Peeking Puppy!

Hello Fellow Boxer Lovers!

Bodhi's eyes are open, he's peeking upon our world and soon will be romping and exploring everyting he can get his paws on!

How exciting it must be for a puppy - born sightless and to total quiet - to all of a sudden see shades and shapes - and hear the sounds of his littermates and mama!

He soon will get used to the sounds a 'house' makes! Garbage disposal, vacuum, washer/dryer, etc. All part of getting ready to come home with us in August.

Watch our world, here he comes!

Alethea Anderson

The Boxer Blogger

By George, I think we've named him!

Hello Fellow Boxer Lovers!

Orgin of the Name...

Our little furr baby has a name, started as Bodie then became Bodey ended up as Bodhi! We orginally grabbed the name from a small historic 'ghost town' up here that one of our family members actually was born and raised at - she now resides in Northern California as there are no residents of the town any longer (hence the 'ghost town part' LOL). The town was orginally spelled Bodey then changed to Bodie by a sign maker, here's the story if you are interested!

I just HAD to know...

A a unique name and out of my curiosity (always curious) I wanted to know if Bodie/Bodey had a meaning. It turns out Bodey is another term for 'body', not too interesting... The word Bodie is a Scottish name meaning 'coin worth 2 cent' often named to collies, sheepdogs and terriers back in the early 1900's. Also known for the town I mentioned above.

Fun Fact: The dog in the Movie 'Steel Magnolias' was named Bodie!

Why I chose the spelling "Bodhi"

Bodhi is a word in a Zen dictionary meaning...

"Wisdom, in the sense of enlightenment. It is not accumulated knowledge, is not attainment, is not something found, but is realization of the essential truth."

That sounds very 'Zen' to me as I am constantly on the path of self elightment! Not to mention from my research, Boxers are extremely wise and intelligent dogs, that learn quickly and use their wisdom in day to day life!

Maybe this means he'll just know what to do? LOL I'll just put the energy out there that he'll be a wonderful companion!

We are so very excited!

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Puppy is one week old!

Hello Fellow Boxer Lovers!

Our furr baby is one week old today, wow he looks so wonderful! His little nose is starting to get black and look at those kissable wrinkles on his forehead - DARLING!

We 'think', just think we may have a name for him! Possibly 'Bodie' (pronounced beau-dee). It is a small town up here that just so happens to have a nice ring to it.

We will hopefully have the name picked out by this weekend as his little ears will be opening to the world of sound first and it will be such a joy to have him know his name when we come to pick him up!

The breeder says we can come August 12th to get our precious, this is a week before my daughter's 8th birthday and a few days before my Mom comes to visit from NM! How FUN!

My daughter is sooo excited and wants to get him fun baby puppy things. I just found a new shop in Reno that caters to all things for pets, a unique furr boutique - PLUS I found a dog Barkery in Carson City. Oh our little one will be so pampered!

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Phases of new puppy growth and development...

Hello Fellow Boxer Lovers!

Here's our new precious furr baby on his 5th day in this world! He is growing by the moment, yet still totally helpless and totally dependent on mommy.

The second puppies are born they are almost totally dependent, they cannot see nor hear and have very limited mobility. They cannot even control their body temperature. They also cannot go potty without stimulation from mommy.


At Birth puppies:

• have a good sense of smell
• have sensation of feeling
• have the ability to taste
• have the ablilty to cry

New Puppy Facts:

• Puppies will double their birth weight in the first week
• Puppies cannot walk yet and will 'wriggle' their way to mommy for milk
• Puppies will cry if they are hungry, hot or cold
• Puppies will eat every 2 hours and sleep in between snuggling with littermates for warmth

About Puppy's new Body 0-14 Days

• Eyes are not fully developed and fused shut at birth
• Eyes will open at about 12 days and will be blue
• They will have limited vision of shadows and light
• Ear canals are sealed up and puppy can't hear
• Ears begin to open around 10 days and puppy will hear well by the time eyes open

15-21 Days

• Still dependent on mommy yet starting to notice siblings
• Has more mobility yet still cannot 'walk'
• Will start being able to potty on their own
• Pups will struggle to balance while standing
• Will start to play with litter mates in an un-coordinated way!
• Around 19 days pups are bossing momma around!

3-6 Weeks

• A time of increased independence and less reliance on mommy
• Pups start developing social skills
• Gain control of body temperature (around 100 degrees)
• Pups start going potty on their own
• Hearing is accurate and pups can start learning some basic commands and name
• Puppies sleep less and play more with increased mobility
• Character and personality shine through and should be encouraged with play things
• Time to expose puppies to household sounds, phone, vacuum, garbage disposal, etc..
• Grooming and discouragement of play biting with humans
• May start eating puppy food

7-16 Weeks

• Pups learn to be members of the 'pack'
• Around 8 weeks pups start to go to new homes as they are fully developed
• At 8 weeks they are receptive to experience and tolerate change better than other age
• Potty training can be started
• Time to show puppy the WORLD!
• Good time to start puppy socialization classes
• Pups must still sleep a lot, and gentle play - no stairs, long walks, jumping or rough play

Recommended Reading

I got the book "Boxers for Dummies" (I swear they have those yellow 'dummy' books for EVERYTHING you can think of!) If you are a Boxer Lover you already know about Boxers and their curious personalities! If you are considering a Boxer read this book first! Boxers require a LOT of people time are not dogs to be left home alone for long periods of time, especially as a puppy. If you want a Boxer yet are not home often, I encourage you to try a Boxer rescue and get an older Boxer who already went through the puppy growth phases.

Boxer puppies are very intelligent and need constant direction and stimulation to be the best they can be. The love learning, playing and most of all being part of your 'pack'. They want to please you and love you and will be your very best friend.

We are so excited to get our baby in August, we are not calling him our 'pet' he is a new member of the family aka 'pack'.

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Pink nose on new Boxer puppy!!??

Hello Fellow Boxer Lovers!

Our puppy has a PINK nose!

The fact is, nearly all Boxers are born with pink noses and lips (bottoms of feet too)! The reason for this is that pigment cells continue to migrate thru the puppy's body after birth, as the puppy ages the pink areas fill in with black. Most puppies noses are filled in by the time they go to their new homes! There is the instance that on some very flashy pups, (flashy = a higher % of white on the body) it can take longer - even up to a year or so!

What is a "Snow Nose"?

Some older dogs will experience something called 'snow nose' or 'winter nose' where the dog's nose will turn pink in the middle during the winter months. Rest assured, this is usually due to the lack of sunshine outside and is generally a temporary condition! Ask your vet for some suggestions on helping the condition.

Better to be SAFE!

If your dog does experience a lightening of the nose, just for your dog's health sake do check with a vet. There is a condition called Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH), or Harada's syndrome that it is caused by an immune system disorder that damages the eyes and the pigment in the skin. It can turn any part of your dog's body white, and without treatment, it can lead to blindness. Vets often prescribe steroids to pets with this condition, which help keep the immune system from going out of control.

Know your Boxer!

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

3.5 Days Old!

Hello Fellow Boxer Lovers!

Here is a new photo of the furr baby who still remains nameless. We are currently considering:

Carson
Rex
Zeus

I'm sure choices will change in the next 2 minutes again I'm sure! LOL Why oh WHY is this such a hard decision! My daugher is stuck on REX and the name is actually starting to grow on me now. I did a web search on 'Rex the Boxer', 'Zeus the Boxer' etc..etc... and really it seems ALL dog names are 'common' dog names. The name Carson came about as we are near Carson City and Zeus is just a regal sounding name befitting of a dog such as a Boxer!



Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Puppy is a PORKER!

Hello Fellow Boxer Lovers!

He's not missing any meals...

Our breeder wrote today with a puppy update, our little darling is not missing any meals (LOL) and pudging out just perfectly! She says the furr babies know how to make themselves 'heard'!

We also got a list of items to start collecting:

• Crate for adult size male 40-42"L
• 2 blankets or soft pads for inside of crate
• food and water bowls preferably something that is easy to clean
• chew toys "no plastic"
• not rawhides hooves and pig/cow ears are better "natural teethers"
• adjustable collar
• 6' leash

Doggy Doctor

The babies are going Wed at 11 AM for their first Doctor Visit!

Name Hunt

Still pondering on a name, hubby suggested 'Austin' as that is what we were going to name our baby if she were a boy (8 years ago) - she is a girl! Hmmm, Austin, Austen, Austyn - I also heard Archie today that may be cute or Alexander and call him Xander, pronounced 'Zander'.

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Birth Announcement!

Hello Fellow Boxer Lovers!

Our New Baby Boxer was born Saturday June 17th, 2006!

Please meet the newest addition to the Anderson Family, our new baby boxer! He is one of eight beautiful babies born June 17th at our breeder's home in California. We were #7 on the waiting list and we are pleased to annouce we got the puppy we wanted. He is a Classic Fawn AKC Boxer with gorgeous markings as you can see below. Our handsome furr baby was the first baby born to a mommy who was only expecting 6 maybe 7 babies and had an amazing 8.

The breeder says mommy and the puppies are doing great! Now we are trying to think of a name for our new puppy (we won't get him until late August right around my daughter's 8th birthday), but if we choose a name now the breeder will start working on name recognition already! (awesome huh?)

Choosing a Name...!?!?!

Our Daughter wants to name puppy Max or Rex! Very 'common' names in the canine community! Max was already **bonged** by the MIL as she had a 'Max' in her past she'd rather not think of LOL. So we are pondering Rex, as it is short and well fitting of a Boxer. I personally like to go with the more unique and 'off the wall' types of names - i.e. we are the "A" family as all our names start with "A" and our last name is Anderson - so I came up with Ace, Angus, Axl... One that is not really off the wall nor an A was "Joe" for Joe Boxer - LOL but then I read that you don't want the name to rhyme with a command and Joe rhymes with No which could cause training issues! So that one is bonged too! I kind of like "Moose" for some reason - we used to call our Mastiff (he passed in 2005) Moose Moose, his name was Bear but at 180# Moose Moose just came out a lot! Not to mention I am a moose nut! Angus just cracks me up too... I don't know, we have some time!

Isn't he GORGEOUS?!

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger