Boxer characteristics: dog that snores like a tractor, drools like a fountain and wiggles with the gracefulness of a dinosaur. But he is simply adorable because of that, too.
A Boxer named Brandy, according to Guinness World Records, holds the record for the dog with the longest tongue in the world: an impressive 43 cm. And this is no accident, since Boxers have unusually long tongues compared to those of all known dog breeds.
The origins of the Boxer breed dog
The ancestor of the Boxer is the Bullenbeisser, known as the German Bulldog, a molossoid native to Germany and now extinct. The Bullenbeisser, whose name in German means “bull biter,” in turn is said to derive from the ancient Macedonian Molossi or Mastiffs that reached central and northern Europe as early as Phoenician times. In short, a very ancient origin indeed. Used for hunting wild boar and deer and in fighting oxen and bulls, in the last years of the nineteenth century Bullenbeissers were crossed with theOld English Bulldog of the time. Guardians and hunters, endowed with a strong territorial motivation, these large, powerful dogs had an appearance characterized by a wide variety of shapes and sizes. The modern-day Boxer is derived from a slightly smaller variant widespread in Brabant, a region located in the area between present-day Belgium and Holland.
The Boxer was originally often white
In 1895 Flocki, a white-coated female dog, was born, the first Boxer to be entered in herd books, and since then Boxer breeding has spread widely throughout Europe. Initially, many Boxers were white and dappled-the presence of white was in fact derived from the Bulldog. However, in 1925 the white coloration was excluded from the official standards to make way for the brown or brindle coat.
In fact, the Boxer was “hired” for war use and the white color-too visible-was undesirable due to camouflage problems. This practice, no longer motivated by war requirements, continued undisturbed for decades, and alleged hereditary defects of whites were used to justify it that were completely unfounded. Starting in the 1930s, accompanying Wehrmacht soldiers, Boxer dogs also arrived in Italy, Spain, Portugal and the United States.
Why these dogs are called Boxers
Legend has it that the name derives from the breed’s characteristic of rising up on its hind legs and using its front legs as if they were boxers. It is also possible that the word boxer comes from the German word Boxl, another name used for the Bullenbessier dog. Unlike its ancestors and name, the Boxer is an extremely balanced dog and never gratuitously aggressive, far from it.
Playful and slobbery, the Boxer retains its lively disposition even in old age
He becomes viscerally attached to his humans toward whom he has a strong protective instinct and suffers greatly from loneliness. A very energetic and active dog, he needs a lot of physical activity throughout the day; he is the ideal companion for those who enjoy long walks, outdoor workouts and rolling on the grass. He manifests the need for physical contact by jumping, running and landing in dives on his human. With his exuberant physicality, he acts as if he weighs two pounds and not 30 or more. Drooling, typical of all molossoids, will always be a constant. In short, he is not a dog for the squeamish.
The recurrent diseases of the Boxer dog
Because of selection, the Boxer today has a very short nasal passage and a very flattened nose. Like all brachycephals, therefore, it has respiratory problems , hence also its proverbial snoring.
In addition, it suffers from heat but also from cold because of its short and sparse fur. And again, they are recurrent:
- stomach torsion
- arthrosis and spondyloarthrosis
- dermatitis and malassezia
- heart disease
To have your Boxer checked out, contact the veterinary doctors on our staff who are always available to you.
We would also like to remind you that Clinica La Veterinaria is always open h24 every day including holidays and with First Aid service from 8 pm to 8 am.
