My 9 week old boxer

Crates are wonderful…whoever trained your pup, scared her…if they are allowed to go in and out at will for a while, they will seek their crates out for comfort.

Here’s a list of dogfoods, rated by the ingredients…the best grades are the best foods…

Alpo Prime Cuts / Score 81 C Artemis Large/Medium Breed Puppy / Score 114 A+ Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+ Authority Harvest Baked Less Active / Score 93 B Beowulf Back to Basics / Score 101 A+ Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F Blackwood 3000 Lamb and Rice / Score 83 C Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice / Score 106 A+ Burns Chicken and Brown Rice / Score 107 A+ Canidae / Score 112 A+ Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+ Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A Diamond Performance / Score 85 C Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+ Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice / Score 106 A+ Dick Van Patten’s Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+ EaglePack Holistic / Score 102 A+ Eukanuba Adult / Score 81 C Eukanuba Puppy / Score 79 C Flint River Senior / Score 101 A+ Foundations / Score 106 A+ Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 B Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D Innova Dog / Score 114 A+ Innova Evo / Score 114 A+ Innova Large Breed Puppy / Score 122 A+ Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+ Member’s Mark Chicken and Rice / Score 84 C Merrick Wilderness Blend / Score 127 A+ Nature’s Recipe / Score 100 A Nature’s Recipe Healthy Skin Venison and Rice / Score 116 A+ Nature’s Variety Raw Instinct / Score 122 A+ Nutra Nuggets Super Premium Lamb Meal and Rice / Score 81 C Nutrience Junior Medium Breed Puppy / Score 101 A+ Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B Nutro Max Adult / Score 93 B Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice / Score 98 A Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B Nutro Natural Choice Puppy Wheat Free / Score 86 B Nutro Natural Choice Senior / Score 95 A Nutro Ultra Adult / Score 104 A+ Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F Premium Edge Chicken, Rice and Vegetables Adult Dry / Score 109 A+ Pro Nature Puppy / Score 80 C Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach / Score 94 A Purina Benful / Score 17 F Purina Dog / Score 62 F Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F Purina One Large Breed Puppy / Score 62 F Royal Canin Boxer / Score 103 A+ Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+ Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+ Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A Solid Gold / Score 99 A Summit / Score 99 A Timberwolf Organics Wild & Natural Dry / Score 120 A+ Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+ Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

Ok you have two problems here. Actually maybe three.

1. You need to feed your puppy the amount on the package for his weight first thing in the morning. I mean you get out of bed. The dog comes out of his crate, (yes he belongs in a crate at this age) You take him out the door. He does his business. If your yard is fenced than you go back in the house and you use the bathroom. I can’t tell you the times I have danced a jig getting the dogs out. I know I am suppose to be in control, but it is better for me to let them out first and then I go to the bathroom.

2. Than you feed the puppy. Go to the bathroom, come out and put the pup’s food down, only the amount on the bag for his weight. Go get your shower or whatever you do next to get ready in the morning. Come out and put the pup back outside. If he is outside eating than pickup the food bowl, empty or not and let him poo. Go in and continue getting ready. Dog is allowed about 15 mins or less to eat (don’t worry it is plenty of time.

3. After dog has had the second potty break after eating and you are ready to go to work or school the puppy is placed in it’s crate. A crate is a puppy’s friend and a place of safety. The crate is not so big the puppy can potty in it and move around, walk in the poo and go sleep in the corner. The crate at this time of the puppies life is only big enough for the puppy to stand up, turn around and lay down. Puppies sleep a lot. Dogs sleep a lot that is what they do when you are at work or school. You do not leave food or water in the crate. If you have a lunch hour that you or someone you know can come and let the dog out to go potty that is wonderful, if not go straight home after work or school and let your puppy out of it’s crate right away and take it out to potty. If you can’t do this you should not have a puppy or dog. The puppy is depended on you and needs you to keep it in the crate for it’s potty training and safety, but it needs you to come home on schedule everyday to let it out.

Dogs - puppies work on a schedule. A schedule is everything. Dogs depend on the schedule to eat, potty, wake up, know when you are coming home, when it is time to go for a walk. They are natural alarm clocks. A puppy’s success depends on a schedule.

Now for the skinny part. Boxer puppies are skinny. The American Boxer is like a deer, and some of the pups will look like bones and eat like horses, it takes a lot to keep weight on an American Boxer Pup. BUT! and I know my Boxers very well. I am not looking at your puppy and I am not looking at his stool to see if this pup has worms or is eating enough.

Don’t get offended about worms, puppies get worms. It is just a normal thing that goes on in pups. Worms are in the soil, Mom’s milk etc. read up on them. Now if your breeder did a good job, he or she had your puppy on a very good worm program and your pup should have been just wormed well before you got him. I worm at 2 - 4 - 6 - 8 weeks I also watch for worms. You should have your Vet test for worms if your Boxer is too thin. At 12 weeks have your Boxer Pup on a monthly wormer like Interceptor. That kills a host of worms. You get this from your Vet.

If your pup does not have worms and is eating well and has a good stool. Firm and no problems with it. He should be healthy.

Never free feed a puppy at this age. A Boxer pup will over eat, become sick and lose weight from over eating. Loose stool can happen with too much food also.

On foods. Always read your ingredients. I never feed a food that starts with corn. Many dog foods do (start with corn) including many expensive brands. If your food starts the first two ingredients with Meat and another meat or meat byproduct and than goes to grains that is the best food to feed. Boxers need a high protein food, because of their high metabolism. Just remember the brand does not matter, it is the ingredients and the first two have to be meat.

Always make sure your dog has plenty of water available, but never in the crate and all water is picked up about 7:00 at night when house breaking your puppy.

Hope I answered your question

I agree with you about the escape artist part. My boxer puppy some how opened his crate while I was away. I haven’t figured out how he did it yet though. Both latches were in place. Thank God he didn’t have time to eat anything, but he did poop in the kitchen.

Oh on the bath of course if he is dirty, having walked in his poop, and they do at this age. You need to wash him, but watch out for the shampoos or soaps, what are you using?

A Boxer really should not be given a bath more than once a month. They do well with a soft brush like a horse uses and and a warm wash cloth for those times in between baths. I do wash my Boxer’s faces everyday, especially under their eyes and in their folds.

Start clipping your Boxer’s nails now so that he will be use to you handling his feet and trimming his nails

I agree completely except the thing about crates. The man who train our boxer used a small crate and she became deathly afraid of small spaces and of the room we kept the crate in. I know you’ve (maichalo1) have the expertise in the boxer field, and I respect that, but from what I’ve seen I’d suggest a more open space, something small but with an open top, so as not to create that totally trapped feeling.

P.S. I think boxers are one of the most beautiful, and all around wonderful breeds out their, we were lucky enough to have our first boxer till she was 13.