by Megan Clark

Created on: December 15, 2008

The Boxer breed was developed in Germany in the 1800s using the native Bullenbeisser.There were three original types of Bullenbeisser: the large heavy mastiff type, the large hound type (which eventually developed into the Great Dane) and the small Boxl, which resembled the largest type in all but size. All 3 types were noted for their strength, short coat and large, powerful, blunt head, but it was the Boxl that was used to develop the Boxer as we know it today.

Originally, the Boxl (which was corrupted into the term Boxer) was a hunting breed, used in packs to hunt wild boar and bear. In the 1800s, the breed's intelligence and temperament made it popular as a family and guard dog. In 1895 the first Boxer Club was formed and a standard was developed as a guide for future breeding. Many points of this original standard still remain in the Boxer standards of today.

Today's Boxer is a medium sized breed, ranging from 21 to 25 inches tall and weighing between 50 and 70 pounds. The acceptable colors are fawn and brindle with a black face mask. White markings are permissible, although the white should not cover more than 1/3 of the total body. The history of white Boxers is a controversial one, but they do in fact exist.

The white gene in Boxers is not a base color, but an accessory color. It is best visualized as a slider. At one end of the slide, you have a completely solid colored dog with perhaps a white toe or a small spot on the chest. The other end of the slider is a completely white dog. The dog's base color is actually fawn or brindle, but the amount of white can change depending on how far you slide the "white accessories" in either direction. Dogs with little white are termed "plain" and dogs with significant white are termed "flashy". Because of today's preference for flashy boxers, and the tendency to breed flashy to flashy rather than flashy to plain, nearly one quarter of all Boxers born are white.

During World Wars 1 and 2, the German government would only ration food to dogs that could be used as war dogs or bred to produce war dogs. Boxers were well suited for this purpose with the exception of the white coloration, which made them too visible. With their beloved breed facing starvation and extinction, the Boxer Club made the determination to cull all white puppies. This sacrifice allowed the breed to continue and develop into today's Boxer. Many of the German club's determinations carried over into the Boxer standards of other nations, including

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