hi all,
i will be collecting my boxer DOG puppy on th 20th december (he'll be 8 weeks old) does anyone have any links to some useful sites? i have looked at a few but none really give the in depth details about the breed, and training/feeding etc. i have read a fair few books about the breed and i feel i have made the decision well educated along with the rest of the family, could anyone help?

by the way i'm new to the site and this will be MY first dog (my parents had a GSD before i was born - 21 years ago!) so any advice anyone can give would be a great help!!!

Cheers,
Craig

Welcome Craig.  I own a male boxer 7 months old.  My advice:- brace yourself.
He is completely different from any breed Ive ever lived with Border Collie,  Rough Collie and a german shepherd.  He is more like a two year old child.  Very willing to please but equally good at keeping you on your toes. My advice, book him in for training now,  socialise him as much as possible and most importantly of all, enjoy.  They are the best breed you could own.  (biased).
What will you be calling him?

welcome to the board craig.:) :)

Craig.
OK there is a yahoo based group called UKBoxerdogs
this has a variety of Boxer owners with many years 'Boxer' experience
that share their experiences, the highs and lows etc. I belong to it and it's great fun
but warning they are a VERY chatty bunch, I read the messages on the website. :)

Training - YES book your puppy into training classes as soon as you are able.
You will reap the rewards for all the hard work you put in as your Boxer grows...
(They never really grow up mentally!!) :D
A good 'puppy' book is the Perfect Puppy, you should be able to source this thru
Amazon.com
Personal reccomendation for training clubs or go along and view a training class in progress
before you commit yourself to the course is a good idea. Perhaps if you can give us an idea
which area you are in people can reccomend classes/clubs to go to or ones to avoid.

Feeding - The breeder should give you a diet sheet and hopefully tell you what they are feeding
the pups on. I actually gave my pups owners a small bag of the food I was feeding them on and
then gave the options diet sheets to cover both the 'old fashioned' meat and biscuits type diet
or the complete food diet. My Boxers are fed on Nutro complete food and I'm happy with their condition
etc etc and more importantly they love the food. If you decide to change the pups diet please do it slowly over a 5-7 day
period otherwise your pup will have the runs etc.

Health Warning: Boxers can seriously damage your health......and anything else they can get
their teeth into :D They also quickly learn how to soften your heart...:D
Can't tell I speak from experience can you??...LOL

Hi craig, welcome to champdogs. Im considering getting a Boxer next year but also considering the American Bulldog. I have four dogs at the mo, two bulldogs, one french bulldog and a staffordshire bull terrier- Obviously i like the bull breeds- I agree with the other, brace yourself, the boxer is a wonderful dog and makes a outstanding pet but their hard work but worth it in the end.

Good luck and once again welcome.

thanks for your help i'm just going onto amazon now to see if i can get hold of the puppy book, We're gonna calll the dog Paddy, because he's coming from NI,

hi

i have a 8mth old she's loving and gorgeous but is very hard work and wants attention all the time! the frustrating thing about boxers is they love to jump ...up at everyone and it can be a problem on walks and people are not very tolerant and i don't blame them, i have a bitch as my neighbour has a dog and he is enormous they can't let him off the lead around people because of the jumping up! its a common problem in boxers as is getting them to come back to you when off the lead, a lot of boxer owners have to keep them on the lead, i  do  let mine off and she always comes back (touch Wood) but the jumping up is a problem i live in hope that she will eventually learn not to!!!!! but there a great breed but mad as hatters,and can be as stubborn as a mule! you have to have a lot of patience and bucket loads of energy!! so start building yourself up now if i were you LOL...

Hi I have a 4 month old White Boxer girl, for information etc I go to either Boxerworld.com or there is a new Uk site called Boxerfanatics.com that is attracting quite a few members.

Have fun I do with Saffy they are amazing dogs.