Man's Best Friend

Boxer Likes, History and Appearance

By Madusanka

Boxer

Country of origin : Germany

Life : 10 –12 years

Litter : Average 6 to 8 although larger litters

Color : fawn or brindle, black mask, with or without

white markings

Coat : short, shiny, smooth, close-lying

Other names : German Boxer and Deutscher Boxer

Size : male57 to 63 cm (22"-25")

: females 53 to 60 cm (21"-23.5")

Boxer Male

Boxer Female

What They Are Like?

Though it’s a myth that Boxers got their name from their tendency to stand up and “box” with their paws, they do use their paws frequently, whether to bat playfully at their water bowls, toys and friends. They sometimes do it for fun, but mostly it’s to send you a message like “feed me” or “play with me!” Boxers also love to carry things around the house. This could be a toy, a shirt, or just about anything.

Loyal and affectionate, Boxers need lots of attention. Playtime, walks and obedience games are always appreciated. They are extremely protective of their surroundings, serving as very dependable guard dogs. However, they are generally friendly—and sometimes giddy—when meeting new people. An excellent companion to kids, they might be too rambunctious with the very young—but they never lose their patience or good nature.

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. Faster dogs were favored and a smaller Bullenbeisser was bred inBrabant, 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 Konig, and R. Hopner 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 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.

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 tradition is still maintained 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. In March 2005 the AKC breed standard was changed to include a description of the uncropped ear, but to severely penalize an undocked tail.

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Boxer description and Behaviors

By Madusanka

Description

The Boxer's body is compact and powerful. The head is in proportion with the body. The muzzle is short and blunt with a distinct stop. The nose is large and black with very open nostrils. The jaw has an under bite. The eyes are dark brown. The ears are set high, either cropped or kept natural. When cropped they are trained to stand up on the head, tapering to a point. When left natural the ears are thin, falling forward, laying close to the head. The neck should be round, strong, and muscular, a without dewlap. The muscular, front legs are straight and parallel when viewed from the front. The back legs are well muscled. The tail is set high and usually docked. The AKC severely penalizes a natural tail, while most of Europe has outlawed this practice. Dewclaws are usually removed. The short, smooth, close-fitting coat comes in, fawn, brindle, tan, mahogany, black often with white markings. Boxers also come in a white coat that cannot be registered with some clubs.

Head

The Boxer standard, even though explicit in the head qualities desired, is also confusing to many people. It is the head that gives judges and breeders alike, the most trouble. If shown a selection of photographs of different heads, most good judges and breeders would agree which ones were the best.

The blueprint of the Boxer head should be the MUNICH SILHOUETTE. This was the profile of the head as laid down by the country of origin of the breed, and most breeders still regard it to be of excellent type. You can run a ruler on the balance of skull to muzzle and it will come out 1:3. The depth of muzzle is correct and so is the depth of skull. Heavy wrinkles are not evident anywhere on the skull. Note the planes of the head, with the deep stop and tip tilted nose. NB: The standard calls for the tip of the nose to be higher than the root of the muzzle! Note also the rounding out of the upper lip and chin in front of the nose.

Size
Technically a medium-sized, short-haired dog, according to the FCI standard the Boxer stands 57 to 63 cm (22"-25") for males, 53 to 60 cm (21"-23.5") for females.

The weight must be between 30 to 32 kg for males and between 25 to 27 kg for females.

Behaviors / Temperament

The Boxer dog breed is a fantastic dog that often has a mistaken perception as being a fussy and slightly skittish animal. In fact this is far from the truth, by nature they need a great amount of attention and love and without this they become skittish. Indeed, if you lead a very active lifestyle that means you will have to spend a lot of time away from the home then you are probably wise not to get a Boxer dog.

Food costs and other expenses like treats and toys will be more for a Boxer than many other breeds. Although being a short haired dog you will not need to do much grooming. For some strange reason they are not keen on water either so that will make bathing a lot of fun!

Boxers are noted for being very social animals. They love living in a family unit and crave attention and affection. You should strive to keep them active and busy. Left alone they will become bored and lonely. This can lead to bad behavioral habits and quite destructive tendencies.

Space is important to a Boxer dog. It is not practical to keep a dog such a in an apartment. It needs a home with an ample backyard where it can run around and tire itself out. You can plant dog treats in areas of the yard so that your pet will rummage around and be kept active. Get it lots of toys to keep it busy too. Boxers will spend many hours ragging toys and this fits their nature perfectly.

The Excessive energy levels of your boxer may make it harder to obedience train. They will lose focus quickly; consequently positive reinforcement training where you are catching the dog’s attention is the best training method.

Start the training early, when they are puppies. This includes socializing them with other family members and animals. A well adjusted dog is generally happier and more open to training methods.

Given their exuberant nature you may want to make the environment where the dog is trained quiet and distraction free. Thus your pet may not be the best pupil in a group obedience training class with lots of other pooches to distract it. Obedience training is a big task when it comes to any dog, let alone a Boxer but it is certainly worth making this commitment. They are an intelligent animal and love the close relationship with their owner that obedience training requires.