Our puppies are housed in either a spacious whelping box or a large Ex-Pen attached to Great Dane-sized crate for tons of exercise, yet safe and hygienic containment. We also use yards on good weather days so puppies can get used to eliminating outdoors, playing on different terrain, and getting acclimated to daily life in all aspects! They are socialized well, and cleaned at least 4-5 times per day. They too, are fed a premium diet, with free access to fresh water. Their crate is the "potty area" covered with newspapers, while the main floor has soft toys, chews, and cuddly blankets for warm cozy naps that puppies often need! This gives the puppies a wonderfully head start in paper training. Yet with the use of an opened wire crate they really don't associate eliminating there with soiling in a crate, so this doesn't interfere with crate training once they're off into their new homes.

~~~

They receive a steady varied high-quality diet containing both raw and veterinary recommended commercial dry food of various formulas with occasional canned. Our Boxers are currently on Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete and Diamond Hi Energy. Our muscular, active Boxers burn calories like no other and they are doing superb on this diet. The Diamond Naturals diets pledge not to use corn, soy, and wheat which are fillers and carbs that dogs do not need much of. We feel this is a great diet for the price and readily available. Our small breeds eat the Diamond Naturals Small Breed. We alternate between this prepared dry and a homemade BARF diet. For those who haven't heard of BARF- don't be alarmed, it's not vomit! Rather, and acronym for Bones And Raw Food. These foods include- uncooked poultry (meat, bones, organs, skin and fat), ground beef, fish, eggs w/shells, etc. We also use small quantities of raw vegetables like green beans, turnip, sweet potatoes, etc. Then, essential fatty acids and oils such as Welactin, Salmon Oil, Cod Liver Oil, Flaxseed oil, Olive oil and Vegetable or Canola oil.We also use Petform vitamins, and our eldest girl receives a Glucosamine supplement. Because our Boxers are always on the lean side, we add in whole milk yogurt to balance the gut bacteria and add calories. Our dogs thrive on this well-balanced, healthy and varied diet.

A lot of emphasis is placed on “brand names” in the pet food industry. We’ve used numerous dog foods with our Boxers in the past from Science Diet, Eukanuba Boxer and Nutro to Royal Canin, Natural Balance and Avoderm. Our dogs did well on it, but really not as great as you’d expect for $3+ a lb. Our Veterinarians have taught us that it’s not just about what you are feeding, but how your individual dog is thriving on it. You could be feeding Royal Canin or Solid Gold, and while these are expensive quality diets- what if they aren’t right for your dog? Signs of potentially needing to consider a new diet consist of: excessive gas, soft stools, poor or dull hair coat, dry/flaky skin, and even things like needs for repeated anal sac expressions, chronic ear infections or tartar/plaque can all be heavily attributed to diet. When our Vet examined our last litter, he was very impressed by their shiny, soft hair coat and healthy, vibrant non-flaking skin. He immediately asked what they were eating, and when I stated Purina Puppy Chow he felt that this quality diet doesn’t get enough credit for the high level of nutrition it provides. Don’t be distracted by price tags or fancy packaging when choosing a pet food for your puppy.

Did you know that the breeder has a huge responsibility for adequately socializing your puppy? This is because the primary socialization period is crucial between 5-13 weeks of age. At this time- puppies are like little sponges- gathering all of the information they can about the world and what it has to offer. The things that your puppy is exposed to will impact what type of temperament he/she develops and his/her opinion of the world. This is why we believe in lots of socialization and environmental stimuli! Getting puppies used to handling, nail trims, walking on leashes, basic commands such as "Sit" and "Come" are all very important! Meeting lots of new people including children, adults, and other animals are also important. After our puppies have received their first vaccines, we usually begin taking them out in public, to visit Pet Stores so that they can become well adjusted family Boxers! Of course- all the socialization in the world cannot combat poor genetics. If your puppy is from skittish or aggressive parents- do not expect anything different from your puppy. It's crucial that your puppy is from solid, temperamentally healthy bloodlines; sound in both bodies and minds.

Professional Boxers is very privileged to be owned by some of the healthiest, most temperamentally sound Boxers imaginable. While each has their own unique personality, we can with 100% confidence say all are trustworthy, reliable and very healthy! Visit “Our Boxers” to read about and view each of our amazing Boxers.