REDDMOLOSSER DOGS - BOXER BREED HISTORY

The name 'Boxer' is supposedly derived from the breed's tendency to play by standing on its hind legs and 'boxing' with its front paws.

The German Boxer is believed to be a direct descendant of the old Bullenbeisser Bulenbeiser, although it's more likely to be a result of crossing the Brabanters and the Deutsche Dogge with various European bulldogges, terriers and hunting mastiffs, such as the Spanish Alano and early Talbot Hounds.

By crossing the Brabanter with the old white bulldogs of Britain in the 1830's and then breeding it back into the local population of fighting, hunting and butchershop dogs, the developers of the early Boxer established a new and fairly uniformed strain of working dogs.

The Bullenbeisser had been working as a hunting dog for centuries, employed in the pursuit of bear, wild boar, and deer. Its task was to seize the prey and hold it until the hunters arrived. It was also often used for bull-baiting.

These original Boxers were not only smaller and heavier than the modern show type, but they also possessed much sharper temperaments. Although matings with bull-n-terriers continued, by the 1860's a consistent stock of Boxers existed and the breed club was formed to enforce strict breeding practices and maintain purity.

Friedrich Roberth, Elard Konig, and R. Hopner stabilized the breed in 1894 and put it on exhibition at a Munich dog show in 1895. The following year they founded the Deutscher Boxer Club and went on to publish the first Boxer breed standard in 1902, which has not been changed much to this day.

It was much later, in 1925 to be exact, that the white colour was officially excluded from the Standard and proclaimed unacceptable, even though a great number of white Boxers still exist.

It was not until after World War 2 that the Boxer became popular around the world. Taken home by returning soldiers, they introduced the dog to a wider audience and soon became a favourite as a companion, a show dog, and a guard dog. Recognized by the United Kennel Club in 1948, the German Boxer has remained a well-loved breed ever since. Generally, German dogs are more compact and square in body type and have strong and alert personalities, unlike some oversized and unstable strains found in America and other countries.