Dixie and Addy sleeping together

This has been a topic of debate for as long as I can remember. As you can tell by the pictures I posted on here, we do let our boxers sleep in bed with us and we have since day one. (Just look at the main banner picture at the top of this page.  It’s Mickey and Dixie in our bed!)  I always had boxers growing up and they always slept in bed with us. They became an extension of us, to the point that I couldn’t sleep unless I had a dog in bed with me.

Many people argue that sleeping with a dog in bed with you is one of the worst things you can do. Several studies have tried to prove that having a dog in bed with you makes the dog feel like they are one the same level as their master, that they (the dog) is in charge. Or they at least feel like your equal. These studies try to show that in nature the alpha dog usually sleeps higher up, or in the prime sleeping spot to show dominance. If you allow your dog to sleep in your prime sleeping spot (the bed), then you are showing them that they are also an alpha dog in your family.

Then, of course, there’s the problem of the wear and tear on the bedding (not to mention the hair). I find myself doing our bedding laundry a lot more than usual due to our two boxers. Whenever we go to look for new bedding, I find myself passing up some beautiful comforters due to the fact that the colors are too light (they’ll show the dog hair) or that the fabric is too delicate (the dogs will tear it with their claws when they jump up), but I also find that I’m OK with that.

Let me share with you my thoughts and feelings on the subject and perhaps it will allow you to make up your own mind about the matter. As I stated before, we let our dogs sleep with us and have since we brought them home from the breeders. As far as the whole “dogs feeling like they are the alpha dog if they sleep with us” theory, I think its pure baloney! We have always disciplined our dogs and they are wonderful, respectful, and well rounded dogs. If your boxers understand their role in your house, sleeping on the bed with you will not change this. For example, my husband usually goes to bed first. He won’t be asleep right away (he’s usually tinkering away on his laptop till I come to join him). While he is in bed, both the dogs jump up and join him right away as well. Mickey, the oldest, automatically lays down right where I lay (one of the prime sleeping spots in his view). This is fine with me until I decide that it’s time for me to go to bed. I’ll walk right up to the bed, look down at him, point to the bottom of the bed and snap my fingers. I don’t have to even say a word anymore. He automatically knows that he can stay on the bed, but he has to move from the prime spot.

Our dogs sleeping habits have also changed over the years. They used to both sleep with us every night. Getting into bed was like a game of Tetris. You had to mold you body into a shape to fit around the dogs because, as any boxer owner knows, once your dog is out for the night, they’re not moving! Lately, though, they have started doing their own thing. Dixie (our smallest) usually starts out on the floor and works her way up halfway through the night. Mickey is just the opposite. Sometimes he starts sleeping with us on the bed, and eventually jumps off later, or he might even spend the whole night on the couch. It just depends on his mood.

Dogs are smart enough to make their own decision. We never forced them onto or off of our bed. They do whatever is comfortable for them. So, in conclusion here’s how to decide what is best for your dog. If you dog already knows their place in your house and has gone through some sort of obedience training, be it at home or with a professional, and you are comfortable with a big lump of dog in your bed, go for it! As long as you don’t mind a few extra hairs on the bedding, and not being able to move for most of the night, you (and your beloved boxer) will be fine.

As you have probably already figured out, Boxers LOVE going for walks.  They will take any opportunity to get out and explore their surroundings.  It’s a wonderful trait that boxers have inherited and it’s one that I love to encourage.  But, it becomes a problem when it feels like your boxer is walking you and not vice-versa.  There is nothing that discourages me more than an unruly boxer.

Here was my main problem.  Whenever my husband and I would take our boxers out for a walk, they would walk perfectly with him and would be the charming picture of a Westminster dog.  But, when he handed them over to me, all chaos erupted.  No matter what I tried, I couldn’t control our boxers.  Whether I was walking them individually or together, there was no structure during our walks.  I started getting more and more frustrated and soon my walks with the dogs got to be less and less since I was finding them less enjoyable.  I knew there had to be a way to get them to walk with me as well as they did with their “daddy.”

My salvation arrived one day when we were walking the dogs through our development and met a man whose job was to train dogs for the military and police.  He walked two Pitt Bulls together everyday that looked like they themselves went through basic training.  It was amazing how well behaved these dogs were.  After speaking with him for a while, he agreed to give us some pointers to help with our dogs.

A few days later when we met with this man, he gave me 2 crucial pointers that have made all the difference.  They type of collar you use and the attention you require from your dog.  Let’s talk about the first point.  The type of collar he recommends is called a prong collar. (See picture at the right) If you look at it, it looks like a medieval torture device, but when used appropriately will be your saving grace.  You take the collar and turn it “inside out” so that the prongs are on the outside and slide it over your dogs head, flip the collar prong side in,attach the leash and you’re good to go.  It works like a typical “metal choke collar.”  I put the collar on Mickey and at first, he knew it was something new and he didn’t like it at all!  He was jumping around and tugging excessively.  Mickey only needed one or two strong corrections with his prong collar and he has never left my side since.  We have both Mickey and Dixie on this collar every time we go out for a walk, there is actually slack in the leash and we all have a lot more fun.

Now, lets look at the second pointer-the attention you require from your dog.  Your dog’s attention should be on you at all times when you are walking them.  Not on the squirrel running across the street, not on the dog crossing your path a block away, not on the neighborhood kids playing basketball on the end of the alley.  Accomplishing this goal was much easier than I though it would be.  When I was working with both Mickey and Dixie (individually) along with their prong collar, I learned a very simple trick.  Start walking with your dog on your left side and walk in a straight line.  When your dog’s interested starts getting distracted, make a very sharp and sudden 90 degree turn to either the right or left while giving a slight snap on the prong collar and continue walking.  This will automatically grab the dogs attention back on you and force them to change direction.  Continue to walk in a straight line again, and make another sudden 90 degree turn when necessary.  You need to keep your dog very close to you in order for this to work.  This is a good lesson to practice in an open area, even if your dog isn’t distracted by an outside force.  After doing a few turns, you will notice that the dog will start looking up to you occasionally because they want to be prepared for your next “surprise turn.”

I still do this exercise with my dogs. The only modification I have made to it is right before I change directions with the dog I give them a verbal cue to let them know that I am changing directions.  This grabs their attention immediately and they are ready to go where I want them to go.  After I worked with both dogs individually, I started working with them together.  We still followed all the same rules.  Now, we can all go outside together and enjoy our walks.  At least I know that I am FINALLY walking them, not vice-versa.

Boxer , dog bath , bathing a dog

This is one of my contentious issues. Everywhere I read they tell me not to bathe my dog too much. Some resources even claim that you should not bathe your dog more then every few months. Well I have news for you. Unless your sense of smell does not work a dog can smell within 2 weeks. Not to mention the shedding issue.

One of the arguments out there is that you can wash your dogs natural oils off their fur. I cannot speak for breeds other then boxers but I can tell you this. I bathe my boxers every week. Yes that’s right , every Saturday they come in and join me for a shower. How is this you ask? Don’t boxers hate water? Well, keep reading and I will tell you how I manage this.

When I got Mickey at 12 weeks, he was a hard boxer to house train. He would feel the need to take fecal matter and fling it all over the walls , all while in a crate. I would put him in a crate for 30 minutes at a time so he would get used to it. And sometimes I would leave the house for an hour or so only to come back to a house smelling like a dinosaur took a dump in my living room. Well to my surprise it was just little ‘ol Mickey playing in his poop. How he managed to fling poop on the wall next to his crate is beyond me but at any rate I would have to bathe him. This is my wife cleaning the boxer cage!

Bathing him was an arduous task at first. I guess you can say I’m an authoritarian and don’t go for the “touchy feelie” approach. I would grab Mickey and hold him out like a dirty diaper. At that time he was only a few pounds. Then I would run into the kitchen sink and bath him. I used the sink because it was much easier then filling up the bathtub. Don’t worry we used disinfectant on the counters and sink afterward! The first time I bathed him you would of thought he was dying. He howled like he was going to die and just insisted on jumping out of the sink.

At this point I had to put on my “Authoritarian” hat and just forced him to stay in the sink. I firmly said ‘NO’ and just held him there. I didn’t baby him and do all that goofy softy stuff some books tell you to do. He smelled like poop and he was going to get a bath, I was not going to baby him, that was the end of it. Afterward I would give him a nice treat. This was a ritual repeated a few times a day within the first few weeks.

When he finally was house trained something magical happened. When I would take a shower in our standup shower he would be right there watching me. I opened up the door and he walked right in. At that point I realized he got used to water and actually liked taking baths. So I decided this would be our weekly ritual.

When we got Dixie I did the same thing , used the sink and started the shower routine. Now they both wait patiently for their turn at the shower. How awesome is that. I bet if you do this you will get the same results.

Taking gorgeous photographs of your boxer is easier then you may think. During the next few blogs I will show you how you can take great photos.

Many people ask me how I get my boxers to pose for these photos. The secret is I can talk to animals…

Ok ok so I can’t talk to them BUT I do work with them on a daily basis. One thing I found early on was that they did not pose very well. They would constantly move or get distracted really easy. The trick is to teach them the basic commands such as sit , down and stay. This is all you need. Get some treats and get them to sit.

While they sit take out your camera and just take pictures while they are waiting for their treat. This will get them used to the camera. At first my boxers were so curious but after many photoshoots they just saw the camera as an extension of my body and ignored it. Now I can take my camera out and they wont even pay any attention to me.

Always keep your camera nearby and practice this exercise every day. Also keep in mind your first shot will not always be your best. For every good photo I have of my boxers I took 20 or so bad ones. You only get to see the good ones You can see Mickey in the sample photos in this post. He was about 14 weeks old and you can see how he just ignores me. This shoot was one of my favorites. I worked with him about 2 weeks until he ignored me.

I will have more samples and tips so keep checking back!

When trying to find a new boxer puppy to add to your family, there are a few things to consider. You must realize that owning a boxer is a full time job and not something you decide on a whim. Please consider the following facts about the boxer breed. The following list is more of reasons NOT to get a boxer. But it is important for you to realize the issues you will have for the long haul.

Do you own or rent your home?
Owning a home with a decent sized yard is very important. Boxers love the outdoors. If you don’t have the energy or the time to exercise your boxer I would not recommend purchasing one. If boxer puppies do not get enough exercise they will be pent up with energy and will most likely chew up anything in their sight.  Having an apartment most likely means you have a small living space.  Unless you are willing to commit taking your boxer outdoors please do not get one.

Do you have the energy to handle a powerful dog?
Boxers may be considered a medium sized dog breed , but they have the strength of a large dog. I often see boxers walking their owners and getting out of hand when another person comes near them. With such a strong dog pulling at the leash you should have the strength to handle your boxer.  I use a choke collar which helps in controlling any unwanted behavior.

Will you train your boxer?
Obedience training is highly recommended at an early age. Boxers are eager to please their owners so basic training is very easy. Simple commands such a sit , come , stay and down are easy to teach , especially with treats on hand!  If you are not going to train your boxer do not get one.  One thing I hate is seeing owners not taking the responsibility to train their dog.  There is nothing worse then seeing a boxer get out of hand and not listening to their owner.  So if you are not going to discipline or train your boxer…   DO NOT GET ONE.

Can you afford a boxer?
You should know that the boxer breed is prone to various health conditions. This is why it is important that you find a reputable boxer breeder.  Cost does not always translate into quality but you do not want to purchase a boxer for 50 dollars from a puppy mill.  You dont know the quality of the litters.  Expect to spend  hundreds of dollars for a quality boxer.  I always like to visit the breeder and meet them.  This will give me the peace of mind to know that I am making the right investment.    In order to keep a boxer healthy you should feed a boxer premium dog food.  We feed ours Nutro ultra , its about 50 dollars per bag and we go through 75 dollars a month worth of food.  You will want to get heartworm  and tick medicine as well.  This will run you about 20-30 dollars a month.  Not to mention any other vet appointments and problems you may have.  If you are on the Dave Ramsey plan , you have no business buying a boxer. In our first year of owning our oldest boxer weve spent well over 1500 dollars in bills.

Do you travel alot?
Do you like to travel?  Well so do boxers , any owner will tell you they will be the first one to jump in the car!  If you have to go to town every other day and leave your puppy behind , you do not need a boxer.  Without their owners boxers can get depressed.  They are very social and need to have your companionship as much as possible to be balanced.  If you constantly crate or leave your boxer in a kennel you should not get one.  Also boarding a boxer can cost around 15-20 dollars a day.  This is another expense.

These warnings can be for any dog breed , these were specifically chosen because of their impact a boxer will have on your life.  If you cannot provide a good home for your boxer , please consider getting a hamster!

I have many more thoughts on this , more to come I promise!