AKC Gazette January 2003

Bigger & Better?

What does “medium-sized” mean? Our Boxer Standard defines it as 21-23 ?” for females and 22 ? -25” for males. Yet—when was the last time that you saw a 22 ?” male in the ring, let alone achieving his title? . Bigger seems to be better in the eyes of many breeders and judges. Gone are the days when the 25” dog walked into the ring and was considered a strapping example of the breed. I have not been able to use a wicket, but my reasonably educated eye is seeing some 27 and 28” male Boxers and 25” bitches in the breed and Group rings. The Standard says “Preferably, males should not be under the minimum, nor females over the maximum. However, proper balance and quality in the individual should be of primary importance since there is no size disqualification.” Since there IS no disqualification for size, and judges may find very tall dogs and bitches arresting examples of style in the Group ring, they are becoming more and more accepted in the fancy.

While the first line of our Standard reminds us that the “The Boxer is a medium-sized… dog,” it is interesting to note that the Doberman Standard also says that their dogs are medium in size. But the male Dobe height recommendations are 26-28”. At present, there are many Boxers every bit as tall as male Dobermans. Is this what we want? Are these the same dogs that were originally bred to dodge at top speed around trees in the forest, chasing fleeing game? While these “form and function” dynamics may seem archaic in view of the fact that Boxers do not perform these tasks any longer, they are nonetheless the foundation upon which our Standard is built.

In 1938 (our original American Standard) and in revisions in 1947, 1951, and 1962, height recommendations were 22-24” for males and 21-23” for females. In addition, there were weight recommendations—a 23” male should weigh 66 lbs. and a 22” female 62 lbs. In 1968, the weights were dropped entirely from the wording and the present heights were added. In 1989 the “…proper balance and quality” {See above} sentence appeared. Clearly, we have accommodated increasing size by having the Standard conform to what is being produced. This trend continues today, and many breeders who have not been witness to former generations do not have a historical perspective born of practical experience. Do these very tall Boxers represent breed TYPE? If the Boxer is no longer a medium-sized dog, but rivals the Doberman for height, he is no longer the dog that the founders of our breed envisioned to represent the Standard that was accepted for 24 years. Some would argue that everything changes over time, but it is the breeders who have the means--and some would say the responsibility-- to keep size within reasonable parameters.

Stephanie Abraham
P. O. Box 346
Scotland, CT 06264