The Boxer Dog

Origins
The Boxer (also named Deutcher Boxer or German Boxer) has its origins in Germany, in the late 1800. This breed is considered to be a member of the Molosser group, a crossbreed between the English Bulldog and the German Bullenbeiser. It was officially acknowledged as a breed in 1902 and later on introduced to other parts of Europe and United States, after 1904. The Boxer was used during World War I as a guard dog, attack dog, messenger, pack carrier. After World War II he became popular all over the world.

Appearance
The Boxer belongs to the big dog breed category, displaying a height of 55-64 cm at the withers and a weight of 30-35 kg for males and 24-28 kg for females.

The Boxer has a broad but short skull, perfectly proportionate to the body. The eyes are round and black or dark brown colored. The muzzle is squared, with an underbite, powerful jaws, sharp teeth, and fold on the sides of the muzzle.

The body is powerful, compactly built, with long legs, sharp leg pads; it ends in a bobtail. The body coat is short but smooth and shiny, colored in brindle, fawn, variations, and white stripes of coat can be observed on the legs and underbelly.

Grooming
The Boxer is a medium to low shedder. Brushing the coat should be done once or twice a week, and more times during the shedding season. This breed might not be suited for allergic people, especially when shedding, since the coat is short and could be carried by the air around. When grooming, pay extra attention to the eyes and ears areas for any possible infection caused by debree and dust.

Health Facts
The German Boxer has a lifespan of 8-13 years, with improvements if the alimentation and living conditions are correct. This breed is prone to several health problems, including:
- colitis;
- cancer;
- intestinal problems;
- bloat and gastric dilatation;
- heart problems (aortic stenosis);
- allergies;
- eye problems (entropion);
- skeletal problems (spondylosis deformation, dystocia, spine fusion);
- drug sensitivity (acepromazine);
- environment problems (heatstroke, sunstrokes);

The Boxer dog are excellent athletes, enjoying the exercise and activities, as long as the heat and humidity aren’t predominant in their environment.

Temperament and Lifestyle
The Boxer is a devoted and loving dog. Friendly and needing attention, these dogs are balls of energy around you. They are steady dogs, sometimes stubborn, always protective with the loved ones, an excellent watchdog.

The Deutcher Boxer behaves really well with children, but size can be a cause of accidents and knock-backs for smaller kids. Nevertheless, if properly trained and socialized, the Boxer gets along well with other dogs, pets, even if he displays a degree of domination on other dogs of the same sex.

Boxer dog obedience training is a challenge, because the dog is sometimes stubborn and retained.

The Boxer

Origins
The Boxer dog breed was first introduced in the regions of Germany, more precisely, at a famous dog show in Munchen (1895). They are considered to be descendents of the Bullenbeisser (a dog bred from Mastiffs and English Bulldogs). They were used as hunting dogs, to seize and hold down wild boar, deer, bears. This breed was later introduced in the other parts of Europe and United States, during the 1900-1935. During World War I, they were used as military messengers, guard dogs or attack dogs. After World War II their popularity increased due to various soldiers who introduced this breed to other audiences.

Appearance
The German Boxer belongs to the big dog breeds, weighting about 26-31 kg, with a height of about 55-62 cm at the withers. This breed displays a very powerful musculoskeletal structure, with a short but broad skull, strong neck muscles, legs, and pointy paws. The face displays dark brown or black eyes, a squared muzzle with a blunt black nose, powerful jaws and a heck of a bite. The jaws are covered on the outside by muzzle folds, on the left and on the right side of the mouth. The ears are almost always sharp and pointing upwards and the face can display some kind of coat mask. The coat (smooth in texture and shiny, short-haired) is colored in variations of brindle and fawn, sometimes with white parts (extending on the underbelly, leg, neck, face areas), and rarely with black stripes. There are also a 19-25% factor that some Boxers will be born with at least 1 quarter of fur colored in white. These examples aren’t anormalities, but they are susceptible to skin cancer and allergies, sunburn.

Grooming
Heavier shedding occurs during the seasonal periods, but in the rest the grooming should be kept to a normal standard: weekly coat brushing and washing. These will keep the dog’s coat sleeky and will remove the dead hair.

Health Facts
The Deutcher Boxer dogs can live up to 12-13 years. They are proned to various health problems, ranging from skeletal (hip dysplasia, myelopathy – complications of the spinal cord), cardiologic (cardiomyopathy), gastrointestinal (bloat torsion, gastric dilatation), occular (entropion – malformation of the eyelid), dermic (skin rashes, sunburn, skin allergies, cancer), pharmaceutical (intolerance to some drugs and medication), environmental (too much humidity and high heat). The Boxers are athletic and require alot of exercising.

Temperament and Lifestyle
The Boxers are very loyal dogs, demanding the same thing from their masters: more attention and love. They are energetic and athletic, intelligent and sometimes stubborn, clean and modest. They display competition issues when close to other adult dogs, but patience with smaller pets. The Boxer gets along just fine with children, but you should not introduce him to very small children.

Training is considered to be somewhat challenging, but the Boxer is known to respond really well to dog clicker training. They are sometimes displayed in dog obedience and dog agility competitions. The Boxer is a great, alert, powerful, agile guard dog, also being used as a police dog, a guide for the blind people, even as a sheep or cattle herder.