With a short coat, Boxers can be easier to groom than breeds with longer hair. However, grooming any dog involves more than brushing away dead hair. So, what exactly does grooming a Boxer require?
Ensuring their skin, teeth and ears stay clean is also important in caring for any breed.
In this article, we’ll talk you through everything you need to know about grooming your Boxer.
No! Boxers have short, tight coats, and haircuts aren’t necessary for this breed.
Boxers naturally shed throughout the year, so their short coat does not require a haircut. Your Boxer puppy is likely to shed more as it reaches one year – 18 months old as it grows into its adult coat.
Some owners who show their Boxers opt to trim or shave their fur. This is a preference, not a necessity. Some professional groomers refuse to shave Boxers, citing that doing so is likely to bring on avoidable, long-term health problems.
Since Boxers’ hair is close to the skin, attempting to cut or shave is likely to result in skin irritation as well as blocked hair follicles. These can become infected and even lead to permanent hair loss.
This brilliant breed is a low-maintenance dog when it comes to grooming, and you’ll be happy to know that you can easily groom them at home if you want to avoid taking them to the salon.
Before you get started, you’ll need to have a few key items to be able to groom your Boxer.
Boxer grooming is not a lengthy process due to their short, tight coat and natural shedding. Most dogs of this breed love spending time with their human family, especially when getting a nice brush down. So if you get them used to sitting still from a young age, grooming Boxers should be easy to do at home.
Purchase a rubber curry brush for grooming your dog’s coat once weekly or fortnightly to remove dead hair.
Many Boxers enjoy a bath, and in the warm Australian weather, they will enjoy a hose bath outside in the garden. Thanks to their short coat and sensitive skin, Boxers only need a bath once every three weeks – unless yours is the Boxer prone to dashing through a mud puddle!
Bathing your Boxer too often can lead to painfully dry skin. So ensure you don’t wash them too often, as this can lead to skin irritation.
Bathe your Boxer using warm water and a special canine shampoo. Yes, human shampoo is cheaper, but yes, it contains chemicals that are likely to irritate your dog’s skin. The right shampoo will moisten but not clog up dogs’ skin pores.
When you do bathe your dog, pay extra special attention to your Boxer’s facial folds. As a brachycephalic dog, a Boxer has a ‘squashed’ face with folds of skin that give the appearance of wrinkles. These can easily become a breeding ground for bacteria and infection.
Use cotton buds or a cotton swab to clean out these folds. Gently clean around the eye area using a soft face cloth. If your dog is prone to some eye discharge, ask your veterinarian about dog-friendly eye wipes.
Boxer grooming also involves, as with all breeds, paw, tooth, and ear care in addition to brushing and bathing.
Dogs have super sensitive blood vessels and nerves running through each nail. This is called the quick, and if nails grow too long, they can catch and break and cause an incredible amount of pain. When this happens, it can be difficult to calm your large dog enough to stop the bleeding.
This is easily avoided, and trimming dogs’ nails is easy to do yourself at home. However, since the Boxer is a large dog, many owners can find this difficult. In this case, it is better to take your dog to a professional.
You can use nail clippers suitable for large dogs, or an electric filer called a grinder, which tends to leave a smoother finish and can be more manageable on a large breed.
A professional groomer will trim dogs’ nails for a fee, which is the safer option if your Boxer is easily spooked or reluctant to stay still. Many groomers opt to use a mild sedative.
Every 4-6 weeks, depending on the dog. Your Boxer’s nails will wear down more quickly if they have an active lifestyle.
Ear cleaning is an integral part of Boxer grooming to prevent a type of severe yeast infection known as Malassezia dermatitis. The high humidity and temperature common in certain parts of Australia can increase the likelihood of your dog experiencing this infection.
Clean the outside of the ear flap with a cloth and warm, soapy water. Wrap a soft cloth around your finger and gently cleanse inside the ear. It is not recommended that you use cotton buds, as you could accidentally perforate an ear drum.
Boxers’ ears can be prone to infection, so cleaning them monthly or more often is necessary if your dog runs through brush or regularly swims in potentially dirty water.
If your dog has a tendency to suffer from ear infections, it might be an idea to clean out their ears every week.
Teeth and gum infections are just as bad for dogs as humans, so make sure your dog’s diet is comprised of healthy, nutritious food and clean your Boxer’s teeth daily.
Start ASAP. Acclimatising your puppy to daily tooth brushing will make sure they’re used to it as an adult.
Rule number one: never use human toothpaste. Use a safe dog toothpaste and start by just putting some on your finger and running it along your puppy’s teeth and gums. When they are used to the taste and sensation, move on to a finger brush.
You will ideally work up to a canine toothbrush, but many dogs will find this too uncomfortable, in which case, the finger brush is fine for daily brushing.
Daily brushing is important to remove plaque, but a 6-12 month professional clean is required to remove tartar and prevent periodontal disease.
Start from a young age so that it is not frightened by the experience. This is especially the case with a large breed; get your Boxer pup used to grooming so it knows to sit still before it’s too big to control!
Once every three weeks – unless it has rolled in something nasty or is visibly dirty.
No, their short, tight coat is easy to maintain. Acclimatise your Boxer from a young age so it is used to sitting still. Your super energetic dog might even enjoy bathing outside with the hose!
Consult a veterinarian before making this decision. Boxers have short hair and shed throughout the year, so there is no real need to shave them. More likely, shaving your Boxer will irritate its skin, damage natural hair growth and strip away some protection from potentially harmful UV rays.
Boxers require more grooming than you might think. Their short hair makes for a quick and easy brushing routine, but just like any dog, they need to be bathed as well as have regular teeth and ear cleaning.
Their iconic, wrinkled face requires precise cleaning to avoid building up bacteria. Those big, brown, expressive eyes are prone to secreting gunk, and they absolutely require regular bathing, or they will pick up a distinct and unpleasant odour.
If you are thinking of adding a Boxer to your family, you are likely to save time not brushing this super short-haired pooch. You will still need to clean it, though, just as much, if not more so, than other breeds. If that sounds okay to you, then go right ahead and find yourself a big, bouncing bundle of energy.
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