Boxer: the features that give it away
The Boxer’s square head and blunt, upturned muzzle are hard to miss, yet Boxer crosses can be much harder to read. Upload a photo above, then compare with the points below.
Also known as: German Boxer, Deutscher Boxer
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About the Boxer
The Boxer was developed in Munich in the late nineteenth century from the Bullenbeisser, a mastiff-type hunting dog, crossed with English bulldogs. The first Boxer club was founded there in 1895, and Germany holds the breed standard at the FCI, where it sits in group 2. Boxers are playful, bouncy and affectionate, slow to grow up, and good with children who can handle their energy. They are alert watchdogs and keen athletes, but their short muzzle makes them sensitive to heat.
At a glance
- Type
- Pedigree breed
- Size
- Large
- Adult weight
- 25–36 kg
- Life expectancy
- 10–12 years
- Exercise
- High
How to recognise a Boxer
- Short, shiny, tight coat in fawn (light tan to deep red) or brindle, with or without white markings, and a black mask over the muzzle.
- Short, broad, blunt muzzle with an undershot jaw: the lower lip and chin show from the front, and the forehead wrinkles when the dog is alert.
- Square, athletic outline: as tall at the withers as the body is long, with a deep chest, short back and visibly muscular thighs.
- High-set ears that fold forward against the cheeks when natural; cropped, upright ears are still seen in some countries. The tail may be long or docked.
- White Boxers, mostly white with a few patches, are common in litters. They are not accepted in the show ring but are the same breed.
Photo tip. Photograph the head from the front and in profile, mouth closed. The undershot jaw, upturned chin and black mask are the clearest Boxer signals, especially in mixes.
Boxer or look-alike?
Bullmastiff
Much heavier and broader, with a wider skull, deeper wrinkles and a square muzzle without the Boxer’s upturned chin. The build is massive rather than athletic.
American Bulldog
Often mostly white with patches, with a longer muzzle and broader skull. It lacks the Boxer’s black mask and lean, square outline.
Cane Corso
Larger and heavier, with a longer, deeper muzzle that is not undershot and a flatter skull. Coats run from black and grey to fawn and brindle.
Dogue de Bordeaux
A huge, deeply wrinkled head, a solid fawn coat with a red or black mask, and a low, massive body; far heavier than any Boxer.
Boxer mixes
Boxer crosses are common: Boxadors with Labradors, Bullboxers with Staffordshire and other bull breeds, Bogles with Beagles. The muzzle usually lengthens in a cross and the underbite softens or disappears, so the chin is often the first Boxer trait to fade. Brindle or fawn colouring, the black mask, white chest and feet, the square muscled outline and the wrinkled forehead tend to survive. On a photo, a Boxer mix usually comes back as Boxer plus a bull-type or retriever breed. DNA testing shows the true split.
Health and care
- Heart conditions are the main concern: ARVC, an irregular heart rhythm, and subaortic stenosis are known in the breed. Ask for heart testing on both parents, including Holter monitoring.
- Boxers develop skin lumps, including mast cell tumours, more often than most breeds. Run your hands over the coat regularly and have any new lump checked promptly.
- The short muzzle makes them sensitive to heat: walk in the cool hours, give shade and water, and keep them lean so breathing stays easy.
- As a deep-chested breed they are prone to bloat; feed two or three smaller meals and rest around mealtimes. Ask the breeder about the degenerative myelopathy DNA test too.
- White Boxers are more likely to be deaf than coloured ones; a BAER hearing test can confirm it in young puppies before they go home.