I have homed a 8 week old pup (cant stop telling everyone shes so lovely).

The thing ive been thinking about is what sort of behaviours she may display as she matures, she is a cross breed brought into a rescue shelter with her mum.  Her mum was a boxer cross and by looking at her I think her dad could be a border collie.  She has the white strip up her muzzle and the white round her scruff, but boxer body/coat and a staffy looking nose with boxer gowls.  (sounds a right odd ball).

I know the forum is mostly for pedigrees but I was just wondering what are the main traits of the border collie and of the boxer as I have never owned either.  I believe the border collie to be hard working and energetic and the boxer to also be engergetic but a bit of a baby....... 

Very very lively and immature would be my guess :D

Fantastic ha ha  She should be a calm lady when shes around 9 then.  I have researched the 2 individual breed (although there will be a lot more "breeds" in her I think)  Its just the mix of the 2 together I think will spell some fun.  A very fast chewing jumping machine!

I would start to look around for some training classes in your area.  Sounds like you are going to have fun :D

Yeah I forgot.... she will be a very fast, chewing, jumping machine WITH BRAINS!!! now thats scary.  hee hee

> She should be a calm lady when shes around 9 then <

You're being hopeful then LOLOL

You are in for an interesting time I reckon !

Right it was funny to begin with..... now im getting scared! ha ha  She is 8 weeks and she knows "bed" and "sit" (okay so "sit" is a little bit hit and miss I think her leg gets sore and she just flops).  Training is booked and im in training myself for the event.   This is the link to see her, if you scroll down shes the pup on her own in someones hand

http://www.dogpages.org.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=89765

Sorry cant do links.

Aaah, what a little cutie. I wish you many long and happy years together :)

Boxer X Collie sounds like a handful!! No doubt she'll have energy and personality by the bucketload :D you just never can tell how crosses will turn out though. My boy is a cross between two breeds that would be classed by most as 'difficult' (Chow X Rottie) yet he has a wonderful nature, is extremely laid back and isn't at all difficult. We rehomed him from a family at six months old and totally unsocialised. Given his cr*p start in life, he has come on in leaps and bounds and we couldn't have wished for any better :)

Good luck with your little girl. She's very lucky to have found you :)

Now thats what I like to hear ShaynLola lol  you are right, although she is a cross of 2 lively breeds she could be sensible (everything I have 2 of is crossed at this moment including my kidneys)   I have a pedigree Yorkie and he was to say the least "difficult" including agression and over posessiveness but we wore him down with love and patience so hopefully Lilly (Lillian on sundays) will be won over aswell :-) 

Aw, she's ever so cute! :-)

Aww what a sweet little thing bless her has she had her broken leg pinned or platted. one of my boxer pups broke his back leg at 12 weeks old his was pinned and although he did try to sit you could see it was difficult for him. having said that boxers are a very boisterous breed and not for the faint hearted but with discipline and time they make a wonderful pet and a joy to be around. im sure if you carry on with her training she will be a well behaved socialised little girl with a wonderful temperament.regards polly_45

The problem with any x breed is that the puppies will not necessarily all look the same physically, some will look more like one of the breeds and some like the other.  It is the same with their mentality.  They do not pop out of the womb with 50% of one breed's predispositions and 50% of the other's necessarily, hence why it is such a lottery and why some people prefer pedigree dogs because, although each has individual characteristics, they generally have the same outlook on life.

Only time will tell if your puppy is more like a boxer or a collie.

Right I only singed up to this site to say my part as my mum n dad have a border collie x boxer name bubbles and she's the most beautiful looking well tempered loving and intelligent dog I've ever come across she's so loving and smart it listens to everything you so no matter how exited it gets I stumbled across this forum because I want to get one my self because when I go home to my house I miss her so much if anyone is thinking of getting one it should be a no brainer .im not a pet person but this dogs changed my view of having a pet.

With any X breed it is hit or miss as to how each breed will appear in each pup when it comes to looks and temperament so no guarantee that you will find one like your parents or even close

Smith it's lovely that your dog has and does give you so much pleasure :-)

Do have a think though as someone else has said not all crosses will be the same, as in this cross you speak about the whole litter could turn out very different to each other.

As an example:
Colleague 1 has a Jack Russell x Chihuahua, quite nervy girl but is bigger than a chi.
Colleague 2 liked this cross so much because of colleague 1, now I did warn her that you won't get the same as it will be different parents completely. She didn't even like either single breed but liked this cross or shall I say colleague 1's dog. Anyway they sought(not for a silly price) this cross on the same colour and low and behold as its growing up looks nothing like C1's or even acts like it.. C1's looks more Chi in the face while C2's is very jack in the face... I know they are a little disappointed but they were warned, doesn't stop them living her all the same though...

it always surprises me how different two dogs of the same breed can be so it is hardly surprising that crosses of completely unrelated breeds vary so much

I agree you can't be sure. 

One of my pups lives with the most attractive Springer x Staffie, (smaller springer shape ears, and lovely tiger brindle and white coat, longer muzzle than a staffie, but staffie skull).

Yet I have seen the same cross look very different (and ugly in my eyes), and nothing like Stella's happy go lucky nature.

Mind you when the pups was young she did become a little less tolerant of other dogs, showing her gladiatorial heritage, and eh owner had to go to long lien and re-training, and with the pup becoming adult (and in the Stella's eyes) less vulnerable.

> it always surprises me how different two dogs of the same breed can be so it is hardly surprising that crosses of completely unrelated breeds vary so much

so true. Just think how children can be polar opposite despite coming from the same parents. There is absolutely no guarantee that two of the same crosses will turn out the same

> There is absolutely no guarantee that two of the same crosses will turn out the same

As an example of that. Last night on my bus a guy got on with what I thought was a shar pei cross, I asked him what it was and he said bullmastiff x rottie, it looked like neither of them and he told me not to touch it as it may snap! I let him on, on condition that he sit at the front of the bus where I can keep an eye on the dog and that he keeps the dog at the window side, so he is between it and other passengers.

2 stops along a woman is waiting with a rottie, I tell the guy there is another dog getting on and to hold on to his. When I open the door and the woman gets on she knows this guy and they chat away, their dogs are litter brothers! One looks exactly like a rottie and is so sweet and laid back, the other is the ugliest dog I've ever seen with a temperament to match :-D

With a pure bred dog you have a rough idea what size, coat and temperament will be like, of course there will be minor variations but on the whole you will have an idea and know what traits to expect. With a cross you have none of these guarantees, it's pot luck.

I love your bus stories, Chaumsong.

> I love your bus stories, Chaumsong.

Well driving around in the evening in Scotlands capital is sometimes interesting but the hours of just trying to stay awake are not as exciting to hear about :-D

> it always surprises me how different two dogs of the same breed can be

Totally with you on that one.  My first Bearded Collie was an absolute dream.  Loved training classes, was a happy, confident girl, and was of show standard.   So much so, that 2 years later when the dam was mated again, I had another bitch.  Talk about gormless!  She just looks at you with her tongue hanging out, and a sloppy grin on her face.  Reminds me of a slightly backward child that you can't help but love. 

She is rather large for the breed, and if she wasn't KC registered, I would swear that she is half Shetland Pony.  At 12 years old, I guess she'll never change.  :-)

But, hey, she is so easy to love.  :-)

Would that make her a Border Boxer?  A dog who fights along the perimeter of her yard?  :)

LOL, this is a joke of course.  My attempt to mimic those mixed breed descriptions that give funny behaviours or characteristics to mix names.  I couldn't find it to add to my post.  Does anyone else know it?  Can you post a link to it?  It's amusing.

I do see that you are not absolutely sure what her mix is but she sounds lovely, good for you.  I'm sure I'd love to see a photo of her now and another when she is mature if you can post links.