Becoming a Boxer Dog Momma

I've been begging for a dog probably from the time I could speak, so my dad and I made a

deal: get into vet school and I'll get you a dog. After two years of a lot of hard work and anxiety, I received that acceptance email from Michigan State. Most people call their family, but not me! I logged onto AKC and started looking for my soon to be fur baby. Once I had her picked out, I called my parents to tell them about my acceptance and sent them the link to Kikas. To no one's surprise, the breed I chose was a boxer.

My family has owned boxers for the past 24 years. My sisters each have their own, so you can definitely say we are boxer enthusiasts! Boxers are loyal, fun, snuggly, energetic and BIG lovers. They have dominant quirks, but that makes them more fun right? Well.. let me tell you about my experience becoming a dog momma for the first time and of a boxer.

My boyfriend and I left Kalamazoo, MI at about 3:30 am on April 18th and drove down to Nashville, TN to meet the breeder. That 8-9 hour drive felt pretty quick, and our meeting with the breeder was short and sweet. The drive back to Kalamazoo also went pretty well given the 2-month old puppy slept the whole way (except for potty breaks). The first two days with her also seemed too good to be true.... but then.... the gremlin appeared.

How do I even begin to describe her inner gremlin? She would bite/chew on anything and everything. Cords/cables? Yup. Tables? Absolutely. Hair, ears, and toes? That's what they are there for according to her. She even chewed through my carpet and made an enormous hole! Mind you, my entire apt floor is carpet. Have I gotten any sleep? What is sleep?

She also redesigns eyewear if anyone is interested. We were napping together, and she woke up a little earlier than I did. She took it upon herself to pick up my seeing glasses that I had lied on the floor next to us and add tasteful bite marks/lines on the right leg and glass lenses. I guess it's a good thing I'm going to vet school in the fall... Her gremlin side is also a diva. She would not pee in the rain or on wet grass. So guess who had a lot of accidents when it would rain? My girl! Guess who would have to constantly clean up after her? Me! She also believed she was the next Picasso when we tried leaving her in her crate by herself for the first time. She flung poop everywhere! It was on the walls... the carpet... the crate... her bed in the crate... everywhere.

When Dan and I tried asserting dominance over her, things got worse. She would snap at us, growl, and wag her tail. Us channeling our inner dominant dog seemed to be a pretty fun game for her. This lead me to contact my life saver: Alexandra Ross. She's an effective, well-priced dog trainer that works with positive reinforcement. She's trained multiple aggressive adult dogs as well as regular puppies and has made quite the difference in all of our lives. After 2 sessions and 3 weeks of repetition, Kikas is now potty trained, comes on command, stays, sits, gives her full attention to you when her name is called, leaves things on command, goes to her bed when asked, goes to her kennel when asked and just to nap, and has no issues being left in the crate or house by herself. Alex is basically the dog and gremlin whisperer.

Unfortunately, we are still working on her tantrums. Most dogs whine or chew on things they're not supposed to. Kikas, on the other hand, pees. It's her ammo. The other day I was in my bedroom trying to nap when Kikas ran over to see if I was up yet. Dan asked her if she had to go the bathroom, and she just stared at him. Normally, she'll run to the door when we ask her or she will let us know later on. I hear her trot out of my room a minute later, and I began to smell a scent I knew all too well. I opened my eyes. Kikas left me a beautiful gift to clean up right next to my bed: pee. My little gremlin got upset that I hadn't gotten up or offered to go with her and Dan outside... Most people would think this is crazy but ask any boxer owner! They're vindictive!

Puppies are hard, but they are so worth it! While I mentioned all of my struggles this past month above - and there are many more lol - Kikas has also become the best part of my life. She's my baby girl and my new best friend. My favorite part of the day has become her coming into my room to say good morning after I've let her out, taken her outside, and fed her. I'll normally lie back down while she eats. When she's done, she sits by my bed and wiggles her whole body waiting for me to acknowledge her. I then get attacked by kisses. Her snuggles while she naps throughout the day make me the happiest momma in the world. The best feeling ever is when she performs a command and gets excited from doing it correctly. Plus, look at this face? It makes her gremlin side pretty easy to forgive.

If you're in the Michigan area and need a dog trainer - whether you have a new pup or an older one - DM me on instagram or message me/comment on my Facebook page (found below)! Alex works wonders and explains everything she does and your dog's behavior! If you're looking for a beautiful boxer pup, don't hesitate to contact me! I'll send over the breeder info!

Instagram & Facebook page: jessicasuarezdvm