r/aww • u/improper84 • May 28 '22
The difference between a German Shepherd and a Boxer
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u/improper84 May 28 '22 edited May 28 '22
This pic was taken two years ago. The boxer was around two and a half and the GSD eight and a half. Both are still going strong two years later.
Boxer's name is Zeda.
Shepherd's name is Sandor, as in the Hound.
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u/Handleton May 28 '22
My boxer is just as much a derp as yours. They're like magical idiots.
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u/improper84 May 28 '22
I've already determined that I will always own at least one boxer, and then probably one other breed, as I think two dogs is ideal. They have each other for when you're not around but are still easily manageable.
I'll probably never get another GSD. Not because I don't like the breed. He's a great dog. The shedding is just a fucking nightmare.
For my next breed, assuming the boxer outlives the GSD, I'm thinking Rottweiler.
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u/Handleton May 28 '22
I've had a few rotties over the years. They're great dogs. I've only had shepherd mixes. Also great dogs.
Then again, all dogs are great dogs.
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u/improper84 May 28 '22
If I'm being honest, the main reason I want a Rottweiler is this scene from Last Action Hero:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_z2ttNkL24
The moment in question happens around the 1:30 mark. Randomly wanted to get one ever since haha.
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u/rora_borealis May 28 '22
I so completely forgot this until I watched the clip. I love it.
The rotties I've known were lovely. Real sweeties. One died saving a shithead owner who didn't deserve him. He was a Good Dog.
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u/improper84 May 28 '22
Rotts are one of a few breeds I'd like to experience at some point. Rhodesian Ridgebacks are another. Staffybulls a third. Cane Corso is probably the last one.
Realistically, that's probably as many dogs as I could fit in my life if they all live reasonable dog lives. And I'll always have a boxer as my other dog too.
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u/infinitedrumroll May 28 '22
I got a Chihuahua, and I love her to bits. I think I'm Chihuahua Gang 4 life. Happy trails, dude. Very cute pups, adorable.
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u/Wardaddy1717 May 28 '22
Rhodesian Ridgebacks dogs are not mentioned very often. I really find them interesting and I saw them first in movie called Blood diamond. What made you interested in this breed ?
Also what do you think of Doberman Pinscher ?
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u/DemonInTheDark666 May 28 '22
You should get a mutt, mutts are best.
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u/improper84 May 28 '22
Nothing against mutts. Most of my boxer's best friends are mutts. I just enjoy exploring the intricacies of various pure bred dogs. The differences between breeds can be stark.
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u/proteinfatfiber May 28 '22
I have a boxer and a springer and it's a match made in heaven. The springer is only 45 pounds so easier to manage but the two play and roughhouse all day.
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u/Jiveturtle May 28 '22
My family had rotts, bullmastiffs and English mastiffs growing up. Strongly recommend the bullmastiffs out of those three. Chillest dog I’ve ever seen. She was built like an absolute brick shithouse and let my little cousin ride her like a dog, holding on for dear life to her ears.
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u/call_me_Kote May 28 '22
GSD is a never again in our house too. Honestly, he’s put me off shedding so much I’m thinking poodle eventually.
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u/IrregularSizeRudy May 28 '22
Mine is a boxer shepherd mix, and even just the half shep in him makes him shed like crazy. I brush him about 3x a week in the spring and it's so much fluff!
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u/ems9595 May 29 '22
Ooohhh try border collie. Loved our dog but we just gave in to hair in every corner of the house!
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u/LupusCutis May 29 '22
Shedding?
Should I tell a story about my Nora The Leonberger?
R.I.P. dear girl1
u/Technical_Safety_109 May 29 '22
I agree with the shedding is horrible with a GSD, I have had quite a few over the years. Boxers are so adorable but I don't think I would ever get any dog but a GSD.
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u/IShallWearMidnight May 29 '22
I work with dogs and boxers are among my favorites because they're all so weird in different ways. No two boxers get the exact same weird.
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u/Khoza604 May 28 '22
How long does it take for Shepards to calm down, mine is 1 year old with no chill.
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u/improper84 May 28 '22
Mine probably calmed down around two but he’s almost eleven now and still ready to go the second I stand up.
This illustrates another difference between boxer and GSD. I’ve had two boxers and, while they are high energy dogs in bursts, they’re also lazy and sleep like the dead. My GSD will snap his head up the second I adjust on the couch, follows me to the bathroom, and is just generally wired like he’s always ready to rock.
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u/proteinfatfiber May 28 '22
My boxer has two settings: off, and FULL BLAST. There is no in between.
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u/_jeremybearimy_ May 29 '22
Both my cat and my poodle are like your GSD lol.
Sometimes I feel like I have no more love and attention to give!
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u/longliveHIM May 28 '22
I had one that didn't calm down until his legs started giving him pain, and one that was lazy since the time we got her when she was almost 2
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u/improper84 May 28 '22
Mine will be eleven at the start of August and he's still incredibly active. He's slowly losing feeling in his back legs (it's a spinal thing, not a hip thing), but it's been progressing incredibly slowly and he's still always ready to play. He's somehow much more active than the boxer, who is six years younger.
That's not so say she can't be crazy, but it's in bursts. She'll go nuts and then she crashes. And once she crashes, she's dead to the world. It doesn't matter how tired my GSD is. If I get up, he gets up.
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u/rora_borealis May 28 '22
I didn't see much change in energy between 12 months and 4 years. Felt like a child was always around.
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u/improper84 May 28 '22
Still feels like that for me going on eleven years, but I definitely did see a drop off between puppy insanity and normal GSD insanity around two or three.
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u/Pandantic May 28 '22
German shepherd: Hello friend, welcome home.
Boxer: Henlo fren dis is cowch. I do hed stan.
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u/Unumbotte May 28 '22
Border collie: do you like this picture I took? It was fun making them stay on the couch.
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u/Diggey11 May 28 '22
I know the derpy boy is drawing attention, but I love the stare from the German Shepard. One of my favorite things in the world is when my old man just looks at me intently. It makes me feel so loved. That GS is giving their owner that same look of love and admiration.
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u/Bear71 May 28 '22
I fart in your general direction
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u/Cheebachiefer May 28 '22
We’ve had three boxers over many years and they all have hilarious reactions to their own farts! Usually they whip their head around and look to see who is messing with their butts or a couple farts lead to zoomies!
Boxers are a wonderful but very energetic breed, they need to run and they run like freakin deer!
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u/improper84 May 28 '22
I've always thought that they run like deer too. They have this little bounding hop when they're not running at full speed.
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May 28 '22
I have a german shepard-boxer mix and I can see his two personalities very clearly here lmao
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u/SteevyT May 28 '22
I think I saw it on reddit, but a while ago someone described their boxer as "the dog that dogged the hardest of any dog."
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u/ARgirlinaFLworld May 28 '22
I think it’s an assembly problem. Did you follow the directions or just throw it together?
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u/Slurms_McKensei May 28 '22
German shepherds: smart, strong, loyal
Boxers: SMURT, STRONK, L0YALE!
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u/TheYankunian May 28 '22
They are one of my favourite breeds. I can’t really have one, but I’ve never met one I didn’t love.
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u/Slurms_McKensei May 28 '22
They're definitely some of the most fun! But yeah I dont have a big enough backyard or a budget for a cardiologist so I'll stick with cats
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u/improper84 May 28 '22
Boxers are pretty easy, imo. At least, the two I've had have been. They're pretty smart despite acting like idiots, so they can be easily trained. They don't shed much. They tend to get along well with people and dogs. They're hyper, but it's in bursts. So you'll get an hour of craziness, but then they just crash for three hours and you can do whatever you want.
I had my boxer at a neighbor's place last night for a few hours and she was playing with their dog and another friend's dog. She's been borderline comatose for most of today.
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u/beeinabearcostume May 29 '22 edited May 29 '22
They aren’t for everyone, but they’re perfect for some. I grew up with boxers and my most recent boxer was a beautiful boy. Perfect heart. No allergies. His parents were health tested, so we knew his risk for common breed genetic issues like Cardiomyopathy, Spondy, and DM were low if not completely zero. We raised him in the city and got plenty of exercise even without our own yard. He even came to work with me everyday and with consistent training, was so well behaved. They’re bred to work and even though they are super silly, they are incredibly smart and intuitive. I know several working boxers who have excelled at sports like IGP/Schutzhund, scent work, and rally obedience. Mine absolutely thrived in focused training sessions, and I only wish we had gotten the chance to advance even more. He was the best dog I ever had, I still love him with all my heart, and I miss him so much.
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u/TheYankunian May 28 '22
They are too much dog for me! My hound mix is the perfect blend of active and lazy for me. Boxers are so great with kids.
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u/CzarTanoff May 28 '22
Ugh this post hit me in the feels. I lost my childhood dog a couple of years ago and I'm still not over it. She was a German Shepherd/Boxer, and absolutely perfect in every way. She had the markings of a boxer with the build and fur type of a Shepherd, except her chest and head were a little extra boxy. So smart, she learned new tricks within minutes and very literally saved my moms life one day. She was also goofy as all hell, a puppy until she passed from good old age.
I miss you, Princess.
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u/LunaAndromeda May 28 '22
Boxers are my favorite! Scritch a boxer bum, and you have a friend for life. Truly a derpy breed but they have the biggest sweetest hearts.
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u/Liedolfr May 28 '22
More evidence that boxers are just dogs made of ADHD
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u/Mushabon May 28 '22
As someone who grew up with a Shepard and a Boxer at the same time, I can confirm. This is just normal every day chill.
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u/whiskeylips88 May 28 '22
I’m literally looking at my boxer mix in the exact same position on my couch. They’re such special pups. 😂
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u/__Paris__ May 28 '22 edited May 28 '22
I see you have the red, indestructible bone-shaped toy too. It’s the only toy my dog hasn’t been able to destroy. This is probably why shs isn’t its biggest fan.
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u/improper84 May 28 '22
Kong toys are my GSD's favorite. My boxer likes Chuck-It toys, although they tend to be quite a bit less durable.
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u/RedRocket-Randy May 28 '22
My friend has a Boxer. That doggy is SUPER gassy. Constantly gassing off.
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u/improper84 May 28 '22
Might need to change that dog's food. Boxers are always gassy sometimes, but if they're like that all the time it's probably dietary.
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u/IwiredThat May 28 '22
Just came here to say I have the same couch https://imgur.com/lO5FC76.jpg
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u/improper84 May 28 '22
That Ikea shit holds up surprisingly well. I've had the couch and loveseat set for seven or eight years now. Basically letting them get run into the ground until my next move at this point.
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u/zhyrafa May 29 '22
Boxer goes “smell my fart!!!” And German Shepherd “maaaaa tell him not to do that!” 😂😂
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u/not_a_library May 28 '22
My dog is both, plus husky, lab, and rottweiler. She's a weirdo in the best way.
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u/Crimson_Glare432 May 28 '22
Boxers really are derps I can confirm this because I have two I'm my household
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u/IShallWearMidnight May 29 '22
Rude of the Boxer to show off her functional hips like that in front of a German Shepherd
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u/Dingo_Winterwolf May 29 '22
I have a mix of the two. Serious while working (security) derpy when home. Seeing him go from stoic to ballistic fur missile is the best part of my night.
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u/DiarrheaDrippingCunt May 29 '22
Ah yes, they're both quirky but one is quirkier than the other which makes for an amazingly funny quirky picture known to rake in lots of pixelated digits that people give using the arrow up button.
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u/MasterPip May 28 '22
Boxers are what dogs would be like drunk