Boxer dog and kids

Blowheads

Hi,
We are thinking about getting a boxer pup. We have 3 kids, 9,7,4 and are working parents. Have a large house and garden.
Wondering how it will be with the kids and any advice and tips how to manage when we are out of the house 8-5?
Thanks

strandroad

Blowheads wrote: »

Hi,
We are thinking about getting a boxer pup. We have 3 kids, 9,7,4 and are working parents. Have a large house and garden.
Wondering how it will be with the kids and any advice and tips how to manage when we are out of the house 8-5?
Thanks

Why would you take a puppy when you're both working? You could manage an adult sighthound perhaps but not a boxer pup. Expect destruction and a very unhappy pup possibly growing up with issues due to lack of proper socialisation.

smilerf

Blowheads wrote: »

Hi,
We are thinking about getting a boxer pup. We have 3 kids, 9,7,4 and are working parents. Have a large house and garden.
Wondering how it will be with the kids and any advice and tips how to manage when we are out of the house 8-5?
Thanks

Boxers are good placid dogs and will get on with anybody in my experience

Gloomtastic!

Will need so much exercise otherwise it will destroy your house - speaking from experience here. However, great dog to have around kids, can be very excitable though so kids would need to be tough enough.

Gloomtastic!

Plus get pet insurance. You’re going to need it.....

Blowheads

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Will need so much exercise otherwise it will destroy your house - speaking from experience here. However, great dog to have around kids, can be very excitable though so kids would need to be tough enough.

Understand the exercise part and was looking at them because they are good around kids. Will they demolish the house though?

Dial Hard

Blowheads wrote:

Understand the exercise part and was looking at them because they are good around kids. Will they demolish the house though?

They will if left alone from 8-5 five days a week.

You need an older dog.

strandroad

Blowheads wrote: »

Understand the exercise part and was looking at them because they are good around kids. Will they demolish the house though?

If you leave a pup alone for the day it will chew on and scratch everything it can get its paws on because that's what young dogs do, toys are not enough. Whine or bark too as it will be lonely and distressed. Scratch at the doors, rip uo cushions. And if you crate a pup you're stunting its development, it's too early. Pups need to be socialised there's no way around it...

Hoboo

Go to the pound, get an older dog who likes naps, will buzz off the kids, moderate exercise needed. And he/she will be made up for getting a second chance.

Pups need time and lots of work. Amount of dogs being given up after 6 months 'because we can't handle him' is a f****ng joke.

Sorry about that

If you're planning on leaving a dog alone from 8-5 most days, don't get one.

tritriagain

Blowheads wrote: »

Understand the exercise part and was looking at them because they are good around kids. Will they demolish the house though?

If you are both working .. yes , unless given a huge amount of exercise and/or mental stimulation. Dogs need their pack and are not content to be separated from them for long periods, especially when younger as the have so much energy. Best of luck with your choice but speaking from experience choose carefully.

tuxy

Hoboo wrote: »

Go to the pound, get an older dog who likes naps, will buzz off the kids, moderate exercise needed. And he/she will be made up for getting a second chance.

But the dog breeders depend on people like the OP, have some consideration.
Can't they just keep the pup for a few weeks then give it into the shelter when if becomes annoying?

Blowheads

tuxy wrote: »

But the dog breeders depend on people like the OP, have some consideration.
Can't they just keep the pup for a few weeks then give it into the shelter when if becomes annoying?

Your sense of humor is very good, do you do knock knock jokes as well?

VonVix

smilerf wrote: »

Boxers are good placid dogs and will get on with anybody in my experience

I wouldn't call Boxers placid exactly, unless they are elderly. They are one of the more full-on excitable breeds I've handled.

And a dog is only as good with kids as the kids are with a dog.

Housetraining will be a huge struggle for OP if they plan on keeping the dog in the house but won't be home from 8-5, 5 days a week. If the plan on keeping the dog outside, behavioural issues may be a nightmare for the OP, which is not ideal if you have young kids.

Also, yes, pet insurance. A necessity if you have a Boxer. A friend of mine lost her Boxer a couple of weeks ago at only 5 years old due to cancer.

What makes you want a dog, Blowheads?

Blowheads

VonVix wrote: »

I wouldn't call Boxers placid exactly, unless they are elderly. They are one of the more full-on excitable breeds I've handled.

And a dog is only as good with kids as the kids are with a dog.

Housetraining will be a huge struggle for OP if they plan on keeping the dog in the house but won't be home from 8-5, 5 days a week. If the plan on keeping the dog outside, behavioural issues may be a nightmare for the OP, which is not ideal if you have young kids.

Also, yes, pet insurance. A necessity if you have a Boxer. A friend of mine lost her Boxer a couple of weeks ago at only 5 years old due to cancer.

What makes you want a dog, Blowheads?

Let's call this research, I'm not rushing out the door doing to get a dog or anything. Family and friends have dogs and have had them in the past but in a farm. We are working 2.5 days per week away from the house which is the only real problem I see as everything else is covered

VonVix

Blowheads wrote: »

Let's call this research, I'm not rushing out the door doing to get a dog or anything. Family and friends have dogs and have had them in the past but in a farm. We are working 2.5 days per week away from the house which is the only real problem I see as everything else is covered

Research is good! It's so very easy to get a puppy, that it's often forgotten about that a dog is a 15 year (give or take) commitment. For your lifestyle, from my years of handling hundreds if not thousands of dogs, a Boxer isn't a good fit on paper, going by what you wrote in your opening post alone.

There are doggie daycares, pet sitters, dog walkers that help people who do work look after a puppy/dog when they cannot. But again, this is an extra expense but for a lot of people a very necessary one if they want a dog in their lives. If you're working full time, you'll often go home and want to just flake out and do nothing, walking the dog and playing fetch for 30mins-1hour is the last thing on the agenda. Also, the weather is getting nicer, people who often get a puppy now are happy enough to bring them out daily, but once autumn/winter hits, the idea of taking a walk in the freezing cold after a long day's work is on the bottom of the "to-do" pile.

strandroad

Blowheads wrote: »

Let's call this research, I'm not rushing out the door doing to get a dog or anything. Family and friends have dogs and have had them in the past but in a farm. We are working 2.5 days per week away from the house which is the only real problem I see as everything else is covered

You might just want to adjust your plans to a) not a pup b) possibly a different breed. I love boxers and their goofy temperament but they are full on excitable as someone said above and if you isolate a puppy during the day it will be distressed when alone, and then completely beside itself and hard to control with you and the kids when you come back.

One or two young (but not puppy age) lurchers would actually suit your lifestyle much better, they are very placid indeed and spend a lot of time snoozing, also keep each other company and are very good with children. You don't need to work them as hard as boxers with long walks or exercise either.

Ardillaun

A smaller, older dog might be preferable.

demanufactured

Blowheads wrote: »

Hi,
We are thinking about getting a boxer pup. We have 3 kids, 9,7,4 and are working parents. Have a large house and garden.
Wondering how it will be with the kids and any advice and tips how to manage when we are out of the house 8-5?
Thanks

It will be how you train it to be with kids.
They require a lot of attention.
I'd not recommend it if both working.

Have you time to train a dog or Will it just be left to it's own devices?

tuxy

Ardillaun wrote: »

A smaller, older dog might be preferable.

But the kids want an adorable puppy!

demanufactured

Hoboo wrote: »

Go to the pound, get an older dog who likes naps, will buzz off the kids, moderate exercise needed. And he/she will be made up for getting a second chance.

Pups need time and lots of work. Amount of dogs being given up after 6 months 'because we can't handle him' is a f****ng joke.

This.
It doesn't sound like you're prepared to look after a pup
Id say Get a rescue dog.

tuxy

demanufactured wrote: »

This.
It doesn't sound like you're prepared to look after a pup
Id say Get a rescue dog.

This sounds harsh but it's not.
Anyone who has spent time at any dog rescue/shelters will know how much suffering peoples poor choices can cause.

demanufactured

tuxy wrote: »

This sounds harsh but it's not.
Anyone who has spent time at any dog rescue/shelters will know how much suffering peoples poor choices can cause.

Agreed.
Not trying to be harsh on the OP, just trying to be realistic.

Sheepdish1

Blowheads wrote: »

Hi,
We are thinking about getting a boxer pup. We have 3 kids, 9,7,4 and are working parents. Have a large house and garden.
Wondering how it will be with the kids and any advice and tips how to manage when we are out of the house 8-5?
Thanks

Hi OP, it is great that you are doing research instead of rushing out and picking up a puppy as many people do and the dogs end up in shelters.

It sounds like you have a very busy lifestyle, both working and three young kids. A puppy is the same amount of work as a toddler imo . They need to be socialised a lot to different environments, dogs their own age and older, textures, noises, objects etc or they will be nervous. They need to be supervised, trained and not left alone for long periods of time as this is critical for their development. They are considered working dogs so need a lot of mental stimulation and training.

They can also suffer from a range of different health issues so health insurance is a must so that is an expense you should factor in. They need a lot of mental simulation and most dogs left a lone for long hours will develop ways to occupy themselves, ie barking and destructive behaviour and become stressed. They should not be left out in the cold for long periods of time either. If a dog develops separation anxiety they will become very destructive and stressed. It could be good to look at an adult dog that needs to be rehomed from a shelter instead of a puppy. Whippets and lurchers are beautiful pets and many of them need homes.

A shelter will be honest with you about suitability and give you an animal suited to your lifestyle. Sighthounds are typically couch potatoes but on days that they are being left alone someone should call in and walk it / play with it.

Apart from the time commitment a dog entails the following expenses need to factored for the expected lifespan of animal and some can be overlooked with the excitement of it all


Food - Costs will depend on quality of food and vary on size of dog:D

Vet Care - Checkups as needed and yearly vaccines that are needed
Neutering / microchipping
Flea and worm tablets

Health insurance if needed

Grooming costs will depend on breed - a lot of people underestimate this cost

Day care / dog walker - this will depend on whether you have people to help out

Kennel costs- this is one a lot of people don't factor in and it can be quite expensive particularly when going on holidays. You need to vaccines as above to use this service

Shelter / fencing - It will need warm/sheltered area for when outside. Also
depending on size of garden etc you may need to properly fence it to keep the dog contained particularly if there are sheep or livestock nearby.

Contact a local shelter and speak to them about boxers or suitability of dog for your lifestyle
Best of luck with your decision

The Bishop Basher

Blowheads wrote: »

Hi,
We are thinking about getting a boxer pup. We have 3 kids, 9,7,4 and are working parents. Have a large house and garden.
Wondering how it will be with the kids and any advice and tips how to manage when we are out of the house 8-5?
Thanks

Hi OP,

We’ve had boxers for years and adore them as a breed.

They really are a handful, eternally youthful, playful, energetic but equally loving and loyal and they make super family dogs especially around kids as they’re just big kids themselves. They just love their humans and are happiest curled up beside you on the couch when not playing or getting up to mischief.

We’ve never found ours to be destructive but they do have a name for it, especially tv remotes.

I don’t know how you could handle the working hours but I would agree with everyone that 8-5 is too long to leave a pup on it’s own. I suppose where there’s a will there’s a way and there are options but it wouldn’t be fair on a pup to leave them that long.

tuxy wrote: »

But the kids want an adorable puppy!

You say this like it’s a bad thing. Having an adorable puppy is very much part of the experience of dog ownership for many, myself included.

Cherry Blossom

tuxy wrote: »

But the kids want an adorable puppy!

That's your second pointless, sarcastic post directed at the OP. It is a requirement of this forum to post in a constructive manner and to be civil to each other. Don't post in this thread again please.

jimf

I love boxers very good with kids etc

but a puppy will be approx. 10 weeks old when ready to come into your life

the next 10 weeks will be crucial in socialising your puppy if your out all day you will have a very excited puppy when you come home in the evenings you are likely to encounter a puppy that wants to jump up all the time sharp nails can get little faces

think think think and then think another bit before you commit

Ardillaun

I was looking at a friend’s Boxer the other day, a powerfully built dog like a small Doberman with those bulldog-style jaws too. Good natured they may be but I’d be supervising any interaction with small children.