How Did the Boxer Bull Dog Get Its Name?

The boxer dog is known for its playful antics and its loyalty to its human companions. It is a medium-size dog with a short back and strong legs. Boxers are often used as working dogs around cattle because of their alertness and swift reaction time. These attributes also make them ideal seeing-eye dogs after proper training.

  1. Uses Front Paws

    • Perhaps the simplest answer to how the boxer dog got its name relates to its natural tendency to stand on its hind legs and use its front paws to jab when playing or fighting. In this stance, the dog looks similar to a human boxer in the ring.

    Earliest Beginnings

    • This natural tendency to stand on its hind legs comes from the boxer's ancestors, which human companions found useful in hunting. Beginning in the Middle Ages and stretching into the late 1700s, German Bullenbeiszer dogs were well-recognized by nobles for their instinctive ability to tackle prey from behind, holding the catch without further damage until hunters arrived to finish the kill. These dogs often held the prey while standing on their hind legs.

    Natural Selection Only

    • Despite the recognition of the dog's strengths, no intentional breeding programs were established in mainland Europe for at least another century. Animal fights were gaining in popularity across Europe at the end of the Middle Ages, and the boxer's forerunners gained in popularity for their hind stance. However, as period of Enlightenment dawned on Europe and many of the large noble estates diminished, the hunting role of the Bullenbeiszer dog diminished.

    More of a Pet

    • Many Bullenbeiszer dogs died during hunts. A smaller breed of Bullenbeiszer became very popular as a family companion in Belgium. This dog tended to stand on its hind legs when playing or defending its home turf. People engaged with the modern boxer breed recognize this group of dogs as the direct ancestor of today's boxers.

    First Boxer Club

    • The first true "boxer" dog club was not established until 1895 in Munich. This group of breeders and breed aficionados established the first set of breed characteristic standards. Much of their earliest recommendations are still in place today, with the American Boxer Club in the United States holding to the bulk of the Munich group's traditions.