Things You'll Need
- Crate
- High quality dog food
- Treats
Instructions
Make an appointment with your veterinarian as soon as you know your puppy will be coming home. At your first appointment the vet will do a thorough health inspection to ensure there are no obvious health conditions as well as set up a shot schedule to keep your new boxer up to date on his vaccines. This is also the time to ask for any advice or clarify any concerns with your puppy and his breed.
Provide your puppy with a crate or small, contained room. Your puppy needs a place of her very own, where she can feel safe. This is also an ideal way to work on potty training. The crate should be large enough for her to lie down, stand up and turn around in, but not large enough to play. Place your puppy in the crate any time you cannot give her 100 percent attention. This will keep her from getting into something she shouldn̵7;t.
Keep play times short at first. Puppies, like babies need their sleep. If you play too much your boxer may become overly tired or forget to eat or drink because playtime is so much fun. However, boxers need exercise. So make sure you are taking him for at least two short walks a day in conjunction with play times.
Use a set schedule to feed your puppy. Four feedings a day of high quality dog food will ensure she is eating enough. Also ensure there is plenty of clean, fresh water to keep her hydrated.
Give your puppy plenty of treats. Treats include dog bones, chew toys, car rides and special play times. This keeps your puppy happy. Also, chew toys help curb destructive chewing. When a puppy is teething, he will search out things to chew on to help the process along. Making sure he has approved chew toys helps prevent him from choosing your shoe for relief.
Start working on housebreaking from day one. There are many methods of potty training including paper training, crate training or just simply keeping your puppy by your side at all times. Regardless of the method you choose, be consistent. Take her out within 30 minutes of eating. Use plenty of praise and treats when she goes potty in the right place and never scold her when she has an accident. When you scold her you can cause her to fear you.
Begin obedience training early. Check with class instructors to find out what age your puppy can begin training. Since boxers are muscular and powerful dogs, training your dog when he is young, even with basic commands, makes it easier to control him when he is older.