It is confirmed. The deposit has been paid. Late next month we will be bringing home the sweetest lab-boxer puppy home. (great watch dogs and family dogs). Her current name is Riesling, but we are thinking of changing it, Viking Boy has a few names from his storm light books - my favorite being brightness.
In his books you don't have princesses and princes.... you have Brightnesses and Bright Lords. So.. kind of like how people name their girl dogs Princess all the time.... we would name her Brightness. Honestly out of all possible names, it is my favorite. She also has the brightest colored fur out of the litter and pretty blue eyes(the eye color of royalty in the books).
In terms of size she could potentially get up to 80lbs - however it looks like she takes after her mom who is a lab retriever mix and her mom was only knee height. But she would get up to 2 feet tall. She definitely sheds like a lab instead of a boxer.
We aren't too worried about noise - a lab/boxer mix ranks 3/5 with talking/howling and she was the quietest pup in the litter. Even when she did cry while we were there it wasn't loud at all. Amazingly she was also the calmest pup, the others being rambunctious and she chose to lay and relax by the water dish. Now as soon as Viking Boy initiated play she happily complied, but she also calmed down very quickly when we moved away from the pen.
That being said, we still plan to keep her being very active. Both breeds are a mix of required frequent activity and simulation - we will provide that. Frequent walks and (omg i jut realized that when we walk her in the winter time she'll have a little jacket because they don't do well in the cold.... ) playing in the dog park will be in our future. If she doesn't get enough attention or exercise she will be a chewer. So pretty much anywhere we go we will need to bring her as long as it's not errands. Which is fine because the pub allows dogs and Aaron may be open to puppy play dates. We can take her to the beach and camp with us when the weather's nice. We can take her to play with Jazz at VB's grandparents place. We also will need to make sure she has stimulation to entertain her while we are at work so she doesn't grow too bored.
omg... its recommended to play hide and seek with them *cries from cuteness*.
Recommends clicker training. Shorter training sessions done more frequently. Def need to train her on being separated - they suffer from separation anxiety. Recommend leaving her alone for short increments and giving an exaggerated amount of attention upon return to let her know that when we leave we will always come back.
We will subscribe to chewy so that we can get monthly toys and meds for her. and by we, I mean VB.
She will be introduced to both cats in increments. Keep her just in the bedroom at first, giving her a blanket to sleep on and then i'll bring the blankets to the kitties. I think for now the shoddy babygat I have will hold until she gets bigger, but we will get an adjustable inside fence. I also plan to make doggy play dates so that she gets socialized with other dogs - especially if she ends up having more boxer-like personality traits.
Grooming:
- Daily brushes during peak shed seasons (spring and fall)
- weekly brushes otherwise.
- baths once a month or as needed
- brush teeth once or twice a week
- trim nails once or twice a month
important notes on health:
- boxers are extremely likely to get cancer.
- boxers are susceptible to heart disease.
- labs suffer from hip dysplasia
- labs tend to be allergic to gran (need grain free food).
-DIET. Labs are very susceptible to obesity.
DIET
We also have to watch for overeating, when she's grown she'll need about 5 cups of dry food a day (if she gets over 80 lbs), split over 2 servings (night and morning). Although I think perhaps we could break it down into 3 meals a day until she is full grown. We also will get her one of the puzzle eating bowls so that she doesn't eat too quickly. She would be fine with 3 feedings a day (2-2.5 cups a day) until she is 6 months. Figure he could do it before he leaves, after morning walk, I could do it on lunch, and then when we eat dinner/around 8pm? I'm guessing after 6 months it gets moved to 3-3.5 cups a day... Most sites i'm reading say to base it off how fast the puppy grows. Also recommends feeding her puppy food until she is anywhere from 12-24 months old depending on her size. When she reaches adult size is when to put her on adult food.
https://www.chewy.com/ethical-pet-seek-treat-shuffle-bone/dp/56279 - seek treat for mental stimulation
Dental:
Food - grain free
*this brand can actually be fed to dogs of all ages and gives a feeding guide based on the weight of the doggo and age.
adult
For separation anxiety or really stormy days when we can't take her out
misc.
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