Getting a backyard, and considering a Boxer

 have you owned them before?

my thoughts, and not really to discourage anyone, is that if you're concerned about health and not being able to pay for a potential health disaster then you may want to skip this breed and get something else with a lower risk. maybe a boxer mix that has been checked top to bottom.. it wont be a COMPLETE safety net... but the odds are better.

IMHO

i've always wanted a boxer too, and still wouldnt mind having one. but i'm afraid i have become too much of an American Bulldog fan.. boxerlike but more hardcore... 

Yeah, I'm with Dum.  That's one breed that has a lot of common health problems, unfortunately.  What is it about them that you like?  Maybe there are other breeds to consider... 

I guess really what I was asking is what are the health problems. If they dont occur until the dog is 6 or 7, then it would be fine. My fiance is going into a feild where i'm blessed to say money wont be an issue. So after his three years of school we would be ok, to support as money dogs as we want.

Not a boxer owner, but I know cancer is one thing they're quite prone to. There's no set age for that..I'm a vet tech and have seen a year and a half old dog come in with a cancerous tumor. Probably not the most common age, but it does happen.

 heres a site with a list of ailments

http://www.gopetsamerica.com/boxer/boxer-health-problems.aspx 

honestly my opinion is the risk of these happening are going to be elevated because they're rescued. the majority are probably poorly bred and poorly cared for. but there stands a chance to avoid SOME of those problems by keeping them on a non-commercial diet..yes raw. dunno if you feed it or not, but worth a thought if you dont. especially considering how a lot of the chemicals in dog food cause cancers and poor nutrition absorption.

I would seriously look for a pure German bloodline. like shepherds, many of the German breeders still work their dogs and are stricter with breeding. they are little more stout - the ones i've seen - but good looking dogs  

I have had boxers all my life... Have one now, 11 years old. It's really a great family dog, can be trained as a watchdog also, lots of energy and stamina, they are not at all aggressive as some people think, great with children... I'd always go for a boxer, for me they are perfect.

The problem with them is that they are very sensitive, can have problems with their skin, heart, spine, maybe the worse is with their gums... My dog has that, the meat is growing over his teeth and we're at the vet's almost every week...

Epilepsy is also a big problem with this breed, and a relative short lifetime, from 8-10 years, but I know one that died at the age of 7 because of a heart attack. We were on a field where we take our dogs to play, he was running one moment and the next he was lying dead... He never showed any signs..
 

thank you all for your advice

I have an almost 10 year old boxer. While Chyna is a great dog, & I absolutely adore her, I will likely never own another boxer.

When she was 3 years old, I found a small lump over her rib cage. I took her to the vet, & she was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor. It was surgically removed, & histopathologists graded it a Grade 1 mast cell tumor. It was deemed “completely excised” so no other treatment was recommended.

A year later, at 4 years old, she had 3 lumps pop up on her back. These lumps literally popped up overnight. Another trip to the vet confirmed more mast cell tumors. Surgery was again done to remove them. This time histopathologists graded them Grade 2 mast cell tumor. This time they thought that all of the tumors were adequately removed but they were not certain of it. They recommended chemotherapy. She went through chemo just she goes through life…at full speed!

Chyna was “cancer free” until she was 7. Then she had an anal tumor removed, that was diagnosed as hemangiosarcoma. It was deemed “completely excised” but since this form of cancer tends to spread to the lungs, spleen, or heart, it was recommended that she undergo a chest x-ray, abdominal ultrasound, & an echocardiogram. Thankfully, all of these tests came back normal.

About 6 months after the hemangiosarcoma scare, she had a small histiocytoma removed from her tip of her ear. I was so excited that this was a benign tumor, that I suddenly didn’t care that she had a notch taken out of her ear in order to remove it.

So far she has not had any more tumors arise. We do bi-weekly “tumor checks” so that if there is something coming up, we’ll catch it early. We visit her oncologist yearly, & bloods are drawn at least twice a year, even if she is doing well.

After all of Chyna’s cancer dealings, I doubt that I will own another boxer. I have easily spent over $10,000 just in cancer treatments. With that being said, she is such a sweet girl, that if I needed to do it again tomorrow I would.

 Boxers do well with backyards, but they do need to live indoors. Here's a sight with the breakdown on what kind of health problems your boxer would be at risk of:  http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/boxer-profile/health#health

Keep in mind that if you have a dog already, some dogs are not fond of the Boxer play style.  They seem to do best with other bully types and Labs, but if you have a dog that is not into heavy physical play, you should pass.  I have found that most dogs think they are obnoxious LOL.  But, having said that, they can be a great family dog.  If you are young and planning on kids, Boxers usually do very well with older kids, but may be too boisterous for the toddler set - of course, if you are getting a two year old dog, you would certainly be aware of those tendencies from the get go. They do have many possible health issues (although I know where you can find a really good breeder if you want a puppy).  Money may not be an issue later, but if it is now, again, I'd say pass, especially if you are adopting an older dog whose background and lines are unknown - these dogs don't have minor issues, they have major ones (heart, cancer, etc.)
 

 This is just my opinion and observation: Tootsie, my corgi, cannot stand the way a boxer plays.

Boxers are wonderful dogs.  If you are that concerned about health issues than I wouldn't suggest getting any pure bred dog.  If you do your research on just about any breed you will find that all are susceptible to some type of hereditary problems.  But good breeders go to great lengths to only breed healthy animals together.  For whatever reason, mixed breeds don't seem to have as many of the problems although there is certainly no guarantee that they won't.  Some have spoken about cancer and Boxers but that is a disease that can't be screened for and can affect any animal at any time.  Keep researching Boxer rescues.  Rescue groups are wonderful people who are knowledable about the breed and can help find you the wiggle butt that will love you forever! 

tiffy

 This is just my opinion and observation: Tootsie, my corgi, cannot stand the way a boxer plays.

I'd have to agree. Indy LOATHES boxers and so have nearly all of the other corgis I've worked with over the years. Corgis and boxers just don't seem to do well together.