Breed Advice - American Bulldog/Boxer Puppy

[ericad]

Hi all!

Last week we lost our 5 year old, 130 pound Mastiff mix to a perforated stomach (he died during emergency surgery) which we believe was caused by anti-inflammatory meds he was on for his knee. It was quite a shock

He left behind our 10 month old Beagle/Rottie mix, "Butterfly" (named by our 4 year old daughter), aka "Buddy".

We are looking to adopt a puppy (possibly 2) and, while we have always adopted from the Humane Society, I found a local litter of 11 American Bulldog/Boxer pups on Craigslist who are essentially "give-aways" (just a small re-homing fee) and they have captured my heart. They are 7 weeks old and we are paying a visit to them this weekend, hopefully to select a puppy!

I have never had either breed, though doing some research I see that both breeds are considered excellent family dogs - great with children and other animals (we also have 3 cats), loyal, protective, etc. I love the idea of a dog who will be a big goofy sweetheart but will also look very intimidating to those who do not know him/her, as we live in a remote and rural area - I definitely want a dog that will be protective. Buddy is the world's biggest chicken Whenever we had visitors at the house, they always commented how frightened they were of our Mastiff ("Eddie") and I always felt he was a great deterrent, even though he was all bark, lol. SIGH. I miss him.

Anyway, I'd love some insight from anyone who has experience with either breed, or even better, this particular mix (also known as "Bloxers" or "Bulloxers" I think). Any behavioral concerns, health concerns, etc. we should prepare for? Do you have one you want to rave about? Stuff like that

Pics of the puppies to follow. They are too cute for words Mama is a pure breed American Bulldog and papa is a pure breed Boxer, both on site and both represented to be of wonderful temperament. I have also corresponded a lot with the owners and they seem like very caring people.

(PS - we are currently holding the all white one because something about her is just calling to me, and she's the only all white in the litter! But we are going to make the final choice in person, with our daughter, so she may not be the one who comes home with us)

Pic of the parents

 

[ericad]

Puppies!

 

[ericad]

More

 

[ericad]

Another!

 

[ericad]

Awwwwwww

 

[ericad]

I just can''t stop!

 

[Haven]

Erica, I''m so sorry for your loss.

These pups are unbelievably adorable! We have a French & English Bulldog and AmStaff mix, so I''m no help with American Bulldogs and Boxers. However, I can tell you that when we started looking at rescue dogs we were interested in both American Bulldogs and Boxers because we adore both breeds.

Good luck to you and your future new pup!

 

[ericad]

Love this brindle one too

 

[luvmyhalo]

I am so sorry about the loss of your dog. How heartbreaking!

On a lighter note, the momma and poppa are beautiful!!!!! I have 2 boxers and a good friend has an American Bulldog. They are both AWESOME dogs!!!

Our boxers are great family dogs. We have a 2 1/2 year old and they are very gentle with her and sooo tolerant. They let her paint them, ride them like horses and she lets them chase her around the house for "kisses!"

We have a male and a female. The male definitely intimidates anyone who would ever think of messing with our house. I take him jogging with me as my bodyguard.

They both get along great with other dogs. They looove to play but their energy is more sporatic and in short bursts rather than constant like a lab might be. They might run around for 10 minutes or so, but then it's back to napping in the sun! They are mostly inside dogs and looove to be near people. They often follow us around the house and love to snuggle in our laps.

Or friend's American Bulldog is very similar to our Boxers. Except....he's MUCH bigger!!!!! They get huge!

I would say go for it! The only thing that came to mind about the all white one is that sometime white boxers are known to have hearing and sight problems. Boxers in general are prone to skin cancer and heart problems so their lifespan is usually around 10 years or so. They're also prone to bloat so feeding them smaller more frequent meals is better than 2 large ones.

I'm sure they are absolutely adorable! You must post pics of the little guys!!!

ETA...you were posting pics of the puppies as I was typing. They are sooooooo stinkin' cute!!!! They look like hearty, healthy BIG doggies!!!!!

 

[ericad]

Thanks, Haven!

We feel that bringing a puppy in now will be very healing for all of us, including Buddy. He longs to play and wrestle and just seems lost right now. He''s a 70 pound guy himself, so we want a dog that will match him in size. We are debating between getting 2 from this litter now, or just 1 now and another dog in a year or so, likely an older rescue dog. We eventually want 3. We''re totally on the fence about that...

 

[ericad]

Oh that''s great, luvmyhalo! Thanks so much for the feedback. Yep, these little guys are...robust, lol.

Our dogs are always indoors with us, and we have a 5 acre property where they can have a blast (supervised, of course!) I was actually wondering about all white dogs and hearing/vision issues. I will ping the owner now and confirm that her hearing and vision has been checked - thanks for pointing that out. Living in the Pacific NW the sun exposure here is minimal, to say the least, but because our place isn''t fenced, we can''t accommodate a hearing impaired dog safely.

We are really big dog people, so the bigger the better (I was initially looking at Great Danes!) for us. We train them to go poop just past the treeline near the woods, lol, so no scooping involved (with big dogs comes big poop!)

 

[Prana]

I am sorry for your loss

My FI and I have an American Bulldog. We purchased him from a breeder. He is the absolute love of our lives.

american bulldogs are very loyal, and they love to please their owners. Very protective of family too. They are very good with kids and other dogs, but only if they are socialized from the time they are puppies. Our american bulldog is a big 90 lb baby. He is very passive, friendly, loving, he loves to cuddle and spoon. They are very lazy (at least ours is), but I can go for very long walks with him at a good pace. They can be a little rough when playing, because they don't realize their size. Ours does not drool unless he is working out or just really, then his mouth gets wet. They do shed quite a bit.

I would ask the people if the dogs parents had their hips xrayed because they are prone to bad hips. i would not buy a dog like this without knowing what their hip history is, unless you are willing to care for the dog if it's hips are bad.

I can't tell you how much I love this breed though. I will always have an american bulldog and I would recommend them to anyone.

Without proper training they are crazy. My FI parents have our dogs sister, and they never exercise her or gave her any good training, and she is very fresh.

 

[ericad]

We just enrolled Buddy in obedience class because we made the same mistake - no training for our previous dogs and they were somewhat anti-social around new people (like my DH, lol!) We are currently working with Buddy on his social skills and manners and he's doing very well. We will do the same for the puppy from day 1 - we learned our lesson!

As for exercise, we have a nearby dog park and large property (plus a DH who is trying to teach Buddy soccer

) It also helps that DH and I work opposite shifts so someone will always be home, every day of the week, all day long.

And I'll definitely ask about the hips - I never thought of that!

 

[tigian]

The pups are way too cute!
Our good friends have 2 boxers and they are the sweetest dogs. Great with children, great with protecting their home which is in a somewhat rural area.
We have an bulldog mix and she is the sweetest dog ever. Couldn''t hurt a fly, but some people are hesitant with her because of her looks. Once people see her interact with us or other dogs, they realize how sweet she is.
I am confident that these dogs would be a great match for your family. You are obviously responsible dog owners and there is no reason why these dogs will be less than wonderful if raised properly.
I''m sorry for the loss of your dog.
Good luck!

 

[Prana]

I hope that everything works out because those puppies are really cute. I love those mushy faces. If ever have any american bulldog questions feel free to ask me because we have learned so much about the breed just from doing stuff with him and getting involved in american bulldog activities with our breeder.

lol. I swear I do have a life other than my dog though...

My brother has boxers and they are very good dogs too. Hopefully with the mix you will get the best of both breeds!

 

[lala2332]

i grew up with a pitbull (for lack of a better offiicial breed name) and it was the sweetest, best dog ever. I'm personally not a fan of boxers, the few that i have known and been around have been very anti-social with anyone but their owners. They are probbaly the exception and not the rule though.

I think with both breeds you ust need to make sure you do obiendence training and lots of people and animal sozialization. A puppy like that is going to have TONS upon TONS of energy, so make sure you have the time/space to let him get it out, otherwise you will have behaviorial problems, and with such a strong dog, that can be very bad.

Go and look at the puppies with the intent to NOT get one that day. So that you can meet them and be more objective. Then go back a few days later and get one, after sleeping on it....that way you aren't making a rash decision b/c of puppy cuteness overload.

 

[parrot tulips]

I''m so sorry to hear about your mastiff - they''re such beautiful dogs, and after 5 years, very much a part of your family.

I can''t wait to hear what you decide about your possible new addition(s), though. We''re actually getting a white boxer puppy ourselves (21 more days!). They have 2 more that haven''t been adopted yet, and DH was toying with the idea of getting 2 instead of 1...

 

[whitby_2773]

ditto the comments about how energetic they are; they're reeeeeeeally bouncy - especially when young. i've been around them a lot at classes and shows and, while i think they're beautiful (just love their structure!) i wouldn't get 2 at once - especially if you dont have loads and loads of time to spend with them. and i mean LOADS. speaking as a 3-dog-owner, just be aware that the dynamic changes lots when you get a third. 2 dogs will generally split themselves between you and your partner. but 3 dogs form a PACK, and are much more difficult to control. 2 boxer puppies at once would be a whole lotta BOUNCE!

so i definitely wouldn't get 2 initially, but possibly later? sure! will you do socialization with them? classes? i think this sort of thing is essential, especially for dogs in a pack situation; if not well trained, they will form their own laws - and live by them!

good luck!

 

[ericad]

That''s really helpful, whitby!

I''m pretty sure we will get 1 puppy now and possibly do an older dog rescue later down the line. Maybe a Shih-Tzu - I''ve always loved those

Someone is home everyday here, however we certainly don''t want to get out of control, lol. Your advice is very helpful - we better ease into it!

 

[indypitty]

So sorry for your loss ~ he's running and playing to his heart's content at Rainbow Bridge!

We have a pitbull / boxer mix, and she is such a great dog! Strangers may be intimidated by her for a minute or so based on her size and her looks, but she is the sweetest, most affectionate dog. Seriously, I think someone could probably break into our house and she would greet them with a wagging tail. Her temperament is rock-solid with people AND other dogs. We vere diligent about socializing her with both when she was a puppy. She definitely acts like a boxer, wiggly-butt and eternally puppy-like.

Health-wise, her biggest issue has been skin allergies. I'm pretty sure both boxers and "bully" breeds are prone to skin issues.

The puppies are adorable! Like someone else mentioned, all-white boxers are more likely to be deaf, so I would look into that.

 

[Prana]

Speaking of skin issues...

One of my brothers boxers has very sensitive skin, to the point where he sometimes loses fur.

My American Bulldog has broken out in hives really bad a few times. both times were after ingesting things that he shouldn''t have, such as a baseball hat and a dryer sheet. But the hives lasted for a really long time, and kept appearing and disappearing for about 3 weeks.

 

[justginger]

I''m very sorry to hear about your loss, Erica. We lost a kitten earlier in the year after only having her for a relatively short amount of time, but because it had been years since I had lost my last pet, I had forgotten how much it truly hurt. I hope your heart heals soon and you have a lot of lovely memories to lean on.

I think getting a squishy faced puppy is a wonderful idea - it will help the healing tremendously, and certainly provide Buddy with some companionship as well.

While I was living in the States, one of my foster dogs was a boxer and she was fantastic. She was intimidating to people who weren''t familiar with her, but just melted like butter in my lap. I think Boxers, like Great Danes, are that type of large dog that doesn''t realize they''re not lap-sized.

The pups you have posted about are gorgeous, but have you considered getting another mastiff cross? I have a great dane x mastiff and, after many dogs over many years, she''s by far the best creature I''ve ever encountered. She''s got a terrifying bark, likes to talk (sounds kinda like a wookie!), curls up on my lap (though she weighs the same as me!), is very graceful, and is just - well, perfect. If you were considering a great dane and already like the characteristics of a mastiff, they definitely make a *fantastic* mix!

 

[ericad]

My mastiff mix used to talk too! He was always vocally complaining about something or another - and he did sound like a Wookie!

I hadn''t considered a Mastiff/Dane mix but it''s great to know what a wonderful experience you had!

 

[mochi]

I''m so sorry for your loss! They become such a family member and a great part of your family. Someone told me once that they don''t have to live as long as humans because they learn unconditional/sincere love so well in such a short time.

We had a mastiff who pasted away a few months ago. He lived to be a ripe of age of 14. What a gentle giant he was. Never aggressive but if he was unconfortable with a visitor, he made sure he was between us and the visitor. He was also a goof ball, didn''t want to learn anything!

I currently have two boxer (Max and Ms Vicki) and a old golden retriever (Mochi). I love all three of them. The boxer''s are known as the ''clown'' of the dog world. They really don''t grow out of their playfulness.... They are protective but all bark. I waited until Ms Vicki was a couple of years old before we got little Max...puppies are alot of work.

Good luck!! The whitie is just adorable. Also the eyepatched puppy is a cutie pie!!

 

[Callisto]

So sorry to hear about your dog. I lost my baby (12 yr old black lab) a few months ago and it still hurts.

My dog was a purebred from a very reputable breeder but unfortunately like many purebreds was susceptible to genetic issues from being a purebred. He went blind at about 6 years old from a disease that affects many labs. Because of this I always try to convince people to look into mixed breeds since the chances of them having those kinds of problems is significantly decreased since each breed has different issues they won''t likely get the same defective gene from each parent. (sorry if this doesn''t make sense, I study molecular biology so I tend to lose people with this conversation at times, if anyone wants clarification I''d be happy to expand the explanation) I say even if there are health issues with boxers or bulldogs your puppy will be less susceptible to them due to his mixed heritage. Not to mention they are freaking ADORABLE. I have puppy fever right now and am desperately trying to convince my bf that we need a dog. You''ll have to post pics if you get one!

 

[ericad]

I was hoping that any breed-specific health concerns would be reduced due to the fact that these are mixed. Though, I have had mutts before who also developed health problems at a young age, so I look at it as one of those things you just accept the possibility of and can''t control. After all, people can also develop health problems at any age - no different.

I am going tomorrow afternoon to choose the puppy (am holding the white one for now because she''s the only all-white, and my daughter said last night, "I will pick the one who is the sweetest, but I''ll try really hard to pick the white one for you, mommy, cuz she''s your favorite.") and plan to bring puppy home Tuesday or Wednesday (we need a few days to re-assemble our puppy crate, puppy proof the mudroom, etc.) I''ll have my iPhone with me and will snap lots of pics and video!!!!

(my business partner, Grace, has puppy fever too. It''s all I can do to keep her from getting on a plane up here to nab one of these babies for herself, lol)

 

[honey22]

I am so sorry you lost your doggy, I just couldn''t imagine life without my two labs. They are my kiddies.

Those puppies are just adorable!!!!! The white one is just gorgeous. You just wanna grab them and give them lots of cuddles!!!

 

[purrfectpear]

I''m very sorry to hear about the sudden passing of your doggie

Just a word about the white puppy you are considering; white doggie hair...so not fun when it sheds all over your clothes and furniture. Been there, done that.

 

[Amandine]

I wouldn''t recommend getting two from the same litter. I have been reading up on training dogs, for my own 7 mo. old puppy, and most of the books are against this. One, its much more difficult to effectively train them. And two, they bond so closely with each other that they are more like their own insular pack then would otherwise occur. There was more that I don''t remember, unfortunately, sorry!

They look like sweet puppies...good luck and can''t wait to see who you decide on!

 

[parrot tulips]

I''m so excited for you, and whichever puppy you end up with! I''m a little biased towards the white one, though, because we''re getting a white boxer (with a small brindle eye patch) in 3 weeks. We''re picking her up from a breeder right outside of Temecula. I''m not sure if that''s very close to Grace, but I know they have 2 female puppies left (one flashy fawn, and one white with a fawn patch over her eye).