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Boxer - Breed Standard (American)
General Appearance:
The ideal: Boxer is a medium-sized, square built dog of good substance with short back,
strong
limbs, and short, tight-fitting coat. His well developed muscles are clean, hard and
appear smooth
under taut skin. His movements denote energy. The gait is firm, yet elastic, the stride
free and
ground-covering, the carriage proud. Developed to serve as guard, working and companion
dog,
he combines strength and agility with elegance and style. His expression is alert and
temperament
steadfast and tractable. The chiseled head imparts to the Boxer a unique individual stamp.
It must
be in correct proportion to the body. The broad, blunt muzzle is the distinctive feature,
and great
value is placed upon its being of proper form and balance with the skull.
In judging the Boxer: first consideration is given to general appearance to which
attractive color
and arresting style contribute. Next is overall balance with special attention devoted to
the head,
after which the individual body components are examined for their correct construction,
and
efficiency of gait is evaluated.
Size, Proportion, Substance:
Height: Adult males 22� to 25 inches; females 21 to 23� inches at the withers,
preferably, males
should not be under the minimum nor females over the maximum: however, proper balance and
quality in the individual should be of primary importance since there is no size
disqualification.
Proportion: The body in profile is of square proportion in that a horizontal line from the
front of the
forechest to the rear projection of the upper thigh should equal the length of a vertical
line dropped
from the top of the withers to the ground.
Substance: Sturdy with balanced musculature. Males larger boned than their female
counterparts.
Head:
The beauty of the head depends upon harmonious proportion of muzzle to skull. The blunt
muzzle
is 1/3 the length of the head from the occiput to the tip of the nose, and 2/3 the width
of the
skull. The head should be clean, not showing deep wrinkles (wet). Wrinkles typically
appear upon
the forehead when ears are erect, and folds are always present from the lower edge of the
stop
running downward on both sides of the muzzle.
Expression: Intelligent and alert.
Eyes: Dark brown in color, not too small, too protruding or
too deep-set. Their mood-mirroring
character combined with the wrinkling of the forehead, gives the Boxer head its unique
quality of
expressiveness.
Ears: Set at the highest points of the sides of the skull are
cropped, cut rather long and tapering,
raised when alert.
Skull: The top of the skull is slightly arched, not rounded,
flat nor noticeably broad, with the
occiput not overly pronounced. The forehead shows a slight indentation between the eyes
and
forms a distinct stop with the topline of the muzzle. The cheeks should be relatively flat
and not
bulge (cheekiness), maintaining the clean lines of the skull and should taper into the
muzzle in a
slight, graceful curve.
Muzzle: The muzzle, proportionately developed in length,
width and depth, has a shape influenced
first through the formation of both jawbones, second through the placement of the teeth,
and third
through the texture of the lips. The top of the muzzle should not slant down (downfaced),
nor
should it be concave (dishfaced); however, the tip of the nose should lie slightly higher
than the
root of the muzzle.
The nose: should be broad and black.
The upper jaw: is broad where attached to the skull and maintains this breadth except for
a very
slight tapering to the front. The lips, which complete the formation of the muzzle, should
meet
evenly in front. The upper lip is thick and padded, filling out the frontal space created
by the
projection of the lower jaw, and laterally is supported by the canines of the lower jaw.
Therefore,
these canines must stand far apart and be of good length so that the front surface of the
muzzle is
broad and squarish and, when viewed from the side, shows moderate layback. The chin should
be
perceptible from the side as well as from the front.
Bite: The Boxer bite is undershot; the lower jaw protrudes
beyond the upper and curves slightly
upward. The incisor teeth of the lower jaw are in a straight line, with the canines
preferably up front
in the same line to give the jaw the greatest possible width. The upper line of incisors
is slightly
convex with the corner upper incisors fitting snugly back of the lower canine teeth on
each side.
Faults: Skull too broad. Cheekiness. Wrinkling too deep (wet) or lacking (dry). Excessive
flews. Muzzle too light for skull. Too pointed a bite (snipy), too undershot, teeth or
tongue
showing when mouth closed. Eyes noticeably lighter than ground color of coat.
Neck, Topline, Body:
Neck: Round, of ample length, muscular and clean without
excessive hanging skin (dewlap). The
neck has a distinctly marked nape with an elegant arch blending smoothly into the withers.
Topline: Smooth, firm and slightly sloping.
Body: The chest is of fair width, and the forechest well
defined and visible from the side. The
brisket is deep, reaching down to the elbows; the depth of the body at the lowest point of
the
brisket equals half the height of the dog at the withers. The ribs, extending far to the
rear, are well
arched but not barrel shaped. The back is short, straight and muscular and firmly connects
the
withers to the hindquarters. The loins are short and muscular. The lower stomach line is
slightly
tucked up, blending into a graceful curve to the rear. The croup is slightly sloped, flat
and broad.
Tail: is set high, docked and carried upward. Pelvis long and
in females especially broad.
Faults: Short heavy neck. Chest too broad, too narrow or
hanging between shoulders. Lack of
forechest. Hanging stomach. Slab-sided rib cage. Long or narrow loin, weak union with
croup. Falling off of croup. Higher in rear than in front.
Forequarters:
The shoulders are long and sloping, close-lying, and not excessively covered with muscle
(loaded). The upper arm is long, approaching a right angle to the shoulder blade. The
elbows
should not press too closely to the chest wall nor stand off visibly from it. The forelegs
are long,
straight and firmly muscled and when viewed from the front, stand parallel to each other.
The
pastern is strong and distinct, slightly slanting, but standing almost perpendicular to
the
ground. The dewclaws may be removed.
Feet: should be compact, turning neither in nor out, with
well arched toes.
Faults: Loose or loaded shoulders. Tied in or bowed out
elbows.
Hindquarters:
The hindquarters are strongly muscled with angulation in balance with that of the
forequarters. The thighs are broad and curved, the breech musculature hard and strongly
developed. Upper and lower thigh long. Leg well angulated at the stifle with a clearly
defined, well
"let down" hock joint. Viewed from behind, the hind legs should be straight with
hock joints
leaning neither in nor out. From the side, the leg below the hock (metatarsus) should be
almost
perpendicular to the ground, with a slight slope to the rear permissible. The metatarsus
should be
short, clean and strong. The Boxer has no rear dewclaws.
Faults: Steep or over-angulated hindquarters. Light thighs or overdeveloped
hams. Over-angulated (sickle) hocks. Hindquarters too far under or too far behind.
Coat:
Short, shiny, lying smooth and tight to the body.
Color:
The colors are fawn and brindle. Fawn shades vary from light tan to mahogany. The brindle
ranges
from sparse, but clearly defined black stripes on a fawn background, to such a heavy
concentration
of black striping that the essential fawn background color barely, although clearly, shows
through
(which may create the appearance of "reverse brindling"). White markings should
be of such
distribution as to enhance the dog's appearance, but may not exceed one-third of the
entire
coat. They are not desirable on the flanks or on the back of the torso proper. On the
face, white
may replace part of the otherwise essential black mask and may extend in an upward path
between
the eyes, but it must not be excessive, so as to detract from true Boxer expression.
Faults: Unattractive or misplaced white markings.
Disqualifications: Boxers that are any color other than fawn
or brindle. Boxers with a total of white
markings exceeding one-third of the entire coat.
Gait:
Viewed from the side, proper front and rear angulation is manifested in a smoothly
efficient,
level-backed, ground covering stride with powerful drive emanating from a freely operating
rear. Although the front legs do not contribute impelling power, adequate
"reach" should be
evident to prevent interference, overlap or "sidewinding" (crabbing). Viewed
from the front, the
shoulders should remain trim and the elbows not flare out. The legs are parallel until
gaiting
narrows the track in proportion to increasing speed, then the legs come in under the body
but
should never cross. The line from the shoulder down through the leg should remain straight
although not necessarily perpendicular to the ground. Viewed from the rear, a Boxer's rump
should
not roll. The hind feet should "dig in" and track relatively true with the
front. Again, as speed
increases, the normally broad rear track will become narrower.
Faults: Stilted or inefficient gait. Lack of smoothness.
Character and Temperament:
These are of paramount importance in the Boxer. Instinctively a "hearing" guard
dog, his bearing is
alert, dignified and self-assured. In the show ring, his behavior should exhibit
constrained
animation. With family and friends, his temperament is fundamentally playful, yet patient
and
stoical with children. Deliberate and wary with strangers, he will exhibit curiosity but,
most
importantly, fearless courage if threatened. However, he responds promptly to friendly
overtures
honestly rendered. His intelligence, loyal affection and tractability to discipline make
him a highly
desirable companion.
Faults: Lack of dignity and alertness. Shyness.
Disqualifications:
Boxers that are any color other than fawn or brindle.
Boxers with a total of white markings exceeding one-third of the entire coat.