Boxers: What's Good About 'Em, What's Bad About 'Em (2024)

Boxers can be fine family dogs if you can proviide enough exercise and training to control their rambunctiousness when young, and if you can provide for their special needs due to their unnaturally short face.

As puppies and young adults, Boxers are animated, playful (often cuckoo!) dogs who love to romp and jump. Middle-aged Boxers typically become more deliberate and dignified and make calm, loyal companions for the rest of their (unfortuntately not very long) lives.

Exercise needs vary from long daily walks for more sedentary Boxers to vigorous daily romping for high-energy individuals – but not in hot weather, because Boxers are more susceptible to heatstroke than most dog breeds.

Though most Boxer dogs are fine with other family pets, including the family cat, quite a few Boxers are dominant or aggressive toward other dogs of the same sex, and some are cat chasers.

Boxers need consistent leadership. Their heritage, after all, is that of a strong-minded working dog. But you must handle them in an upbeat, persuasive way. Boxers are stubborn, yes, but also sensitive and proud. They will "shut down" (sulk and pout and passively refuse to do anything) if you jerk them around.

Most Boxers make vigilant watchdogs – meaning they will bark when they see or see something out of the ordinary. Their guarding and territorial instincts, though, vary a great deal.

Most Boxers react to strangers with a joyous "Hi, come on in!" accompanied by enthusiastic jumping and tail-stump wiggling. Other Boxers are more standoffish, neither fawning over strangers nor threatening them.

A few Boxers (typically those from German lines) are more forceful and challenging.

Early socialization is important to develop a stable attitude in your Boxer.

If you want a dog who...

Dog Breed Traits – Which Traits Are Right For You? In this brand new series, I'll help you decide which dog breed traits would best suit you and your family, your home and yard, and your lifestyle, so you can choose the best dog breed for your family.

• You can avoid some negative traits by choosing an ADULT dog from an animal shelter or rescue group. With an adult dog, you can easily see what you're getting, and plenty of adult Boxers have already proven themselves not to have negative characteristics.
• If you want a puppy, you can avoid some negative traits by choosing the right breeder and the right puppy.

More traits and characteristics of Boxer dogs

If I was considering a Boxer, I would be most concerned about...

1. Health problems. Most Boxers, unfortunately, do not live a long life. This is partly due to unwise breeding practices such as inbreeding and linebreeding, which are more likely to pass along defective genes. It's also partly due to the deformities in their structure, especially their shortened face. An alarming number of Boxers die of cancer or heart disease in middle age. Other health concerns include eye diseases (such as corneal ulcers), digestive diseases (such as ulcerative colitis), hypothyroidism, itchy allergies, skin tumors, and more.

   Prospective Boxer owners should be aware that they might be taking on expensive health problems over their dog's lifetime. Read more about Boxer Health.

2. Boxer sounds. Boxers are not quiet dogs. Now I don't mean they're yappy! Not at all. But they do vocalize with grumbles and grunts (which owners find endearing) and also snorts, snuffles, and snores (which bother some people). Only you know whether you're one of those people.
3. Gassiness (flatulence). All short-faced breeds gulp air when they eat, and that air has to go somewhere, after all. However, commercial diets make flatulence worse by including fibrous or hard-to-digest ingredients. Boxers who are fed a heavily meat-based diet have much less trouble with gassiness.
4. Slobbering. Many Boxers, especially those with loose lips, slobber or drool, especially after eating and drinking.
5. Stubbornness. You seldom see Boxers in obedience competition. They have an independent mind of their own and are not pushovers to raise and train. Many Boxers are passively stubborn and will brace their legs and refuse to do what you want them to do. Some want to be the boss and will make you prove that you can make them do things. You must show your Boxer, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say. Read my free online training programs.
6. Bounciness. Older Boxers can be quite mellow, but most young Boxers (up to about two years old) romp and jump and play with vigor, and things can go flying, including small children or infirm people.
7. Potential dog aggression. Most Boxers are fine with other family pets, including the family cat. But many Boxers are dominant or aggressive toward strange dogs of the same sex, and a few Boxers view cats as prey.