Boxer Puppies - Boxer Breeders

If you go online and do a quick search on "boxer puppies" or "boxer puppies for sale" you will find lots of listings. That's what I did and seeing all of those cute pictures with semi-reasonable prices only got our family excited about our plans.

But then I had to go and do the responsible thing and check out a few books from the library on the boxer breed. I didn't get too far before I realized that getting a boxer wouldn't be so easy. In order to have the best chance at avoiding some of the diseases that the breed often comes down with it would be necessary to locate a "reputable breeder". All those puppies I came across online where actually from "backyard breeders" or even worse, puppy mills!

A backyard breeder is basically someone who owns a boxer or two and breeds them to sell puppies. They don't do any health testing on their dogs and they don't track lineages, they just breed. A reputable breeder on the other hand is someone who really knows the breed and takes special care to breed only healthy parents. These breeders are usually involved in the dog show venue and know all about boxers.

I'm not sure if this disparity between a backyard breeder and a reputable breeder is a big deal for many other breeds, but from my research it is a big deal with boxers. While you may pay a lot less money for a boxer puppy from a backyard breeder, you may pay a lot more several years later in vet bills. And who wants a dog that may die young?

All that said, here are the cons of buying a boxer from a reputable breeder:

1. The cost will be 2-4 times as much.
2. Reputable breeders don't breed often so it can be hard to find a puppy when you want it.
3. Reputable breeders are just hard to find! You may have to go outside your state.
4. Reputable breeders are picky about who they give puppies to. Expect to fill out a job-like application

There are people who understand all of the above and still buy from less than reputable breeders simply because they can't afford the cost or just can't find a puppy at the right time. It is a gamble though and kind of where we are at right now.

I really have spent hours trying to locate reputable breeders in my area and even then, I have only found 2 so far who will have puppies soon. Reputable breeders tend not to advertise because they don't need to. People hear about them through word of mouth. Some do have small websites but they aren't always easy to find and I am still uncovering new sites and waiting to hear back from the breeders I have contacted.

To find a reputable boxer breeder the best place to start is with your local boxer club. The American Boxer Club has a list of regional clubs HERE. Unfortunately, the boxer clubs (at least in my area) don't always list breeder information on their sites, so you will have to find a contact person to ask for a referral. I did not always hear back from the contacts so I do worry about how up to date some of these email addresses are.

The AKC also lists some breeders by state using the search HERE. Or you can also do a search for boxer breeders in your state like "boxer breeders in PA" and see what pops up. The problem though is discerning which would be considered "reputable" because even backyard breeders can register with the AKC. Things to look for when judging breeders would be talk of health testing, breeding standards or breeders who show.

Learn more about backyard versus reputable breeder.