BOXERS AROUND THE WORLD

THE MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
NORTH AMERICAN, BRITISH AND EUROPEAN BOXERS
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When appraising dogs judges and breeders should have....

• A clearly defined ideal in mind.
• The power of accurate observation.
• Sound judgment

Plus they should ....

1. Always look for type, balance and soundness first.
   
   
2. Recognise that NO dog is perfect as they all have some faults.
   Always select the dog that fits the standard and possesses the most virtues, not necessarily the dog with the least faults.
   
   
3. Punish severely the faults that are hard to breed out.
   I personally find that any fault that we inherited from the Bulldog is very difficult to breed out! For example, roach backs, cabriole fronts, short necks, low tailsets, too short in muzzle, wry mouths, or too much chin.
   
   
4. Acknowledge that unless the dog looks like the breed, it is not typical of the breed no matter how well it moves.
   Many judges concentrate on movement and put up a dog that is not of correct type just because he can power around the ring. But unless a dog looks like the breed then he is incorrect and not typical of the breed. Any mongrel can move well!
   
   

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NOW THE QUESTION IS..... ARE WE BREEDING TO THE STANDARD?

THE BOXER STANDARD.

The Boxer standards in may countries have been translated and changed over the years, but they are still basically the same and still define the essence of the ideal Boxer.

The Head - All Standards require the same head proportions ...

The standards all ask for a head ratio of 1:2, yet why are some people breeding a ratio of 1:3, which is incorrect.

This is the same head just the length of nose has been changed. MUZZLE LENGTH SHOULD BE HALF OF LENGTH OF HEAD! ALL standards clearly state that the head is to be measured from the TIP OF THE NOSE to the STOP and STOP to the OCCIPUT!

Note the additional length in front of nose in both cases. This allows for the padding to fill in the gap between top and bottom jaw. Aditional length is added by the chin which should be plainly seen from the side.

Many judges and breeders incorrectly misinterpret the standard and think the head should be measured from the CHIN to the STOP and STOP to the OCCIPUT, but this is INCORRECT! This measurement is correct on a Boston Terrier or French Bulldog.

THE BOXER SKULL Click here for larger version

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Angulation - All Standards require the same front and rear angulation ...

The drawing above shows the anatomy of a well built Boxer with correct angulation in the front and rear.

The shoulder angle is approximately 90 degrees, although it has been proven that the actual angle is really 100-110 degrees at the point of shoulder if the shoulderblade is on a 45-degree layback from the horizontal. This 45-degree layback is the most important angle for extension of the front legs.

The rear angulation must match the front for balance, power and drive.

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All Standards require the same height to length ratio

We all know that the length from prosternum to rear protuberance equals the height at the withers (green line)

That the depth of the chest measures the same as from the chest to the ground (Blue line - halved)

Yet we see dogs that are much longer in back; longer or shorter in leg, winning regularly. These are not just faults, the dog is "Off Type"

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The height of the Boxer is the same all over the world, give or take 2cm

So if the standards are the same and breeders breed to the standard, why don’t our Boxers all look the same all over the world?

Question!

Q: The country of origin of our breed is Germany so should we all be breeding to German type and all follow the FCI standard?

A: Yes, we all should use the FCI standard as it is the country of origin, but even the Europeans have diverged markedly from the original interpretation!

This change has occurred over the past 30 years!

Before 1976 all breeders around the world were working towards improvement... not change! North America imported dogs from England and Europe. United Kingdom imported dogs from North America and Europe. Europe imported dogs from North America And the United Kingdom. They were all breeding with an IDEAL BOXER in mind with SIMILAR BOXER TYPE!

Continued.....