Boxers give ominous look but in fact they are light-hearted, loving, cheerful and full of pep dogs. They love to remain with family companions and are great loyal to their masters. They are mischievous and are full of energy not only in their puppyhood but also in their adulthood. They are always desirous of seeking the attention of their masters and are ever ready to throw a cute ‘woo woo’ to attract their owners. Even if they are wishful for getting something they need, they will vocalize in the same way. In addition to these, boxer dogs are well-alert and protective for the belongings of their house and family members. They are considered as courageous watchdogs.
They will sound in rage to the strangers and anybody who’ll advance towards them. Their threatening and sturdy appearance will frighten anyone who is having an ill will. They are also superb pets who can be social and can mix up with other family pets like cats and rabbits in an enthusiastic manner. It is also pertinent to mention, boxer dogs are always keen to learn and adopt healthy exercises. They love to go for walk on regular basis and if they get chance, they will like to play in athletic ways.
This is suitable to them as they are able to maintain themselves fit both physically and mentally. However, it is always to be remembered, hard exercises for a boxer dog in hot and humid weather can be harmful as they are prone to heatstroke. You can keep a boxer dog indoor subject to if you are providing him a chance for daily exercise and outdoor walk.
Diet Plan for a Boxer dog;
We elaborated the above mentioned prolegomenon for you can understand exactly, what is boxer dog actually. What can be its basic food need and requirement in accordance with its nature, physique and habits? In this article, ‘diet plan for a boxer dog’, we’ll try to give the answers to the routine questions of boxer dog owners, what is good to be fed to a boxer dog and what should be the appropriate quantity of food for a boxer dog.
To start with, if you are planning a diet for your boxer dog, you should know about the food ingredients and its sources. It should have wonderful quality proteins and carbohydrates that can provide him with the required calories. See our section; Calories for Boxer dogs for this detail as most of the boxer dog owners are totally unaware of what amount of calories can be burnt by a boxer dog in its daily life.
Start good diet plan right from the beginning;
Boxer puppy grows fast and it can be healthy and fit if it is provided with good diet plan right from the beginning. But it is also a fact, boxer dog breed is having a long puppy hood, which can go up to 3 years of its age during which it will require healthful and excellent food throughout.
Good diet will influence to its fitness, energy and also the future growth and it will also help him in preserving good attitude. Expert dog breeders also recommend robust and fulfilling food schedule for an adult dog as well, because boxer dog breed is considered as a short-lived dog; and for prolonging its life span more than average, superlative food will play a vital role.
Diet plan for a boxer puppy;
For better understanding, what is good for the diet of your boxer puppy, we have categorized further it below age-wise. Lawfully, a boxer puppy is not allowed to be brought at home unless they reach the age of 8 weeks.
Diet Plan for boxer: 4 weeks to 8 weeks;
From 4 weeks to 8 weeks age of a boxer puppy it is always suggested to be fed with its mom’s milk. However, when it is reached to the age of 4 years, it is a nice time to start with solid stuff but it should be done gradually. What is being provided or eaten by the mom, the solid food ingredients for your boxer puppy should also be extracted from the same material.
As it is ideal to prefer your dog food, cooked or prepared at home, soft pieces of white meat, soft and boiled carrots and nicely boiled rice can be good for your boxer puppy. Milk substitutes can be mixed and blend with the food and with the passage of days, the quantity of such liquid can be reduced unless your puppy gets fully accustomed with stocky food.
Diet Plan for boxer: 4 weeks to 8 weeks;
Normally the boxer puppy gets familiarized with solid food till age of 8 weeks. At this age, you need to chalk out a proper feeding plan for your boxer puppy as it also helps in training your beloved boxer to learn excretion or eliminating outdoor or using the indoor toilet space. For easiness and comfort, some dog owners avoid the importance of home cooked food, instead they prefer to purchase artificial dog food from market.
Such food stuff is normally advertised by the company in an alluring way, but in fact they are containing most unhygienic and chemicals based substances that can be hazardous for your boxer puppy. Always go for preparing yourself and for making cost effective, you can purchase in a bulk. Boxer dog from the age of 8 weeks to be started with gently cooked meet.
A good mixture of food containing of meet; chicken, turkey, meat of young goat and cow and mellow fish will be good for your boxer puppy (35-40%) and then mix it up with vegetables (25-30%) which can be carrots, cauliflowers, sweet potatoes, peas or string beans and for the rest, white or brown cooked rice or pasta can be mixed to make a beneficial and edifying diet for boxer puppy.
In addition to these, some fruits are also excellent to obtain the required calories and we have mentioned all these in details in our article, ‘fruits for boxer dogs’ comprehensively. The fruits are natural anti oxidants. After their ingestion, the fruits release such substance that removes seriously damaging oxidizing materials from your boxer puppy’s body. To overcome the vitamin deficiencies, some good and credible food supplements can also be mixed with home cooked food.
For how many times your boxer puppy needs the meal daily?
Normally from 2 to 6 months, it is better to feed your boxer puppy 3 times in a day. It depends upon the quantity of calories on the food; however 1-2 cups are good for one meal. Food should be provided with the discipline in order to avoid bloat and other stomach issues.
Diet Plan for boxer: 6 months to 2 years;
For a boxer puppy which is between 6 months to 1 years of age, it is good if you are feeding him with 2 meals in a day. It is different than other dog breeds, as they can also be afforded by providing with 1 meal in a day, however as boxer dog breed is prone to bloat and other issues, so it is appropriate if you give him the 1st meal in the early morning and the second one in the early evening. You can give your boxer dog with treats or rewards so that he might be able to adopt good eating habits.
From 2 years to 3 years, your boxer dog will be entering in the age of adult hood, so the same principle can be applied; to avoid bloating, it will be better to feed him with 2 meals in a day. However always take care of your boxer dog, it should not do over-eating. If you will allow your boxer dog to eat freely, although it might be easier for you, but it will spoil its eating habits and it can also cause extra burden on the stomach for over-eating.
Diet Plan for an adult boxer dog
Good diet plan for an adult boxer dog should be consisting of dog food having a blend of 40% meat, 50% veggies and 10% of carbohydrates material. This is as much similar as you can take it as a healthy diet plan. Always vegetables, fruits and meat should be on priority for good food chart for adult boxer dog. When boxer dog is adult, it is better to feed him in accordance with its weight.
If your boxer dog is having a weight between 10 to 15 between 25 and 50 pounds, 2 to 4 cups are good with its each meal and if the boxer dog is weighing between 50 and 75 pounds, 4 to 6 cups are enough for its each meal. Larger and heavier boxer dogs than these can be fed with 5 to 6 cups daily with their each meal. Again it is recommended, the meals can be divided into 2 for each day and the first meal can be served in the morning and the second meal can be served in the early meaning.
It is also to be remembered; adult boxer dog takes at least 2 hours to digest its food. Even before taking him out for exercise, make sure 2 hours are taken by him to make food digestion after taking its meal. Some boxer dog owners negligently feed them by the same food as they are taking, however this can be dangerous because their own food may contain extra amount of calories.
Resultantly, the boxer dog might face bloating and other stomach related issues. For making a complete harmony in the diet plan for your adult boxer dog, an outright check on its weight is valuable. If the ribs of your boxer dog are becoming prominent and countable, then it means, your boxer dog is lacking nutrition. And if all ribs are vanished, it also means, your boxer dog has gained too much weight.
Some directions for more guidance about diet plan for boxer dog;
As it is already mentioned, you must avoid free-feeding of your boxer dog or giving him the same food which you are taking in your daily routine. Sometimes, your boxer dog can be greedy or can be reluctant of taking its own food. It will be insisting for the same food as you are taking but it should be neglected being a vigilant boxer dog owner. The diet plan rules for your boxer dog must be strictly followed, if you want to maintain good health of your boxer dog.
Junk food, fast food and other spicy meals can be ruinous for your boxer dog. Such food can be cataclysmic for the boxer dog health.
These will destroy the stomach and can lead to severe kind of diseases. And in some cases, if the food is with extra calories, it will also affect in gaming weight for your boxer dog which is equally fatal for its health. It is to be noted, boxer dog breed needs extra care and specialized treatment in feeding. .
Maintaining and following a diet schedule is critically important in the diet plan for your boxer dog.
It is also recommended by boxer dog experts, the diet you offer to your boxer dog will definitely impact the dog’s health and its life span is also mostly dependent upon its diet plan. If you are out of discipline in feeding your boxer dog, it can affect in many adverse health conditions, particularly bloating which is extremely dangerous. Bloating causes swelling in the stomach of the boxer dog causing it to twist and fold over in it. There can be lot of gastric issues which can provide harms to the health of the boxer dog.
Water drinking by a boxer dog is also significant in its diet plan. We have mentioned in detail about the water drinking issues related to boxer dog in our separate article, however safe and hygienic water is always recommended for healthy life style of your boxer dog. If bottled water is expensive, filtered water to be given to boxer dog for drinking.
