Aging Milestones

8 weeks : More than likely this is when you picked up your new family member because this is the age, they are finally able to leave their mother. Your pup, at this stage, needs to be “free-fed” this means instead of having scheduled meal times just leave fresh food out at all times. Be sure he has had all his shots before you take him out in public, so he does not get sick. Also, there is no time like the present to start house training! (read our blog on this subject for more info)

3-4 months : at this stage, you should be giving her 3 scheduled meals a day (beginning at 3 months) and snacks should be given as a reward. You should be seeing progress in the house training but be sure to continue with it. She should be able to follow simple commands, such as sit or stay, so if you are interested in command training this would be a good time to start. Two walks a day (about 20 minutes each) should be all the exercise she needs.

4-7 months : Teething begins! Be sure to have plenty of chew toys available. (don’t worry this stage doesn’t last too long. Also, as an added bonus this is generally when puberty begins! The un-spayed female will come into heat for the first time and the un-neutered male will have viable sperm.  Also, you may notice, some changes in coloring may happen as they begin to grow.

1 year :  The energy level is still high, they are the human equivalent of an 11- year-old. Their growth is beginning to slow down.

18 months-2 years : Your Boxer should be done growing by now, and hopefully he is calming down a bit too. By age 2 he is considered an adult dog ( the human equivalent of a 17-year-old) Hopefully you have been faithful in training him and you have the best friend you always wanted.