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Is it Good To have Two Boxer Dogs?
Two Boxer dogs in the same household, is it a good idea?
The Boxer breed is known for loyalty and protectiveness to its family, especially children. They seek and relish attention and affection from their family.
So, does this inherent need for attention mean that the addition of another boxer in the household will result in major disruption, or can the boxer dog channel that affection to another boxer dog as well?
Is It Good To Have Two Boxer Dogs – Survey Data
The answer is based on our 17-year personal experience owning two rescue boxers (as one passed away, we introduced another) and researching two boxer family situations.
Owning two boxer dogs is a great option for families seeking additional companionship for their family and the other boxer dog.
In fact, surveys of boxer owners demonstrated that this is a fairly common practice. A large Boxer Health Survey conducted in 2020 by boxerbreedcouncil.co.uk with 2,865 boxer owners showed
- 14.7% or 420 owners had 2 boxer dogs
- 3.7% or 107 owners had 3 boxer dogs
While surveys show that owning two Boxer dogs is common practice, is there data showing it is a safe practice for families?
A large dog owner survey, Breed Differences in Canine Aggression, Applied Animal Behavior Science, (Duffy, et.al 2008), examined aggression in 30 breeds of dogs.
Specific to Boxers, the table below illustrates that Boxer aggression is low across a number of categories.
Boxer = 70 47.1% Female Avg age - 4 | Stranger Aggression | Owner Aggression | Dog Aggression | Dog Rivalry |
Number of snaps, bites or attempted bites | 4 | 0 | 11 | 3 |
% of Total Boxers | 5.7% | 0% | 15.7% | 5.3% |
Key Findings from Boxer Owner Survey:
- Boxer Dog aggression toward owners is non-existent
- Boxer dog aggression towards strangers and dog rivalry is very low
- Boxer dog aggression is low to moderate versus other dogs
For additional information on Boxer dog aggression, read our article
Are Boxer Dogs Aggressive? 3 Reliable Causes for Aggression in Boxer Dogs
Is it good to have two Boxer Dogs – Summary
These boxer owner surveys and our almost two decades of owning multiple boxer pairs demonstrate that two boxer dogs can live in the same household and provide loyalty and companionship to both the family and each other.
Now let’s look at some considerations for bringing an additional boxer dog into the home.
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Considerations for a Two-Boxer Dog Household
First, let’s list the factors that should be considered when bringing an additional Boxer dog into the home then go into more detail on each consideration.
- Do you have time to commit to two boxer dogs?
- Will two male Boxer dogs get along together?
- Will two female Boxer Dogs get along with each other?
- Can a Male and Female boxer live in the same household?
- Arrangements – where will they sleep, eat, and exercise
- Age – if a current dog is older, is a puppy or similar-age boxer more appropriate
Do You Have Time To Commit To Two Boxer Dogs
This is the age-old question, How much time do I have? Work, kids’ activities/sports, and travel all cut into the amount of free time we have available.
Therefore, a key consideration about owning two boxer dogs needs to be, Do you have time to commit to two boxers?
Boxers are high energy and need to release a lot of that pent-up energy so they don’t engage in destructive behaviors like chewing or digging.
Read our articles for exercises to help release this boxer dog energy.
7 Best Common Calorie Burning Exercises for Boxer Dogs and Their Owners
Is Your Boxer Dog Hyperactive? 5 Reliable Causes, Simple Solutions
How to Tire Out A Boxer Dog – 5 Best Ways to Have a Calm, Happy Boxer Dog
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Having two boxer dogs requires double the commitment of time, not only in exercise but also in food preparation, play time to stimulate their minds, and managing the daily interactions between the two.
What are the best ways to manage the time commitment that two boxer dogs require?
- Develop a schedule and the time required for each activity.
- This will ensure that the appropriate amount of time is set aside for each activity and that the boxers get into a regular routine.
- Get auto-shipments of food delivered to the home to reduce time spent shopping.
- Check the prices and auto-shipment savings at these retailers
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- Delegate responsibilities to family members for feeding, playtime, daily walks, and exercise.
Developing a schedule and assigning responsibilities will help ensure that you have two happy, healthy boxer dogs in your home.
Will Two Male Boxer Dogs Get Along?
Two male boxers tend to get along well with each other. The caveat, according to the article Episodic Aggression in Boxer Dogs, published at pets.thenest.com,
“Male boxers who haven’t been neutered, meanwhile can be aggressive toward other dogs. Boxers tend to hold grudges; once one becomes angry with another dog, it might consider that dog to be a lifelong enemy”.
So it is important to keep this in mind when bringing two male boxers into the home.
Another consideration is dominance issues. As with most dogs (and humans as well for that matter), when placing two boxers together, one will want to show dominance, and be the Alpha (lead dog).
The Alpha male is worked out in the social structure between the two males. It can be based on the following factors.
- Age – frequently the older of the two boxer dogs is the alpha.
- Size – A larger male may exert dominance over his smaller counterpart
- Time in the household – The Boxer dog that was in the household and has a strong bond with the owner tends to be the alpha.
Does Dominance mean the two dogs will fight? No, this hierarchy is worked out between the two male dogs. Dominance can be noted in their behavior. Usually, the alpha leads in play, exercise, and feeding and the non-dominant male follows the leader.
Two Boxer dogs that are both males can be a pleasure to have in the household
Will Two Female Boxer Dogs Get Along?
Two key factors affect the relationship between two female boxer dogs together
- Territory – females tend to be very territorial and may fight to defend their “home turf”.
- Dominance – As with Males, females want to exert their dominance when placed with another female.
Because of these two factors, many Boxer Rescue Organizations do not want to place two females in the same household for fear of fighting between the two.
Can two females get along? One way to accomplish this is to bring them into the household at the same time and let them determine the social structure of who will be the alpha dog with strict supervision and intervention by the owner.
The owner needs to ensure they are viewed as the ultimate alpha so the boxer dogs can be socialized properly.
Ultimately, the family must decide if they want to bring in two female boxer dogs that have an increased potential to fight with each other.
Will A Male And Female Boxer Dog Get Along?
Rather than looking at the research, we want to use our 17 years of experience with having male and female rescue dogs together.
As background, we have been adopting rescue boxer dogs from Adopt A Boxer Rescue, for the past 17 years.
80% were female (4 of 5) and 75% (3 of 4 females) were Puppy Mill Mothers, the other was used as a bait dog. She was tied up and other dogs were trained to fight her.
We have had 1 male who has shared the household at one point with 3 of the other females.
The combination of two boxer dogs is listed below
Chloe (Bait Dog) and Duke
Chloe was approximately 6 years old when we adopted her. She was the sole female in the house for approximately 1 year.
We adopted Duke, a 1.5-year-old male for my son.
Chloe immediately asserted herself as the dominant boxer in the house as distracted by her interactions with Duke.
Duke played the submissive role during play and when given treats he would always stand slightly behind Chloe and wait his turn. Chloe passed away in 2017.
Hazel and Duke
Duke was the only boxer in the house for about two months after Chloe passed away. During this time he was very depressed and didn’t enjoy his usual playtime activities.
So, we adopted Hazel, a Puppy Mill Mom. Hazel was 6 years old when we adopted her. She fit right into the family and immediately Duke’s Demeanor changed and he was back to his rambunctious self. Duke was 5 years old when we brought Hazel home.
As, with Chloe, Hazel exerted her dominance over Duke and Duke was happy to play the submissive role. The two became inseparable and were constantly lying together and playing. Hazel would always howl when it was time to go for a walk and we would say, “Dukie”.
Hazel passed away from Cancer in 2022.
Katie and Duke
After Hazel passed away, Duke went into severe depression. He didn’t want to participate in any of his usual activities and just laid around the house.
One month after Hazel passed away we adopted Katie, a 7-year-old Puppy Mill Mom. Because of the horrific treatment, Katie received she was a very scared and skittish boxer.
Duke’s demeanor immediately changed when we brought Katie into the house. Duke was now 9 years old. For the first time, Duke asserted himself as the alpha dog, however, not as overtly as the females did with him.
Katie is always looking to see where Duke is and follows what he does. We have been working hard to help Katie get over being scared of most things, especially sudden movements or loud noises.
She is fitting in well now after 4 months and is happy to follow her older brother’s lead.
So, based on our experiences, a Male and Female Boxer dog can live well together.
For more information on owning two dogs, visit our Home page and Boxer Dog Family pages
Summary
Two boxer dogs in the same household can be a real joy to the family. In fact, multiple boxer dog families are becoming more prevalent.
Key factors that should be addressed when owning two boxers include
- Time commitment
- Sexes of the two boxer dogs
- Age of boxers being adopted
- Feeding, walking, and playtime schedules
Based on our 17-year experience the combination of Female and Male boxers make a great combination.
The key to owning two boxers is to do your research on the boxer(s) you plan on bringing together. Look at the behavior, age, neutered status, etc.
If possible help save a rescue boxer dog from being exterminated after they have “undone” its usefulness in a puppy mill.
Discoverboxerdogs.com are Mary and Chris Kustanbauter. We reside in Red Lion, PA with our two Boxers, Duke and Katie, who are both rescue dogs. We have been working with Adopt A Boxer Rescue for the past 17 years and have adopted 5 Boxers from this fine organization. To learn more visit our Home, Boxer Dog Family, and Blogs Pages Visit us on social media on Facebook – All About Boxers, Instagram, and Pinterest.