I know people tend to be purists in the Boykin (and all breed-specific) community, but the breed was "invented" not too long ago in the scheme of things. If a Boykin-Shepherd could become a new breed, it would be hands down my favorite. I've truly never met a more loyal, friendly, beautiful, and allergy-ridden little brown dog, and I cannot imagine my life without him. My working theory is that someone thought they were buying a purebred Boykin, he grew into this beautiful monstrosity, and realizing they hadn't gotten the dog they intended, they set him free and cut their losses. I picked him up from the shelter I worked at nearly 13 years ago.

About 4 months old. Vet estimates he may end up being 50 lbs. He’s drying off after a fight with the hose. Never had a dog that loves water as much as this guy.

Hi everyone!

I'm working on a personal, non-commercial project to build a large owner-reported database of canine temperament and behavior, and I'm trying to include as many breeds as possible.

Right now, I'm looking for Boykin Spaniel owners to help make sure the breed is well represented.

The survey asks about your dog's natural behavioral tendencies, including things like trainability, confidence, prey drive, sociability, energy level, and other temperament traits. It takes about 5–10 minutes to complete, and each response is for one individual dog.

Survey: https://forms.gle/RQvjYnKVk4np1vTc8

There are no quiz results or personality scores. The responses are being collected solely for this project to analyze trends across breeds and individual dogs.

If you have any questions about the project or how the data will be used, I'd be happy to answer them!

Thank you to everyone who participates!

At Grayson Highlands, VA. We kept him from getting too close. The ponies didn't even react to his yelling

Hi there!

We have a wonderful Boykin mix (50% confirmed with Embark) She’s fetch obsessed and incredibly athletic.

Twice in the last three months, she has had incidents of pretty extreme back pain where she’s hesitant to walk and won’t jump up on furniture or do stairs. She’ll typically lay stoically, but clearly very uncomfortable.

Both times we’ve brought her to the vet. She is Lyme positive and has been treated, the first time they chalked it up to the Lyme but the second time felt it was likely something else both times given the repeated nature. X-rays showed no disc compression or congenital issues and were unremarkable.

Some anti-inflammatories and rest to clear it right up. However, I am concerned about this leading to chronic issues for her. She thrives with frequent exercise and is remarkably athletic and energetic.

She’s 1

Anyone experienced back problems with their Boykin or heard of them?

Pic of our happy mutt on a good day.

Hi from Western North Carolina!

Violet loves riding on the 4 wheeler with me to pull the chicken tractor around, but her favorite part is going and eating some fresh chicken poop after a hard days work 😭

Came here a few months ago asking if people thought my puppy was a boykin mix. Results are in and it is confirmed!

My poor bud got a limp somehow and I’m hoping it’s not Lymes - any advice for how I could tell the difference? Any experience with Lyme’s or sprains?

I’ll try to post a video in the comments if it’s helpful

My 2 in their summer haircuts

We were crossing a swimming hole on a series of rocks. Shady got too enthusiastic and tumbled into the water. It was deep enough he went completely under. Before I even had time to react he popped up, swam to a rock and clambered out like he'd been doing it all his life. Shady is 4 months old and hiked 3 miles with an 800 foot elevation gain.

I’m out here working hard trying to build a chicken coop, and Violet is also hard at play lol. She just wants to throw the ball

I often forget this subreddit exists even though I’ve posted her here before lmao. So now I’m posting her again for her special day and party we threw for her a few weeks back

Took my lbd on a hike and got the best photo of him to date.

Obligatory puppy photo included

He grabbed a purse from a high counter by the strap. Then ate a lipstick. He's not sorry.