Choosing a Boxer Puppy
There are a number of factors to consider in choosing a puppy. The first and most important one when choosing a puppy for the family is temperament. The other is looks. You want a good, easily trained biddable dog, and you want one that will represent the proud, confident image of a boxer as an adult. If you are getting a boxer for the first time from a reputable breeder, the breeder should be able to assess both you and the available puppies and come up with a wonderful match for both.
Don't get the bravest puppy in the litter. He is the most independent and will probably be harder to train for a first-time puppy buyer. However, don't get the shyest puppy in the litter, either. He may never gain the confidence you need to work with as a first-time puppy buyer.
If you are not an experienced dog person, and have never even thought about the real issues of temperament before, much less wanted to test a dog for one, don't despair. The Volhard puppy aptitude test, one of the longest-standing temperament tests for puppies, is available to anyone. This test is still used by service dog organizations to help determine the reliability of the temperament of the puppies being evaluated before entry into the program. You can find more information about the Volhard test online at www.volhard.com.
If the litter you are looking at has a forward-looking breeder, the litter will have been evaluated by in independent evaluator at forty-nine days of age for temperament. The ideal puppy for you is partly based upon your experience with dogs. In general, the ideal puppy is one that is neither shy nor overly confident, and one who is high in pack drive and moderate in prey drive. This type of temperament profile will give you the puppy that will bond and be easily trained, generally with no aggressive tendencies.
If the litter has not been evaluated, and you don't feel confident to do it yourself, or the breeder does not feel comfortable with the evaluation, then you are best off explaining in as great a detail as you can to the breeder what you want out of a puppy. A reputable breeder wants the puppy to have a great home just as much, if not more, than she wants you to find your dream dog.
Looks
The boxer is a head breed, which means that the correctness of the head is very important to the dog's look. The boxer profile is unique in the canine world, and it is the broad head, expressive eyes, and the undershot jaw that gives the boxer its distinctive appearance.
From the looks perspective, you want your purebred boxer puppy to grow up to become a proud, beautiful example of the breed. Fawn or brindle or white, flashy or plain, you want the world to know the dog on the end of your leash is a boxer.
Balance
You want your puppy to have good overall balance. Your first impression of the puppy should be a pleasant one. The muzzle should be broad and deep. A bump above his nose suggests that the puppy will probably have a good stop. The stop in a boxer is where the skull meets the muzzle. If it's too shallow, the boxer is spoonfaced or dishfaced. A high occiput (similar to a high forehead in people) is a prediction of a good ear set. The expression should be pleasing, and the puppy should have some wrinkling on his face and jowls. A boxer puppy's neck should be arched, and his topline should be straight with the tail set high and at right angles. He should have good rear angulation and sloping shoulders.
Markings
If you are getting the puppy to show, you should get the deepest red fawn or the most pleasant, richest brindle. Whichever color you are leaning toward getting should be richly pigmented on the puppy's head and back.
White markings can range from little to one-third of the dog. Remember, more than one-third white is a disqualifying fault, but only in the breed ring, never in your heart. Most conformation champions have a substantial amount of white on them. At this point in time, it is harder to finish a plain dog, or one with little or no flash, than it is to finish a flashy one, all other points of comparison being equal, but by no means impossible.
What does “flash” mean?
White markings on boxers are called flash. More than one-third white markings on a boxer are called a disqualifying fault in the conformation ring. Dogs with more than one-third white can still be shown in obedience, rally, agility and tracking, and they still make wonderful pets and companions. A disqualifying fault in any breed is one that renders the dog ineligible to show in the conformation or breed ring of AKC shows. It is a fault that is believed to be detrimental to the breed.
The puppy's eyes will be blue, but should be as dark a blue as possible. Those puppies with dark blue eyes grow up to have dark brown eyes. Those eyes that are gray will often turn out to be a light brown or yellow, which is considered a fault.
