyone seems to be quite knowledgeable!

To answer some of your questions...

I don't think that having 2 in a townhome would be too bad if you continue to walk and play with them outside.  Our two get a little crazy during this winter but usually when it has been bitter cold and they haven't been able to play outside.

From what I have heard, a boxer is never too old to be crate trained.  It may take a little time but it is manageable.  

We took in our little guy when he was 8 weeks old and our older guy was six months.  It took a lot of watching because Scout could get over-burdening.  He was on top of Gunner everytime he moved.  It was part curiosity and part being protective of him.  I have a few pictures of them playing tug of war with Gunner running underneath of Scout.

We were lucky in getting our so young and being the same sex.  They are like brothers.  We rescued Gunner from some wicked woman who kept him outside in a mudpit full of fleas.  I have heard though that the same sex doesn't match up well when they are older.  I would suggest getting the opposite if you can.

Hopefully you can get some other perspective here too to help you make a good decision.  Keep us posted on what you eventually go with and of course, as always, post some pics!  

 

[hoppy]

Thank you so much for sharing your perspective.  Thanks also for the welcome; this website definitely seems like it will be a big help.

 

[GunnarsMom]

We just recently added a new addition to our family.  We have a 2 year old male boxer, Gunnar, and have been looking for a female for a while now.  Three weeks ago we brought home then 8 week old Ginger.  Things have been great between them!  Even though Gunnar's older, he still is young enough to not be "grouchy" with her.  He is very good with her, shares bones and toys.  Now, he has been known a time or two to snatch a morsel or two of her food.  Guess his groceries aren't good enough!  haha  We had heard that male/female was the best way to go, so that's what we did.  And living in hicktown, usa there is NO rescues of any type close to us.  We do, on occasion, foster for the local humane society, but boxers just don't come in.  I have talked to the animal control officer and he says the boxer owners in this town just don't let their babies wind up in that situation.   Thank Goodness!!  Wish it was that way for all the other breeds.  Sorry for getting off topic, just letting you know why we didn't do the rescue thing.  Whichever way you decide to go, puppy or rescue, I'm sure everything will be just fine!  How can owning a boxer be anything but?? :wink:  :wink:  :wink:

 

[samsonsmom]

Welcome to the forum first of all...Hope you enjoy yourself here & feel free to ask all the questions you need to, someone will have an answer for ya....

I personally don't think that 2 boxers in a townhouse would be too much. It sounds like your female is getting plenty of exercise & the beauty of having 2 is they exercise each other...I would recomend a male for sure, altho there are people that have had multiple females without any problems. It all depends on the personality...As far as pupppy over rescue. I personally would say rescue if you have a boxer rescue near you.. Give one of those sweethearts a forever home...Puppies are a lot more work & that's a decision that you would need to make. As far as crate training, they are never too old to learn.. Samson was 6 when I adopted him & we taught him to use a crate.. Introductions to new animals should be closely monitored, be it puppy or adult....My Buck was a year and a half when we adopted Tia who was 9 mos.. They got along famously right off the bat. Of course it helped that Buck didn't have a selfish bone in his body & would give Tia anything....Boxers for the most part are pretty tolerant, so I really don't think it should be a problem unless yours has issues with being overly protective or selfish....

Hope this has been some help & let us know what you decide.....

 

[nano]

I, also, would recommend a male as that tends to be the most natural relationship.  They do have different characteristics and traits.  To introduce them, neutral territory is best.  I usually take my current dog with when I pick up the new addition and have a crate to keep seperate during the ride home.  This gives them a chance to get to know each other without someone getting over the top.  You might have to supervise play at first and continue to monitor there after.  They usually tone it down to suit the puppy but are not always sure at first.  Your guidance will be needed, but this is not difficult.  I usually say "it's a baby" or "gentle" so they learn it is a puppy and go easy.  

Dogs live naturally in packs.  Mine seem to be happier together when I leave them home alone as they have each other.  If you have the time to devote to two, I would do it.  But then I always have to have two Boxers in my "pack".

Good luck,

Nano

 

[hoppy]

Thank you for all of the helpful responses so far.  i will update the board when we decide which way to go.

 

[hoppy]

Thanks again for the help a couple of months ago.  We decided to get another boxer puppy.  I attached pics of our new addition, a male named Deuce, and our one year old female Maggie.

We introduced them tonight and Maggie was pretty overbearing and at the end of the night Deuce went wild barking and charging her.  Maggie seemed stunned and turned the other cheek while Deuce was barking, pawing, and nipping at her.  It was pretty surreal to see such a tiny little puppy act so aggresive towards a 60 pound dog.  Is this normal dog stuff or does this indicate that this little guy is going to be extremely aggressive?  He was brought home tonight and is 7 weeks and a day.  This is a few days earlier than suggested by the sources that I have read so I am concerned that he was not socialized with the litter long enough.  Can this result in a more aggressive dog?  Any suggestions or perspectives on introducing a new puppy to a preexisting boxer would be appreciated.

 

[boxerbaby18]

What a cutie.I had once got a female and she was very aggressive with Rocky.She would growl and grab him by the neck and pin him down.Rocky was not aggressive at all so he would just sit there.I ended up not being alot to keep her so I really couldnt tell you the answer but you arnt the only one that had an aggressive pup

 

[JessiesMom]

Jessie did the same thing to Maggie... Maggie was almost 2 when we got jessie and Jessie would terrorise her.... Jessie would chase maggie around the kitchen table... the best part is that as their running around the table maggie would catch up to Jessie and jump over her or Jessie would stop and they'd go around the table the other way! lol

 

[samsonsmom]

7 weeks is a bit young to be bringing home, but I wouldn't be overly concerned. Deuce's behavior to Maggie is pretty common really..The best thing to do is always monitor their activity until you get a better feel for how they will interact with each other...Is Maggie an Alpha female? How about Deuce, did his breeder indicate anything. A good breeder knows their pups and can tell you that. For the most part if Maggie is tired of Deuce's antics, she will either go somewhere else, or growl at him to let him know that she's had enuf. It sounds worse than it is. Most play is just that, play..Mine go at it all the time and Samson, being the older Alpha will just turn away from Angel when he's had enuf. If she doesn't get the message, he'll growl at her...

There's a couple other threads on here that deal with some of the issues about bringing a second boxer into the house, one of which I had a lot of input as we brought home our Angel at 18 mos not long ago...

Duece is adorable by the way and so is Maggie    Keep us posted on how everything is going

 

[hoppy]

Maggie definitely seems to be an alpha female.  She always tries to physically dominate other dogs when playing and she is very outgoing towards people.

The breeder said that Deuce liked to drag the food bowl away from the rest of the litter.  Also, he was the largest of the litter.  His aggresiveness also points to being an alpha male.

The past couple of days have been better.  i have stopped breaking things up as much because I trust maggie with deuce now.  she is still rough but she has definitely toned it down for him.  It seems to me that it is good for him to mix it up with her because this will help socialize him.  she definitely lets him know when he bites too hard.  

He did good in the crate for two nights but a storm rolled through last night and he freaked out.  It was hard but we let him howl, he finally calmed down after an hour or so.  

Thanks again for all the advice.

I attached a pic of them together.  The other picture of maggie was kind of old.

 

[samsonsmom]

Glad to hear that it's getting better..And good for you for not coddling Deuce during the storm...It would have been easy to do, but he would soon learn to howl just to get out!!!

So it sounds like you may have 2 Alphas...This could be interesting..A lot of times, one will become the submissive just to keep things peaceful...Buck did that when we got Tia, so it's not uncommon...

Look forward to hearing how he progresses and keep the pictures coming,,altho I didn't see anything attached to your post...

 

[mom2scoutandgunner]

Scout (the oldest) is definately the Alpha Male.  When we brought Gunner home, I thought I had made the biggest mistake!  Gunner would growl, snap, and scream bloody murder when Scout came around.  I think it was mostly because of the size difference.  Scout was overly curious at first and then went straight to overly protective.  It took about 2 weeks for them to get adjusted to each other and are now the best of buds!  

We had to watch Scout for some time because he was a little over agressive during play.  He was just a puppy himself and didn't know his own strength.  With gentle reminders, he has done a great job.

Maggie is a beautiful girl and she will do just fine with the handsome Deuce.