Preis Kennels
Preis Kennels
Bringing Families Together One Pup At A Time
About The Breed
Weight:
Male 65-75lbs
Female 50-60lbs
Height: (floor to top of shoulders)
Male 21-25"
Female 21-23.5"
Lifespan: 10-12 years
Trademark Traits:
- Stocky, Muscular Frame
- Strong and Nimble
- Lovably Excitable
- Protective
- Clever (and sometimes sneaky
- Friendly and Accepting
Boxers were developed in Germany. It is a stocky,
medium sized breed. Their short coat is smooth and can
very in different shades of fawn (brown or brownish
red) and brindle (marbling). They may also have white
markings, also referred to as "flash".


AKC BREED STANDARD
General Appearance
The ideal Boxer is a medium-sized,
square-built dog of good substance with
short back, strong libs, and short,
tight-fitting coat. His well-developed
muscles are clean, hard, and appear
smooth under taunt skin. His movements
denote energy. The gait is firm yet elastic,
the stride free and ground-covering, the
carriage proud. Develped to serve as
guard, working and companion dogs, he
combines strength and agility with
elegance and style. His expression is alert
and he temprament 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 and overall balance. Special attention is
then devoted to the head, after which the individual body components are examined for their correct
construction, and the gait evaluated for efficiency.
Size
Adult males 23 to 25 inches; females 21½ to 23½ inches at the withers. Proper balance and quality in the
individual should be of primary importance since there is no size disqualification.
Proportion
The body in profile is square 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 females.
Head
The beauty of the head depends upon the 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 2/3rds 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 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, frontally placed, generous, not too small, too protruding, or too deepset. Their
mood-mirroring character, combined with the wrinkling of the forehead, gives the Boxer head its unique
quality of expressiveness. Third eyelids preferably have pigmented rims.
Ears
Set at the highest points of the sides of the skull, the ears are customarily cropped, cut rather long and
tapering, and raised when alert. If uncropped, the ears should be of moderate size, thin, lying flat and close to
the cheeks in repose, but falling forward with a definite crease 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 as they taper into the muzzle in a slight, graceful curve.
Muzzle and Nose
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.
Bite and Jaw Structure
The Boxer bite is undershot, the lower jaw protruding beyond the upper and curving 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 the incisors is slightly convex with the corner
upper incisors fitting snugly in back of the lower canine teeth on each side. Neither the teeth nor the tongue
should ever show when the mouth is closed.
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. Any
suggestion of an overlip obscuring the chin should be penalized.
Neck
Round, of ample length, muscular and clean without excessive hanging skin (dewlap). The neck should have
a distinctly arched and elegant nape blending smoothly into the withers.
Back and Topline
The back is short, straight, muscular, firm, and smooth. The topline is slightly sloping when the Boxer is at
attention, leveling out when in motion.
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 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. The pelvis is long, and in females especially broad. The
tail is set high, docked, and carried upward. An undocked tail should be severely penalized.
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.
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 are long.
The legs are well-angulated at the stifle, neither too steep nor over-angulated, with clearly defined, well "let
down" hock joints. 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.
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, if present, 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. The absence of white markings, the so-called "plain" fawn or brindle, is perfectly acceptable, and
should not be penalized in any consideration of color. 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 a 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. The Boxer's gait should always appear smooth and
powerful, never stilted or inefficient.
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. Any evidence of shyness, or lack of dignity or alertness,
should be severely penalized.
The foregoing description is that of the ideal Boxer. Any deviation from the above described dog must be
penalized to the extent of the deviation.
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.
To Contact Us:
Phone: (910) 525-4021
Email: info@preiskennels.com