Expert: Angela Donald - 12/17/2009

Question
Angela - hello I have a question about my boxers. I have 2. male and female boxers. The male boxer is a reverse brindle and weighs 68 lbs, He is 2 yrs and 7 months. female is 1 yr and 2 months fawn, and weighs 50 lbs. I read one of your answers to a question regarding size in comparison to pit bulls. you said boxers are bigger. My boxers look much thinner and smaller than any pitbull I have seen their same age. Is there a reason. Am I not feeding them enough? I feed them 4 cups a day. 2 in the morning 2 in the evening of Avoderm and natures recipe dog food. These are some of the better brand of dog food. No Corn, No byproducts, no fillers etc etc. I cant figure out why they still look thin. Vet has given them both a clean bill of health. Any advice is appreciated

Answer
Hi Andy

I'm not sure I was the one who answered that question as I don't recall a question about pitbulls and boxers. But I do think most boxers would be bigger than a pitbull, height wise and weight wise from my experiences with both of these breeds.Most pitbulls I see today are over weight for the breed. You are feeding the normal amount of food most boxers consume on a daily basis, 4 cups.Genetics will play a big part in the height and weight of your boxers, if the parents or grandparents were on the smaller size then they may well be too. Average size for American females is 60-70 lbs and Males 65-75 lbs. Your female will not reach maturity until 2 years of age. I'd add an extra cup of food to each of your boxers daily intake for about a month and see if this increases their weight. You should feel the ribs but not see them , you should be able to see a waistline too. Adding a can of food with dry kibble will usually do the trick or take one can of food and mix with warm water to make a gravy and mix with the dry kibble. Thank you for your question.

Angela Donald
Canine Behavior Consultant
http://www.hitowerboxers.com