The personality of boxers are unique. If you have ever opened your heart and home to a boxer you already know this fact. They are silly, funny, loveable, naughty, loyal, energetic dogs. Very few articles really portray the boxer personality the way we (as their family) can. Typically, articles will say things such as “The boxer is a working dog that originated from Germany. They crave human affection and are companion dogs. They are protectors with energy, courage, and a high tolerance for pain…”, bla bla bla. The adjectives go on and on. They are good descriptive words and correct in terms of general personality traits. But we are talking about our QUIRKY boxers. The things other articles do not talk about. They fall into 3 main categories: Energy, Family, and Intelligence.
ENERGY: I am also going to include excitable, animated, playful here too. They simple go and go until they crash or you make them stop (kind of like a toddler). Boxers make toys out of everyday things (shoes, couches, pools, each other, you). They zip around and around and around with inexhaustible energy. They jump, bounce, chase, slide, wrestle, wiggle, dance, and entertain. They pretty much do anything to get the attention of others. Boxers are very comical and thrive when their people watch, play, and laugh at them. Someone once told us that our boxer would calm down at 3 years old, hahaha. My response was “he’s 4”. We laugh often about the look on the girls face when I told her his age. Boxers are ALWAYS puppies no matter how old. They somersault, do the kidney bean dance, and hop like bunnies on a regular basis.
FAMILY: They are one of the family and they know it too. They want to be as close as physically possible. We joke all the time that if our boxers could, they would crawl under our skin. Even though they are typically 50-85 pounds, they are lap dogs and sit on your lap, head, feet, etc. as if they were 5 pounds. They definitely want to be near their family and do not like to be left alone or isolated for long lengths of time. This is often when you hear the stories of boxers occupying themselves (eating couches, rugs, walls, shoes, etc.). Sadly this is the reason they end up in rescue programs or shelters. Boxers love their family and are very good with children making fantastic playmates.
INTELLEGENCE: Boxers are smart and have great problem solving skills. I hear amazing stories about boxers all the time (opening doors, doing tricks, escaping cages, swimming, redecorating). I contribute these skills to their intelligence. Keeping them occupied appropriately helps to limit and redirect their undesirable behaviors. If you’ve done any kind of training, you know it’s hard to fool your boxer. They look at you as if they know what you are saying. And honestly, I think they do. One of my boxers learned how to open his crate as a puppy, ring a bell when he’s has to go outside, talk (woo woo) at me when he wants something (ball under the couch) and even show me where things are when I can’t find them. Another funny example: when my white boxer wants something (let’s say the ball that the other boxers has), she’ll go get something else (a rope) she knows is more desirable to the other boxer and play with it- he’ll drop the ball and grab the rope, and off she goes with the ball. It’s funny but also very smart. Their intelligence also makes boxers very curious and mischievous (counter surfing, digging through closets or lawns, etc). During this time they often they tilt their head to the side, as if to say “wow I need to figure this out”. This trait also makes them VERY headstrong and stubborn. And stubborn they can be, for example- when they plant their feet and don’t want to go somewhere or run when they hear the word “bath”.
There is so much more we could add to this list. So send us your stories, pictures, and videos of the quirkiest thing your boxer does!
This describes a Boxer to a “TEE” There is something special about a Boxer and if you ever have one, no other breed will do, even though you probably a dog lover (like me, I love them all:) ) Just nothing like the clown of the dog world!
you r absolutely rt – once u have a boxer any other breed will not do! but just like people they all have different personalities! my 5 y/o brindle female boxer is only 36 lbs and is scared of everything that isn’t us. my husband and I went to a NASCAR race 2 wks ago and I left her with my son at his house who she knows very well and when he comes over to our home she is all over him but he said she was scared of everything and seemed angry about. that’s “her personality”! we have had her since she was 10 wks old so we know she wasn’t abused! I don’t care if she is a scaredy-cat I adore her the way she is!!!!!!
This article pretty much sums up a boxer!! I have a boxer mix and although he is about 7, he still acts like a puppy. Whenever you say certain words he knows exactly what they mean. He even eats flies and any other insects that come in the house. They are very playful and ridiculously smart!! 🙂
Wow. This is all really exciting and sums up our rescue dog perfectly. She’s a mix of staffy and something else… Someone suggested a boxer and having read the traits on here I’d say boxer without a doubt! Lovely to finally have a name to her mix to tell people when they ask. She’s such a beautiful girl!
I have been trying to find out if it costs for The Daily Boxer! I don’t want to click on the “confirm if subscription” if I don’t know all the information. I thought maybe u would know the answer 🙂
Hey, Robin-please email [email protected] , I am a little confused about what you are asking, in terms of a subscription?
I have a boxer mix (almost 2) rescued her at 8 months. She has more of the boxer personality.
When walking she is so nosey, whenever someone is out she will follow them with her eyes until out of sight. People comment on that, funny to observe. Also I don’t know about other boxers but she is very scent oriented. Constantly smelling ground while walking.
I recently received a rescued boxer/terrier mix that has been trained as a Diabetic Alert Dog (DAD). She is smart and quirky and an absolute life saver. Everyone comments on the looks she gives me and the sounds she makes to alert me that my blood sugars are changing. Reading your description was like reading a portrait of my beloved Fozzie.
i am quite old probably too old for a boxer but during my life heis the 5th boxer i ahve owned but they are my breed so i deal with it all except one have reached their teens my present lad is wonderful well socialised as a puppy but now at 18 months old turned very aggressive towards other dogs so much so i cant risk him anywhere other dogs not a problem he lives in 6 acres of land with my other dogs and all livestock which he is really good with is he a one off or have i just been lucky in the past
I have a 7 month old boxer and he is almost completely opposite of everything I read a boxer should be. He rarely plays, he sleeps a lot. He is a very picky eater. He does like to be around us and be loved on but his lack of playfulness is very odd to me. He used to eat just about anything but lately after about two days of a certain food, he decides he doesn’t like that food anymore. He has me very confused and worried.
Haha! We adopted a rescue whose DNA (in order of dominance) lab, Rottweiler, boxer, golden retriever, Shetland sheepdog, mixed breed mix. He is adorable, but headstrong, scaredy cat, whiny, barky, stubborn distract able, sniffy, hates car rides, and most of all lovable. I wondered if it was something I was doing wrong in his training, but see from these responses that his boxer genes are speaking loudly! We have had many different dogs, pretty much each having at least one of these quirks, but he has them all. It’s so nice to see thet he is speaking to his roots. I thought I had lost my touch with dogs. The only boxer I ever knew of would open the pantry doors when the owner left and would shred the cereal boxes and eat the cereal every time! There were three boys so they had a lot of cereal. Thankfully, mine has come to like his crate/kennel. Thank you! The running with his nose on the ground told me he was different!
I have 2 boxers.. An 8 year old Fawn and a 5 year old Brindle and they haven’t slowed down at all. The 8 year old loves to open and close doors as well as DVD players and computer disk drives. My wife and I were watching a DVD and our boxers decided they weren’t getting enough attention so one just walked over to the DVD player and pressed the eject button with her nose. True story!! They are wonderful dogs and we are blessed to have them.
Your article is spot on.
After someone moved and left their 6 month old registered boxer we took him in expecting to find him a forever home with someone else. The first day my six yr old daughter had a panic attack. He immediately pushed her to a corner and sat next to her. Her attack lasted only minutes. He does this everytime and naturally senses when one is coming on before we do now. The next week she came down with a stomach bug. I was sleeping peacefulyl til he jumped on me and continued to whine. Thinking he had to pee I got up to let him out only to find my daughter asleep on the couch choking. Her nose and mouth filled with vomit. I dont know why she didnt wake up but I am certain she wouldve died had he not gotten me.he didnt eat or leave her side for two days while she was sick. I dont care how many times he drags mud onto the carpet or steals my favorite recliner, he is her savior and we owe him so much. Needless to say he had already found his forever family with us. We love our 63lb baby.
Amazing story. Thank you for sharing. Our boxers certainly hold a special place in our hearts.
Oh I love your story! Boxers are very loyal and Loving. I don’t dought he wa brought your way to watch over your girl! Again loved your story and glad he is with a loving family
Oh my little Harley girl who is 65lbs you have it so right she is all the above but here is the best part of having one of these wonderful family members because as anyone knows they aren’t dogs they are people everyday is something new and funny just as I was commenting my girl came in the room holding a loaf of bread in her mouth and so very proud of herself as well they are just a joy to have and I will never regret choosing a boxer as my dog
We adopted our “boxer mix” from a shelter. She is our first dog, and we have no idea why she was given up. Her first owners gave her up to another family who brought her to the shelter after 3 months. They told the staff she had severe separation anxiety, but she does ok in her crate at night and for short periods of time. Every morning, she “takes roll” by going to find each family member. If they aren’t already awake, she wakes them with kisses. When we went camping, she slept on the futon in the camper and befriended most of the other dogs, at least those who were nice to her. When we go for walks, she makes sure nobody gets left behind. She is perfect, white fur, droopy jowls, sad eyes and big heart.
I have a question. I am looking at adopting a 5yr old boxer from a shelter. We are a busy family and we don’t have a fenced in yard. Does a boxer require a lot of exercise with all that energy? or is the play they get in the house and a walk or two a day enough?
It all depends on the boxer and the level of energy. My Rosco needs the ability to run like a lunatic in the backyard, whereas my Daisy could do the house play and walks. You’d have to see how it goes. If you find a lot of naughty behaviors in the house (like chewing and getting into things) it is probably not enough exercise.
I have a 3 year old boxer. I was just wondering how I can calm him down when I turn the ceiling fans. He is so terrified!!! I’m assuming when he was younger.. He was traumatized…please help…what can I do so he feel at ease in the house.
Easy…don’t use the ceiling fans 🙂 – just kidding. Boxers are finicky, the fan is movement that may have startled him when he was younger as you stated. My boxer was afraid of our gate because one time it fell close to him. The experience is traumatic for him and he is probably experiencing anxiety about it. I would start by turning all your ceiling fans on very low, so that it moves very slowly. Enter the room with your boxer on a leash and have treats ready to positively reinforce the behavior. Walk into the room and around the room slowly while giving him treats for the reinforcement. This training will take time so make sure you practice this a few times a day for several days. As you see improvement, increase the speed of the fan (again while the boxer is not in the room). After you have master the skill, then while your boxer is in the room start the ceiling fan on slow- and reinforce. Again this will take a few days. You don’t want to startle your boxer with the ceiling fan at anytime, or you will need to begin the process over. Take your time, and keep us posted on how he does.
We adopted a boxer mix from the SPCA and I just don’t know how I got so blessed but I am totally in love with the boxer breed now she is mostly boxer thinking about doing the DNA to find out what the rest is but she is all of the above sometimes she wants to sit so close to you is like she’s I don’t know what she’s doing but it’s so adorable she’s the best cuddler I’ve ever seen in my whole entire life the best listener so easy to train I’m just so in love
They are great cuddlers and funny how they sleep. I’m excited you found out how amazing the boxer bread is!!! Have fun.
I have a 4 month old boxer.She is very hard to train. When we take her outside she’s constantly pulling on her leash. We’ll think she has potty train down pact, then she’ll go in the house We take her out every 2 hours. What are we doing wrong?
Sounds like you’re doing everything right. Reward her for good behavior. Do it every single time. Be consistent. I know your frustrated but any attention for your pup is good attention. Your pup picks up on your energy. Hope that helps.
My baby Duke used to pull as well but he listens so well now. It take time she is still a puppy and usually it takes up till 1yr for them to start fully obeying. They are loyal dogs and want to make you happy so just give her time. My friend gave me a clicker and I used it to train Duke with lots of patience. He listens now well and if he knows he upsets me or disappoints me he shows this sad face! Omg do I hate the sad face, my heart melts. Just keep her active with play dates or dog parks at 6-8 months. Be cautious because boxers are not aggressive and other dogs can be. Your baby will come around and you see how smart she is and how she wants to please you. But she will drive ya little insane until she gets little older. Good luck.
Just rec’d DNA tests back on our rescued girl. she’s 1/2 boxer. OMG all her adorable traits are listed above. Cuddles like no bodies business, does the curly bean dance and is so headstrong and cuckoo sometimes, it’s amazing. Love her to death, she is so endearing with her silliness. She jumps like she’s on a trampoline and loves to play with other dogs, and considers all strangers to be friends she hasnt’ met yet. What a sweetheart.