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2	Credits The following were instrumental in the creation of this presentation: Boxer Club of Canada Inc Judy Horton, Intrends Boxers (Worldwide Boxers website) Armando Miro (cover drawing) Rick Perry (video editing) Sheila Bowman (Rupik UK) Tim Hutchings (Winiuwuk UK) Jack Ireland (PinePath Reg’d) Norah McGriskin(Aracrest Reg’d) Medley Small (CinnRhee Reg’d) Verena Jaeger (Jaegerhouse Reg’d) Judy Jury (Trimanor Reg’d) Wayne Bell (Bellcrest Reg’d) (patience and support)
3	Judging the Boxer A Detailed Guide This presentation was created specifically for experienced, novice and aspiring judges to assist in gaining a better understanding of the Boxer Breed. PowerPoint Presentation designed & created by Shirley Bell ©
4	Preface Breeders are welcome, but, please keep in mind that this is not a Breeders seminar, and therefore not designed as such. It is NOT the intention of this presentation to discuss the Boxer in minute detail nor to rehash the standard word for word. It is an easy matter to ‘fault’ judge. It isn’t so easy to judge the whole dog when the breed is not one that you have bred or are closely familiar with. No one person can know all the finer details of all breeds, so with that in mind………….
5	Expectations We assume that we are speaking to people who have: Many years experience successfully breeding and showing dogs An excellent knowledge of canine structure A good understanding of general dog terms Have read the Boxer Standard at least once.
6	The following topics will be covered: Breed Type & Style Balance and Soundness Boxer Temperament Unique Boxer Head & Bite Boxer Expression Boxer Movement The Ideal Boxer Followed by Group judging of head styles and body styles.
7	Origin The Boxer originated in Germany in the late 1800’s. Boxers are a man made breed. They descend from the “Brabant Bullenbeisser”, a Mastiff type dog. These dogs were later crossed with a smaller Mastiff type (originator of the English Bulldog) The original dogs had strong undershot jaw.
8	Origin 2 Strong teeth were needed in order for the Boxer to lock onto their prey and continue holding until the master arrived. The tip of the nose was set slightly higher than the root, allowing the Boxer to breathe while holding onto prey. The wrinkles on each side of the muzzle were there for the purpose of keeping the blood of the prey away from the Boxer’s eyes.
9	Purpose Boxers are able to cover great distances at good speed. They were used as messenger dogs during the war. Boxers were later used as a guard dogs Boxers can acquit themselves quite readily if their family is threatened. Any faults that would hamper these abilities should be penalized.
10	Judging Type or Style The first thing to consider when you look at the Boxer is GENERAL APPEARANCE The Boxer has a smooth coat and can be judged by eye. (except for the mouth and hardness of muscles). TYPE, BALANCE, SOUNDNESS! General Appearance is the combination of these three qualities.
11	Judging Type/Style The Boxer must be characteristic of the breed. They must combine substance with elegance. The bearing should be noble with a look of quality. The coat is smooth and shiny.
12	Balance Each individual part must appear in proportion to the rest of the dog. The front and rear angulation must be correct and in harmony. (Balanced) The Boxer should be a medium size, square dog.
13	Soundness The Boxer should be bright and alert. Never nervous or aggressive. Movement should be effortless, covering ground freely and easily. The Boxer must be in good condition.
14	The Whole Boxer Look at the whole dog. Remember why Boxers were bred. They must be able to fulfill their original purpose. Then, look at the individual parts that make up the whole dog.
15	The Boxer Temperament Boxers should be deliberate and wary with strangers. They should respond promptly to friendly overtures. The trait that makes them distrustful of strangers, does not mean that they are shy. It makes them good guard dogs. A Boxer, adult or puppy, should not exhibit fear especially of people. Boxers are clowns with family and friends.
16	Temperament in the Show Ring The ADULT Boxer should exhibit confidence, dignity, and showmanship. The inexperienced Boxer puppy may exhibit signs of being unsure of surroundings. Fear of judge and/or surroundings, is not proper Boxer temperament and is unacceptable. A Boxer showing poor temperament in the ring must be penalized. Aggression to other dogs, is not considered a fault.
17	The Side View Appraise the side view from a distance. Check that balance is correct. The forequarters should balance with the hindquarters. A Boxer should be well angulated, front and rear.
18	Judging the Side View The Boxer head should not be too big nor too small for the body. The neck must be of good length and flow smoothly into the shoulders. The back should be short with a level topline.
19	Judging the Side View 2 The depth of chest is equal to the length of foreleg. It should reach to the elbows. The tail is set on not too high or too low. (1 o’clock is perfect). A nicely rounded rump should be visible behind the tail.
20	Look Closely Study the drawings of the two dogs. Which dog do you think is square?
21	Approach the Boxer Now approach the dog. Offer the back of your hand so the dog can sniff you. This will show that you are not a threat. A Boxer with proper temperament will not bite. The Boxer will look at you with beautiful dark eyes full of self assurance.
22	The Boxer Head
23	Munich Silhouette In the beginning the blueprint of the Boxer head was the MUNICH SILHOUETTE. The balance of skull to muzzle is 1-3 Note planes of the head with deep stop and tip of the nose higher than the root of the muzzle.
24	How to Measure the Head
25	Measure the Head
26	Visualize this
27	Consider the Head The size of the head should look in balance to the body. The head gives you the impression of a smaller square attached to a larger square. Looking down on the head, the skull should merge smoothly into the muzzle. The cheek muscles should be smooth and not exaggerated. The chin should be visible. The upper lip rests evenly on the lower lip. There should be no overlap.
28	Examine the Boxer Bite
29	Examine the bite - wrong Some dogs may back away when hand is placed over their eyes Backing away makes it appear, wrongly, that the dog has a temperament problem, It also makes it difficult to see the bite properly
30	Showing the Bite to the Judge
31	The Boxer Bite The Boxer is undershot The lower jaw protrudes beyond the upper and curves slightly upward. The incisor teeth of the lower jaw are in a straight line, with canines preferably up front in the same line to give the jaw the greatest possible width. The upper line of incisors is slightly convex with the corner upper incisors fitting snugly back of the lower canine teeth on each side Constant and/or excessive licking is usually a good indication that the bite is not correct.
32	The Boxer Bite - examples
33	More bite examples
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35	Look at the Expression Boxers should have beautiful dark tight eyes. The eyes are almost human. They are set well to the front under a definite brow. The tip of the nose is slightly higher than the stop in profile.
36	Compare Expression
37	Lets discuss - Expression
38	Unpigmented Third Eyelids Unpigmented third eyelids can spoil the expression, but are purely a cosmetic fault only. Breeders prefer a dog to have two dark “haws”, but will accept one or both unpigmented eyes on an otherwise good dog. As a judge - if the dog in front of you is a better specimen structurally than the other dogs in the class, the unpigmented eye/eyes should be ignored.
39	Wrinkling on Skull Heavy flews and over wrinkling are usually seen together. The head should be “clean” Furrows will appear on the top of the head only when the dog is alert.
40	The Ears Cropped ears should be set high and carried erect. Natural ears must be carried slightly lifted and tilted forward towards the side of the cheeks
41	Head Markings Do not let ‘off centre’ or uneven head markings distract you from appreciating an otherwise good head. White markings MAY replace all or part of the otherwise ESSENTIAL black mask. ‘Plain’ black faces can be very lovely.
42	The Front View Walk to the front of the dog. Stand back and look at the dog’s front. Evaluate the front view.
43	Look at the Front The front legs should continue down to the ground in a straight line from the shoulders. There will be slight muscling over the shoulder area. The front legs will end with tight cat feet pointing straight ahead. The chest should be neither too narrow nor too broad.
44	Boxer Fronts The Boxer’s front and shoulders should not coarsen with maturity. They should stay firm and flat even into old age.
45	Boxer Fronts Shoulders should NOT be lumpy NOT be over muscled.
46	The Body
47	Measure the Body
48	Examine the Body Run your hands over the dog. Feel the coat; it should be short, smooth, clean and shiny. Muscles should be long, firm yet pliant, not bunched up and lumpy. Run your hands down the neck, over the withers and onto the back. This should flow in a smooth unbroken line without lumps or wrinkling over the shoulders. You should be able to lay your hand flat onto the back of the dog, and feel the muscles on each side of the backbone.
49	Examine the Body 2 Feel for forechest and fill between the front legs. Feel the brisket bone. It should be long, reach well to the rear, with gentle curve up to the loin area. Feel the coupling. You should not be able to put more than three to four fingers in the flank area between the last rib and the start of the hindquarters. (loin area) Lift the tail and place your hand flat on the croup. It should be fairly level. There should be no wrinkles evident in front of the tail.
50	The Rear View
51	Examine the Rear Walk to the rear of the dog and view from a distance. There should be a smooth unbroken line down from the back of the ears to the withers. The shoulders are smooth and not covered with excess muscle. The ribs taper to the rear without bulging through the chest area. There should be proper spring of rib. The rear pasterns should be straight and parallel to each other. The muscles should be visible, on both sides of the first and second thighs.
52	Examine the Rear - 2 Ask the handler to move the dog forward a few steps to allow the dog to free stand so you can see the true picture. Do not expect a young puppy to have the same width through the hindquarters as a mature dog.
53	The Movement
54	Down Moving away, the rear pasterns should stay firm as the hind feet converge slightly to the centre of gravity under the body. They must drive firmly to the rear with good thrust.
55	Back The front feet should reach well forward, again converging slightly to the centre of gravity keeping the legs in a straight line from shoulder to paw.
56	Free Standing When the dog returns from the down and back, ask the handler to let the dog stand naturally in front of you. You will now see any faults that have previously been hidden by good handling. Walk around the dog and look from all angles.
57	Free Standing 2
58	Free Standing 3
59	Send the Boxer around the Ring A Boxer should move freely and easily at a steady pace. Not too fast nor too slow. At full extension the front legs should reach well forward keeping a straight line from shoulder blade to front foot. The rear legs will extend well to the rear keeping a straight line from hip joint to rear pad. The head should be carried forward, to balance the stride. The topline must stay level and true. The tail is carried upright.
60	Side Gait
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62	Movement
63	Side Gait
64	Colour and Markings Allowable colours – Fawn or Brindle Fawn shades vary from light (least desired) to deep red (very desirable) 2 opposite types of brindle are both very acceptable. They can have dark stripes on a light fawn background or fawn stripes on a very dark background (reverse brindle) Both can be very attractive.
65	Colour Examples - Brindle
66	Colour Examples - Fawn
67	The Plain Boxer (Black Face) Equal consideration should be given to plain Boxers Lack of white markings should not be considered a fault Boxer breeders consider a good plain dog/bitch an asset to their breeding program.
68	Disqualification Boxers with white ground colour or entirely white or any colour other than fawn or two types of brindle. White markings that exceed 1/3 (one third) of the ground colour.
69	Judging Boxers Type, Balance and general appearance are of the utmost importance. Judges should remember, any dog can gait soundly, but no matter how well the dog moves, unless they look like a Boxer, they are NOT typical of the breed.
70	Judging Boxers 2 In order to judge Boxers, these basic principles are required: 1. A clearly defined ideal in mind. 2. The power of accurate observation. 3. Sound judgment. Do not hesitate to withhold First or Winners ribbons if you do not find a Boxer worthy of the win.
71	In Conclusion Whether you are a breeder or a judge, please keep the criteria described in this presentation in mind while searching for the Ideal Boxer. If, while judging, you find such a dog (or bitch) they should not only be a class and/or BOB winner, but a very strong contender for a Group or Best In Show award. Top quality Boxers are difficult to breed.
72	The End
73	5 Minute Break We will now take a 5 minute break Please divide into small groups. Each group will choose a group leader. We will then be ready to start the judging assignments found in the left side of your handout packages.
74	Let’s Judge! Now, lets practice what we have learned. Study the 12 Heads shown. Place them 1 to 4 and then choose the worst one. Study the 12 Bodies shown. Place them 1 to 4 and then choose the worst one.
75	Place these Heads
76	Place these Heads
77	Place these Heads
78	Place these Boxers
79	Place these Boxers
80	Place these Boxers
81	Results Heads 1^st _______ 2nd _______ 3^rd _______ 4th _______ Worst _______ Bodies 1^st _______ 2nd _______ 3^rd _______ 4th _______ Worst _______
82	What makes the Boxer Unique 1. The Head (includes bite & expression) 2. Medium Size 3. Square Build 4. Elegance with Substance
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