Feeding Your Boxer Dog

Giving your Boxer a raw, natural diet (as opposed to commercially prepared one) makes the feeding task flexible and you get to control the quality of the food your Boxer is getting.

The Biologically Appropriate Raw Food or "BARF" diet is easy to prepare. You are basically feeding him "bones and raw food", adding in or taking out supplement as needed.

It is better to first understand the principles behind this feeding method. And there are excellent reference books available on this subject matter.

Basically, the BARF diet is made up of raw meat and raw meaty bones, raw processed vegetables plus dairy products, eggs, fish, offal, muscle meats, fruit and maybe some supplements. It is a very balanced diet and you get to control the ingredients as well as the quality. Some people leave out dairy products or grains.

On the other hand, an owner suggests that you keep a Boxer healthy with occasional yogurt treats.

Boxers tend to have lots of food allergies. One owner put an ailing and lethargic Boxer on a strictly venison diet and the dog finally thrived, gained weight and became very active.

There is also a recent concern about eating a large amount of grapes or raisins, since they can be toxic to dogs, leading to acute kidney failure.

The reports concerning this grape/raisin poisoning have only just surfaced and the information is still sketchy at best. The Animal Poison Control Center in the US is investigating this new medical development.
 
Some questions remaining to be answered are:
" How much grapes or raisins eaten could become toxic to your dog?
" What is the toxic substance? 
" How does it affect the kidney?

To be safe, have your veterinarian check your Boxer if he has eaten a large amount of grapes or raisins because a healthy kidney is key to its survival.

Boxers and Obedience Class

Discipline is one of the most important aspects of owning a Boxer. 

Puppy school is not an option, it is a necessity to train owners, including children in the family, how to manage the Boxer and nurture it into becoming a well-adjusted member of the family.

Puppy school is for the Boxers to help develop good habits right from the start. Wait until your Boxer is at least 6 months old before putting him through any serious work.

Trainers with extensive experience and knowledge can deal with just about any behavior problems your pup might come up with.

Choose a trainer who is purposeful and patient. The well-trained Boxer is a sight to behold going through his paces in the class. Their innate intelligence makes many Boxers great successes in the obedience ring.
 
Of more importance is for you as owner to continue to practice the obedience lessons with your Boxers. 

They will best remember the lessons when you incorporate them into your everyday routines with your dog. 

For example you can tell your pup to "heel" while he follows you around the house, and to "sit" and "stay" while you prepare his dinner. As your wake up greeting in the morning he can do a "roll over". Tell him to "go find the ball" while you get dressed and "go get the leash" before you go for walks together.