The History of the Boxer Dog - The Line of a Regal and Loveable Dog
The Boxer is a dog breed that baffles people with its sometimes regal and sometimes goofy disposition, so many may what the history of the boxer breed is. Looking at the dog you'd think that it may be a simple crossbreed of a mastiff and a bulldog, but you would be sorely mistaken. The Boxer is a dog with many cousins and ancestors all over the world and its popularity took a while to take off.
The boxer can trace its history and line back to dogs all over the world even before the sixteenth century. It's been proposed that then the Boxer is a descendant of the drawly fighting Tibetan Mastiffs of this time, however you may not have seen a resemblance if you put a boxer next to one of these dogs. Dogs that more resembled the modern Boxer showed up in European Art in the 16th and 17th century. It is during this time that the dog can see links to several Spanish breeds, the Spanish Alano, and Perro do Presa. It is possible that these dogs are the ancestor to the Boxer, or also possible they share a common ancestor. There was also a French breed called the Dogue de Bordeaux that breed to be the Bouldogue de Mida. This dog shares many of the same traits as the Boxer and is most definitely an ancestor.
The Germans are responsible for refining the breed, maintaining and refining it's size, braver and fun loving attitude and also creating a much more ascetically pleasing dog than it's predecessors. It's born from a class of dogs known as the small Bullenbeisser. These dogs were known to be prize hunting dogs who successfully caught their prey without making a mess of it, and therefore were breed with care and finesse. Later in its life it became the dog of butchers and cattle men.
It's rather obvious that the Boxer has some bulldog blood in it, but some may not guess that it also has some terrier in it. You may also not be surprised to know that the English bulldog may also share more common blood than other breeds.
Even though Boxer Clubs were formed in Germany as early as 1895, AKC registration for Boxers didn't take place until 1904, when white was the most common color. Now white is not accepted as a breed standard at all. It began winning championships in 1915 and then hit the ground running from there, quickly becoming a show favorite.
Normally a breed begins to gain popularity when it makes an appearance in a family show or movie, such as the story with Cocker Spaniels, Dalmatians and Collies. It's a different story with the Boxer. This breed actually weaseled it's away into the heart of American families during the 1940s due to its prestigious award winning talent.
While the Boxer's history is filled with signs of dogs from all over the world, keep in mind that the German breeders rally do get the claim to fame on this breed, both in refining it as well as increasing its popularity and gaining its status as a recognized breed. In this, we have to pat them on the back, as they made a bog both noble enough to steal a dog show, as well as cuddly enough to make a perfect family pet.