Author Topic: Boxer or American Bulldog?? (Read 20330 times)

Royal Lion · « **on:** May 29, 2009, 04:13:06 PM »

In the next year I am planning on getting two new dogs - a male and female from the same litter of puppies. I have done a lot of research and have narrowed my choices down to either boxers or american bulldogs (initially I like cane corsos, but not sure I am ready for two of those).

I do a lot of jogging, walking, hiking, trips to the dogpark etc. with my current dog who is a lab/pitbull mix (awesome dog).

Also, I have two daughters - 4 yr old and 4 month old. Both the boxer and the am. bulldog seem like great family dogs and also great guard dogs. Does anyone have any experience with these breeds and could recommend one over the other? Both seem like the ideal dog and I cannot make up my mind. Hell, maybe i'll get one of each

Thanks

Princess L · « **Reply #1 on:** May 29, 2009, 05:04:18 PM »

I don't recall the reasoning, but I've heard that it's not recommended to get 2 dogs from the same litter (not health reasons, I think behavioral

), so get one of each

Royal Lion · « **Reply #2 on:** May 30, 2009, 08:52:18 AM »

Thanks for the heads up on this. You are right, many people do not recommend owning two puppies from the same litter because they apparently bond more with each other than the owner and are harder to train. Of course these are only the cons and there are many pros, e.g. companionship, learning from each other, etc. Many people have successfully done so as long as each puppy gets its own individualized attention.

Purple Aki · « **Reply #3 on:** May 30, 2009, 01:02:01 PM »

Are you British?

chaos · « **Reply #4 on:** May 30, 2009, 01:09:46 PM »

Get one of each.

Royal Lion · « **Reply #5 on:** May 30, 2009, 02:59:06 PM »

Quote from: Purple Aki on May 30, 2009, 01:02:01 PM

Are you British?

Nope, American.

body88 · « **Reply #6 on:** May 31, 2009, 10:06:56 PM »

I have an American bull and he is by far the most loyal, athletic and intelligent dog that I have ever owned. There are several types of ABG's to choose from. Pm me for more info. A

Stay away from cane corso's, lots of bullshit breeders out there fucking up the breed right now. You're def not ready for a breed like that. Only the most dedicated dog owners can own those guys....they are a lot of work.

Johnson Type AB

smoothasf · « **Reply #7 on:** June 01, 2009, 09:18:45 AM »

question is why do you feel the need to buy a fighting dog? there are plenty of other breeds that suit hiking and jogging that fit in much better with a family. its not a status symbol

Royal Lion · « **Reply #8 on:** June 01, 2009, 12:29:32 PM »

Boxers are know to have one of the sweetest personalities of any dog breed and are renowned for being excellent with young children.

American bulldogs are not bred for fighting either - many people, including you apparently, confuse them with american staffordshire terriers or pitbulls, but it is a completely different breed. http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/americanbulldog.htm

Just because a dog looks "tough" doesn't mean it is a fighting dog. You should inform yourself before you make ignorant assumptions based on incorrect generalizations.

tonymctones · « **Reply #9 on:** June 01, 2009, 02:18:36 PM »

Quote from: Royal Lion on June 01, 2009, 12:29:32 PM

Boxers are perhaps the best family dogs there are and are not fighting dogs as far as I know. Boxers are one of the best breeds for young children.

American bulldogs are not bred for fighting either - many people confuse them with pitbulls, but it is a completely different breed. http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/americanbulldog.htm

Just because a dog looks tough doesn't mean it is a fighting dog.

exactly

Quote from: smoothasf on June 01, 2009, 09:18:45 AM

question is why do you feel the need to buy a fighting dog? there are plenty of other breeds that suit hiking and jogging that fit in much better with a family. its not a status symbol

LOL boxers are fighting dogs, american bulldogs are fighting dogs LOL

Ive known many boxers and a few AB's and not one has ever been malecious, mean or violent towards a person or another dog...

Lion iono man either would be a great choice i will say that the american bulldogs ive known have in general seemed to be a little less rambuctious then the boxers ive known.

Royal Lion · « **Reply #10 on:** June 01, 2009, 02:23:19 PM »

Quote from: tonymctones on June 01, 2009, 02:18:36 PM

exactly
LOL boxers are fighting dogs, american bulldogs are fighting dogs LOL

Ive known many boxers and a few AB's and not one has ever been malecious, mean or violent towards a person or another dog...

Lion iono man either would be a great choice i will say that the american bulldogs ive known have in general seemed to be a little less rambuctious then the boxers ive known.

Thanks! It is a tough choice and I keep going back and forth - time will tell I guess. Boxers just have such great and funny personalities. There are some hilarious videos on Youtube of boxers playing in sprinklers, playing with balloons, etc. Great dogs.

I love how people just assume that every dog with a "meat mouth" and a square head is a viscious killer

I swear to god that every time I have my current dog (80lb lab/pit/boxer mix) on a walk the little shit dogs are the ones that come after us in full attack mode while we just ignore them.

Butterbean · « **Reply #11 on:** June 02, 2009, 06:29:11 AM »

Quote from: Royal Lion on June 01, 2009, 02:23:19 PM

(80lb lab/pit/boxer mix)

Pics please!

smoothasf · « **Reply #12 on:** June 02, 2009, 01:08:35 PM »

bull dogs, boxers, even ridgebacks like i have were all bread for attacking/bating. now im not saying theres a problem with these breads at all, i love them. However it concerns me when someone says the only dogs they are interested in getting are cane corso, boxer, american bull dog, and already owns a pitt cross.
You maybe an exceptional dog owner but 90% of people who only want to own these type of dogs only want them to look good, i was wrong then there wouldnt be so many poor pitts being put to sleep every year.

Royal Lion · « **Reply #13 on:** June 02, 2009, 04:01:10 PM »

Quote from: smoothasf on June 02, 2009, 01:08:35 PM

bull dogs, boxers, even ridgebacks like i have were all bread for attacking/bating. now im not saying theres a problem with these breads at all, i love them. However it concerns me when someone says the only dogs they are interested in getting are cane corso, boxer, american bull dog, and already owns a pitt cross.
You maybe an exceptional dog owner but 90% of people who only want to own these type of dogs only want them to look good, i was wrong then there wouldnt be so many poor pitts being put to sleep every year.

Well you're wrong for classifying me as someone who wants a dog that only looks good. I want a dog that is large, athletic, protective, loyal, intelligent, and good with children. Do some research and you'll find that actually boxers and american bulldogs possess these qualities and have excellent temperments with children. These two breeds are better with children than a ridgeback, but you, like most people, assume that because they have square heads and shorter snouts they must be mean. That is not the case!

I do think you are right about the Cane Corso, however, and that is why I decided against getting one. They are amazing looking dogs, but in reality a bit too much dog for me.

My current lab/pit mix is a rescue dog - got him at 8 months old, he is now 5 - who is the best family dog I could ever ask for. I have a 4 year old and a new baby and he absolutely adores them (of course they are alwasy supervised and my older daughter taught how to behave around him). He is also extremely friendly around other dogs and has never shown anything other than playfulness.

Here is a pic of him.

tonymctones · « **Reply #14 on:** June 02, 2009, 05:21:45 PM »

Quote from: Royal Lion on June 01, 2009, 02:23:19 PM

Thanks! It is a tough choice and I keep going back and forth - time will tell I guess. Boxers just have such great and funny personalities. There are some hilarious videos on Youtube of boxers playing in sprinklers, playing with balloons, etc. Great dogs.

I love how people just assume that every dog with a "meat mouth" and a square head is a viscious killer I swear to god that every time I have my current dog (80lb lab/pit/boxer mix) on a walk the little shit dogs are the ones that come after us in full attack mode while we just ignore them.

aint that the damn truth what pisses me off is ppl let them get away with it just b/c they are tiny...

body88 · « **Reply #15 on:** June 02, 2009, 06:00:35 PM »

Quote from: smoothasf on June 01, 2009, 09:18:45 AM

question is why do you feel the need to buy a fighting dog? there are plenty of other breeds that suit hiking and jogging that fit in much better with a family. its not a status symbol

No clue what you're talking about. Who uses ab's and boxers to fight? Stop the nonsense. AB = used by hunters for boar hunting, by farmers to gaurd their land, family and livestock and to also pull carts. They are a fantastic family dog. I have one.

smoothasf · « **Reply #16 on:** June 02, 2009, 09:17:05 PM »

if you like boxers as well as AB's why dont you get the johnson type AM they look like a boxer with AB colouring

body88 · « **Reply #17 on:** June 03, 2009, 09:56:55 AM »

Quote from: smoothasf on June 02, 2009, 09:17:05 PM

if you like boxers as well as AB's why dont you get the johnson type AM they look like a boxer with AB colouring

A better choice would be a hybrid type AB.

Vet · « **Reply #18 on:** June 04, 2009, 02:48:33 PM »

Quote from: Royal Lion on May 30, 2009, 08:52:18 AM

Thanks for the heads up on this. You are right, many people do not recommend owning two puppies from the same litter because they apparently bond more with each other than the owner and are harder to train. Of course these are only the cons and there are many pros, e.g. companionship, learning from each other, etc. Many people have successfully done so as long as each puppy gets its own individualized attention.

There is a bonding period of socialization with dogs that occurs at about 6-8 weeks of age and again at about 10 weeks of age. That is the time where puppies need to be exposed to new people, new environments, etc because its the time that their basic personalities are "hard wired"----much like a human child in that 4-6 year old range. Two dogs from the same litter can be problematic beccause they become codependant on each other, not on their owner. It can cause problems with certian dogs and certian owners.

Personally, I'd get a boxer because of one factor---the children. American bulldogs can be GREAT family pets. They also tend to bond a bit more with one individual, which means that they sometimes are not as tolerant of small children poking eyes, pulling ears and doing all of the stuff little kids do. They also are very large dogs. Having a 100 lb dog tearing around the yard with a toddler playing with it is a recipe for a disaster of the kid getting knocked down. In my opinion, Boxers generally tend to much more forgiving of the things that children will do to them.

I have had a couple of very bad encounters with American Bulldogs. In my opinion it wasn't the dogs fault as much a case of a large powerful dog with a dumbass owner, so if you do choose this breed, please make sure the dogs are appropriately socialized and trained. One dog the owner thought they could traind the dog to be a "guard dog" so the owners got a bite sleeve with no previous training for themselves. Basically what they did was train away the dogs bite inhibition and create a 100 lb dog that had no qualms at all chomping on a human. It wasn't a good situation. The other case was a pediatrician who bought an American Bulldog for her teenage son. She then did no training what so ever with the dog and let her son do everything with apparent little supervision. Unfortunately teh kid had no clue what he was doing. So ultimately they created one of the most vicious dogs I've ever seen. That dog bonded very very tightly with the teenage son--again that one owner bonding of a poorly socialized american bulldog---and he could literally do anything. No one else could though. That dog was eventually euthanized.

Jadethegladiator · « **Reply #19 on:** June 04, 2009, 05:08:49 PM »

Quote from: body88 on June 02, 2009, 06:00:35 PM

They are a fantastic family dog. I have one.

I am with you, American Bulldogs are the best! I have two Johnson's (brother & sister) & an Altman. They are my world!

Royal Lion · « **Reply #20 on:** June 04, 2009, 10:38:06 PM »

Thanks for all of the input! As I suspected, both breeds--boxers and am bulldogs--are great breeds, and both possess the qualities I am looking for: large, athletic, loyal, protective but friendly, and intelligent. I think I'll have to check out some local breeders and spend some time with adults of both breeds and then hopefully I can make up my mind. Luckily, I don't think I can make a wrong choice with these two breeds.

Jade, your two Johnson amdgs are awesome! Did you get them from the same litter? I also looked up some pics of Body 88's dog and was super impressed.

Butterbean · « **Reply #21 on:** June 05, 2009, 10:09:11 AM »

Good looking dog, Royal LIon!

JAde, that snuggle pic is adorable

Jadethegladiator · « **Reply #22 on:** June 05, 2009, 06:20:58 PM »

Quote from: Royal Lion on June 04, 2009, 10:38:06 PM

Thanks for all of the input! As I suspected, both breeds--boxers and am bulldogs--are great breeds, and both possess the qualities I am looking for: large, athletic, loyal, protective but friendly, and intelligent. I think I'll have to check out some local breeders and spend some time with adults of both breeds and then hopefully I can make up my mind. Luckily, I don't think I can make a wrong choice with these two breeds.

Jade, your two Johnson amdgs are awesome! Did you get them from the same litter? I also looked up some pics of Body 88's dog and was super impressed.

Thanks! Same litter, rescued them at 6 months old. Geez, they will be 7 this year.

A few more pics & yes I am a bragging mom! Imagine the reaction when I walk Rock with his "Shut the f**k up & train shirt" on.

ps Hey Stella, my guy has a pit named Stella but he calls her Stellah.....go figure, he is from Boston.

Jadethegladiator · « **Reply #23 on:** June 05, 2009, 06:24:35 PM »

Roxy's pic.

LLES · « **Reply #24 on:** July 22, 2009, 08:54:52 AM »

I haven't had the opp. to have a AB, but I have owned Boxers & I can tell you they are ( in my opinion) the best breed of dog there is. Highly intelligent, loyal, protective & just an awesome dog. They are high strung, but both my boys calmed down about the age of 3. However, unless you have alot of time to spend w/them they can be a handful at times & will do ANYTHING to get attention (even neg. sometimes). But like I said overall a great breed of dog.