Dog Breeds: Boxer

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

09 Mar 2006 10:08 AM

That infamous underbite. Those droopy cheeks. The square, compact body. Let's talk about Boxers! My Lally is a boxer mix, and she definitely has some of the physical AND personality traits of the breed.

Who has an underbite? Lally Beeber does! She is a Boxer/Shar-pei mix.

Boxers are in the Working Group of dogs. And you can tell -- these dogs are full of energy and eager to please. They are very hearing-focused. Lally drives us nuts, reacting to things that the humans (and her brother Moose) don't perceive. Her ears are always working.

Around family and friends, boxers are very playful! The name comes in part from their love of boxing -- batting at playmates with both paws. Yet they have a reputation for being very patient with children. This is another Boxer trait I see in my Lally. At the holidays one year, my friend Annie's young daughter fell in love with Lally and would just hang all over her. Lally, in true Boxer fashion, sat very patiently through it all.

Boxers are considered a very well rounded dog. Intelligent, patient, loving, and unique in appearance.

If you are looking for a show quality Boxer, here are a few extras to keep in mind:

1. The tail will have been docked within a few days of birth. Wiggly stumps = cute Boxer!
2. The Boxer has no rear dewclaws. Removal of front dewclaws is optional, and can be done within a few days of birth.
3. Ears are cropped between six and nine weeks of age, to help reduce the risk of ear infections.
4. All-white and mostly-white Boxers are not considered show quality. The breed standard says that no more than one third of the dog should be white. Show quality Boxers are fawn or brindle (striped)

You can't see the underbite quite as well here. But Lally is cute anyway. Yes, I am biased!

KEEP IN MIND: Boxers are very sensitive to a common anesthetic/tranquilizer: acepromazine. It can cause arrhythmia of the heart, a severe lowering of blood pressure, and in extreme cases, respiratory arrest and a very slow heart rate.

If you are interested in adding a Boxer to your family, you may want to check with your local rescues first! A quick search (for curiosity! Really! I'm not getting another dog... yet.) on Petfinder showed almost 75 Boxers and Boxer mixes in New Jersey looking for forever homes. Why buy when you can rescue?

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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Lisa Weinberger (1623) 09 Mar 2006 07:25 PM

Boxers are wonderful dogs! My first dog who owns me is a female Boxer named Marley. She is everything you described; always thinking, listening, and understands way too much English!

Marley can play for 8 hours a day and still have enough energy to run around for another 5; she def. loves to work. Great blog!

Lisa

Aimee Amodio (11995) 10 Mar 2006 02:28 AM

Your Marley sounds like my Lally! (We should have set up a playdate for them to exhaust each other!) Lally can chase her squeaky ball for hours in the yard, then keep bringing it to me to toss it down the hall once we're in! Feel free to share pictures... I'm a sucker for dog pictures!

Lisa Weinberger (1623) 11 Mar 2006 03:10 PM

I will send you my online album of all the pictures of Marley the Boxer and Olive the Boston Terrier. I'll drop an email your way. Before we moved out of NJ, we should have set up a play date. If you find yourself in the AZ area, just give a holler and we'll have them play. Marley is nuts! 5am this morning she woke us up to play but we love her!

ajarvis (35) 14 Mar 2007 08:00 AM

This is one of my favorite breeds. I hope to get one in a couple of years. After I have my next baby and what not! I am definitely considering rescue.