Get to Know the German Shorthaired Pointer Boxer Mix

The German Shorthaired Pointer Boxer Mix, or GSP Boxer Mix for short, can be either an energetic dog or an affectionate lapdog depending on its personality. Before bringing this adorable dog home, it’s best to do some research on its characteristics and lifestyle needs. Let’s take a closer look at the GSP Boxer Mix to help you decide if this will be the right family pet for you!

Physical Features of German Shorthaired Pointer Boxer Mix

My name is Susan Burnett, and I’ve been in boxers for over 20 years. When my husband and I first got married, we had Great Danes and started to have our family with the Danes. So we got Amelia, and she was from a backyard breeder. So, we had Amelia, and from there, we went on to Amelia lived to be 14 years of age.

And I waited a year, then I decided I wanted to get into show boxers which might have been a mistake. I think a boxer, when they run, is absolutely gorgeous. They actually make themself a family member versus being a family dog. They’re great with children, and they enjoy being with a family either indoors or outdoors.

They are very active and athletic dogs that can go wherever the family goes. I will encourage anyone with a boxer if they’re going camping or biking, hiking, walking, whatever, they really like to be with the family and be active. We’ve had poodles, and we’ve had Shih Tzus, and they were sweet little dogs, but they were very comfortable going upstairs and laying on the bed and being by themselves. A boxer wants to be with you, not necessarily right under your feet.

Still, it will follow you from room to room to really be a part of what activity you’re involved in. Genetically boxers are bred from bulldogs, so they have that playful attitude. The big joke with boxers is their work is playing, which they enjoy doing. You have to keep in mind with a boxer that you don’t want to overheat them.

You need to be careful with how much water you give them because they are deep-chested dogs, and you wouldn’t want to have any problems with bloat or torsion in the stomach. I enjoy biking with my boxers, and I like to take them sheep herding when I can. A boxer can be appropriate for any age group. A puppy, up to 18 months, is very active and needs someone who can exercise them.

It’s very important to have a boxer as your pet to regularly keep them in the home. They wanna be part of the family and part of what they’re doing. Our history in our family is that the dog always sleeps in bed with the children or us. A boxer is not the kind of dog you could put out in the backyard and leave alone.

They will find ways to keep themselves busy, And you’ll come home and be disappointed in what they’ve done with the yard. If you’re gonna have a boxer, and you’re going to not be at home a lot, maybe that isn’t the dog for you. Or, if you’re in and out, two boxers are actually the best. If you always stick ’em out in the yard, that’s their home.

That’s what they’re gonna protect. You keep them at home, in the house, any kind of problem, they’re gonna protect you and the house ’cause that’s their home. Having a boxer in the house is nice, but you must know they are counter surfers. So you gotta be careful what you’re putting out to defrost, you’re gonna have for dinner, or they will have it before you can get to it.

As far as having small children visit, I would have the child sit down before I have the dogs come in to greet them because they like to get a little bit excited and joyful when they see someone new. With boxers, as with a lot of large and medium-large breeds, we have all hardwood floors or tile. They don’t have a lot, like the long hair like German Shepherd, you’re not gonna have tufts of hair laying around, but they do shed. If we’re going to be gone for any time, to the grocery store, the movies, or out to dinner, the dogs are put in their crates.

You need to have a nice-sized one where they can stand up, turn around and feel comfortable. It leaves them in a safe environment. It leaves your house in a safe environment while you’re gone. Regarding leaving the dogs outside, I never leave the dogs outside if I’m going to leave the premises.

As the dogs mature, they seem to be a little more trustworthy, and at this point, Charlie, who is six, gets to stay on his chair while we go out. So we try to have the dogs not get on the furniture other than their chair and, of course, the cushions they sleep on. Since a boxer is such an active dog, they must have boundaries in the home. And part of those in our home is that they stay off the furniture unless it’s their cushion or chair they can sleep on.

They have to be invited up to bed at night. Pancreatitis is something that you wanna avoid in all breeds, especially in boxers. We feed them twice daily, at seven in the morning and five at night. And it’s important because they are deep-chested dogs.

After the dogs are fed in the morning, I wait about 30 minutes, and then I will let them out back to play, run, and do whatever they need to do. I like to take them either mid-morning and/or late afternoon on a bike ride if I can. I live on a lovely street. It is incredible how many people walk by with their dogs in the evening, especially in the summertime.

And when we first moved here, I enjoyed walking the dogs too. Most of them are boxer people. But I always encourage anyone who visits when you have a boxer out that they not speak in a naturally high voice and get the dog even more excited. Dogs are very social.

The reality of having a boxer as a member of our home and in your house most of the time is that they are very protective, so anyone who comes to the door rings the doorbell, they are gonna bark. If it’s a male and I’m home alone, I will have to put the dog away because he will want to be very protective. As a family, if you’re planning a vacation, what I find with boxers is better if you have a house sitter come in if you can afford it. They do much better if they’re in their own environment.

As a boxer breeder, it has been my pleasure to meet many wonderful people coming to see the puppies. I try to get from the people the information on whether the activity level is gonna match the activity level of the dog. Boxer puppies up to about the age of 18 months are very active. They need to be in a family or home situation where someone can be active with them, walking them, playing with them, and socializing them.

She was two years old and needed a home. She’s had a wonderful life. A better life probably than I could have given her. And I consider that a true blessing as being a breeder to see a puppy go to a beautiful home and then seeing a mature dog who you know needed more than you could give ’em.

In our household, we’ve had boxers with great Danes and boxers with toy poodles and Shih Tzu, and we didn’t have any problems. Years ago, we did have a house cat with the boxers, and that was fine. At this point, I would not choose to bring in a kitten or cat because boxers are very prey driven, which might not end well. But starting with a boxer puppy and introducing it to a cat or kitten shouldn’t be a problem.

All breeds have their diseases, and the concerns with the boxer breed are cardiac issues and DM, a neuro condition of the spine, like ALS in humans. As a breeder, what we can check for and test for genetically are some cardiac issues and also for DM.

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