Dogs

Boxer

Introduction

The Boxer, previously called the Deutscher Boxer, the German Bulldog and the German Boxer, is a product of centuries of selective breeding. Today’s Boxer was largely molded by Germans during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and probably is a distant relative of the English Bulldog. Boxers are particularly recognizable by their broad, blunt muzzle and flat-faced head, both of which are unique to the breed. The first Boxer was registered with the American Kennel Club in 1904, and since then its popularity has skyrocketed. It is prized as both a guardian and a family companion, being bold, exuberant, affectionate, alert, self-confident and utterly loyal. Boxers are used in military and police work and as a breed were one of the pioneering guide dogs for the blind. They also are used as sensitive seizure-alert dogs and can succeed in agility, obedience and conformation as well. While playful and patient with its family, the Boxer tends to be wary with strangers and fearless when threatened. In a nutshell, Boxers combine great strength and agility with elegance and style and remain one of the most popular pets in the United States.

Adult males should be 23 to 25 inches at the withers; adult females should be between 21½ and 23½ inches in height. Mature boxers typically weigh between 55 and 70 pounds. Their short, glossy coat is easy to care for, requiring only periodic brushing to reduce shedding and remove dirt and dander.

History

Boxers are originally a German breed and are cousins to almost all types of Bulldogs. Their distant ancestors are believed to have come from fighting dogs bred in Tibet. Boxers were initially bred to be working, hunting and guard dogs. The Boxers’ predecessors include the Bullenbeisser mastiff (“bull-biter”), a stocky German breed used to chase, catch and hold fierce wild game, including boar, bear and bison. Its short, broad muzzle distinguished the Bullenbeisser from all other breeds of its time and made it particularly well-suited to the job it was bred to do. After 1815, Germany’s grand hunting estates were largely broken up, and hunting began to decline in popularity among the gentry. The last recorded boar hunt reportedly was held in 1865 at Kurhesser Courts; afterwards, most hunting dogs were sold.

In the 1850s, a Bulldog (which actually resembled a small Mastiff) was exported from England to Munich. Years later, early Boxer fanciers used descendants of that Bulldog and the German Bullenbeisser to form the foundation of the modern breed, which was developed to be smaller and lighter than its predecessors. For a period of time, European Boxers probably were used in bull-baiting – a betting-man’s “sport” that eventually was outlawed. In 1894, three Germans took steps to stabilize and exhibit the breed, which they did in Munich in 1895 for the first time and thereby brought Boxers to widespread prominence. The following year, the first German club devoted to the breed was founded as the Deutsche Boxer Club of Munich. The initial German breed standard was adopted in 1902, but was vigorously debated for several years by rival Boxer breeders and clubs.

Boxers were used to carry messages, ammunition and supplies during both World Wars. Returning soldiers brought some of these dogs to this country, where their popularity grew. The first Boxer was registered with the American Kennel Club in 1904; the first AKC championship was earned in 1915; and the American Boxer Club was founded in 1935. Since then, Boxers have continued to rise in popularity as guardians, watch dogs, show dogs and family companions.

The source of the breed’s name is uncertain, although some fanciers speculate that it was coined by an Englishman in reference to the characteristic sparring gestures made with its front legs during play, that remain a hallmark of this breed. Other theories concerning the origin of the name “Boxer” include: 1) that it is a corruption of “beisser,” which means “biter”; 2) that it is a corruption of the word “boxl” or “boxeln,” which were nicknames for one of the Boxer’s ancestors, a now-extinct breed called the Brabanter; and 3) that it was coined simply because the dogs were “prize fighters.”