Considering getting a second boxer

Question
Hi Jannie,

We currently have a 4 year old female boxer.  She is extremely friendly with other people (young or old), dogs, cats, etc.  I have never seen her act aggressively, even when she was almost attacked by another dog (we were able to get the other dog away before she got hurt, thankfully).  Anyway, we have been considering introducing a new puppy to our family, another boxer.  I would prefer to have a another female, as they tend to be smaller.  We are actually scheduled to go visit some puppies in the next few days and we asked to bring our dog with us to see how she interacts with the pups. During the day when we are at work, our girl is in a large room by herself, does not have access to the rest of the house.  We were considering crating the pup (if we get one) in the same room, good or bad idea??

Is there any advice that you can offer?  male vs female?

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to your reply.

Answer
If you decide to get a Boxer puppy, a male is the best choice. Two females are not as compatible as a female with a male.

But, I digress. I do not recommend anyone taking on the responsibility of a puppy when they work and have to "crate" a puppy.

Why? Because puppies are not able to be "confined" and they cannot hold there need to pee and poop as an adult.

Puppies need to (and have to) pee every couple of hours. They are not able to hold it more than that. Period.

If you crate a puppy for an 8 hour work day (or more than a couple of hours), he or she will pee and poop in the crate out of necessary bodily instinct.

Also, someone needs to be home 24/7 to train the puppy and begin potty training which requires a strict routine of taking him or her outside every hour or two, schedule proper feeding times (4 times a day with a puppy) teach the puppy proper behavior and supervise the puppy with the 4 year old at all times, correcting either's behavior to one another. The puppy needs to be socialized and taught not to bark at visitors, other dogs, etc. etc.

This is just as you would raise a baby/child. You cannot leave a young baby/child alone and must change diapers and feed the baby every few hours, and socialize and teach.

Think twice before getting a puppy with a working family. It is not fair to the puppy to be crated and ignored for that length of time in a working household.

If you didn't work and stayed home all day, it would be great to get a male puppy- but, you work, therefore, you are incapable of providing what a puppy must have.

I recommend not getting a puppy.