- [Presenter] Dogumentary TV, producing the best
breed documentaries on YouTube.
(dog barks)
- For me, the boxer is the best breed,
the most fantastic breed because they are very loyal
and intelligent and they fit right into a family.
My name is Susan Burnett and I've been in boxers
for over 20 years.
When my husband and I first got married we had
Great Danes and started to have our family with the Danes.
And it went well, but our son wanted to have his own dog.
So my husband's a veterinarian and talked about
what would be the best breed, more of a medium large dog.
And he very much liked the boxers because
they're very stoic when they're being examined.
And they were pretty trustworthy in the office.
And he thought that would be a good choice.
So we got Amelia and she was from a backyard breeder.
And what I really liked about Amelia
and picking her out was when we went to pick her
as a puppy, the father of the dogs, the puppies
and the mother were both on the property.
And the father was playing out in the yard
and the puppies were running loose
and he ran and got a big beach towel.
And he stood in the middle of the yard
and all the puppies ran up.
And he waited, he's looking at 'em
and they each grab a hold and he ran through the yard,
gentle for a dog and they were flinging around
and running, chasing, barking, so he stopped
and he did it again with them.
I was very impressed that an adult dog
would be that comfortable to want to play
with the pups and have a good relationship.
So, we had Amelia and from there, we went on to,
Amelia lived to be 14 years of age.
And I waited a year and then I decided
I wanted to get into show boxers
which might have been a mistake.
No, it wasn't, I very much enjoy it.
And I got Biscuit and she's named after Sea Biscuit.
I think a boxer when they run are absolutely gorgeous.
The stride when it's correct is amazing.
And to me they look like a race horse.
So we had her for 10 years.
For me the boxer is the best breed,
the most fantastic breed because they are very loyal
and intelligent and they fit right into a family.
They actually make themself a member of the family
versus being a family dog.
They're great with children and they enjoy being with
a family either indoors or outdoors.
They are very active and athletic dog,
can go wherever the family goes.
Which I would encourage anyone who has a boxer
if they're going camping or biking, hiking, walking
whatever, they really like to be with the family
and be active.
We've had poodles and we've had shih tzus
and they were sweet little dogs,
but they were very comfortable going upstairs
and laying on the bed and being by themselves.
A boxer has a tendency to wanna be with you
not necessarily right under your feet,
but will follow you from room to room
to really be a part of what activity you're involved in.
Genetically boxers are bred from bulldogs
so they have that playful kind of attitude.
And they're from Germany originally
and were involved in police work over there.
They are part of the working group.
The big joke with boxers is their work is playing
which they enjoy doing.
They are very prey driven for the most part
so you can do activities such as a lure course,
sheep herding,
anything that involves playing and having fun.
What you have to keep in mind with a boxer though,
is that you don't wanna over heat them.
They always need to have water available.
You do need to be careful with how much water
you give them because they are a deep chested dog
and you wouldn't want to have any problems with bloat
or torsion with the stomach.
The activities that I enjoy with my boxers
is biking, and when I'm able to, I do like to take them
sheep herding.
It is also a barn hunt which involves them hunting
for the rats that are in little containers.
They're safe.
It is amazing to see a dog be a dog.
It's a lot of fun to see them have that prey drive,
get very excited and act like a dog out there.
Very athletic, it's enjoyable to watch them.
A boxer can be appropriate for any age group.
Any person who's looking for a dog that likes to have fun.
What's important though is that you pick the right
age of the dog for you.
A puppy, up to the age of 18 months of age
is very active, needs someone who can exercise them.
It's very important if you're going to have a boxer
as your pet that you're able to keep them in the home
on a regular basis.
They are very social, they wanna be part of the family
and part of what they're doing.
Our history, in our family is that the dog always sleeps
in bed with us or with the children.
They're very warm and they stay in place.
A boxer is not the kind of dog that you could put
out in the back yard and leave alone.
If you leave them out there by themself for a long time
and then you go off for a while.
They will find ways to keep themselves busy,
And you'll come home and be disappointed in what they've
done with the yard.
They are very social and I really can't say that enough.
If you're gonna have a boxer and you're going to not
be at home a lot, maybe that isn't the dog for you.
Or, if you're in and out, two boxers are actually the best.
The companionship is important to them.
But being in the home is also important because
they are a good guard dog.
But they're gonna guard what they think is their home,
the family home.
If you stick 'em out in the yard all the time,
that's their home.
That's what they're gonna protect.
You keep them at home,
you keep them in the house, any kind of problem,
they're gonna protect you and the house
'cause that's their home.
Having a boxer in the house is nice,
but you do have to be aware the fact
that they are counter surfers.
So you gotta be careful what you're putting out to defrost,
you're gonna have for dinner or they will have it
before you can get to it.
They have a tendency to jump on the furniture
but can be taught that's inappropriate
as long as they have their own chair that they
can sleep on in the room or one of the beds.
As far as having small children visit,
I would have the child sitting down before
I have the dogs come in to greet them,
because they do like to get a little bit excited
and joyful when they see someone new.
With boxers, as with a lot of large and medium large breeds,
we have all hardwood floors or tile.
If there's any kind of situation it cleans up easily
and they don't have a lot, like the long hair
like German Shepherd, you're not gonna have
tufts of hair laying around, but they do shed.
And it's much easier to clean up
and keep the house clean that way.
My husband's a veterinarian and we had discussions
where I disagreed with him on using crates for the dogs.
It took a few years and a few things being destroyed
till I realized he was right.
It makes for a much safer environment for the dog
when we leave.
If we're going to be gone for any amount of time,
to the grocery store, going to the movies or out to dinner,
the dogs are put in their crates.
You do need to have a nice sized one
where they can stand up, turn around and feel comfortable.
It leaves them in a safe environment,
it leaves your house in a safe environment
while you're gone.
As far as leaving the dogs outside,
I never leave the dogs outside if I'm going to leave
the premises.
I just don't think it's a safe way to leave 'em.
As the dogs mature, they seem to be a little bit more
trustworthy and at this point, Charlie, who is six,
he gets to stay on his chair while we go out.
And he does, he sleeps there the whole time,
guarding the house I'm sure.
But he doesn't get himself into any trouble.
I think it's important when you have a boxer
that you do have them socialize and have good manners
because they do have a tendency to get excited
and jump around.
So we try to have the dogs not get on the furniture
other than their chair and of course their cushions
that they sleep on.
Since a boxer is such an active dog,
it's very important that they have boundaries
when they're in the home.
And part of those in our home is that they stay off
the furniture unless it's their cushion
or their chair that they can sleep on.
They have to be invited up to the bed at night.
Well, the one who's going to sleep with us.
And no counter surfing.
And for that they will be punished as far as
being sent out of the kitchen.
We don't offer table scraps.
Pancreatitis is something that you
wanna avoid in all breeds, especially in boxers.
Our schedule is Buster Posie wakes up at 5:30 every morning
to tell us that it's morning
and that it's time to wake up and go outside.
So the dogs are let out and then,
I used to feed them at 5:30
but I thought that was a little bit early,
so we've got Buster down to seven o'clock in the morning,
which he will start to bark again because then
it's time to eat.
We feed them twice a day, at seven in the morning
and five at night.
And it's important, because they are a deep chested dog,
as I've stated before, to avoid bloat, you don't want
to over feed at one time.
So we feed twice a day and it is important also
that when you feed them that they haven't been panting
or working out.
They need to be calm, in a calm state when they eat.
After the dogs are fed in the morning,
I wait a period of time, about 30 minutes
and then I will let them outback to play
and run and do whatever they need to do.
I like to take them either mid-morning
and/or late afternoon on a bike ride if I can.
And then after dinner,
we would wait a half hour, let them out again
and they are usually down for the night between
eight and 8:30.
I live on a nice street and it is amazing how many people
walk by with their dogs in the evening,
especially in the summer time.
And when we first moved here I really enjoyed
walking the dogs too.
But as I have matured, I've got bursitis in my shoulder
and I find that walking the dog,
sometimes they pull and need to be corrected,
it does give me pain.
So I've replaced walking the dog with the biking.
It's very important if you get an extension
for your bike that you check it out,
make sure it's a good, reliable one.
I have had some that have snapped off.
The one I have now I really enjoy.
And the dogs seem to enjoy that kind of exercise.
We're also a household of multiple dogs
and they do play a lot in the back yard
and run off a lot of energy.
And they're very active and get good exercise doing that.
My friends come over, most of them are boxer people.
But I always encourage anyone who visits,
when you have a boxer out, that they not speak
in a real high voice and get the dog even more excited.
Dogs are very social, they are very excited to meet you
so the last thing they need is for you to get them
even, ya know, more wound up.
So talk in a normal voice and to not wave your arms
around a lot in front of them even though I know
you're very excited to see them too.
They will drool if you're eating and they're sitting
next to you, especially if it's chicken
or something they can really smell.
They'll build little bits.
Or when I'm mixing up their food at night.
They'll look at me, I can see bubbles on the side.
But over all, they're not droolers, not like the Danes.
According to the AKC, the boxer breed is considered
a clean breed because they have a nice short, tight coat.
They do need to be brushed and you've gotta clean up
after that.
What I find is important is after they eat
I always take a wipe and clean underneath their eyes
and around their mouth, because they will hold,
they have a bit of a jowl and you can get food particles
stuck in there.
Keeps them a little bit cleaner.
The reality of having a boxer as a member of our home
and in your house most of the time
is that they are very protective
so anyone who comes to the door, rings the door bell,
they are gonna bark.
If it's a male and I'm home alone,
I will have to put the dog away
because he will want to be very protective.
Of course, I'll check first to make sure
it's a safe situation.
As a family, if you're planning a vacation of course,
what I find with boxers, what works better is if
you have a house sitter come in if you can afford it.
Or someone come by and walk them.
They do much better if you're going to be gone
for a period of time, three days, five days,
a week, they do much better
if they're in their own environment.
They'll eat better, do all that better.
And for our family it works out the best.
As a boxer breeder it has been my pleasure to
meet many wonderful people coming to see the puppies.
I try to get from the people, the information
on whether the activity level is gonna match the
activity level of the dog.
Boxer puppies up to about the age of 18 months
are very active, they need to be in a family or
home situation where someone can be active with them,
walking them, playing them, socializing them.
And then as the dog matures they might be more
appropriate for an older couple, which I was lucky enough
to have come and visit.
They stayed in our apartment above our garage
for three days, a couple from Oregon.
They were in their early 70s.
I had my questions about whether they would be
appropriate for her, but they fell in love with Beebee.
She was two years old and needed a home.
And she is now eight years old and she gets walked
on a daily basis multiple times by the owner.
And she's been on their fishing boat
and had her own life vest with her name embroidered on it.
She's had a wonderful life.
A better life probably than I could have given her.
And I consider that a true blessing as being a breeder
to see a puppy go to a wonderful home
and then seeing a mature dog who you know needed
more than you could give 'em.
And you found the people that could do it.
So what's important with a boxer is that
you're matching the activity level of the dog
to the activity level of the person that's
going to have them in their home.
In our household we've had boxers with great Danes
and boxers with toy poodles and shih tzu
and we didn't have any problems.
Years ago we did have a house cat with the boxers
and that was fine.
At this point in time, I would not choose
to bring in a kitten or a cat because boxers are
very prey driven and that might not end so well.
But as far as starting with a boxer puppy
introducing it to a cat or kitten, there shouldn't be
a problem.
It's really important to not over feed them.
They will eat, many of them, and eat and eat and eat.
And they will get very large and it's hard
on their joints and their life span will be shortened.
So it's important to watch the diet
and to exercise them.
It's important that you have a diet,
whether it's raw or dry kibble
that meets their nutritional needs.
You don't have to buy the most expensive,
but you really don't wanna try to really cut corners
on their diet and not meet their needs
and then have other things come up.
Obesity, conditions of the coat, ears, allergies, whatever.
All breeds have their diseases
and the concerns with the boxer breed are cardiac issues,
DM, which is a neuro condition of the spine,
which is like ALS in human beings.
And then cancers.
As a breeder what we can check for
and test for genetically are some of the cardiac issues
and also for the DM.
When we go to breed a dog,
we also do a cardiac echo on the dog
and also a 24 hour monitoring of the dog.
It's important for people when they are going
to purchase a boxer puppy that they ask their breeder
if these things have been done.
And then get the test results.
Unfortunately, when DM strikes a dog,
it is in their latter years, usually over seven years
of age, just when you think they're the best thing ever.
And it debilitates them to the point where you need
to put them to sleep, put them down.
They don't get the longevity or the quality of life.
It's very important, it's very important to me
as a boxer owner and a breeder
that anyone who purchases a dog knows the DM status
of the puppy.
Puppies, boxers, whatever dog, hopefully you make them
a member of your family.
And you should know that you have a healthy puppy
coming in and so that possibly you'll have longevity
with that dog and an enjoyable experience
for the whole family.
I am a dog lover, and an animal person.
And boxers are my breed, they have my heart.
I love their joy of living, their loyalty,
their intelligence, their activity, their athleticism,
and what they bring out in me.
I would encourage anyone who feels that they want
a dog that's full of activity and loyalty and love
to look into a boxer.
But what's nice is, I believe, that when you look
at a dog or a puppy, they pick you.
I really do believe that.
And if you do your homework and you look into it,
you'll know which breed is right for you.
For me it's the boxer and all the things that I can do
with them.
The barn hunt, the rally, the obedience which I don't do
but wish I did, the show confirmation,
watch them run and turn.
They're beautiful animals.
I just love boxers.