A lot of people wonder what type of human food they should feed their Boxer. Even though many prefer to stick with dog food and only dog food, there are certain types of human food that Boxers love - and is actually good for them. Boxer’s crave attention as we all know - and when they watch you eat it never hurts to give them a bite - as long as you know what they should and shouldn’t consume with their diets.
For your Boxer’s health, feeding him foods such as chicken, raw vegetables, turkey, brown rice, fruits, and oatmeal are always great. Even though we think of these type foods as “human food”, they are actually good for many animals as well. All dogs have taste buds and noses, meaning that they get very excited when they see you with food.
If your Boxer runs to the refrigerator when you open it up, he’s trying to tell you that he smells something good. Even though he may run to the refrigerator, he isn’t begging for food as many think, he is simply wanting to have some real food. Once your Boxer starts to do this, you should give him some of what he wants. Although most real food is great for Boxer’s, there are some that aren’t quite so good.
Egg whites
If you feed your Boxer a large amount of egg white in his diet, he will get a deficiency in biotin, which is a B vitamin, due to the amount of avidin, which is a very destructive substance. If you are feeding your Boxer egg yolks, you shouldn’t worry as the effects of avidin will be offset by the high biotin levels that are found in egg yolks. You can also feed your Boxer egg shells as well, as they contain a large amount of protein. If you want the best for your Boxer - try feeding him raw eggs - with the shell intact.
Any form of Chocolate
We all know never to feed chocolate to any type of animal. Chocolate contains bromine, which is very toxic to both dogs and cats. Unsweet chocolate is by far the worst to feed to your Boxer, as it contains a large amount of bromine. Bromine is a very harmful chemical, one that normally leads to death of your animal should he be fed any type of chocolate.
There are other foods out there that can be good or harmful to your Boxer. If you have any questions, you should always ask your veterinarian. Your Vet will be able to recommended real food that is beneficial to your Boxer, as well as foods you should avoid. You can experiment with real food if you like - although you should never allow your Boxer to consume any type of chocolate.
If you would like a very good guide to feeding your dog Click Here!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
An Update on Lucy...
Wow, this is the funnest area of all the things that I do online and yet I dedicate the least amount of time to the project. I haven't really sat down and written about Lucy the White Boxer Dog in first person in some time now! I must change this!
For everyone that is interested, Lucy is doing well. Right now I have her on the fat-girl program! Since I took ill a couple of months ago, I haven't been up to taking her out on her almost daily hikes and she's put on a little weight. The last time I weighed her over at the Vet's, she was up to 75 pounds. That's a bit heavier than I would like her to be. Boxers tend to develop real problems when they're to heavy, especially joint and hip problems. So, Lucy's on a diet!
She doesn't like the fact that she doesn't get as many treats as she used to get. She's limited to just a couple a day now. We've also cut back on her food portioning. We feed her Royal Canaan Boxer Blend dog food. It's a special food blended just for her needs and her sensitive stomach that we buy over at PetSmart. The only problem with the food is she tends to put on weight if we fail to measure out her food. She's down to 2 and 1/2 cups of the food per day now. We may step it up a little once we get into the winter months. Oh, I forgot to tell you, Lucy also loves waffles! I made the mistake of giving her a portion once and now every time I get the waffle machine out she comes a beggin'.
I'll post some new pictures of Lucy this weekend for all to see. She really is a great dog!!! Do I dare say it - "I love Lucy". What a great name for a really great dog!
Until next time :)
For everyone that is interested, Lucy is doing well. Right now I have her on the fat-girl program! Since I took ill a couple of months ago, I haven't been up to taking her out on her almost daily hikes and she's put on a little weight. The last time I weighed her over at the Vet's, she was up to 75 pounds. That's a bit heavier than I would like her to be. Boxers tend to develop real problems when they're to heavy, especially joint and hip problems. So, Lucy's on a diet!
She doesn't like the fact that she doesn't get as many treats as she used to get. She's limited to just a couple a day now. We've also cut back on her food portioning. We feed her Royal Canaan Boxer Blend dog food. It's a special food blended just for her needs and her sensitive stomach that we buy over at PetSmart. The only problem with the food is she tends to put on weight if we fail to measure out her food. She's down to 2 and 1/2 cups of the food per day now. We may step it up a little once we get into the winter months. Oh, I forgot to tell you, Lucy also loves waffles! I made the mistake of giving her a portion once and now every time I get the waffle machine out she comes a beggin'.
I'll post some new pictures of Lucy this weekend for all to see. She really is a great dog!!! Do I dare say it - "I love Lucy". What a great name for a really great dog!
Until next time :)
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Is obedience Training right for your boxer?
Obedience training teaches your Boxer how to perform various activities. This type of training focuses on general behavior as well, teaching the dog to be well behaved. Most dogs who go through a class in obedience training turn out to be well behaved and will listen to your commands and shouldn’t do things such as chewing and barking for no reason. If you want your Boxer to be well behaved and obedient, you should enroll him in a obedience training class as soon as you can.
Keep in mind that there are certain lines and distinctions with each type of training. If you choose obedience training for example, then your Boxer won’t get any help with his behavior. When you select a class for your Boxer, you always want to select a class that fits his needs at that time. If you are having trouble controlling your dog, you may want to start him off with behavior training, which is what most Boxer owners tend to do.
When you look for a training class, you should also know what area your dog needs help with. Sometimes, a behavior pattern can be the result of boredom, which can easily be fixed by spending more time with your dog. Once you have spent more time with him, you’ll sometimes notice his pattern to stop. Other times however, he may need a bit more help with certain behavior patterns, which is where training comes into play. Although Boxers are smart dogs, they won’t know if they are doing something wrong unless you show them.
Before you can train your Boxer puppy, you need to know what to teach him. Boxer puppies adore routines, and feel more at ease than ever if they are on a schedule that they can predict. When you take your dog to training, you should always be patient with him and reassure him that he is doing good. As your Boxer gets older and begins to learn new things, he will never forget his training. In the unlikely event that he starts to slip on some of his training, you can always let him go through a course again to brush up on the techniques. This way, no matter how old your Boxer gets, he will always be the ideal companion that you have grown to love over the years.
Keep in mind that there are certain lines and distinctions with each type of training. If you choose obedience training for example, then your Boxer won’t get any help with his behavior. When you select a class for your Boxer, you always want to select a class that fits his needs at that time. If you are having trouble controlling your dog, you may want to start him off with behavior training, which is what most Boxer owners tend to do.
When you look for a training class, you should also know what area your dog needs help with. Sometimes, a behavior pattern can be the result of boredom, which can easily be fixed by spending more time with your dog. Once you have spent more time with him, you’ll sometimes notice his pattern to stop. Other times however, he may need a bit more help with certain behavior patterns, which is where training comes into play. Although Boxers are smart dogs, they won’t know if they are doing something wrong unless you show them.
Before you can train your Boxer puppy, you need to know what to teach him. Boxer puppies adore routines, and feel more at ease than ever if they are on a schedule that they can predict. When you take your dog to training, you should always be patient with him and reassure him that he is doing good. As your Boxer gets older and begins to learn new things, he will never forget his training. In the unlikely event that he starts to slip on some of his training, you can always let him go through a course again to brush up on the techniques. This way, no matter how old your Boxer gets, he will always be the ideal companion that you have grown to love over the years.
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