Choosing The Right Food For Your boxer

   Boxer dog feeding is extremely important especially for this breed. Boxer dogs have very sensitive stomachs and are susceptible to Pancreatitis. I have heard of people that tried the raw diet with their Boxer dogs with poor success. One day I thought I would give our young Boxer dog “Scout” a real treat so I bought one pound of raw chicken liver. I brought home the liver and cooked it then let it cool and fed it all to Scout. Of course he loved the liver and devoured it, and at first no problems occurred. That next morning we woke up to explosive diarrhea in his crate and that continued for a couple of days. I took Scout to the vet and they said that the liver was way to rich and it caused his pancreas to work extra hard creating digestive enzymes. They wanted to do all sorts of Blood work that would come to hundreds of dollars. I opted for the more prudent course and started him on some prescription mild wet food. After 4 days on this food all was normal again.

   I literally have had to change our dog’s food about ten different times until I found a good quality food that lets him produce a good stool sample. I can't stress enough the importance that Boxer dog feeding programs work. Choose a time for feeding that works and stick with it. The food I finally settled on is called Natural Balance and is endorsed by Dick Van Patton. The Natural Balance line offers several different mixes including wet and dry foods. I have had the best luck with the sweet potato and bison mix; all of which are premium grain free products. It was finally clear to me that at least in my dogs case that he had a problem digesting grain or had some allergies to corn and grain, this may not be true for all Boxer dogs. You can’t find this food at Petco or PetSmart I buy mine at a local feed Store or online. Some of the boutique pet stores will sell this food also.
   I shop at Costco a lot and noticed all their so-called premium foods at a great price point. 

I fed our dog about ½ a bag of the Costco food and he started having a very soft stool again and began losing hair by the handful. I guess you get what you pay for and it is well worth it to pay for premium food with boxers. The Natural Balance costs about $55.00 for a 28lbs bag and lasts for nearly a month.

   As you experiment with your puppies diet remember not to switch the foods cold turkey. You’ll need to ration the old with the new at 75% to 25% and so on until you have completely switched over to new food.

   Another tip I’ll share is about the food bowls. I bought our dog a nice large stainless steel bowl  to eat out of  and a large plastic bowl for his water. Our Boxer dog" Scout " did not really like to eat out of the steel bowl, maybe it’s the noise it makes I'm not quite sure. I switched the bowls and found that he eats much better out of the plastic bowl.

   Storing the dog food in the right container is very important. The container should be fairly air tight and it should not be translucent as light will degrade dog food. Also look for one with a pour spout or at least a nice separate feed opening. I can recommend the Pet's Scoop'n Store container by Rubbermaid. This has been an article about Boxer dog feeding and I hope it helps.

     

House-Training Your Boxer

   This article is primarily about crate training Boxer dogs. Boxer dogs are one of the easiest breeds to house-train; an intelligent breed that responds well to all methods, however a favorite method used is called crate training. For those that have heard this term for the first time it may well sound cruel, on the contrary we found that our dog loves his crate. Don’t expect to hold off until your dog is an adult believe me they will despise their crate if you don’t start the process early. Crating your puppy is a great method because it slowly teaches the young boxer dog to hold it’s bladder and eventually an adult Boxer dog may be able to hold off urination for several hours.I can recommend an excellent product, the i-Crate by Midwest homes. This is the model we use and I can’t say enough about it. This crate will fold down flat when it’s time to move it. Also the I-Crate has a free moving hard plastic bottom that can be easily pulled out and washed. Our Boxer dog " Scout " has always loved his crate and sleeps in it every night even though he is 18 months old now.

   At first when your dog is a puppy he/she will need to pee very often, this is the time I recommend using Wee-Wee potty training pads these may save your floors and some mopping chores as well. As your pet ages the frequency in which they need to urinate will diminish and you are well on the way to a crate-trained house-trained animal. I hope you have learned something from this article on crate-training Boxer dogs..

About The Breed- A Boxers Profile

   Boxer Dogs are a working class breed originally bred from an English Bulldog specifically part of the mastiff group and were originally conceived in Germany. Markings can be a fawn or brindle with white markings denoting a flashy appearance or Boxer dogs can be all white, a more rare occurrence.

   Boxer dogs have a great temperament and are rarely aggressive making them a wonderful family pet. In some instances they can be trained to be a wonderful guard dog as well. They are very independent and will require considerable training. Boxer dogs are very smart and respond very well to dog training. Boxer Dogs thrive on learning and making their owners happy; they love treats and will comply readily for them. Our Boxer dog " Scout " knew the 5 basic commands at just a few weeks: sit, up, stay, come and down.

   Boxer Dogs are very energetic and require more exercise and play time than other breeds. The Boxer Dog is known to mature slowly and will have a puppy temperament for up to two years. I know people that own boxer dogs that live in apartments, although it can be done I don’t recommend this environment as they will have to be confined to much of the time. In my opinion a yard is a must to allow the Boxer dog some freedom during the day. We will discuss in a latter article what will become of your yard.

   The Boxer Dog is an inside pet basically for one reason, they can’t handle extreme temperatures  hot or cold. Because of there scrunched up nose they are part of the   brachycephalic breed (wide head and short nose) they don’t process cold air in the way that a retriever might. The short turned up nose also prevents a boxer dog from properly cooling itself down in extreme heat. For the most part a boxer dog can stay outside during the summer months provided you supply ample water and shade. I always bring our dog in at night.

   Unfortunately boxer dogs are susceptible to a few serious health concerns including: tumors, heart issues, seizures, thyroid issues, food allergies, epilepsy and cancer. Getting your dog from a reputable Boxer breeder is a must so that these health concerns can be minimized. A good Boxer breeder will do genetic testing on there dogs so that possible genetic defects can be bred out.

   The Boxer Dog is a wonderful breed but you as the potential owner must do your homework and make sure that the boxer breed will fit your type of lifestyle. I hope you have enjoyed this article on the Boxer Dog breed.