I lost my Boxer Shelby about six years ago. She was 75 pounds of pure muscle. I'm longing for another friend.
How do you find reputable breeders these days? I'm not sure if I should trust
anything online. I will check the SPCA, to adopt.
I would love a German Shepard but don't want the long hair.
Don't care much for lapdogs, like bigger dogs. Maybe another Boxer,
Standard Poodle, short hair?
I'm not sure if someone broke into my house my Boxer might have wanted to play with them,
but she wouldn't let anyone near my Grandaughter.
Favorite larger dogs? Oh, and I'm retired and live alone.

Visit local shelters and rescue and see which pup picks you. May be surprised

I think golden retrievers, labs or poodle crosses are all popular.

I love my American Brittany. But they need a lot of exercise, especially for the first 4 years

As far as breeders go, I always found the local vet to be a wealth of knowledge regarding quality of area breeders. As far as breed, why not another boxer since you already know the breed? For a more mellow, large, short hair companion dog, Danes are up there on my list. That is if you can tolerate a 150 lb. lap dog.

quote:

Originally posted by snwghst:
Visit local shelters and rescue and see which pup picks you. May be surprised

This.^^^

Plus maybe consider a younger, but adult dog and you'll have a much better idea of what you're actually going to be living with and will be past the puppy issues.

Puppies are cute but that wears off quick when they chew on the legs of your furniture and footwear, not to mention the house training.
When you go to a shelter, be sure to give the candidates a good long walk away from the facility as much as possible as their personalities can change a lot.

They are shell shocked from the environment at first as you would expect.

quote:

Originally posted by Ronin101:
But they need a lot of exercise, especially for the first 4 years

I have Neuropathy in my feet. Probably shouldn't get a high energy dog.

I love Dobermans, Standard Poodles and Shelter dogs.

quote:

Originally posted by x0225095:
I love Dobermans, Standard Poodles and Shelter dogs.

Dobermans are very smart. I like them.

I'm a Boxer lover too, have had the pleasure to own 5 of them over my lifetime (grew up with one, and had 4 others as an adult).

My wife and I now have a Boston Terrier, Bullitt; he's my best friend (after my wife...). We decided to downsize after my last Boxer died, and this is our third Boston. My wife has been a dog trainer for some time and the last Boston was an Agility dog and this one is competing in AKC Rally and Obedience. He's doing really good, and was ranked as the #1 Boston Terrier in AKC Rally for 2023.

My days of having a large dog are behind me now, but if I ever had to get another one, it would be a Boxer.

I have 2 Boxers. They are number 6 and 7 for me. I love the goofiness, the loyalty, the intelligence.
They have their issues as I'm sure you know. I'm dealing with one of mine fighting DM now. Not fun to watch him struggle.
I would look for a Boxer Rescue in your area. Give a boxer that had a rough start a second chance. I don't know your age but I'm 69 and wouldn't want to deal with a puppy. We got our boys when they were about 7 months old. they were both rehomes. When they are gone there probably won't be anymore as I don't want to leave one behind when I go. Tearing up just writing this.
Ill check some of the Boxer groups on FB to see what might be in your area.

quote:

Originally posted by BOATTRASH1:
I have 2 Boxers. They are number 6 and 7 for me. I love the goofiness, the loyalty, the intelligence.
They have their issues as I'm sure you know. I'm dealing with one of mine fighting DM now. Not fun to watch him struggle.
I would look for a Boxer Rescue in your area. Give a boxer that had a rough start a second chance. I don't know your age but I'm 69 and wouldn't want to deal with a puppy. We got our boys when they were about 7 months old. they were both rehomes. When they are gone there probably won't be anymore as I don't want to leave one behind when I go. Tearing up just writing this.
Ill check some of the Boxer groups on FB to see what might be in your area.

My girl had a recurring tumor on her chest. Killed her, she was 15

We have had Shepherds and Boxers.
Currently we have our second Boxer.
I specifically held back getting another dog after we lost our previous (Boxer) a few years ago, partially out of grief and partially out of being picky for the rescue.
We only get recue dogs.
It is hard to find a boxer but we got lucky and saw a skinny 10mo old at the shelter.
Otherwise they can be difficult to find unless buying from a breeder.
Took a chance and he has been a joy.
He fattened (actually muscled) up nicely and is now 2 years old.
LOTs of energy and can be a bit too much for my wife to handle (she's 95 lbs and the boxer is 65).
The only thing is he can't be left alone (working on that).
All our dogs adapted to our energy level and that is important if you need low key and the dog is not.

quote:

I'm not sure if someone broke into my house my Boxer might have wanted to play with them

^^^ says it all

Do not disregard the Standard Poodle, they are smart, loving, and seem to have more self-control than many other large breeds. Some of the latter have dominance issues that take considerable training to overcome. Such was the case with my hound mix (maybe American Fox Hound and Treeing Walker Coonhound, about 85 lbs.) very loving, but as hard-headed as a mule. Having had Labs (purebred and over 50% mixed) for decades, it came as a big surprise to me how hard it was for Clark to be pursuaded to give up certain habits. He still gets overly-excited and barky/growly at the least excuse, and goes stone deaf when he's too busy to listen.

Boxers are generally great dogs. And Rhodies, and GSDs, and even American Staffordshire Terriers (AKA Pit Bulls), as well as most "mixed breeds." It is hard to go wrong with a breed, but not hard at all when it comes to specific individuals who may have suffered from incompetent upbringing. Even then there is still a good chance that a poorly-raised dog can become a stellar companion.

Rather than picking up a puppy from a breeder, and relying on breed characteristics to ensure a match, I'd suggest going the "rescue" route from a local shelter, and not worry about the breed so much, but be sure to spend more than a few minutes with the animal to get to know their habits and personality. Perhaps fostering an adult dog or two, if you foster the right dog you will very soon know you will never want to be apart. Kinda like dating, when the right one comes along, you know it.

If you're not real mobile I would suggest a smaller dog. I go to the local dog park every morning and see all sizes of dogs and all kind of owners. The older, less mobile tend to have smaller dogs. Smaller are easier to control, less expensive to keep groomed, very sociable.

I see a lot of Doodles, depends on how they've been trained. A less mobile couple have two of the larger ones but they are totally trained. Another less mobile has a smaller one, not overly trained but manageable. I have a 34lb Borderdoodle, semi-trained, extremely active, I wanted that to keep me going, I'm 80. Poodle genes will keep you smiling, no matter what the cross breed is.

Look up AKC breeders in your area.

They will be reputable and have quality dogs.

Pick what breed you want and you will find a network of them.

That’s what I did with my pups.

Or go to the pound.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PR64,

Get another Boxer, they are a wonderful breed. In addition the coat is easy to maintain, they can be quite playful, and are typically a bit reserved with strangers instead of aggressive.

As for the Standard Poodle, they were bred for a coat that mats quickly and maintenance of the Poodle coat is roughly 1 hour per day of brushing. BTW, the reason why matted coats was desired is that the Poodle was bred to be a cold water retriever and that coat when fully matted can act as both a flotation aid and insulation.

Being that you mentioned a Standard Poodle, we have fostered/adopted & purchased quite a few standard's over the years. They are truly great dogs, smart, loyal and a great family pet. One huge factor for us is they do not shed like other breeds.

A lab. Best dogs ever.

One of my kids has a next door neighbor with two boxers; wonderful dogs.

If you are not sure as what breed:
akc.org
Click on the Breeds A-Z tab then
Click on Find your match.
Perhaps this will help a bit.

Retired and living alone?
Just my opinion of course but it’s very wise to have a companion and a dog is an excellent choice.

Best wishes on your search.

Silent

If you get a rescue (which I strongly support) be sure you know the dog's history. Many of the rescues around here get a lot of dogs off the reservations without any history. Many are strays. Some of the rescues are less than fully open about what they do know about the rescues.

A slightly older dog, around 2+ yrs old, would be easier than a younger one still in puppy mode. I've seen several in this area that are owner surrenders due to owner health or housing problems. Those would be good candidates imho.

You can have a genetic test done to determine breed content, which could be helpful in ruling in or out particular rescues. Again, I don't trust the local rescue orgs here to be honest about it, if they even know.