Boxers - Overview of the Boxer Breed

By Dan Fletcher

The boxer dog is a stocky, medium sized dog with a short haired coat. The Boxer was developed in Germany and was bred from a mix of English Bulldog and Mastiff type dogs. The Boxer was originally used in Bull baiting and its ancestors were used for hunting bear, wild boar and deer were it's task was to seize the prey and hold it until the hunters arrived.

The Boxer was used during the first world war as a messenger dog, attack dog, guard dog and pack carrier. It was little known outside of it's home country until after the second world war when returning soldiers took some of the breed home introducing the dog to a much wider audience and it has now become a favourite as both companion and guard dog.

Boxer description and temperament

The most distinguishing feature of the boxer is it's head. The boxer has strong jaws and an underbite where the lower jaw extends beyond the upper jaw. The body of the Boxer is powerful yet compact. The boxer sometimes has docked tail and cropped ears although these practises are being outlawed in some countries. The boxer has a short haired shiny smooth coat that generally is fawn or brindle. The boxer often comes with a white underbelly and white on the front or all four paws.

The Boxer is an intelligent breed and is very easily trained. Being such a strong dog, Boxers require firm and consistent training starting at an early age and need to be handled by a strong adult. Boxers are reliable with children and are extremely protective and loyal towards their family.

Boxer grooming, exercises and health problems

With such a smooth short-haired coat, the Boxer is very easy to groom and only requires occasional brushing with a firm bristle brush.

Being such an active, energetic breed, Boxers require daily work or exercise. They need walking daily, preferably a long walk at a brisk pace and some play time such as fetching a ball on top of this. Boxers have no special feeding requirements.

Due to the shape of the nose that the Boxer has, they can be susceptible to breathing difficulties and sinus problems. Boxers are prone to skin cancer and have serious hereditary heart problems.

Dan Fletcher writes for PuppiesSale.org, a site with lots of puppy articles, puppies for sale, Boxer puppies for sale, and more.