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This page is dedicated to the white Boxer.
The White
Boxer The color of a Boxer's coat has nothing to do with the wonderful Boxer personality we all have grown to admire and love. The white Boxer has the same wonderful traits of character that are typical of this truly special breed. They are especially good with children and have a joyful disposition. Their capacity to give you unconditional love is unlimited, especially if treated well with kindness, consideration, and fairness. White Boxers are exactly the same in temperament and structure as their colored litter-mates. After all a Boxer is a Boxer, no matter what color they are. When a breeder breeds two "flashy" Boxers, statistically, the result will be 1/2 "flashy" puppies and 1/2 white puppies. The reason for this is that the white gene is the recessive gene and in dogs that have also inherited a fawn of brindle gene, the white gene makes itself known by adding white collars or socks. By breeding two "flashy" dogs, they are capable of both passing their white gene to their offspring. Two white genes produces white puppies. History of White Boxers From the very beginning, white Boxers have been a part of the Boxer breed. Although white Boxers existed long before the crosses to the white English Bulldog were made, the introduction of the all-white gene into the Boxer gene pool is often blamed on the early crosses to the Bulldog that took place in the 1890s. The registration and breeding of the white Boxer were excepted by the German club up to 1925. Boxers were then used as guard dogs and white was considered unacceptable for that work. Because of this many white Boxer puppies were not allowed to live. Many people have common misconceptions regarding white Boxers, thinking they are albinos or some sort of genetic mutation. About 20% of all Boxes are born white, and this is due to the breeding of two "flashy" dogs. The first Boxers were what we refer to today as "checked". Meaning that 1/3 to 2/3 of their coat is white, with fawn or brindle patches or spots. The acceptance of this coloring was abandoned in America in the 1920s, but the genes that make these white Boxers are carried on generation to generation, as many of the first American imports and champions were of "check" coloring. Health Problems The idea that the white Boxer always had all sorts of genetic and health problems is a myth. The key word here is "always", which is not true. The truth is that some do and some don't and the degree of these challenges, if they arise, will vary from dog to dog. Many whites are born without health problems and stay trouble free for the duration of their lives. When problems occur, they can occur in non-whites as well. Unfortunately, there are still several issues that tend to be considered linked to the white Boxer gene, including the following: 1. White puppies with lighter pigments in their skin, must be kept out of the sun because they are more likely to sunburn. 2. A
certain percentage of the white Boxer puppies are deaf in either one or
both ears. In Boxers and other breeds in which deaf animals sometimes
occur, it is known that deafness results when the cells of the skin
lining the ear lack certain levels of pigment.
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