The Boxer we know today was developed in the late 19th century. A Munich man named Georg Alt bred a brindle-colored female Bullenbeisser named Flora with a local dog of unknown origin. In the litter was a fawn-and-white male that was named Lechner's Box. This is believed to be the start of the line that would become the Boxer we know today.
Lechner's Box was bred to his dam, Flora, and one of the litter was a female called Alt's Schecken. She was registered as a Bierboxer or Modern Bullenbeiser. Schecken was then bred to an English Bulldog named Tom to produce a dog named Flocki, who became the first Boxer to be entered in the German Stud Book after winning at a Munich show that had a special event for Boxers.
Flocki's sister, a white female, was even more influential when she was mated with Piccolo von Angertor, a grandson of Lechner's Box. One of her pups was a white female named Meta von der Passage, who is considered to be the mother of the Boxer breed even though photographs of her show that she bore little resemblance to the modern Boxer. John Wagner, author of The Boxer (first published in 1939) said the following about her:
"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 underjaw and exceedingly lippy. As a producing bitch 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."
In 1894, three Germans named Roberth, Konig, and 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 breed became known in other parts of Europe in the late 1890s. Around 1903, the first Boxers were imported into the U.S. The first Boxer was registered by the American Kennel Club in 1904, a dog named Arnulf Grandenz. In 1915, the American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized the first Boxer champion, Sieger Dampf v Dom, owned by Governor and Mrs. Lehman of New York. Unfortunately, there weren't many female Boxers in the U.S. to breed to him, so he didn't have much influence on the breed.
When Word War I broke out, Boxers were enlisted into the military, serving as messenger dogs, carrying packs, and acting as attack and guard dogs.
Boxers started becoming popular in the U.S. in the 1940s when soldiers coming home from World War II brought their Boxer mascots with them. Through them, the breed was introduced to more people and soon became a favorite companion animal, show dog, and guard dog.
The American Boxer Club (ABC) was formed in 1935 and gained acceptance by the AKC in the same year. In the early days, there was a lot of controversy within the club about the Boxer standard. In 1938, the club finally approved a new standard. The latest revisions of the standard were in 2005. Today, the Boxer ranks 7th among the 155 breeds and varieties registered by the AKC.
The Boxer is described as a "hearing" guard dog, meaning he's alert and watchful. When he's not clowning for you, he's dignified and self-assured. With children, he's playful and patient. Strangers are greeted with a wary attitude, but he responds politely to friendly people. He's aggressive only in defense of his family and home.
Temperament is affected by a number of factors, including heredity, training, and socialization. Puppies with nice temperaments are curious and playful, willing to approach people and be held by them. Choose the middle-of-the-road puppy, not the one who's beating up his littermates or the one who's hiding in the corner. Always meet at least one of the parents — usually the mother is the one who's available — to ensure that they have nice temperaments that you're comfortable with. Meeting siblings or other relatives of the parents is also helpful for evaluating what a puppy will be like when he grows up.
Care
Training is essential for the Boxer. He's so big and strong that he can accidentally hurt people by knocking them over if he doesn't learn to control his actions. The Boxer's temperament plays a role in his trainability. He's happy and excitable, bouncy, and a bit of a mischief-maker. Getting him to take training seriously requires starting early and using firm, fair training methods and positive motivation in the form of praise, play, and food rewards. Be consistent. Your Boxer will notice any time you let him get away with something, and he'll push to see what else he can get away with. Before you head to training class, settle him down a little with an energetic walk or play session. He'll focus better once he's got his ya-yas out.
Patience is the key to
housetraining your Boxer. Some are housetrained by 4 months of age, but others aren't reliable until they're 7 months to a year old. Take your Boxer out to potty on a regular schedule and praise him wildly when he does his business outdoors.
Crate training is recommended.
Recommended daily amount: 2 to 3 cups of high-quality dry food a day, divided into two meals.
NOTE: How much your adult dog eats depends on his size, age, build, metabolism, and activity level. Dogs are individuals, just like people, and they don't all need the same amount of food. It almost goes without saying that a highly active dog will need more than a couch potato dog. The quality of dog food you buy also makes a difference — the better the dog food, the further it will go toward nourishing your dog and the less of it you'll need to shake into your dog's bowl.
Keep your Boxer trim by measuring his food and feeding him twice a day rather than leaving food out all the time. If you're unsure whether
he's overweight, give him the eye test and the hands-on test. First, look down at him. You should be able to see a waist. Then place your hands on his back, thumbs along the spine, with the fingers spread downward. You should be able to feel but not see his ribs without having to press hard. If you can't, he needs less food and more exercise.
For more on feeding your Boxer, see our guidelines for
buying the right food,
feeding your puppy, and
feeding your adult dog.
Boxers have a sleek, short coat with tight skin over their athletic bodies. They come in two colors: fawn or brindle, with or without white markings. Fawn ranges from light tan to mahogany. Brindle is a striking tiger-striped pattern of black stripes on a fawn background.
White markings usually appear on the belly or feet and shouldn't cover more than one-third of the coat. When the white extends onto the neck or face, the color is called flashy fawn or flashy brindle. Boxers without any white are referred to as plain Boxers. On the face, the Boxer has a black mask, sometimes with a white stripe, or blaze, running up the muzzle between the eyes.
Boxers don't carry the gene for a solid black coat color, so you won't ever see a black Boxer. In the United Kingdom, fawn boxers are typically rich in color and are called "red."
White markings covering more than one third of the body is a disqualification in the show ring. That's because excessive white markings in Boxers make them more susceptible to health conditions such as skin cancer and deafness. Reputable breeders don't want to pass on those genes. In the past, breeders often euthanized white puppies at birth, but today most breeders place them in pet homes. While white Boxers can't be shown in conformation and shouldn't be bred, they can compete in obedience and agility, and of course, they still have the wonderful Boxer personality that makes them such great companions!
The Boxer coat requires minimal grooming. Boxers are clean dogs and have been known to groom themselves like cats do. Boxers can shed quite a bit, but
weekly brushing with a bristle brush or hard rubber grooming mitt will help keep hair under control. You can enhance the natural sheen of your Boxer's coat by rubbing it down every now and then with a chamois cloth. If you decide to use a shedding blade, be careful when using it around your Boxer's legs so you don't injure him.
Bathe as needed.
Other grooming needs include
dental hygiene and nail care. Brush your Boxer's teeth several times a week to help remove tartar and bacteria. Daily is best if you want to prevent periodontal disease.
Trim nails once or twice a month if your dog doesn't wear them down naturally. If you can hear them clicking on the floor, they're too long. Short, neatly trimmed nails keep the feet in good condition and prevent your legs from getting scratched when your Boxer enthusiastically jumps up to greet you.
Begin accustoming your Boxer to being brushed and examined when he's a puppy. Handle his paws frequently — dogs are touchy about their feet — and look inside his mouth and ears. Make grooming a positive experience filled with praise and rewards, and you'll lay the groundwork for easy veterinary exams and other handling when he's an adult.
As you groom, check for sores, rashes, or signs of infection such as redness, tenderness, or inflammation on the skin, in the ears, nose, mouth, and eyes, and on the feet. Ears should smell good, without too much wax or gunk inside, and eyes should be clear, with no redness or discharge. Your careful weekly exam will help you spot potential health problems early.
Boxers love kids and are great playmates for active older children. They can be too rambunctious for toddlers, however, and can accidentally knock them down in play.
Always teach children how to approach and touch dogs, and always supervise any interactions between dogs and young children to prevent any biting or ear or tail pulling on the part of either party. Teach your child never to approach any dog while he's eating or sleeping or to try to take the dog's food away. No dog should ever be left unsupervised with a child.
Boxers can get along well with other dogs and cats, especially if they're raised with them.
Boxers are often purchased without any clear understanding of what goes into owning one. There are many Boxers in need of adoption and or fostering. There are a number of rescues that we have not listed. If you don't see a rescue listed for your area, contact the national breed club or a local breed club and they can point you toward a Boxer rescue.
Below are breed clubs, organizations, and associations where you can find additional information about the Boxer.
