Before that, the history becomes deductive, and then speculative.
The ancestors of this breed were the German Bullenbeisser, a dog of Mastiff descent,
and the English Bulldog.
The small, so called Brabant Bullenbeisser is regarded as the immediate ancestor of the Boxer.
In the past, the breeding of these Bullenbeissers was in the hands of the huntsmen, whom they
assisted during the chase. Their task was to seize the game put up by chasing hounds and hold it
firmly until the huntsman arrived and put an end to the prey. For this job the dog had to have as
wide jaws as possible with broadly spaced teeth, in order to bite firmly and hold on tightly.
A Bullenbeisser which had these characteristics was best suited to this job and was used for
breeding. Previously only the ability to work and utilization were considered. Selective breeding
was carried out which produced a dog with a wide muzzle and an upturned nose.
SEE EARLY BOXER GENEALOGY
In the late 19th century, the Brabanter was crossed with an English Bulldog to start
the line that would become the modern Boxer. In 1894, three Germans by the name of Roberth,
Konig, and Hopner decided to stabilise the breed and put it on exhibition at a dog show.
This was done in Munich in 1895, and the next year they founded the first Boxer Club.
First Boxer show held in Munich (1895)
First Boxer Club established in Munich (1895)
The breed was introduced to other parts of Europe in the late 1800s.
During World War I, the Boxer was co-opted for military work, acting as a valuable
messenger dog, pack-carrier, attack dog, and guard dog.
It was not until after World War II that the Boxer became popular around the world.
Boxer mascots, taken home by returning soldiers, introduced the dog to a much wider
audience and it soon became a favourite as a companion animal, as a show dog, and as
a guard dog.
A gentleman from Munich, named George Alt, had purchased a small (Brabanter)
Bullenbeisser female (named Flora) in France. He brought her home to Munich,
and mated her (brindle-coloured bitch) to a local dog (of unknown ancestry),
which produced a parti-colored female - who was named Schenken. Schenken was
later mated to an English Bulldog named Tom to produce the historically
significant dog Flocki, the first boxer to enter the German Stud Book after
winning at a Munich show for St. Bernards, which was the first event to have
a class specific for Boxers.
The point to note here is that these were not random matings. Each breeding
was to capture a certain look, personality or trait. Then a consistency was
looked for to establish a breed type, that was produced at each whelping.
The white bitch Ch. Blanka von Angertor, Flocki´s sister, was even more influential
when mated with Piccolo von Angertor (Lechner´s Boxer grandson) to produce the
predominantly white bitch Meta von der Passage, which, even bearing little resemblance
with the modern Boxer standard (early photographs depicts her as too long, weak-backed
and down-faced), is considered the mother of the breed. John Wagner, on his The Boxer
(first published in 1939) said the following regarding this bitch:
"Meta von der Passage played the most important role of the five original ancestors.
Our great line of sires all trace directly back to this female. She was a substantially
built, low to the ground, brindle and white parti-color, lacking in underjaw and
exceedingly lippy. As a producing bitch few in any breed can match her record. She
consistently whelped puppies of marvelous type and rare quality. Those of her offspring
sired by Flock St. Salvator and Wotan dominate all present-day pedigrees. Combined with
Wotan and Mirzl children, they made the Boxer."
HISTORICAL PHOTOS:
Boxers are friendly, lively companions that are often used as family dogs. Their
suspicion of strangers, alertness, agility, and strength make them formidable guard
dogs. They also sometimes appear at dog agility trials and flyball events. Before dog
fighting was made illegal, Boxers were often used in dog fights. These strong and
intelligent animals have even been sometimes used as guide dogs for the blind
and police dogs in K9 units in place of the typical German Shepherd. The versatiliy of
Boxers was recognised by the military, which used them as valuable messenger dogs, pack
carriers, and attack and guard dogs in times of war.
DOG'S HEALTH
Boxers are prone to develop "cancers, progressive retinal atrophy, torsion (bloat),
epilepsy, bleeding disorders, intestinal problems", heart murmurs and ailments of the joints,
such as arthritis and hip dysplasia.
In the late 19th century, the Brabanter was crossed with an English Bulldog to start
the line that would become the modern Boxer. In 1894, three Germans by the name of Roberth,
Konig, and Hopner decided to stabilise the breed and put it on exhibition at a dog show.
This was done in Munich in 1895, and the next year they founded the first Boxer Club.
First Boxer show held in Munich (1895)
First Boxer Club established in Munich (1895)
The breed was introduced to other parts of Europe in the late 1800s.
During World War I, the Boxer was co-opted for military work, acting as a valuable
messenger dog, pack-carrier, attack dog, and guard dog.
It was not until after World War II that the Boxer became popular around the world.
Boxer mascots, taken home by returning soldiers, introduced the dog to a much wider
audience and it soon became a favourite as a companion animal, as a show dog, and as
a guard dog.
 WW 1 |
 WW 1 |
Bullenbeisser female (named Flora) in France. He brought her home to Munich,
and mated her (brindle-coloured bitch) to a local dog (of unknown ancestry),
which produced a parti-colored female - who was named Schenken. Schenken was
later mated to an English Bulldog named Tom to produce the historically
significant dog Flocki, the first boxer to enter the German Stud Book after
winning at a Munich show for St. Bernards, which was the first event to have
a class specific for Boxers.
The point to note here is that these were not random matings. Each breeding
was to capture a certain look, personality or trait. Then a consistency was
looked for to establish a breed type, that was produced at each whelping.
The white bitch Ch. Blanka von Angertor, Flocki´s sister, was even more influential
when mated with Piccolo von Angertor (Lechner´s Boxer grandson) to produce the
predominantly white bitch Meta von der Passage, which, even bearing little resemblance
with the modern Boxer standard (early photographs depicts her as too long, weak-backed
and down-faced), is considered the mother of the breed. John Wagner, on his The Boxer
(first published in 1939) said the following regarding this bitch:
"Meta von der Passage played the most important role of the five original ancestors.
Our great line of sires all trace directly back to this female. She was a substantially
built, low to the ground, brindle and white parti-color, lacking in underjaw and
exceedingly lippy. As a producing bitch few in any breed can match her record. She
consistently whelped puppies of marvelous type and rare quality. Those of her offspring
sired by Flock St. Salvator and Wotan dominate all present-day pedigrees. Combined with
Wotan and Mirzl children, they made the Boxer."
HISTORICAL PHOTOS:
 GERMANY 1912 |
 Rolf von Vogelsberg |
 Ivein von Dom |
Boxers are friendly, lively companions that are often used as family dogs. Their
suspicion of strangers, alertness, agility, and strength make them formidable guard
dogs. They also sometimes appear at dog agility trials and flyball events. Before dog
fighting was made illegal, Boxers were often used in dog fights. These strong and
intelligent animals have even been sometimes used as guide dogs for the blind
and police dogs in K9 units in place of the typical German Shepherd. The versatiliy of
Boxers was recognised by the military, which used them as valuable messenger dogs, pack
carriers, and attack and guard dogs in times of war.
DOG'S HEALTH
Boxers are prone to develop "cancers, progressive retinal atrophy, torsion (bloat),
epilepsy, bleeding disorders, intestinal problems", heart murmurs and ailments of the joints,
such as arthritis and hip dysplasia.
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