Lab Boxer Mix [Appearance, Temperament, & More!]

The Boxer Lab mix, also known as the Boxador, is a very large cross breed between a purebred Boxer and a purebred Labrador Retriever.

The Boxador is recognized as a designer mixed dog breed (and not as a purebred) by the American Canine Hybrid Club (ACHC), the Designer Dogs Kennel Club (DDKC), the Dog Registry of America (DRA) and the International Designer Canine Registry (IDCR).

At first, a Labrador Boxer Mix might look intimidating to many people given its gigantic size.

However, with this breed, you’ll be getting the same exact love, care and affection that both its parents, the Boxer [1] and the Labrador Retreiver, are notorious for showering their owners and family members with.

Appearance

Size, Height & Weight: The Boxador usually gets its large size from its Labrador parent, weighing somewhere between a very heavy 50-110 pounds (with males tending to be on the higher end of the scale and females tending to be on the lower end) and standing somewhere between 23-25 inches tall.

Now that’s one gigantic canine!

Coat: Their coat can usually be found in the colors of black, brindle, brown, tan and white.

Many Boxer Labs can have a mix between any of the two colors, such as black & white, black & tan and brown & white.

Their coat is usually like that of its Boxer parent, short, sleek and very shiny.

Temperament & Character

To be able to best determine the temperament and character that Boxador puppies are most likely to have, it’s best that you research those of its parents, the Boxer and the Labrador Retriever, as they are very likely to get a random mix of both worlds.

Socialization: This breed loves other animals, love to be around them and love to play with them. So, if you’ve already got a pet at home, the Lab Boxer can make a new best friend fairly quickly!

With that being said, they do sometimes like to chase other animals [2].

However, you can fairly easily teach it that this behavior is wrong, and it will listen to what you have to say about this.

While Boxers can sometimes be on the rougher side and not as affectionate, the Boxador gets this character from its Labrador parent.

As for its owner or other family members, this canine loves to be around them and can easily develop separation anxiety if left alone for too long at once.

While a Boxer Labrador Mix dog won’t necessarily behave in a destructive manner when left alone, they will start to howl, whine and cry to make themselves heard.

This also means that they are a very good dog around children, despite that you might think otherwise due to its gigantic size.

Don’t forget that both the Boxador’s parents, the Boxer and the Labrador Retriever, are two of the most friendliest breeds [3] when it comes to being around children.

With all that said, it’s best that you get your Lab Boxer socialized and trained from an early age to ensure that they grow up to behave well in all of these situations.

Training: They are a very clever dog that has the special potential to learn a whole lot of tricks fairly fast and without much effort from your part.

Some owners even report that their Labrador Boxer Mix properly completed potty training in as little as 2-3 weeks, while others say that theirs learned a command or trick from start to finish in as little as 2-3 attempts.

Both are awesome achievements that aren’t seen everyday, so that means that you can expect a lot less repeating when it comes to training them!

Positive reinforcement methods like using treats and praising your Boxer Lab Mix work really well with this dog and get the best out of it, while practices like scolding, spanking and yelling will only lead to negative results.

Exercise: With an animal as large as this, you have to know that they LOVE to keep on the move.

Some owners even take their Lab Boxers out for walks up to 3 times a day!

If you lead an active lifestyle, you two can become best buddies in no time!

However, if you’re looking for a “chill” canine that will spend the majority of its day relaxing on its own and sparing you having to do any activities with it, then this breed isn’t for you at all!

The Boxador puppies and adults love to play games like Fetch, Frisbe, catch and tug of war, as well as engage in activities like long walks, jogging and hiking.

Given its needs to remain active, they won’t be happy in small, closed spaces like apartments. Boxadors will thrive somewhere spacious like on a farm or in home with a large backyard.

Barking: They are very well mannered and rarely bark, unlike other breeds or designer mixes that bark at anything and everything.

You will, however, notice that just like any other dog, they will sometimes bark when its overly excited, which is just its way to let the world know it’s happy.

Watchdogs: This part of your  Boxer Lab Mix can be either hit or miss, it all depends on which parent they take this part of its character from.

You see, Boxers are excellent watchdogs that will watch over its family members and protect them from any danger they are at risk of.

Labradors, however, are one of the worst breeds when it comes to being guard dogs, as they are very loving creatures that can rarely get themselves to attack anyone, even if they see a family member in danger, they’re just that sweet.

So, it all depends on which of the two parents your Labrador Boxer gets this part from!

What is a Boxador’s Life Span?

The average life expectancy of the Lab Boxer Mix is anywhere from 12-15 years, which is normal for a giant dog its size.

Boxadors are healthy in general, but there are a few health problems they could inherit from their Boxer and Labrador parents:

– Bloat, which is why you have to be careful not to feed it a whole lot of food all at once, but to equally divide its food throughout the day in moderate portions.

– Allergies. They are widely known to be allergic to grains in food, so you should make extra sure that any food you feed this dog is grain-free.

Check out this video to see if your dog is experiencing signs and symptoms of food allergies:

When your Boxer Lab eats something that contains grains and the allergy kicks in, you’ll notice it will start to do things like lick its foot, lick its stomach, have very loose stools and develop skin irritations.

– Joint and hip dysplasia

– Eye problems and blindness

– Hypothyroidism [4]

– Heart problems

– Digestive problems

Keep in mind though, that these health problems are found in the Boxador’s parents and that the chances of them passing through to their puppy itself is actually quite low.

Care

When it comes to grooming them, you’ll find that it only needs brushing and bathing around one time every week to keep their coat debris-free because they aren’t excessive shedders (thanks to their short, natural-oil-rich coats).

But, come shedding season (summertime), you might want to exceptionally increase that frequency to brushing (and maybe bathing) once every day to make sure you’re on top of the situation.

Besides that, you can either do the other grooming tasks (ear cleaning, nail trimming, teeth brushing) yourself or hire a professional groomer for those.

Other Names

The Boxador is also known by these names:

• Boxer/Labrador Retriever Hybrid Dog
• Boxer Labrador hybrid mix

Resources

1. Boxer Dog Breed Profile https://www.petfinder.com/dog-breeds/boxer/

2. How to Keep Your Dog from Chasing Cats https://www.wikihow.com/Keep-Your-Dog-from-Chasing-Cats

3. Friendliest dog breeds https://www.cheatsheet.com/culture/these-are-the-friendliest-dog-breeds.html/

4. Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism in Dogs http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/dog-health/dog-diseases-conditions-a-z/hypothyroidism-and-hyperthyroidism-dogs