Frequently Asked Questions

All puppies come with a one-year health guarantee against Hip Dysplasia, Degenerative Myelopathy, Subaortic Stenosis, and Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy. Despite responsible breeding, sometimes a puppy from health tested parents has a genetic disease. Unfortunately, health testing is not a guarantee against these issues. If your puppy develops any illness associated with one of the covered genetic abnormalities within the first year after purchase, you will qualify for a replacement puppy. You must provide us with all applicable medical records from a licensed veterinarian within 48 hours of the diagnoses. We will select the replacement puppy from a future litter at our discretion. It will be the same quality of puppy (working, show, or pet) as the puppy you purchased. We do not require you to give your original puppy back to us. However, if you give your puppy away or euthanize your puppy before discussing the diagnosis with us, your health guarantee is void.

Boxers are a working breed that are sometimes silly, but always courageous. They are outgoing, intelligent, energetic, and athletic. Their patience and protective nature have earned them a reputation as a great dog with children. Boxers enjoy being an active member of the family and do best when they have a job such as a running buddy, hiking partner, or dog sport teammate. After a hard day of work, the Boxer is ready to curl up on the couch and relax. If this reflects you/your family's active lifestyle, then a Bastion Boxer might be a great addition.

We strive to produce long-lived, intelligent, and versatile Boxers that are confident, outgoing, energetic, athletic and able to acclimate to new surroundings with minimal stress. Our puppies typically vary from medium to high drive.

Our dogs typically live into their double-digit years, 11-13 years. Longevity depends on genetics and environment. Responsible breeding, a balanced raw diet, and daily exercise and mental stimulation has given our dogs longer, fuller, healthier lives.

Our breeding decisions are based on quality, not nationality. Just as culture varies from place to place, each country tends to favor a certain look in their Boxers. There is only one Boxer breed but five different breed standards guiding breeders in various parts of the world. In general, American Boxers are slender, fine boned and delicate in appearance. Their European counterparts are larger, stockier and have more substantial bone density and muscle development. There are also differences in temperament due to the purpose for which the dogs are being bred. In Germany, Boxers evolved as working dogs originally bred by hunters who trained them to pursue and hold down large prey. The demands of this job made function a priority and appearance a secondary consideration in breeding decisions. In the US, Boxers evolved mostly as companion and show dogs. Therefore, performance in the show ring has taken precedence and appearance has been the primary driver of breeding decisions. Some breeders believe that this has seen form override function in American Boxers and has resulted in dogs that look sleek and elegant, but that lack the power and muscle cultivated in European Boxers. Although it is a controversial topic, there is data that suggests health problems are more common in American lines of Boxers. Certainly, many factors other than genes influence the health and lifespan of a Boxer not the least of which is diet and exercise. Temperament, intelligence, and trainability are qualities of Boxers that are prioritized by responsible breeders everywhere. However, many believe that the differences between American and European bloodlines extend beyond physical traits to mental ones. Many breeders say that European Boxers tend to be calmer, more focused, and easier to train. American Boxers, they say, are equally as smart but tend to be less focused, less driven, and more easily distracted. However, given similar genetic markers between European and American Boxers, we believe this is more likely a result of environment and training. Top quality Boxers, regardless of country of origin, are much more similar than they are different. The lineage of our dogs is diverse. We combine bloodlines from different countries that mostly originate from outside of the US. We breed to the FCI or “European” Standard. However, we still occasionally incorporate American bloodlines into our breeding program when necessary to achieve a specific outcome.

Yes! Bastion Boxers is a white Boxer friendly breeder. Tragically, many Boxer breeders euthanize white puppies at birth simply because they were born with a coat color that does not conform to a Boxer Breed Standard for conformation showing. There are currently 5 different Boxer Breed Standards around the world. Unfortunately, all 5 Standards state that white markings are allowed on Boxers but must not exceed 1/3 of their entire coat color. Thus, any Boxer with a coat that is more than 1/3 white is banned from the show ring and considered unsuitable to breed. Approximately 25% of Boxers are born white. This means that current Breed Standards eliminate 25% of the Boxer population from breeding based solely on coat color. Scientifically, we know that aside from a slightly increased chance of deafness, white Boxers have the same potential for structure, health, and temperament as their fawn and brindle littermates. The continued treatment of white Boxers as second-class citizens is not only scientifically invalid, it is also detrimental to the breed in that it eliminates a significant percentage of potentially genetically healthy dogs for no reason other than appearance. The reality is that white Boxers get their health genes from the same place as their fawn and brindle littermates. If a breeding produces extremely unhealthy white puppies, it is likely to produce extremely unhealthy fawn and brindle puppies, too.

We maintain a contact list of all inquiries. When a breeding takes place from a planned litter, we will contact everyone on the list and notify them that a litter is expected to arrive in a couple of months. Those that are still interested in a puppy can let us know and we will keep them updated with the pregnancy and birth. They will be notified of the sex, color and count when the pups are born. At 4-6 weeks of age, we will notify new owners of availability and evaluation results. The pups are ready to go home at 8 weeks of age.

The purchase price of our puppies starts at $3000. Bargaining over a puppy is not tolerated in our kennel! The purchase price of a puppy is only a fraction of the cost that responsible dog ownership entails. Those who are unable or unwilling to afford a quality puppy typically will not be willing or able to afford quality care.

Typically, we will take $500 deposits to secure puppies once a pregnancy is confirmed by ultrasound about 4 weeks after a breeding. We have a better idea of the size of the upcoming litter at that time.

We evaluate puppies when they are 4-6 weeks old. At that time, we will decide which puppies will be available for working or show homes, and which will be available for pet homes. The temperament and structure of each puppy helps us determine which type of home would be the best fit. For example, a boisterous and bold Boxer would be a good fit in an active home that plans daily activities with their Boxer. A home that is quiet and serene may be a better fit for a Boxer that is not quite as lively. If we have more than one puppy that may suit your home, you typically can pick from them. However, we reserve the right to make the final decision based on what is best for each puppy. While we understand people often have preferences of color or gender, we do NOT match puppies to families based on this. If you will only accept a puppy of certain color/markings or gender, it may take much longer before a puppy is matched with you.

Your Puppy Package consists of: · A healthy and happy Boxer puppy · American Kennel Club (AKC) Registration · Vaccination record

Our puppies are dewormed at 2,4,6 and 8 weeks of age and receive one series of DHPP vaccines before leaving our home at 8 weeks of age. Where you live will determine if your puppy will need additional coverage from pests and disease. You will need to discuss this with your vet. Juvenile dogs typically need routine vaccines until 16 weeks of age, one rabies vaccine at 1 year of age, and monthly heartworm medication.

We require a spay/neuter contract for all puppies going to pet homes. We do not allow our pet quality puppies to be bred.

Yes. Sometimes we have an exceptional puppy that we would like to keep in our breeding program, but we do not have the dog space. In this scenario, we will place the puppy in an approved pet home at a reduced purchase price under a co-ownership agreement. This means the new family will leave the dog intact for future contributions to our breeding program. This is not for everyone. However, if you are interested in an exceptional Boxer that would otherwise be unavailable to a pet home, this may be an option for you.

At Bastion Boxers, we raise all our puppies using the Puppy Culture Method. Puppy Culture is the result of decades of animal behavior research and the science of promoting healthy physical and behavioral responses in dogs, while deterring problem behaviors from a very young age. Puppy Culture begins on day 3 of the puppy’s life. This first stage is centered around early neurological stimulation and involves performing a series of 5 exercises with each puppy daily for 2 weeks. These exercises have a lifelong impact on the strength of the puppy’s heart, as well as its neurological responses to changing physical stimuli, such as body position, tactile stimulation, and temperature changes. After early neurological stimulation is complete, socialization and behavioral training begins. This is the stage that puppies begin to discover each other, their environment, and get a sense of self. Over weeks 3 through 8, Puppy Culture protocols all work toward building 7 principles into each puppy while they are a blank slate: Communication - dog and human language Emotional Stability - coping with fear, stress, and frustration Habituation - familiarity with the maximum number of things Enrichment - novelty and challenges are good rather than things to fear or avoid Health - developing neurologically sound ways Skills - learned behaviors which allow them to function in human society Love - the desire to seek out relationships with dogs and humans as emotionally positive experiences These principles are accomplished by using intentional, hands-on methods. Each day, new and different toys, objects, and obstacles are introduced into their environment. This actually builds brain mass and problem-solving skills. It may be a pot placed under a tunnel to explore and go through or crinkled-up packing paper to walk across and discover it won’t hurt them even though it makes funny noises. During this time, we also introduce them to many noises they will encounter in life such as thunderstorms, the vacuum cleaner, honking horns, etc., This conditions them to these noises and decreases their fear of new and strange noises. Early potty training starts at week 3 as we establish a specific place for them to relieve themselves, which strengthens their desire to keep a clean “den” and makes house training much easier later. They also are introduced to spending short periods of time in a crate, which makes crate training a smoother process in their new homes. In addition, we create opportunities for them to meet and interact with other children and adults, which decreases the risk of developing stranger anxiety. Puppy Culture creates a happy-go-lucky dog with a zest for life, people, and new experiences, rather than a nervous, fearful dog that is likely to develop problem behaviors. It is a labor of love and is well worth the time and effort. We’re proud of the results Puppy Culture produces and the immense value it adds to the health, longevity, and happiness of our puppies.