History, Traits, Character and Boxers as Pets.

The name of the breed is said to have come from the Boxer
dog's odd behavior of using its front paws like hands. If
you watch a Boxer for a while you will probably notice that
it will paw at its food bowl, toys, blankets, and etcetera;
it is a somewhat cat-like behavior that this breed exhibits.
In the sport of Schultzhund, the Boxer has been known to
jump up and use its front paws as if it were really boxing.

Boxer breeding wasn't very controlled until 1904 when the
Boxer studbook came into existence and thereby stabilized
the breed. In spite of its German origins the dogs was named
the "Boxer," which is an English name that describes its
strange pawing behavior. Though the early Boxers were known
for their ferociousness in bull baiting and fighting
matches, the breed today is a wonderful, gentle, loving
family dog.

The Boxer is known for its playful and clownishness. At the
same time they have an inbred instinct to protect their
family, so they make excellent watch dogs. If someone comes
to your home and the dog knows them then they are welcome,
otherwise visitors are not welcome.

The Boxer loves to both play and work. They need a lot of
leadership from their humans. Most members of the breed have
a problem with jumping up on people. This behavior will have
to be trained out of them. Do not encourage this behavior
even after training as the Boxer is a fairly large dog breed
and can knock a human off balance.

This breed has plenty of courage and bravery and makes
excellent working dogs. They are widely used for police work
and as military dogs. They also make great watchdogs and
will restrain an intruder like a bulldog until you tell them
to stop. They are an athletic dog and with proper care can
remain that way even into old age.

The male Boxer can reach twenty-two to twenty-five inches
(fifty-six to sixty-four centimeters) in height and weigh
between sixty and seventy pounds (twenty-seven to thirty-two
kilograms). The female Boxer can reach twenty-one to twenty-
four inches in height (fifty-three to sixty-one centimeters)
and weight between fifty-three pounds and sixty-five pounds
(twenty-four to thirty kilograms). These measurements are
based on healthy averages for this breed.

The Boxer can live to between eleven to fourteen years of
age. They have an average litter size of six puppies, but
they can have anywhere between two to ten puppies in a
litter.