Boys will indeed, be boys. Every delicious one of them. Those who know me well, know that I prefer the company of male boxers to that of their (admittedly wonderful) female counterparts. Next time you are deciding whether or not to retain that beautiful alpha male puppy in your litter, consider this…
Usually, adult male boxers dislike each other and also males of other breeds. Not always—there are exceptions. But for every owner who will rush to tell me that they have 6 males who sleep on the rug together, I will cite 66 adult males who would happily, left to their own devices, engage in frightening conflict that could well end in tragedy. It is not enough for you, the owner, to be the leader of the pack—in the world of male boxers, most will inevitably try to establish dog dominance. Stud dogs or virgins, the dominance drive is very strong. And once they decide they hate their brother or their sire or their distant cousin, no amount of convincing will shake them from their quest to abolish the threat in their midst. If you keep males together, be prepared at some point to live with closed doors and securely locked crates. At one point, the theft of a ripe pear from a countertop sparked a war in our own kitchen; we often shake our heads in rueful memory as we watch videos of these same warriors at happy play not a month earlier.
And why this need to dominate? Because Male Boxers are totally jealous of your affections--because the #1 dog might get to lick you first when you return from that long walk to the mailbox; follow you first to rest his head on your lap while you sit on the commode; worm his way into your lap as you doze on the couch. After all, they do absolutely adore you, the center of their world, and even if they do not always obey what you command, they never stray far from your side.
Though the pet buying public wants a fawn female 90% of the time, minds change if they ‘settle ‘ for a boy. One lesson learned is that although they may be great Casanovas, even intact male boxers are not “studly” around the house. They do not normally exhibit randy behavior in their human family, unlike some other breeds whose males tend to “ride” legs and embarrass Mom in front of proper Aunt Matilda. Neutered and non neutered Boxers are proper gentlemen with us, unless of course they are planting muddy paws on our midriff in a happy game they invented just for fun.
Someone wiser than I put it this way: “The females love you; but the males are in love with you.” If some fiendish troll made you give up all your dogs tomorrow, the females would be sad for awhile, but they would adjust. The males never really do. They might eat again; play again; wag again—but they will always be hoping against hope that you will call them to heel once more.
Yes, I realize that female boxers are unique and precious. I grew up with one and always cherished her. She introduced me to all the lovable and sometimes frustrating aspects of Boxer temperament…the utter patient tolerance of little children; the joyful, rollicking, playful outlook on life, even unto old age; the need to know why a Boxer should perform some given task, especially a repetitious one; the courageous will to guard the human family. But our girls are different than those boys…more independent, and not quite as ‘tuned in’ to the moods of their masters, a little more “me first” in their outlook. Perhaps it is because it is left to the girls to raise the puppies that they nurture. The boys simply live to adore us, unconditionally; it is their second nature.
So look upon those males in your litters as great gifts—maybe to you, maybe to a new family. They are the quintessential embodiments of almost all that is good—and all that may prove frustrating—in the Boxer breed.
Stephanie Abraham
P. O. Box 346
Scotland, CT 06264
