The basic boxer

Joan Walker´s "Boxers" is a basic introduction to the boxer breed of dogs. The book is small-sized and pretty short (under 100 pages), and is directed at absolute beginners, either people who never had a dog before or people who at least never had a boxer before. Don't expect any advanced tips on how to make your boxer fit for Schutzhund or how to cure its arthritis!

That being said, "Boxers" *is* a good introduction to newbies, such as myself. It covers the history of the breed (which is quite interesting), basic temperament, health issues, the difference between puppies and rescued adult dogs, etc. Some basic information on training, proper activities and typical problems are also included. To be honest, the best boxer owner is probably a dog-loving, sport-loving, dog sport-loving fanatic with a large sense of humour and self-irony!

Any takers?

Did I say "newbie", by any chance? Frankly, I feel like a veteran. A family I know used to have a boxer. They called him Little Monster. I laughed heartily when reading this little book - it captured Little Monster pretty well, I say. The mad barking at the postman, the rough-and-tumble play, the "issues" concerning toys, and the almost clinical craving for constant human attention and companionship...yepp, that's a boxer alright.

We're talking about a dog that quite literally wants to sleep in your bed, or at least in your bedroom, otherwise it gets seriously depressed. It also has a sure way of occupying the main sofa in the guestroom, never minding the guests! Personally, I never liked Monster, since I never knew whether it wanted to attack me or just "play". Clearly, I have something boxers dislike. Specs? A bad haircut? Issues of my own? Perhaps I'm just plain boring.

Some people have criticized this series of dog books for being too elementary. Obviously, that depends on what you are looking for. In the end, I don't think you can rely on a book to train a boxer. You have to be a very special kind of person to even like its exterior, let alone its manners. But as an involuntary "boxer expert", I don't think this book fails in its purpose, which is to introduce this breed of Canis familiaris to prospective forever families and other owners.