Boxer Dog Training Information

If you are looking for a pet whose has the ability to be faithful, has loads of energy and a loving attitude, then you may want to consider getting a boxer dog. Boxer dogs are very friendly and loyal especially to and with children. Their playful nature makes them a wonderful companion for younger children. If you have other animal family members, boxers are very adaptable to these pets too. Should you want a pet that will listen to your orders and can be taught, you should get a boxer dog. Remember that these dogs need all kinds stimulus, both mentally and physically. Take them for a run or jog in the early morning hours when it’s cooler. This is especially important during the summer months when temperatures soar in the 90s in many places. If you cannot bring your pet inside for any reason, then be sure he/she can stay out of the sun, has plenty of food and water.

Boxer dogs will play regardless of the temperature outside but as the owner of these overactive and roguish canines, it is you that needs to be aware if your pet is getting overheated. Boxers cannot maintain the temperature in their body. Those hot summer days will find you giving extra special attention to your loving canine. Your pet may cool down slightly through his intense panting but it is not enough to keep them cool the entire day. Do not be surprised if your boxer dog doesn’t feel like playing. Just like you, dogs can get zapped of energy in the heat. Do your dog justice and place plenty of water bowls outside for him to drink from. If you have only one water bowl, be sure its kept full.

There are other ways to help your dog survive the summer heat. Local pets stores have dog mats that can help you out. When you are nourishing the inside of your dogs body, be sure to give him a nice nourishing on the outside. Rinse down sensitive parts of your dogs body including the ears, eyes, mouth, belly and paws. If you can, purchase an outside tub for him to jump in and out of. Another easy way to keep your dog from overheating is to provide him with the needed food diet that can help him fight the burning sun.

Most boxer owners will agree that these dogs are wonderful to have around. With everything they do for their owners, they are especially known for their strength, courage, attentiveness and legerdemain. They were once used as attack and messenger dogs especially by the military and police. The German army was able to teach the dog how to guard the border of the land. The dogs can smell contraband items and bother trespassers. Members of the Working Dog Group recognized all that the boxer dogs did. Despite all their good qualities, when trained poorly, they can be rather obstinate.

Look in any newspaper or online classified website and chances are you can find an advertisement that says, “Boxer Puppies for Sale.”  Prices can vary for the boxers—they can be anywhere from $400 on up to $600 or more.  It seems like a rather high price to pay for a boxer puppy, even a purebred one…or is it?

Though many people have qualms about paying what seem like exorbitant fees for purebred boxer puppies for sale, the truth is that these prices really are not out of line—if you are purchasing from a reputable breeder.  Reputable breeders put a great deal of money into the breeding process and into taking care of the puppies for their first several weeks.  All of that money adds up rather quickly.  So, the prices charged by reputable breeders for boxer puppies for sale really do not even give the breeders much of a profit to account for all of their time and effort.

Good Breeders Spend a Lot of Money

Dishonest breeders are the only ones who are really making profits off of the seemingly high prices for boxer puppies for sale.  After all, they do not spend the money in order to ensure the health of the parents or the boxer puppies for sale.  Reputable breeders have a lot of expenses which they must consider to for the breeding process:

•    Health testing:  Honest breeders do health testing on the female boxer—even if they know the female to have a good pedigree.  Here are the tests that they usually do, along with estimated costs for the tests:

Cardio testing $500

Aortic Stenosis testing $300

Spondylosis and Dysplasia testing (hip/spine problems) $300

Total:  $1100

•    Male boxer:  Many reputable breeders who have boxer puppies for sale own both the female and male boxer used as the parents.  If this is the case, the breeder does the same tests listed above on the male boxer, costing an additional $1100.  If the breeder does not own the male boxer, the breeder must pay a stud fee of $500.

•    Shots and exams:  At least one set of shots must be performed before the boxer puppies can be put up for sale.  Veterinary exams must be done as well.  The cost for these will be around $200.

There are other miscellaneous expenses involved in putting up boxer puppies for sale, too–cleaning supplies, kibble for the puppies, paperwork costs, and more.  The mother might also need a Caesarian section (at $500) or milk replacement (at $100 per week), or other unpredictable possibilities. The entire cost for breeding a litter of boxer puppies can be anywhere from $2000 to $3000 or more.

Most boxer litters have five puppies.  Do the math, and you will see that it means that is between $400 to $600 per boxer puppy for sale—and, that doesn’t take into account the breeder’s time and effort at all.  This means that for all of the special care the breeders have given the mother and puppies, they are uncompensated.

Boxer puppies for sale are worth every penny of their cost—as long as you buy from a reputable breeder.

Sometimes, buying gifts isn’t easy.  It can be difficult to figure out what to purchase.  However, if you need to buy a boxer dog gift, it doesn’t have to be complicated.  Whether you need to buy a gift for an owner of a boxer dog or if you want to buy something special for a boxer dog, these ideas can make it a little bit easier.

Boxer Dog Gifts – For Owners

A great many boxer owners would be pleased to get a gift that features their favorite pet.  Practical gifts can also be nice, too—if they aren’t too practical (in other words, gifting a few cans of dog food isn’t the best idea).  Here are some boxer dog gifts that would be of interest to nearly any boxer owner:

•    Boxer Stationary or Note Cards:  You can purchase specialized stationary or note cards as boxer dog gifts for any owner.  These can be matched to the type of boxer the person has—fawn or brindle—or, you can get them customized by having a photo of the owner’s boxer placed on the paper.

•    Boxer T-Shirts:  These can be artful or comic.  T-shirts can also be custom-made with a photo of the owner’s boxer.  That would make great boxer dog gifts.

•    License Frame:  What better way for a boxer lover to show the world her love for boxers than a license frame for her car?

•    Boxer Coffee Mugs:  This boxer dog gift would be great for any guy who drinks a lot of coffee.  You can get insulated mugs, travel mugs, or ceramic mugs—and they can be customized.

Boxer Dog Gifts – For Boxers

Maybe you want to pamper your pooch with an exceptional boxer dog gift.  Or, perhaps a friend or family member owns a boxer and you would like to give that boxer some special attention.  Here are some ideas:

•    Boxer Treat Jar:  This would make a great boxer dog gift.  There are so many different types and styles of these available—and you could even get a customized one.  Have the boxer’s name painted onto the treat jar, perhaps, and then fill it with some of the boxer’s favorite treats.

•    Boxer Sweater:  Boxers who live in cold climates can get chilled from exposure to the cold.  Giving sweaters as boxer dog gifts shows that you care.

•    Boxer Plush Toy:  Boxers love to play, so choosing a plush toy which they can tug and toss around is a great idea.  Make sure, though, that you purchase a plush dog toy, not just a plush stuffed animal—there is a huge difference in materials.

•    Boxer Floor Pillow:  Boxers need comfortable places where they can lie on the floor—especially if you do not allow them to get on the furniture.  Buying a floor pillow (a pet floor pillow, of course) as a boxer dog gift is a perfect way to make sure that your boxer has a space of his own to lay on the floor.

There is a great deal of controversy around vaccinating dogs, just like there is ongoing controversy around vaccinating children. While there are some dogs that are sensitive to different types of vaccines, most dogs tolerate the new types of vaccines with very few issues. Vaccines are actually designed not to cure or prevent any health issues themselves, but rather to allow the dog’s body to build up immunity to the virus or bacteria so the dog is able to fight off the disease on his or her own. Vaccinating a dog unnecessarily is never recommended, however most vets agree there are some basic vaccinations that should be part of an overall health regime.
Puppy and Dog Vaccinations

During the first few weeks of life the puppy is naturally protected from many health issues since it gets antibodies from the mother dog through nursing. At about the six week mark the first set of puppy vaccinations is recommended to help prepare the puppy for life without that antibody support from the mother. When the antibodies from the mother are at high levels in the puppy’s bloodstream, the vaccination is less effective. This is why vets recommend a series of three vaccinations to ensure that the puppy will receive the benefits from the shots. These vaccinations are typically scheduled at six weeks, nine weeks and twelve weeks to catch all puppies at the appropriate time and at the appropriate level of development. Some vets working with particular breeds may indicate another vaccination at the 15 week mark or even one at the 18 week point. They will also receive a booster shot at the one year mark and every year thereafter. This is because dogs don’t build up continual immunity to many of these conditions and need the vaccination to trigger their bodies to do this every year.

A puppy will be vaccinated for core and elective types of vaccinations, most which are combined into one actual shot or vaccination. This means that the puppy doesn’t have to have four needles, just one. The core vaccinations include:

* Canine Distemper
* Parvovirus
* Hepatitis
* Rabies – when older

In addition to the core vaccinations there are also elective vaccinations depending on where you live and any canine health issues in your area. These can include vaccinations for:

* Lyme Disease
* Parainfluenza
* Coronavirus
* Canine Measles – usually during Canine Distemper outbreaks
* Bordetella – Kennel Cough
* Leptospirosis
* Canine Adenovirus (various strains)

There are other specific vaccinations that may be required if the dog has been exposed to particular environments or other animals that have been infected.

Talk to your vet and complete research on the various vaccinations before taking your puppy or dog to the vets. If you are planning on traveling with your dog out of your local area you should also talk to your vet to find out if you need specific types of vaccinations. Dogs that are taken out of state or out of country or those that are being kenneled or entered into shows typically have to have a current and up to date vaccination record to ensure safety for all dogs and animals.

Article by Jerry Rhodes of Oh My Dog Supplies, your top spot to buy dog costumes online.

Service dogs have been extensively trained to provide services for the deaf, blind of physically challenged. It is not every dog that is accepted for this type of training and owners should consider themselves lucky if they are in a position to be offered the adoption for this type of dog.

Service dogs that are available for adoption and each of these dogs have been trained as a career service dog that will lead the blind, the deaf and assist other disabled people.

There Are Three Types of Service Dogs Available

Service dogs that are available for adoption come in three different categories. There are dogs that have been trained to be in the service industry but were not accepted into homes for some reason or another. Another option for service dog adoption is those dogs are changing careers, or dogs retiring from their service career.

Service dogs must eventually retire. The animals become slower, require additional care of they become ineffective in the industry in which they are working. The average career of a service dog is eight years – and this is the point in which they are placed with loving families that can tend to their needs.

Some impeccably trained dogs have more than one type of career and therefore more than one type of service job. Sometimes the dog is not a match with the person in need, or the service owner or the dog may develop medical problems that the owner is unable to deal with. Some retired dogs are used in rest or nursery homes as pet therapy sessions, or animal interaction practice.

The last category of dogs may have not passed the courses and training required to become a service dogs. Thousands of dogs initiate within the guide dog training each year, and many of these dogs do not make into a service program.

Some of the dogs may have temperament or health problems which deter them from finishing the program. Some dogs simply have an energy level too high of that required for service work. Regardless of the status, these dogs are often of a higher caliber than dogs untrained for the service industry and should be considered for adoption.

Natural abilities with adequate personalities can gain a dog entry into these service dog training programs. Dogs between the ages of one to two that demonstrate gentle personalities and have had a loving home combined with gentle obedience trainings are often exceptional candidates for service dogs.

Article by Jerry Rhodes of Oh My Dog Supplies, check for current specials on large dog beds online.