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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, andappear 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. Hisexpression is alert and his temperament steadfast and tractable.
The chiseled head imparts to the Boxer a unique individual stamp. It must be in correctproportion to the body. The broad, blunt muzzle is the distinctive feature, and great value isplaced 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 areexamined 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 andquality in the individual should be of primary importance since there is no sizedisqualification.
Proportion
The body in profile is square in that a horizontal line from the front of the forechest to therear projection of the upper thigh should equal the length of a vertical line dropped from thetop 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. Theblunt muzzle is 1/3 the length of the head from the occiput to the tip of the nose, and 2/3rdsthe width of the skull. The head should be clean, not showing deep wrinkles (wet). Wrinklestypically appear upon the forehead when ears are erect, and are always present from thelower 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 theBoxer head its unique quality of expressiveness. Third eyelids preferably have pigmentedrims.
Ears
Set at the highest points of the sides of the skull, the ears are customarily cropped, cut ratherlong 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 creasewhen alert.
Skull
The top of the skull is slightly arched, not rounded, flat, nor noticeably broad, with theocciput not overly pronounced. The forehead shows a slight indentation between the eyesand forms a distinct stop with the topline of the muzzle. The cheeks should be relatively flatand not bulge (cheekiness), maintaining the clean lines of the skull as they taper into themuzzle in a slight, graceful curve.
Muzzle and Nose
The muzzle, proportionately developed in length, width, and depth, has a shape influencedfirst through the formation of both jawbones, second through the placement of the teeth, andthird 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 lieslightly 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 slightlyupward. The incisor teeth of the lower jaw are in a straight line, with the canines preferablyup front in the same line to give the jaw the greatest possible width. The upper line of theincisors is slightly convex with the corner upper incisors fitting snugly in back of the lowercanine teeth on each side. Neither the teeth nor the tongue should ever show when the mouthis closed.
Theupper jaw is broad where attached to the skull and maintains thisbreadth, except for avery slight tapering to the front. The lips, which complete theformation of the muzzle,should meet evenly in front. The upper lip is thick and padded, fillingout the frontal spacecreated by the projection of the lower jaw, and laterally is supportedby the canines of thelower jaw. Therefore, these canines must stand far apart and be of goodlength so that the front surface of the muzzle is broad and squarishand, when viewed from the side, shows moderate layback. The chin shouldbe perceptible from the side as well as from the front. Any suggestionof an overlip obscuring the chin should be penalized.
Neck
Round, of ample length, muscular and clean without excessive hanging skin (dewlap). Theneck 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 whenthe 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. Thebrisket is deep, reaching down to the elbows; the depth of the body at the lowest point of thebrisket equals half the height of the dog at the withers. The ribs, extending far to the rear, arewell-arched but not barrel-shaped.
The loins are short and muscular. The lower stomach line is slightly tucked up, blending intoa 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. Anundocked 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. Theelbows 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, standparallel to each other. The pastern is strong and distinct, slightly slanting, but standingalmost perpendicular to the ground. The dewclaws may be removed. Feet should becompact, turning neither in nor out, with well-arched toes.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters are strongly muscled, with angulation in balance with that of theforequarters. The thighs are broad and curved, the breech musculature hard and stronglydeveloped. Upper and lower thigh are long. The legs are well-angulated at the stifle, neithertoo 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 norout. From the side, the leg below the hock (metatarsus) should be almost perpendicular tothe 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 brindleranges from sparse but clearly defined black stripes on a fawn background to such a heavyconcentration of black striping that the essential fawn background color barely, althoughclearly, shows through (which may create the appearance of reverse brindling).White markings, if present, should be of such distribution as to enhance the dog'sappearance, but may not exceed one-third of the entire coat. They are not desirable on theflanks or on the back of the torso proper. On the face, white may replace part of theotherwise essential black mask, and may extend in an upward path between the eyes, but itmust not be excessive, so as to detract from true Boxer expression. The absence of whitemarkings, the so-called "plain" fawn or brindle, is perfectly acceptable, and should not bepenalized in any consideration of color. Disqualifications Boxers that are any colorother than fawn or brindle. Boxers with a total of white markings exceeding one-third of theentire 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 operatingrear. Although the front legs do not contribute impelling power, adequate reach should beevident 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 untilgaiting narrows the track in proportion to increasing speed, then the legs come in under thebody but should never cross. The line from the shoulder down through the leg should remainstraight although not necessarily perpendicular to the ground. Viewed from the rear, aBoxer's rump should not roll. The hind feet should dig in and track relatively true with thefront. Again, as speed increases, the normally broad rear track will become narrower. TheBoxer'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, hisbearing is alert, dignified, and self-assured. In the show ring his behavior should exhibitconstrained animation. With family and friends, his temperament is fundamentally playful,yet patient and stoical with children. Deliberate and wary with strangers, he will exhibitcuriosity, but, most importantly, fearless courage if threatened. However, he respondspromptly to friendly overtures honestly rendered. His intelligence, loyal affection, andtractability 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 theabove 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 markingsexceeding one-third of the entire coat.
Approved February 11, 2005
Effective March 30, 2005 |
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