Searching for a Boxer breeder in Florida

[Guest Anonymous]

Can anyone recommend a good Boxer breeder in Florida?

Ideally S. Florida, but I don't mind driving for the right dog, particularly if we can meet the parents.

Preference would be a female fawn pup, but open.

She would be joining our family, not looking for a "show dog". Just a healthy one!!

Thanks in advance,

Ralph

[Smooshie]

Have you tried contacting the boxer club in your area? They might have a listing of reputable breeders they can give you :


-Northeast Florida Boxer Club PO Box 1647 Macclenny FL 32063
-Tampa Bay Boxer Club http://www.angelfire.com/d20/tbbc/home.htm
8505 Ridge Road Seminole FL 33772
-Southeast Florida Boxer Club 6348 SE Mourning Dove Way Hobo Sound FL 33455
-Boxer Club of SW Florida 17289 Lee Rd. Fort Meyers FL 33912


Consider asking anyone you contact or who contacts you what health testing has been done on their dogs before breeding. Boxers are known for heart and thyroid problems....and also can be prone to skin problems and dysplasia
The minimum testing should be a Doppler/auscultation by a Cardiologist (to check for Aortic Stenosis/Sub-AS), a 24 hour holter monitor (to check for Boxer Cardiomyopathy/Familial Ventricular Arrhythmias) and a thyroid test.

Do you have your heart set on a puppy, or would you consider adopting an adult? The rescues here in Florida have some wonderful dogs available (thats where my Boxer is from). They come fully vetted ,socialized,and spayed/neutered (most are completely housebroken,and some are even crate trained and started on obedience!)....plus their temperament is evaluated so they can be matched to a suitable family. If you'd like to take a look, their site addy is:

http://www.flbr.org (statewide)
or
http://boxerfriends.org/ (miami-dade area)

good luck with your search! :D

[Guest Anonymous]

I second everything Smooshie says, only I would go a little further and ask for certification that both sire and dam have been Holter Monitored & Dopplered and certification for hip dysplasia. Ask the ages of the sire and dam. No dog should ever be bred before the age of 2 yrs. If there are any upcoming shows in your area, find out what time boxers are being shown and talk to some reputable breeders and handlers letting them know you are interested in a pet quality pup. They should ask you tons of questions, so don't be offended. It's not about you per se, it's about the home for their pup.

Boxer rescue is another wonderful avenue. Breed rescues and their foster homes do a wonderful job with these guys & girls needing forever and loving homes. and you skip all that puppy chewing and housebreaking. Good luck.

[Smooshie]

great suggestion Guest Pat ! :D

To the Guest that posted this thread; I'm not sure what area of South Florida you're in, but there IS a show coming up in Palmetto on the 25th of this month....the details are posted on the Tampa Bay Boxer Club website.

Let us all know when you get your puppy/dog...we'd love to see pics of the new family member :D

[Guest Anonymous]

Hi again (original poster, just registered),

Thanks for the replies.

Found a great place in Daytona Beach (www.merryboxers.com) and as luck would have it last night we found a private party advertising in the Sun Sentinel - went to see the one remaining pup...

Male, 8 weeks, both parents were there (female was white, dad was a healthy looking fawn one, both 5 to 6 years old).

Meeting the parents was high on my list, and the pup was just great so the only choice was to take him home.

I'm attaching a picture, hope it comes out.

Ok, now onwards to the next 2 immediate concerns, in order of priority:

1) Getting him to get along along with my 4yr old Boston Terrier (male, neutered). Not great so far (last night the Boston bit the pup's paw).

2) House-training him... did OK in his crate last night, but in the 5 or so hours he's roamed he's urinated at least 12 times, poo'd 3x. Normal?

Other than that, can't emphasize how absolutely wonderful this little guy is, blending with my 3 kids (and me too) like he's been with us forever. Hates being alone though.

So much to learn!!!

[Guest Anonymous]

Guess this board doesn't allow attaching pictures to messages (or I just don't know where to look).... I'll have to figure out how to host them somewhere.

[Smooshie]

Hey!, Ralph congratulations on the new addition! :D . I can't wait to see pics of the little guy! I can't say that I'm thrilled at the news that the breeders were using a white Dam (whites shouldn't be used as breeding stock), BUT I'm not gonna be an activist...as long as your puppy is healthy, and you are happy with him, so be it :) .
First things first, you should take your new pup to YOUR vet for a checkup ASAP,just to be on the safe side (you want to make certain you're getting what you paid for, and you don't want the new pup passing on any parasites or germs to your Boston).
As for introductions,check out this article for tips on how to socialize your new pup with your older dog; http://www.cityofreno.com/pub_safety/police/animalsrv/dogs/introductions.html
and please don't leave them alone together unsupervised...even for a moment...its amazing how fast an "accident" can happen!
Is this your first Boxer? If it is, you and your family are in for QUITE a ride! LOL... they are such great dogs (especially with children) They are stubborn though, so you'll need to get a handle on that right from the start...I suggest enrolling him in a puppy preschool as soon as possible, and keep us posted on how he's doing! :D

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks for the info & links folks!

I should say that this lady was not an official breeder, sounded more like someone who discovered that when her two Boxers had a litter some $$ would come her way (no doubt she loves them, and the parents looked definitely cared for).

We just got back from our own trusty vet. He spent a long time with us and the pup, all appears well so far.

Ok, so here is the current plan:

* Continue introducing the dogs to each other a few minutes at a time every few hours, increasing as tolerance goes up. I'll of course be standing close and ready to intervene.

Of course continue making the Boston feel like he is king of the hill and comes first.

* He will be crated nights and when alone in the house (rare). Take him outside always after a crate session or eating.

Our vet was saying to just use the old fashion way of reprimend / reward, e.g. verbal disapproval if he went in the house and treat and verbal laud when he did it outdoors.

So many books and opinions on this, maybe I'll stick to that method.

* Frequent small feedings for the moment.

* He says to wait at least a couple of months before any more advanced or group training.

Any comments on the above?

And I'll try to figure out the hosting bit tonight.

[Smooshie]

Sounds like you're on top of everything :D
My only comment is....is there a medical reason why your vet suggested you wait before starting organized class training? I see nothing but benefit from starting as early as possible (ie. puppy classes) They teach :

-socialization with people AND other dogs,
-problem intervention to help prevent such common problems as separation anxiety, house-training problems, resource guarding, and destructive behaviors;
- general good puppy manners,such as leash walking BEFORE the pup becomes too big to handle,plus beginner "sits" and "downs","recalls" and "no jumping up" (which I find particularily valuable if you have young children)

puppy classes start as young as 8 weeks, and are designed to promote good socialization skills as well as confidence in young puppies.

Anyway, this is JMO, but definately something to think about...Boxers are exuberant dogs, very industrious chewers/diggers, AND they have a tendancy to develope separation anxiety ...I figure the earlier you start classes,the easier it is to curb these behaviors

<jumping down off my soapbox now> :wink:

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks Sasha, sent 4 or so pics your way, hope they are the right size.

Smooshie, no, no medical reasons... his opinion was that he would not be ready for more formal training, and frankly I didn't question because it made sense (I was asking him about the trainer that works out of their shop, which trains Police K-9 units...)

But what you say makes a ton of sense, I'm extremely concerned about proper socializing. Any opinions on the PetSmart-type (large chain stores) puppy programs?

I'm not concerned about wasting some $$ on a no-good class, but I am concerned about a negative experience for the pup (name, I need a name for this guy!!!)

[Smooshie]

Ohhhhh...he is too CUTE!!!...what an absolute sweetheart :D !! Too bad you live down in SOUTH FL, or we could get he and Loki together for a play date when he's older.

As far as the PetSmart/petstore type classes, I can't give an opinion one way or the other, as I've never attended one there...it seems to me that their classes are held during store hours, right smack in the middle of the store though, so you could always find out when the puppy class is taking place and then drop in and watch how the trainer conducts the class. I would try to do this with ANY class you're thinking of signing up for (not just PetSmart). That way you can get an idea of what methods the trainer uses to train and how the dogs/owners respond. Some people just don't mesh well with some trainers...follow your gut instinct,and DON'T attend classes with a trainer you're not completely comfortable with,or it will not be a good experience for you OR your dog.

<sigh> now I WANT a puppy too!!!!! LOL

[Smooshie]

Oh geez...here are some of the names hubby rejected when we were trying to think up a name for OUR boy:

Flash,Dante,Bruin,Chance,Odin,Jett,Zeus,Remy(short for Remington).......etc,etc..

NOT that its any help......pet names are such a personal thing..... :wink:

[Guest Anonymous]

Excellent!

BTW, should go without saying that the black one my daughter is holding in the second pic is the Boston Terrier.

>> ...Dante, ...Zeus ...

Hmm, those two have a nice ring to them. "Zeus", mighty, quirky, but friendly.

Keep 'em coming, I'll bounce them off the wife & kids.

[Smooshie]

Anonymous napisał(a):

Excellent!

BTW, should go without saying that the black one my daughter is holding in the second pic is the Boston Terrier.

>> ...Dante, ...Zeus ...

Hmm, those two have a nice ring to them. "Zeus", mighty, quirky, but friendly.

Keep 'em coming, I'll bounce them off the wife & kids.

yep....noticed the Boston...what a great pic!...he and your daughter look like they adore each other :D

Oh, and the little boy (your son?) is an absolute doll! What a cutie :D

as for the name game...my son has contributed "Oz", "Cyrus" and "Justice" to the list (I think they must be characters in some video game :roll: LOL)

[Aroura]

Ok, lets see if I can remember everything that I have to say!
*Firstly, congrats on getting such a wonderful breed of dog! A bit aprehensive about the "she realized she could make some dollars if she bred the two" statement. Does the pup have papers? He does have a very long nose, still - too cute! :D
*With house training, I heard that you add one hour for every month old they are, and thats how long their bladder can hold for eg 1 month = 1 hour, in my experience its the way to go - with Boxers at least.
*Puppy training - hmm, I would tend to strongly disagree with your vet on this matter, the earlier the better. It teaches them that you are the master and makes training easier later in life. Not to mention the valuable socialization they get. Puppy pre schools are EXCELLENT and I recomend them 110%, I would have taken Lily if she hadn't left such a great hole in my pocket from buying her/getting her second shots/re worming her etc!
*With your Boston, I'm sure they will get used to each other. If you have a crate for your puppy it will make accepting him alot easier for your Bostons. When I first moved back in with my parents with Lily (only about 6 months at the time) Puddles HATED her. We ignored Puddles' bad behaviour and after about 3 weeks they became best friends and now, less than 3 months later, they are inseperable!!! :wink:
*For the names, go for a famous Boxers name!!! I so would if I had a male boxer, I'm thinking of naming my kennel name after one. How about Costya? Hmm, I only know Aussie boxers so you might have to do the thinking yourself! :-?

Hmm, I think thats all I have to say...
oh, I was going to tell you smooshie, Dad just walked past and said "that running boxers all wrong, it needs a great lolloping tounge hanging down!"
He loves the breed just as much as me :wink: Lily is just impossible to resist! :D

[Smooshie]

LMAO@"lolloping tongue"....he is so RIGHT!...I think the only time Loki's tongue is IN his mouth is when he's sleeping!! :wink:

hmmmmmm <looking at animation> me thinks there should be slobber flying in all directions too...purely for accuracy's sake :lol:

[Guest Anonymous]

<g>

I saw the papers for the parents, and got a form to fill for the pup to register him.

Naive question: is there a point registering him even though he will not be used for breeding?

And do you really think that he has a long snout?!? I thought that was the way they were until their skull grew.

[Guest Anonymous]

I have papers for my pup, Hazel, she's australian shepherd... no real reason, but if the dog is lost or accidentally borrowed you do have proof of ownership right there... On ours if your dog is over 12 weeks you can get a pic on the actuall papers...
As for names how 'bout Bucoda? I just think that would be a cool name... anybody in wester wa would know it's a town south of chehalis... but I thought it would be a cool male dog name! You could call him "coda" for short! :D
BTW he is so cute! 8) Please keep posting pics I am curious to see how he grows!

[Guest Anonymous]

Hi Ralph, congrats on your new pup. When I was a kid and got my first boxer, I also had a 7 yr. old Boston who wasn't thrilled with "the kid" and to make matters worse, they were both females. We just worked on it an if the Boston got too bossy, we told her firmly to knock it off and made sure she did. We also allowed her senior and alpha status. We petted her first, fed her first and gave her treats first. We also did not allow the pup to constantly torment and bite her. A little play was fine, and as long as things did not get out of hand, the girls settled things themselves and established their pack order - Boston the alpha. They eventually got on very well for the next 7 yrs.

I know it's too late, and you are happy w/your pup, as you should be, but I'm devastated to learn of this BYB breeding a white boxer when there are so many reputable breeders out there striving and struggling to better the breed and testing, testing, testing before breeding to actually breed a white. But that being said, enjoy your new little guy and he will get used to the crate. Mine are 7 & 3 and although we no longer crate them, the crates are up because they like to go in there. It's theor safe haven.

[Aroura]

I can't really say about the registration etc as everything is different here in Aus, there are blue papers and orange papers. Blue papers mean that the pup is intended for sale for breeding or show, orange papers mean that they are intended as pets only. Registration papers are something different alltogether. I don't think your dog will have pedigree papers, and I doubt that the parents did either, or at least the white one. Although I can't say much on this subject as I've already said, things are different over here.
I can say that even if he isn't a pedigree, or even a purebred, as long as you love him thats all that matters anyway :)