Meeting Other Animals
You will hear a great deal of dissenting opinion among trainers and vets about when to introduce your puppy to other animals, especially other dogs. Your veterinarian is likely to say that your puppy should be protected from exposure to other dogs until six months of age, when his vaccinations will be complete. However, boxers that are not adequately socialized by the age of six months might never tolerate new dogs. The answer is to make sure your pup gets out as much as possible but only to places he is unlikely to encounter a lot of other dogs (or dog feces). Most infectious agents are transmitted through feces. Even if owners clean up frequently after their dogs, viruses and bacteria are still left behind that could infect your pup.
Classes Can Help
Do not walk your puppy on streets where a lot of other dogs are taken to go potty. Avoid dog play areas or public parks where you are likely to run into free-roaming dogs. An excellent solution to this early socializing dilemma is to find a puppy preschool or socialization class. Most classes require all canine attendees to be current on vaccinations, giving you some peace of mind and your puppy some valuable socialization. This is an excellent way for him to learn and play with other puppies among various distractions.
A puppy socialization class or other training class is a good, safe bet because the puppy is unlikely to run into larger dogs off-leash who might not like puppies. Most of the dogs in a class setting are under control.
The last thing you want is for your puppy to have a bad experience with larger dogs. Classes are usually offered according to the dogs' ages, so this is a good way to avoid chance encounters with older dogs that may be hostile or aggressive to strange pups. Decline offers to introduce your puppy to larger dogs or to join doggie play groups unless you know from experience that all the others dogs are good with puppies. Your puppy will not be lonely or poorly socialized as long as you find a good puppy class for him to attend and you spend plenty of time on training and exercise. Chapter 16 provides detailed information on the process of socialization and the various periods of development of your boxer's development.
Other Pets in Your Home
You may be bringing your new boxer into a household full of other pets, such as other dogs, cats, birds, or even an iguana or two. If this is the case, you'll have to work out a method of safely introducing your boxer to your current pets (and vice versa).
If you have other dogs, arrange for them to meet the new pup (all on leash) at some neutral location, where no one will have territory to protect. Once they seem comfortable, you can let them sniff each other. However, should either one show aggression, it is best to separate them. If you can't do this, then make sure that the little newcomer has a crate or x-pen where it can watch the way your home is run. If you restrict your pup at first, your older dogs will not be as offended, since the newcomer will not have the full-run of “their” territory.
Do not assume that any other animals you already have in the house will share your enthusiasm for your adorable new boxer pup. Do not leave the puppy alone with any other animals or in any other situation where they might hurt him, even accidentally. Boxers have good memories. When yours grows up, you want him to have only good recollections of the other pets that share his home.
Before you bring the pup home, be sure you have a safe area set up where he can observe the household without getting in anyone's way. Check your pet store for a portable enclosure (called an exercise pen, or x-pen), or put the puppy in a large crate in a place that gives him a good view of all the action. This is the most effective way of ensuring peace in the house and assuring any other dogs that they still outrank the little interloper.
Your new boxer should spend his first month or so in the crate or x-pen. Doing this sort of slow, gradual introduction to the household, particularly if there are other dogs in the house, is one of the best ways to avoid canine altercations down the road. This gives the newcomer an opportunity to observe how the household is run from a more limited (neutral) perspective, and usually helps to diminish the drive in some young dogs to challenge the existing canines or humans in the new territory.
Even though the newcomer is crated or in an x-pen, he still needs adequate time to exercise and play and to work on lessons with you. Even if he seems trained, you should still go over all the basics so the two of you get to know each other. And if he doesn't know the basics, this is one of the best ways to quickly build a bond. Chapter 13 provides information on training basics for your new boxer.
When it is time to let your pup roam free with other dogs and cats in the house, it is best to closely supervise all play sessions. Do this until the pup is four to five months old and less likely to be injured in rough play.
