First, I want to point out that no matter what you do, 'stuff happens,' so you kind of need to be on your toes. No matter how careful you are, your dog or pup will get into things that one time you blink at the wrong time; and you can count on your most well-trained dog doing something colossally stupid and expensive (if not fatal), the other time you blink. So here are a few tips to reduce the number of times you need to 'blink.'

IN THE KITCHEN:

Store your cleaning products well away from your Boxers, and that doesn't mean behind closed cupboard doors. Any self-respecting Boxer can get in there and even if you use non-caustic products, most cleansers have an added sweet smell (probably so WE'LL use them to clean) which can be attractive to dogs, and still toxic to your dogs. Keep your products up and away. Keep foodstuffs out of reach, or your dog may learn to open sardine cans...or your refrigerator. It HAS happened!

Chocolate, especially, unsweetened cooking or baking chocolate can be fatal...but in susceptible dogs, any chocolate can, so be very careful if you yourself are a chocoholic. And, I swear from experience with Kosmo, it can be addictive...(he loved peanut M&M's...could find them anywhere, agility dog that he was). Keep garbage away from dogs...the spongy material in meat trays or string on poultry can be fatal if it gets caught in the intestines.

IN THE BATHROOM:

Same goes here, plus don't let your dogs drink out of the toilet. Any cleanser you use here could be fatal, too. If your dog does drink out of the toilet, flush several times after cleaning, and/or consider a bungie cord to keep it away from canine connoisseurs of 'eau de toilet.' Many dogs eat bar soap, and that can be toxic, too. For the record, Cleo and Helio are my bar soap eaters. Be very careful with feminine hygiene products...the smell factor, and with tampons in bathroom garbage.

DOG PRODUCTS STORAGE:

Flea soap and other shampoos can have the same 'good smell' liability. Even canine vitamins can cause liver or kidney toxicity should your pooch decide to eat the whole batch. And more than one dog has made himself extremely ill by eating a whole bag of dog food he happened upon.

THE REST OF THE HOUSE:

One obvious attraction are electrical outlets, and the fact is that dogs can be electrocuted by chewing electrical cords. Also, with smaller electrical appliances, more and more dogs are eating all or parts of them!

GARAGE:

For those of you in cold weather climates, a big concern in anti-freeze. Many brands still taste sweet to dogs, and ingested in even small amounts, it is fatal. For those of us in hot weather climates, we need to be concerned with snail bait, rat, ant, flea, tick, roach killers -- all extremely toxic to dogs, as are many fertilizers and lawn products. Keep your dog away from oily spots on the floor, or if s/he steps in it, clean the dog's pads.

PLANTS:

Here's a list of toxic plants which covers pretty much all of the U.S. (sorry friends, elsewhere...I don't know what you have that could be a problem):

Aloe vera (leaves) Elephant ear Mother-in-law plant Anemone English Ivy Mushrooms Angel trumpet tree Four O'Clocks Narcissus Apricot (kernels) Foxglove Nightshade (leaves) Arrowhead Holly berries Oleander Avocodo (leaves) Horsetail reeds Orchid Azaleas Hyacinth Ornamental pepper Betel nut palm Hydrangea Periwinkle Bittersweet Iris Peyote (mescal) Bleeding heart Ivy (all) Philodendron Buckeye Jack-in-the-pulpit Poison hemlock Buttercup Jequirity bean or pea Poison Ivy Jerusalem cherry Poison oak Caladium Jasmine Pokeweed Calla Lily Jonquil Poppy Cattail Lantana Ranuncules Cherries (pits, bark, leaves) Larkspur Rhododendron Christmas rose Laurels Potato (all green parts) Chrysanthemum Lily-of-the-Valley Primrose Crocus Lobelia Star of Bethlehem Daffodil Marijuana Sweet pea Daphne May apple Rhubarb (leaves) Delphinuim Milkweed Rosary pea Devil's ivy Mistletoe Tobacco Dieffenbachia Monkshood Tomato (vine) Dutchman breeches Moonseed Wisteria Elderberry Morning glory Yew

I have 11 to 12 of these around my house and yard - take a look around YOUR home. (The poison plants list is from the St. John's Hospital Poison Center in Springfield, Illinois)

TOYS:

Boxers love toys, and if your dogs are anything like mine, toys are ALL around the house. You've probably stubbed your bare toes about a thousand times, but that's not the safety aspect we're concerned with just now. :)

Here are some pros and cons on the relative safety of popular toys, especially of the 'chewing variety.'

Rawhide chews and pig ears: Boxers love them, but as many of you have realized, once chewed down to a certain size, enthusiastic Boxers tend to swallow them. This can cause gastric distress, and sometimes choking.

Cow hooves and sterilized bones: Again, Boxers love them, and they can provide a lot of chewing enjoyment. However, when they get smaller, both tend to splinter and can become dangerous, small pieces.

Smoked shank bones: Boxers love these, too, and I haven't seen or heard about any real problems with these except that they sometimes smell bad (to people -- like I said, Boxers love 'em).

Rope tugs and toys: Good as doggy dental floss, even for puppies, bigger is better...They are not as likely to chew them down to small (and potentially dangerous) pieces before you notice.

Squeak toys (rubber): Only use squeak toys made for dogs...with squeakers that are part of the design. Never use the ones which have separate, metal squeakers. These can end up in puppy or dog stomachs only too easily.

Squeak toys (furry): Again use only those furry toys made for dogs. And even if they are safe for other dogs, inventive and relentless Boxer jaws can often make a pile of fluff out of these far sooner than you might think. Usually, if you are watchful, you will see that the toy is being dismantled (by the squeaky toy guts everywhere) before your Boxer can get to the squeaker.

Nyla-bones, booda bones, kongs, gumma-bones, and Galileo bones: All of these are pretty good because they are VERY tough (I've had the same two Galileo bones and four big nyla-bone teeth massagers) for four Boxers for about 18 months. Here, bigger is better -- even the smallest puppy needs a something BIG to chew. The bigger it is, the slower it will be for your Boxer to demolish. When it gets down to a smallish piece that could be swallowed and/or lodged in your dog's stomach or intestines, it is time to throw it out.

Balls: Some Boxers are very 'ball-motivated,' some are not. If you have a ball-motivated dog, a tennis ball to softball size ball is best. Anything smaller can be swallowed, anything bigger, and the dog may have a hard time retrieving it. However, if you have a champion chewer, be careful of all sports balls (tennis, baseball, softball). I have one ball-lover who shreds tennis ball covers, and the leather on the baseballs and softballs can be easily stripped off by Boxer jaws and act like a rawhide chew.

Other toys:

Buster cubes with food: a device that you can put food in. The dog rolls it and food comes out. Some dogs love these. Perfectly safe unless you have two dogs who food fight.

Dog-a-polts: a device that throws a ball for a dog to catch -- a little like the principle of 'fly-ball,' but just for one dog's enjoyment. For the most part, these are safe, but if the dog is bored enough, it might end up chewing the dog-a-polt.

There are probably a zillion types of toys that I haven't covered. These are the ones I know best.

But you don't necessarily have to buy toys to have safe dog toys. A fun idea for your backyard is to hang a weighted plastic gallon jug at 'batting level' for your dog. If you fill it with something like water or a small amount of sand, the worst that can generally happen is that your Boxer will hit it and bop themselves with it -- chances are, they may not even notice.

Another good idea, for hot weather, is to fill plastic containers about three-fourths full of water, then freeze them. Not only do they keep crates cool (once frozen), but if you have a growing pup, you might find that they think a smaller sized one is a great toy. Helio plays soccer with her 'frozen bottle,' then flops her chest down on it or chews on it to cool off when she gets too hot.

The best use of toys is when you can supervise. If you can't, then the safest, in descending order, are: large nyla-bones, booda bones, gumma bones, kongs, and Galileo bones; large smoked shanks and rope toys; large composite rawhide sticks and fresh, new cows' hooves, new sterilized bones, and most sports balls; and finally, pigs' ears, rawhides, and all squeaky toys.

Have fun!

Copyright 1997 Karla Spitzer and the Boxer Mailing List