If you ever wondered what you could expect from a golden retriever boxer mix, the answer is dynamite!
The golden boxer is a dog who is full of energy, incredibly loyal, eager to please, rather large, and often boisterous.
The golden boxer doesn’t have a ‘standard’ appearance, especially in the first generation of breeding, as there are so many genetic variables vying to be physically expressed.
In the same litter, you can have a pale golden puppy with wavy hair and a brindle puppy with short hair.
While the golden boxer’s physical appearance is not always easy to predict, their personality and temperament are fairly predictable as the boxer and golden retriever are somewhat similar in those respects.
Read on to find out if the golden boxer is the dog for you…
Parentage Of The Golden Boxer
As mentioned, predicting the physical characteristics of your golden boxer can be difficult as the parents are two very different-looking dogs.
However, learning about the parent breeds is still very helpful because it provides you with an idea of how your golden boxer will behave.
The Golden Retriever
The golden retriever, as we know it today, originated in Scotland in the mid to late 1800s and early 1900s. There were many retrievers in the UK at the time.
However, the golden retriever was bred to have a soft mouth so they didn’t damage prey when retrieving it.
Their jobs were to chase down the birds, hares, or rabbits their human companion had shot down and retrieve it (bring it back).
In addition to their soft mouth, the golden retriever was bred to have a double coat to keep them warm and long legs to help them climb over and through dense brush.
The area in which they had to do the retrieving was often marshy, so the dogs were bred to be excellent swimmers as well.
For a more detailed look at how the golden retriever came to be, check out our dedicated article on their history.
Golden retrievers are dedicated dogs who are highly loyal and easily trainable, which makes them excellent service animals.
This means they are reliable dogs if trained and socialized appropriately.
It is important to remember the golden retriever is a very high energy dog, which requires a lot of mental and physical stimulation.
They definitely pass this trait on to their offspring.
The Boxer
The boxer is descended from an ancient lineage of dogs that traces its heritage back to the Assyrian empire in 2,500 BCE. The boxer, as we know it today, was bred in the late 1800s in Germany.
The breeders took the formidable Bullenbeisser and bred it with smaller mastiff dogs to create the boxer.
The Bullenbeisser was a hunting dog used to tackle large animals such as bears, wild boar, and bison.
The Bullenbiesser’s stature gave the boxer its large head, strong shoulders, and fearless nature.
Breeding with the smaller mastiffs gave the boxer a slimmer build and more temperate nature.
This temperament and build has allowed the boxer to do many jobs over its lifetime such as war dog, police dog, guide dog, protection dog, and athlete.
The boxer gets its name from the way the dog plays or defends itself. The boxer goes up on its hind legs and ‘spars’ or ‘boxes’ with its front paws like a prize fighter.
The Golden Boxer
The golden boxer is not a mix you would expect, however they are the best of both of their parents.
The golden boxer is a large dog measuring at 22 to 25 inches in height and weighing 60 to 75 pounds on average.
There is no guarantee of how your golden boxer will look, especially if it is a first or second generation puppy, because the two parent breeds are so different.
Your golden boxer can be a variety of colors, from black or brown to fawn or gold and have a short or long coat.
Whereas their appearance may differ significantly, their temperament is pretty predictable.
The golden boxer loves being part of the family, they are intelligent and protective, and they are always full of energy.
Let’s take a closer look at who the golden boxer is and whether they are the dog for you and your home.
What Is The Golden Boxer Like?
As mentioned above, the golden boxer’s temperament is more predictable than their looks.
The golden retriever and boxer have fairly similar personalities even though they come in vastly different packages; this means the golden boxer will have a similar personality.
Personality
If I had to pick four words to sum up the golden boxer’s personality perfectly, they would be: love, fun, family, and protection. Let’s delve into why those descriptions fit the golden boxer.
Love
The golden boxer is a sensitive dog who thrives on affection and attention. They need to be loved on and cuddled every day to avoid feelings of abandonment.
Even though they are large dogs, they cannot be locked out of the house and left in a yard their entire lives.
Fun
The golden boxer has a boisterous nature and loves to bounce around playing games. It is essential their energy is directed into fun and games where you actively play with them.
If their energy is not positively directed, they can become very destructive and neurotic.
Family
The golden boxer loves being around family (furry or non-furry), especially if the golden retriever side of their heritage is particularly strong.
Golden boxers are an excellent choice if you have children, particularly children who can run around and play with them.
Golden boxers will happily engage with other pets too!
Make sure they are properly socialized and trained from the time they are a puppy in order to restrain their strength around smaller pets such as cats.
Protection
Owing to the nature of the golden retriever and the boxer, the golden boxer is very protective of who they feel is its family.
Both parent dogs are used as working dogs and guide dogs, which means they have a fierce sense of loyalty.
The golden boxer shares this loyalty for family and will guard your home and family fiercely against perceived intruders.
This means training is essential to ensure your golden boxer is able to tell friend from foe and doesn’t accidentally protect you from the delivery man dropping off an order.
Trainability
The level of trainability of golden boxers is good to moderate depending on a number of variables.
The golden retriever is a dog who is easily trained, while the boxer can be a bit more stubborn and resist training.
Therefore, if your golden boxer expresses more of the ‘boxer’ than it does the ‘golden’ part of its parentage, you may have a harder time training them.
However, if you are committed and consistent with their training and socialization, then training your golden boxer, no matter how stubborn they are, is possible.
If you neglect their training, they can become a ‘problem’ as they are large dogs with a lot of energy.
An untrained pug is much easier to pick up and put in a separate room than an untrained golden boxer.
Large, untrained dogs with protective natures like the golden boxer can also pose a risk to strangers in the home as your dog will become overwhelmed.
And if they are undisciplined, then they do not have the safety net of training to prevent snapping at an unwanted hand.
Health Concerns
Mixed breeds enjoy better health than either of their parent breeds because they have more genetic diversity and any breed-specific issues are diluted by having been bred with another type of dog.
This means the golden boxer should enjoy better overall health than either the golden retriever or the boxer.
However there are some health issues that you should be aware of that are common to a golden retriever boxer mix:
- Hypothyroidism
- Hip and elbow dysplasia
- Bloat
- Cancer: hemangiosarcoma
Yearly vet visits are essential to maintaining your golden boxer’s health and detecting any problems early on to provide effective treatment.
Is The Golden Boxer The Right Dog For You?
The golden boxer seems like the ideal companion: loyal, loving, healthy, and the perfect cuddler.
However, they have some requirements that you will need to meet as their owner to prevent them from becoming a ‘problem’ dog.
Can I Keep Up With Their Exercise Needs?
Golden boxers are full of energy. They need a minimum of two hours of exercise a day.
This is a lot to expect from any owner so you need to make sure you are ready to commit a large amount of your energy to your dog.
The two hours of exercise is best split up into smaller sessions throughout the day.
The golden boxer’s exercise needs are both physical and mental.
They are large dogs and need to be physically exercised regularly to maintain their muscles and healthy joints.
Daily walks, hikes, or runs that are at least half an hour long are ideal.
They can be physically exercised by playing games like fetch, chase, or working through an obstacle course.
Going to a dog park is also an excellent idea, provided your golden boxer is trained and has a strong recall command.
Mental exercise is essential. Golden boxers are intelligent dogs and become bored fairly easily.
Using puzzles and games to tire them out mentally is an excellent way to enhance their exercise needs.
Slow feeders, lick mats, snuffle blankets, puzzle toys, and daily training are all excellent ideas to give them adequate mental exercise.
Do I Have The Time And Patience To Train Them?
As said previously, golden boxers can be stubborn if their boxer heritage is particularly strong.
This means it will take you longer than average to train your golden boxer properly. You will need to devote time every day to training.
Using a puppy training service is advisable with golden boxers; however, the hard work is done at home as you will need to carry through their training and be consistent to see positive results.
FAQs About The Golden Retriever Boxer Mix
Do golden boxers chew things as much as boxers do?
Boxers are notorious for chewing and destroying things in the home, from toys to furniture to shoes, so it’s reasonable to wonder if golden boxers do the same.
It is not a 100% guarantee that your golden boxer will or will not have the same tendency as the boxer parent.
However, with proper training, exercise, and discipline, you can reduce the amount of destruction your golden boxer is able to do.
Here is a break down of all the dog breeds that add their genes into the Golden Retriever Boxer Mix:
| Parent Breed | Hybrid Dog | Parent Breed | |
| Characteristics | Golden Retriever | Golden Boxer | Boxer |
| Height | 21 to 24 inches | 22 to 25 inches | 21 to 25 inches |
| Weight | 55 to 65 pounds | 60 to 75 pounds | 55 to 80 pounds |
| Lifespan | 10 to 12 years | 10 to 12 years | 10 to 12 years |
| Coat color | Golden, dark golden, light golden | Black, brown, fawn, golden | Brindle or fawn with white markings and/or a black mask |
| Trainable | Very | Depends on the dog and trainer | Moderate |
| Good with children | Very | Very | Very |
| High energy | Very | Very | Very |
| High prey drive | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Good with other dogs | Very | Good to moderate | Moderate |
Wagging Away On The Golden Retriever Boxer Mix
The golden retriever boxer mix is an odd one to consider; however, in practice it results in a loving, energetic, loyal dog who will see you as their entire world.
The golden boxer is an excellent candidate for a home with children and a large yard but not ideal for apartment or condo living.
The golden boxer needs a lot of exercise every day and needs an owner who can commit to spending time with them.
If you train, exercise, and care for your golden boxer consistently and with kindness. you will have a dog who loves you and stand by your side for its entire life.
Do you have a Golden Retriever Boxer mix or do you want to get one?
Tell us about your experiences in the comment section below.
