Hello from Australia

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Venus

Venus

Boxer Buddy
Hello everyone, I would like to introduce myself and I'd like to add that I have just obtained my first boxer last Friday. I adopted him from a shelter and he really is an 'in your face' sort of dog, really affectionate and a little possessive as he doesn't want to share my affection with other dog; he growls a little if they come near but I will, with time and patience, train him to stop; I don't know anything about his background really as he came to the shelter as a stray and noone came back to claim him. He is extremely thin but underneath those protruding bones there's a really handsome dog waiting to emerge and in a couple of months I'm sure there will be a vast improvement. Oh, and I just want to say that he is very good with cats so I am thrilled about that. I will be posting a photo or two of him and I would really appreciate your input.....I have read that there is a difference between european and american boxers and I was just curious if any of you can explain what the difference is and whether you believe he may be of european or american lines. CHeers.
 
M

mmichaelson

Banned
Welcome to BW - I am a newbie myself, but I'm sure some of the other members could help answer your question!

Have fun with your new 'baby'!
 
ZOE*BOXER

ZOE*BOXER

Boxer Insane
Hi From A Fellow Newbie. First Of All, Austrailia, Wow, Can't Wait To Visit There. Second, Good Job On The Rescue. I Too Rescued My Boxer, Zoe. She Came From The Louisiana Boxer Rescue. I Cannot For The Life Of Me Figure Out Whey Somebody Would Give Up This Wonderful Animal. Oh Well, Their Loss.

Rescues Can Be Trying Somewhat. I Remember Zoe Kicking In The French Doors With Her Hind Feet, Biting(yes, Biting), Behaving So Badly In Obediance Class Everyone Would Laugh And I Would Leave Almost In Tears, Jumiping On Everything And Everybody And I Am Sure A Few Other Things. She Was So Worth All The Work And Turned Out To Be Best Dog. We A Just In Love With Her.

Good Luck With Your Wonderful New Boxer.

Shawn
 
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Finnegan

Boxer Pal
American vs. European Boxer

I'm not a breeder so can't get all technical with you, but I can pass on a few things I've learned while I've been looking for my next (our third) boxer. One difference is the ears. Not just the fact that they are left natural, but in Europe they breed for a specific "ear set", head type to carry natural ears (more on the sides rather than up top, for example), a nice broad head to carry the natural ear, and the leather size.

We (my husband and I) prefer our dogs left with natural ears and I've had breeders turn me down and not sell me their dog because of that. I wanted to get into conformation showing, and again, breeders with quality show dogs want the ears cropped. Generally because the heads have been bred to be shown off with cropped ears (not all heads look great with natural ears they think). And because our judges have a biased eye towards the traditional cropped ear. They generally won't even look at the natural eared dog and if they do they are picking him apart. He has to be beyond superb to get away with downed ears in the US showring.

As for the rest of the dog (top line, shoulders, chest, quarters, neck set, etc... I'm not as clear on the difference.

~Bev
 
Venus

Venus

Boxer Buddy
thanx Bev

I agree, I tend to prefer the ears to be left "au naturel." Most states in Australia have now banned the docking of tails although show breeders are now flying them to Adelaide where the banning hasn't taken place as yet in order to get them docked. I like a boxer with a docked tail, I feel it makes them look more stylish but I dare not say this anymore in a particular forum here cause they would tear me to shreads; they have gotten stuck into me once saying that it is a callous and cruel act and that many pups die of shock; I suppose there is an element of truth to that if it is done by an inexperienced person and it would be quite agonizing for the poor dog but if it's done by an experienced vet who administers a local anaesthetic then I don't see a problem. I would love to have a photo of a euro. boxer and an american boxer side by side in order to see the difference.
 
garvinsmum

garvinsmum

Completely Boxer Crazy
Hello and welcome Venus
Boy you're opening up a can of worms here!!
One could say they still dock tails in SA because they need ONE reason for people to go there.... but that would be gloating
Where abouts in Aust are you from?
There's a few of us scattered around but it seems all the exciting stuff happens when we are snoozing!
Congratulations to on giving a new life to your boy. You will be repaid a million times over.
But as for tails - I think my Garvin looks tre stylish with his long waggily tail!
 
F

Finnegan

Boxer Pal
I love my docked tail. Just a preference on my part. And I dare say I've not heard of any deaths from tail docking. Our breeders do it as resposibly as possible. Why on earth would they risk the death of a pup? If nothing else, each pup means approx. $1,200 (for pet quality alone.)

And after having seen a full tailed boxer I understand why they dock them! They are lethal! A couple I've seen had a couple minor breaks in the tail (perhaps from hitting a hard object??). Nothing major, just little chinks in the tail.

And the same thing with dew claws. I'm thankful that my breeder had his removed as a puppy. They generally just dangle there and get caught on things, tear, bleed. My dog has never had the need to hunt down his own dinner, grab it, pin it to the ground while tearing it to bits (the only time where dew claws would come in handy to my mind); he really doesn't need his dew claws.

But you're safe expressing your preference for docking here. I would say most (not all, but most) US boxer lovers are of the tail docking mind. And even though many of us prefer natural ears, we do not get up on our high horses about it and letcture those that prefer to crop. As the laws are now it is left to the owners/breeders to decide.

~Bev
 
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