Boxer
The Boxer was developed in Germany from the Bullenbeisser hunting dogs, and it became a police, military and companion breed of great popularity in the twentieth century. It stays…
About the Boxer
The Boxer was developed in Germany from the Bullenbeisser hunting dogs, and it became a police, military and companion breed of great popularity in the twentieth century. It stays puppyish for years, greets people with its whole body, and is famous for the way it uses its front paws.
Dogs stand about 57 to 63 cm, square and clean-limbed, in fawn or brindle with white markings; white Boxers occur but are not shown, and they need a hearing test because deafness is linked to the colour. The muzzle is short and the breed is brachycephalic to a mild degree, so a stud that breathes quietly at rest and has an open nostril is the right choice.
Heart screening leads the Boxer list: ask for a cardiac examination for aortic stenosis, and about arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, sometimes called Boxer cardiomyopathy, which has a DNA marker test. Hip scores and an eye certificate should accompany it. Degenerative myelopathy has a DNA test the breed uses. Cancer, particularly mast cell tumours, is common, so ask about longevity in the line.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Boxer
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hip score (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Total of both hips, 0–106. Lower is better. |
| Elbow grading (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Grade 0–3. The dog is graded on the worse of the two elbows. |
| Eye testing (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Result printed on the eye certificate. |
Breed club schemes listed in the Health Standard
Run by the breed club, not the Royal Kennel Club, which does not record their results. The Standard lists them as schemes to be aware of.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart testing (breed club scheme) | Other | Breed club | The club scheme’s own result, e.g. murmur grade. |
Breed hip median
Breed median 12 (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years, 63 dogs scored). Lower is better. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Boxer stud dogs
No Boxer studs are listed right now
When a Boxer on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Boxer litters
No Boxer litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
