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History according to a Boxer

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While it may not ever make it into your regular humanities class, there are some interesting things about the origins of our favorite breed, the boxer dog. As dogs go, their history is a relatively short one, a little less than 200 years. Wouldn't that be about 1400 years in doggy years though?

Although the Boxer today is considered to be a family pet, its origins were most definitely that of a working dog. The breed was first seen in Germany over a century ago. It most likely came from a breed called the "Brabanter Bullenbeisser" which was originally from Belgium. After being taken from its native Belgium, it was used by the rich, landed gentry to hunt wild boar and other such animals and had its ears clipped to help avoid any injuries sustained in these expeditions. Later it became the dog of choice for cattle breeders who noted that the dog could be trusted to play with their children and was one who was always trying to please its owners.

In the year 1830 the "Brabanter Bullenbeisser" was crossed with an early kind of English Bulldog, and so the Boxer as we know it came into existence. At that time it was still completely white. Today the white Boxer is prohibited in dog shows and white is not regarded as its correct color. This new breed proved to be very popular among the Germans of the time which is why it is strange that it was given the English word "Boxer" instead of the German translation. The Boxer was given its name around the 1860's when the first German Boxer club began. Experts assume the name "Boxer" was from its penchant for using its front paws to play and fight, although this is by no means known for sure.

Sometime before 1895 the Boxer Club was officially recognized and the breed description was made to define what a "proper" Boxer had to look like. At that time the breed was still completely white, but by the year 1925 this coloring was no longer accepted. Many experts and canine historians put it down to the police in Germany using the Boxer, and they wanted a different colored dog to avoid a white Boxer being seen at night and thus having the advantage of surprise.

The beginnings of the twentieth century saw the Boxer as we know it today introduced into the United States, and 1915 saw the first Boxer champion in the American Kennel Club. This dog came from the kennels of a then famous breeder called Fran Stockman. But the Boxer did not become a wide spread family favorite until after the year 1949. In that year a Boxer was born by the name of Bang Away. With a very appropriate name for a Boxer, Bang Away went on to win over 120 best in show titles in a little over six years. Since then the breed has encountered world wide recognition and is one of the most popular dog breeds in the world.

We have to remember that all dog breeds are even now constantly changing, and the Boxer is no exception. The completely white Boxer has at last been accepted into the standard form as debate is still raging over whether unclipped tails and ears should be allowed to be standard.