American Kennel Club Boxer
Breed Standard |
Boxer Breed Standard
Working Group
General Appearance
The ideal Boxer is a medium-sized, square-built dog of good substance
with short back, strong limbs, and short, tight-fitting coat. His well-developed
muscles are clean, hard, and appear smooth under taut skin. His movements denote
energy. The gait is firm yet elastic, the stride free and ground-covering, the
carriage proud. Developed to serve as guard, working, and companion dog, he
combines strength and agility with elegance and style. His expression is alert
and his temperament 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, Proportion, Substance
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 deep-set. 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, Topline, Body
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.
AKC Approval February 11, 2005
Effective: March 30, 2005
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