The Boxer is a breed of medium-sized, short-haired dogs
developed in Germany. Their coat is smooth and tight-fitting; colors are fawn
or brindled, with or without white markings, which may cover the entire body,
and white. Boxers are brachycephalic (they
have broad, short skulls), have a square muzzle, mandibular prognathism (an
underbite), very strong jaws, and a powerful bite ideal for hanging on to large
prey. The Boxer was bred from the Old English Bulldog and the now extinct
Bullenbeisser, and is part of the Molosser group. The Boxer is a member of the
Working Group.
Boxers were first exhibited in a dog show for St. Bernards
in Munich in 1895, the first Boxer club being founded the next year. Based on
2013 American Kennel Club statistics, Boxers held steady as the seventh most
popular breed of dog in the United States for the fourth consecutive year.
History
The Boxer is part of the Molosser dog group, developed in Germany in the late 19th century from the now extinct Bullenbeisser, a dog of Mastiff descent, and Bulldogs brought in from Great Britain. The Bullenbeisser had been working as a hunting dog for centuries, employed in the pursuit of bear, wild boar, and deer. Its task was to seize the prey and hold it until the hunters arrived. In later years, faster dogs were favored and a smaller Bullenbeisser was bred in Brabant, in northern Belgium. It is generally accepted that the Brabanter Bullenbeisser was a direct ancestor of today's Boxer. In 1894, three Germans by the names of Friedrich Robert, Elard König, and R. Höpner decided to stabilize the breed and put it on exhibition at a dog show. This was done in Munich in 1895, and the next year they founded the first Boxer Club, the Deutscher Boxer Club. The Club went on to publish the first Boxer breed standard in 1902, a detailed document that has not been changed much to this day.
The breed was introduced to other parts of Europe in the late 19th century and to the United States around the turn of the 20th century. The American Kennel Club (AKC) registered the first Boxer in 1904, and recognized the first Boxer champion, Dampf vom Dom, in 1915. During World War I, the Boxer was co-opted for military work, acting as a valuable messenger dog, pack-carrier, attack dog, and guard dog. It was not until after World War II that the Boxer became popular around the world. Taken home by returning soldiers, they introduced the dog to a wider audience and soon became a favorite as a companion, a show dog, and a guard dog.
The German citizen George Alt, a Munich resident, mated a brindle-colored bitch imported from France named Flora with a local dog of unknown ancestry, known simply as "Boxer", resulting in a fawn-and-white male, named "Lechner's Box" after its owner. This dog was mated with his own dam Flora, and one of its offspring was a bitch called Alt's Schecken. George Alt mated Schecken with a Bulldog named Dr. Toneissen's Tom to produce the historically significant dog Mühlbauer's Flocki. Flocki was the first Boxer to enter the German Stud Book after winning the aforementioned show for St. Bernards in Munich 1895, which was the first event to have a class specific for Boxers.
The white bitch Ch. Blanka von Angertor, Flocki's sister, was even more influential when mated with Piccolo von Angertor (Lechner's Box grandson) to produce the predominantly white (parti-colored) bitch Meta von der Passage, which, even bearing little resemblance with the modern Boxer standard (early photographs depicts her as too long, weak-backed and down-faced), is considered the mother of the breed. John Wagner, in The Boxer (first published in 1939) said the following regarding this bitch.
Meta von der Passage played the most important role of the five original ancestors. Our great line of sires all trace directly back to this female. She was a substantially built, low to the ground, brindle and white parti-color, lacking in under jaw and exceedingly lippy. As a producing female few in any breed can match her record. She consistently whelped puppies of marvelous type and rare quality. Those of her offspring sired by Flock St. Salvator and Wotan dominate all present-day pedigrees. Combined with Wotan and Mirzl children, they made the Boxer.
Appearance
The head is the most distinctive feature of the Boxer. The
breed standard dictates that it must be in perfect proportion to the body and
above all it must never be too light. The greatest value is to be placed on the
muzzle being of correct form and in absolute proportion to the skull. The
length of the muzzle to the whole of the head should be a ratio of 1:3. Folds
are always present from the root of the nose running downwards on both sides of
the muzzle, and the tip of the nose should lie somewhat higher than the root of
the muzzle. In addition a Boxer should be slightly prognathous, i.e., the lower
jaw should protrude beyond the upper jaw and bend slightly upwards in what is
commonly called an underbite or "undershot bite".
Boxers were originally a docked and cropped breed, and this
is still done in some countries. However, due to pressure from veterinary associations,
animal rights groups, and the general public, both cropping of the ears and
docking of the tail have been prohibited in many countries around the world. A
line of naturally short-tailed (bobtail) Boxers was developed in the United
Kingdom in anticipation of a tail docking ban there; after several generations
of controlled breeding, these dogs were accepted in the Kennel Club (UK)
registry in 1998, and today representatives of the bobtail line can be found in
many countries around the world. However, in 2008, the FCI added a
"naturally stumpy tail" as a disqualifying fault in their breed
standard, meaning those Boxers born with a bobtail can no longer be shown in
FCI member countries. In the United States and Canada as of 2012, cropped ears
are still more common in show dogs, even though the practice of cosmetic
cropping is currently opposed by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
In March 2005 the AKC breed standard was changed to include a description of
the uncropped ear, but to severely penalize an undocked tail.
Coat and colors
The Boxer is a short-haired breed, with a shiny, smooth coat
that lies tight to the body. The recognized colors are fawn and brindle,
frequently with a white underbelly and white on the feet. These white markings,
called flash, often extend onto the neck or face, and dogs that have these
markings are known as "flashy". "Fawn" denotes a range of
color, the tones of which may be described variously as light tan or yellow,
reddish tan, mahogany or stag/deer red, and dark honey-blonde. In the UK and
Europe, fawn Boxers are typically rich in color and are often called
"red". "Brindle" refers to a dog with black stripes on a
fawn background. Some brindle Boxers are so heavily striped that they give the
appearance of "reverse brindling", fawn stripes on a black body;
these dogs are conventionally called "reverse brindles", but that is
actually a misnomer—they are still fawn dogs with black stripes. In addition,
the breed standards state that the fawn background must clearly contrast with
or show through the brindling, so a dog that is too heavily brindled may be
disqualified by the breed standard. The Boxer does not carry the gene for a solid black coat
color and therefore purebred black Boxers do not exist.
White Boxers
Boxers with white markings covering more than one-third of
their coat – conventionally called "white" Boxers – are neither
albino nor rare; approximately 20–25% of all Boxers born are white.
Genetically, these dogs are either fawn or brindle, with excessive white
markings overlying the base coat color. Like fair-skinned humans, white Boxers
have a higher risk of sunburn and associated skin cancers than colored Boxers.
The extreme piebald gene, which is responsible for white markings in Boxers, is
linked to congenital sensorineural deafness in dogs. It is estimated that about
18% of white Boxers are deaf in one or both ears, though Boxer rescue
organizations see about double that number.
In the past, breeders often euthanized white puppies at
birth. A 1998 study of Boxers in the Netherlands showed that 17% of Boxer pups
were euthanized because they were white. Previously, the American Boxer Club
"unofficially recommended euthanasia for these animals." Reasons for
euthanizing white pups includes the view that it is unethical to sell a dog
with "faults" and the perception that white Boxers are at higher risk
of ending up abandoned in rescues. Today, breeders are increasingly reluctant
to euthanize healthy pups and may choose to neuter and place them in pet homes
instead.
Temperament
The character of the Boxer is of the greatest importance and
demands the most solicitous attention. He is renowned from olden times for his
great love and faithfulness to his master and household. He is harmless in the
family, but can be distrustful of strangers, bright and friendly of temperament
at play, but brave and determined when aroused. His intelligence and willing
tractability, his modesty and cleanliness make him a highly desirable family
dog and cheerful companion. He is the soul of honesty and loyalty, and is never
false or treacherous even in his old age.
Boxers are a bright, energetic and playful breed and tend to
be very good with children. They are patient and spirited with children but
also protective, making them a popular choice for families. They are active,
strong dogs and require adequate exercise to prevent boredom-associated
behaviors such as chewing, digging, or licking. Boxers have earned a slight
reputation of being "headstrong," which can be related to
inappropriate obedience training. Owing to their intelligence and working breed
characteristics, training based on corrections often has limited usefulness.
Boxers, like other animals, typically respond better to positive reinforcement
techniques such as clicker training, an approach based on operant conditioning
and behaviorism, which offers the dog an opportunity to think independently and
to problem-solve. Stanley Coren's survey of obedience trainers, summarized in
his book The Intelligence of Dogs, ranked Boxers at #48 – average
working/obedience intelligence. Many who have worked with Boxers disagree quite
strongly with Coren's survey results, and maintain that a skilled trainer who
uses reward-based methods will find Boxers have far above-average intelligence and
working ability.
The Boxer by nature is not an aggressive or vicious breed.
It is an instinctive guardian and can become very attached to its family. Like
all dogs, it requires proper socialization. Boxers are generally patient with
smaller dogs and puppies, but difficulties with larger adult dogs, especially
those of the same sex, may occur. Boxers are generally more comfortable with
companionship, in either human or canine form.
Breed name
The name "Boxer" is supposedly derived from the
breed's tendency to play by standing on its hind legs and "boxing"
with its front paws. According to Andrew H. Brace's Pet owner's guide to the
Boxer, this theory is the least plausible explanation. He claims "it's
unlikely that a nation so permeated with nationalism would give to one of its
most famous breeds a name so obviously anglicised".
A passage from the book "The Complete Boxer" by
Milo G Denlinger states:
It has been claimed that the name "Boxer" was
jokingly applied by an English traveler who noted a tendency of the dog to use
its paws in fighting. This seems improbable. Any such action would likely
result in a badly bitten if not broken leg. On the other hand, a German breeder
of forty years' experience states positively that the Boxer does not use his
feet, except to try and extinguish a small flame such as a burning match. But a
Boxer does box with his head. He will hit (not bite) a cat with his muzzle hard
enough to knock it out and he will box a ball with his nose. Or perhaps, since
the German dictionary translates 'boxer' as 'prize-fighter' the name was
bestowed in appreciation of the fighting qualities of the breed rather than its
technique.
Boxer is also the name of a dog owned by John Peerybingle,
the main character in the best-selling 1845 book The Cricket on the Hearth by
Charles Dickens, which is evidence that "Boxer" was commonly used as
a dog name by the early 19th century, before the establishment of the breed by
the end of that same century.
The name of the breed could also be simply due to the names
of the very first known specimens of the breed (Lechner's Box, for instance).
Health
Leading health issues to which Boxers are prone include
cancers, heart conditions such as Aortic Stenosis and Arrhythmogenic Right
Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (the so-called "Boxer Cardiomyopathy"),
hypothyroidism, hip dysplasia, and degenerative myelopathy and epilepsy; other
conditions that may be seen are gastric dilatation and torsion (bloat),
intestinal problems, and allergies (although these may be more related to diet
than breed). Entropion, a malformation of the eyelid requiring surgical
correction, is occasionally seen, and some lines have a tendency toward
spondylosis deformans, a fusing of the spine, or dystocia. Other conditions
that are less common but occur more often in Boxers than other breeds are
hystiocytic ulcerative colitis (sometimes called Boxer colitis), an invasive E.
coli infection, and indolent corneal ulcers, often called Boxer eye ulcers.
According to a UK Kennel Club health survey, cancer accounts
for 38.5% of Boxer deaths, followed by old age (21.5%), cardiac (6.9%) and
gastrointestinal (6.9%) related issues. Median lifespan was 10.25 years.
Responsible breeders use available tests to screen their breeding stock before
breeding, and in some cases throughout the life of the dog, in an attempt to
minimize the occurrence of these diseases in future generations.
Boxers are known to be very sensitive to the hypotensive and
bradycardiac effects of a commonly used veterinary sedative, acepromazine. It
is recommended that the drug be avoided in the Boxer breed.
As an athletic breed, proper exercise and conditioning is
important for the continued health and longevity of the Boxer. Care must be
taken not to over-exercise young dogs, as this may damage growing bones;
however once mature Boxers can be excellent jogging or running companions.
Because of their brachycephalic head, they do not do well with high heat or
humidity, and common sense should prevail when exercising a Boxer in these
conditions.
Utilization
Boxers are friendly, lively companions that are popular as
family dogs. Their suspicion of strangers, alertness, agility, and strength
make them formidable guard dogs. As puppies, Boxers demonstrate a fascinating
combination of mood-mirroring expressions, energetic curiosity, flexible
attention spans and charming characteristics. They sometimes appear at dog
agility or dog obedience trials and flyball events. These strong and
intelligent animals have also been used as service dogs, guide dogs for the blind,
therapy dogs, police dogs in K9 units, and occasionally herding cattle or
sheep. The versatility of Boxers was recognized early on by the military, which
has used them as valuable messenger dogs, pack carriers, and attack and guard
dogs in times of war.
