

The first club, the Deutscher Boxer Club, was responsible for the first Boxer breed standard.

It could be that the breed's name was actually conceived in recognition of the German meaning for the term, prize fighter: boxer.

Although there are distinct records starting around 1894 when the first Boxer club was formed, the name "Boxer" had been used as far back as 1845 in Charles Dickens's novella,"The Cricket on the Hearth." Many theories revolve around the dog's alleged habit to "box" while standing on his rear legs, but it may be more the fact that the dog prefers to head-butt when fighting. The origin of the breed name, Boxer, remains debated. The Boxer was produced to be a faster hunting dog meant to bring down the same large game as its ancestors: bears, wild boar, etc. The breeds that make a Boxer are said to have been a mastiff called the Bullenbeiser (aka the "bull biter," which is now extinct) and a variety of Bulldogs from England. This Molosser breed was developed by a small group of German breeders during the very late 19th century. The history of Boxers is a somewhat short one. The breed sheds, but brushing their coat weekly helps reduce excess hair from shedding. Because of this, the breed will need to remain indoors on days where you need to bundle up. Even though the boxer is a guard dog, they will welcome friendly strangers.īoxers have a short coat, which doesn't provide very much protection from the cold. The breed is good with children and other pets, but will be a bit wary of strangers approaching their family's property. They are very alert dogs with a natural guarding instinct. The boxer is an intelligent dog breed that is always in the mood to play. Due to their high exercise needs, boxers are not recommended for families that can't devote the time to keep their dog well exercised. They have high energy requirements for a large dog and require multiple walks daily or a 90 minutes of day of similar exercise. The boxer is a large dog breed with males getting as large as 25 inches (from ground to shoulder) and weighing as much as 70 pounds.
