How To Choose The Perfect Boxer Puppy

Boxer puppies are cute, cuddly, and hard to keep from taking home. But there's a few things you need to know before taking your kids to see a litter of boxer puppies...

An easier and more pleasant journey with your chosen Boxer starts with checking out the parent dogs for unbecoming traits like aggression, hyperactive and extreme shyness.

This is easier to do when you get your Boxer from a reputable breeder or from a pet shop that get their animals only from known breeders.

Exercise prudence if you are getting your Boxer puppy from pet stores, which often get their supply from breeders of unknown reputation.

These “puppy mills” as they are called are not known to put much emphasis on the quality and health of pups they are producing.

Reputable breeders would adhere to the accepted standards for Boxers in terms of uniformity in the breed, good health, temperament, size and color.

Reputable breeders would be able to show the pedigree and registration papers and/or pictures of the parent dogs that may reside somewhere else.

Professional breeders who produce dog show champions or prospects may also be an alternative, but these breeds can be very costly.

But here's a great tip: Even if you are not looking to raise a show champion Boxer, known breeders can provide you with some “best buy” puppies because not all the puppies in a litter are show prospect/champion materials.

However, the full litter would still have had benefited from the same proven bloodlines, nutrition and medical care. So you can choose from among the good-looking brothers or sisters of potential champion for a bargain.

Another option is to check out your local animal shelter. In the US alone, animal shelters receive up to 12 million homeless dogs and cats every year, and about 25% of them are purebred. Paying the adoption fee is a lot cheaper than the price you will pay to a breeder or pet store, and you will be saving a life.

The definition of good stock or purebred must include beauty, and in a Boxer, that means the coat is fawn and brindle, with the white markings or “flash” covering not more than one-third of the entire coat.

Sometimes the distribution of the "flash" alone may make the difference between a show champion and just a pet Boxer.

The all-white Boxer or “check” is prone to blindness and deafness, and the American Boxer Club members are not to register, sell or use the “whites” for breeding. Petey from the old "Little Rascals" show is a great example of a check boxer.

When it comes to choosing male or female Boxers, there are not much clear-cut differences in their personalities.

At times, the male is calmer, more tolerant of other dogs, willing to hold still for those hugs than the female. But at other times, the female can be so. One owner said the female Boxer is hyper and more aggressive especially toward other females, and that the aggression has increased as the female gets older.

Boxer puppies make wonderful pets--if you know what to expect. Please consider all your options carefully before making a decision.