BOXER TYPE?

By Judy Horton

Current winning English Boxer	Current winning European Boxer	Current winning North American Boxer

There has been much written lately about the differences between the "type" of Boxer shown in North America, UK and Europe.

Personally, I don't think that there is such a big difference between the BEST Boxers from each country, but some breeders are beginning to develop a very different STYLE of Boxer, and are losing the original type!

I think at this point it may help people if I explain the differences between TYPE and STYLE.

TYPE is the combination of the characteristics of a breed that make it unique, and this description is laid down in the breed standard.   It is what makes one breed of dog different from another.

To clarify it further... If you were to see someone walking a breed you did not recognise, the first thing you would ask him or her is, "What type of dog is that?"   If you didn't think the description of the breed was correct, you would think the owner was wrong, or the dog was "Off type!".  BUT, if a dog was one you recognised (lets say a well put together Boxer), but slightly heavier, ... or more elegant,... or taller, .... or smaller, you may possibly say "That is a heavier...more elegant,....taller,...smaller, etc Boxer than I am used to seeing!" That is STYLE!

Let's face it, how many of us read the standard after acquiring our first Boxer and know that our Boxer is "faultless" and the standard has described him/her perfectly?   I did, and many of you would have done the same.

Nowadays when I go back and look at photos of this dog I realise that my wonderful "perfect" Boxer was slightly less than perfect!   The mistake was made because of insufficient knowledge of the breed, due to my lack of experience at that time.  It is the same mistake made by all beginners of "adapting the standard to fit the dog! "

The Boxer standard is one of the largest, and most descriptive of any standard of any breed, and it takes a lot of study to understand it fully.   Our standard, even though worded slightly different from country to country, is basically the same one laid down by the creators of our breed many years before.

Every country has developed a slightly different STYLE of Boxer, eg,

• The North American Boxer is more elegant with slightly finer bone. They are smooth muscled with fine coats and longer necks.
  
• The European Boxer has kept more to the working heritage, and they are heavier in bone, with shorter necks. Most have fully pigmented eyes and very strong muzzles.
  
• The English Boxer has kept a middle balance with good bone and feet.
  

>The style of Boxers may vary slightly from country to country, but it is generally the way the head is changing, more than anything else, that can make dogs look different, and is the most controversial.

I have illustrated this article with photographs of good heads from around the world to show that there should not be such a difference in type anywhere, if breeders observe the standard.

English	European	North American

In the standard the head is described in minute detail.   Even then, with most measurements quoted, it is still wide open to interpretation. allowing breeders to breed a slightly different STYLE of head, and still stay within the standard.   Problems occur if this style becomes over exaggerated, and is interpreted as the TYPE of head required, either by a particular person, or country.

It is easy to be influenced by what is currently shown in our country of residence. This is because a certain style of head can gradually evolve over time and become what we are used to seeing, week after week.   This may have come about because of a limited gene pool of Boxers available at stud, or because a certain dog was used consistently and has set the style.

Judges become accustomed to seeing only this style of head shown under them, and interpret it as being correct. Boxers not conforming to this style look different and therefore do not win.   Because these Boxers are winning at the shows, breeders now breed for this style.

The style is no longer interpreted as just a STYLE; it is starting to be thought of as TYPE.  In effect changing the standard!

We will always have head faults due mainly to the dogs that were used to create our breed, but we are starting to see many new "OFF TYPE" styles appearing in the show rings around the world that are becoming thought of as correct TYPE, eg,

• Very heavy wrinkle down the sides of the head, where the standard asks for only wrinkle on the top of the skull when the dog is alert and from the root of nose running down the sides of muzzle.
  
• Very heavy flews, dragging the eyes rim down and giving a heavy look to the head. (It IS possible to have thick lips without heavy flews.)
  
• Lack of chin, where as the standard asks for the chin to be plainly perceptible when viewed from the front as well as the side, without protruding and bending upward as in the English Bulldog.
  
• Too much chin (see above)
  
• Lack of depth of muzzle (quacky) the wording of the standards vary, but all ask for the muzzle to be broad, deep and powerful, never narrow, pointed, short or shallow and with balanced proportions to the rest of the head.
  
• The tip of the nose NOT higher than the root of the muzzle.
  
• Dane type heads, that are too long in muzzle. (see below)
  
• Very short muzzles that are closer to one quarter the length of the head. The standard states that the length of the muzzle is one third of the whole head measured from the tip of the nose to the stop.
  

English	European	North American

Breeders must constantly read and re-read the standard and not try to get their mind set on a certain style of Boxer head, unless it stands up to the criteria set down by the standard.   They must learn to see the beauty in other styles, even if it is not the one they want to breed themselves.
The diversity is what makes showing unique.

My idea of what constitutes a good Boxer head HAS changed over the years.
This came about because of looking at many photos of good dogs and reading many books and magazines, reading the standard, dissecting the standard, measuring heads, and of course showing, breeding and judging.

I have been very fortunate to see many Boxers with varying styles of head,
around the world, and when judging I try to look for a dog or bitch with a head that conforms closest to the standard and balances with the overall dog. It is not always the style of head I want to breed myself; and it may not always be perfect, but its measurements are near to correct, according to my eye, and what I perceive is correct according to the standard.... therefore possessing good TYPE!

English	European	North American