The European Boxer

The European Boxer in contrast to the American Boxer has kept more to the working heritage, and they are heavier
in bone, with shorter necks. Most have fully pigmented eyes and very strong muzzles. The American Boxer on the other
 hand is more elegant with slightly finer bone structure. They are smooth muscled with fine coats and longer necks.

Note: In general, when comparing the European Boxer to the American Boxer the European Boxer tends to be healthier.
 The reason for this is due to a number of factors such as no inbreeding, very little line breeding, and all dogs used for
 breeding go through a mandatory pre-screening for disorders like heart disease, hip dysplasi, etc. I am not saying
that their are not a number of healthy American Boxers out there, nor am I saying that every single European Boxer
 will be a picture of health. So, please don't mistake my experience/knowledge for complete fact.

I believe it is very important to understand the difference between Type and Style. So, I will do my best to explain.
Type is the combination of the characteristics of a breed that make it unique, and this description can be found in the
 breed standard. It is in essence what makes one breed of dog different from another. Here's a for instance; If you
were taking your dog for a walk at your local dog park and you happened to come across a dog which belongs to a
breed you do not recognize, you may ask the owner of that dog, "What type of dog is that?". Now, if later, you meet
 up with another Boxer, and the Boxer happens to be heavier, smaller, taller, or more elegant than you are use to seeing,
 then that is Style.

The Head:

The best European dogs have very good rise of skull, excellent expression and dark fully pigmented eyes. The head should
be clean with little wrinkle and the skin should be smooth over the skull. The depth of muzzle is excellent, the mouth is
wide and chin is always present.

The Body:

What it should be...

Usually more bone than the English dogs and much more than the Northern American dogs.

Excellent forehand, strong moderately broad with good layback of shoulder and upper arm.

The better European dogs all seem to have short backs with a short lion area and good depth and length of ribcage.

Most good Boers have strong rears with good width of second thigh.

Short rear pasterns create good drive and propel the dog forward without effort.

Proper tail-set could be a good sign of stronger rear, in contrast to a low tail-set which seemed to go with the weaker rear.

Excellent show temperament, trained to bait at other dogs, but friendly with people.

To sum it up, the European Boxer tend to have more substance and heavier bone. Front and rear should be well
angulated, and they are preferably short in back with great temperament.

What it should NOT be...

Short thick neck and loose skin-dewlap.

Heavy front that does not balance with the rear.

Short upper arms.

Elbow that is not level with the depth of chest.

Lack of second thigh.

Deep flanks with an insufficient tuck-up...the underline should curve towards the rear elegantly and the flanks should
 slightly cut up.

Short bunchy muscles are not the muscle type consistent with that of an athlete, which is what a Boxer should be. Long
 muscles which are hard but smooth fit the athletic Boxer's purpose in life better and are much more pleasant to look at.
 

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