Boxer with luxating patella wants to run and play?

He wants to be just a typical Boxer, including all his crazy energy. Of course we stop him as soon as we see him starting to get worked up, and apparently according to the vet, it's at a point where it is still okay sometimes and not bothering him. I'm guessing that's when he gets into play mode. Is there any way to stop this entirely though so we can prevent it from getting even worse with all his bouncing around that he wants to do?Reality Bites - I pretty much agree completely with everything you said, but no, I didn't learn from this. We've gotten all our dogs from the Boxer rescue and will keep doing so in the future.... so we knew from the beginning what we were getting into. This didn't start until age 8.... but, like you said, I wasn't sure how fair it was to him. He does, for the most part.... I'd say 80% of the time..... act and look like a typical Boxer. I just don't want it getting any worse which is why I try to keep him calmer.

No. He needs to play. It is going to get worse no matter what you do and not letting him be a boxer is just going to make him sad and cause more problems. Give him joint supplements and let him play as long as your vet gives the go ahead. If you stop his play completely and do not let him exercise he is going to lose all the muscle and what not that also supports his knee as well as all other joints and will just lead to more problems.

There's really nothing you can do but keep the dog confined if it's in the best concern for his health and if that's what the Vet advises. Giving him small toys and chews to keep him mentally stimulated could help distract him from wanting to play and give him something to focus on.Luxating Patellas in a Boxer is most likely the result of bad breeding on the breeders part and it's highly unfortunate because the Boxer is a very athletic and energetic breed. Energetic breeds that don't have some kind of outlet for their tremendous energy may resort to unwanted or destructive behaviors to vent energy like chewing on things, barking or doing strange things in excess, barking, gnawing on objects..ect.You can't stop a dog from doing what nature has hardwired them to do. Dogs are energetic and physical creatures, running/exploring and burning energy is in their blood, it's one of the most basic attributes and behaviors a dog has, it's like trying to stop a cat from hunting, it cannot happen. Although, it's not advisable, a dog who cannot function as the average dog should and has to be confined 24/7 like a caged bird, doesn't have any quality of life, and most "experienced dog owners" would have had the dog euthanized to prevent him from having a future life of misery, pain and discomfort, not only due to the condition, but due to the fact that this dog cannot even function on the basic levels, every dog should be able to. I hope you learn from this, and when the time arises that you get another Boxer, you get one who has had it's joints/hips tested for genetic or serious conditions like this. Edit: Thanks for giving that bit of info, didn't know, thought that you may have brought him from a breeder, and this was the outcome, kudos to you completely for rescuing this poor dog and even more congrats that you are courageous enough to take him in and care for him even with his condition. I honestly do wish you the best.

When my Pomeranian mix`s Luxating Patella was bad, I still let him play and run.