Greyhound

Greyhound

he Greyhound is a breed of hunting dog that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, but with a recent resurgence of popularity increasingly as a pedigree show dog and family pet.
It is a soft and intelligent breed that often becomes attached to its owners. It is the fastest breed of dog.
A combination of long, powerful legs, deep chest, flexible spine and slim build allows it to reach speeds of around 70 km/h (43.5 mph).

History

The breed's origin is romantically reputed to be connected to ancient Egypt, where depictions of smooth-coated sighthound types have been found which are typical of Saluki (Persian Greyhound) or Sloughi (tombs at Beni Hassan circa 2000BC). However, analyses of DNA reported in 2004 suggest that the Greyhound is not closely related to these Oriental breeds, but is a close relative to herding dogs. Historical literature on the first sighthound in Europe (Arrian), the vertragus, the probable antecedant of the Greyhound, suggests that the origin is with the ancient Celts from Eastern Europe or Eurasia.
All modern, thoroughbred pedigree Greyhounds, are derived from the greyhound stock recorded and registered, firstly in the private 18th Century then public 19th Century studbooks, which ultimately were registered with Coursing, Racing, and Kennel Club authorities of the United Kingdom.
Historically, these sighthounds were used primarily for hunting in the open where their keen eyesight is valuable. It is believed that they (or at least similarly-named dogs) were introduced to the area now known as the United Kingdom in the 5th and 6th century BC from Celtic mainland Europe although the Picts and other hunter gatherer tribes of the Northern area (now known as Scotland) were believed to have had large hounds similar to that of the Deerhound before the 6th century BC.
The name "Greyhound" is generally believed to come from the Old English grighund. "Hund" is the antecedent of the modern "hound", but the meaning of "grig" is undetermined, other than in reference to dogs in Old English and Norse. Its origin does not appear to have any common root with the modern word "grey" for colour, and indeed the Greyhound is seen with a wide variety of coats.
This may be confusing, however, as the Deerhound and Irish wolfhound are more commonly grey in colour and possibly the true origins of the Greyhound. However, the Deerhound and Irish wolfhound, the latter being a reconstructed breed, probably cannot have had any genetic influence on the much older Greyhound. It is known that in England during the medieval period, Lords and Royalty keen to own Greyhounds for sport, requested they be bred to colour variants that made them easier to view and identify in pursuit of their quarry. The lighter colours, patch-like markings and white appeared in the breed that was once ordinarily grey in colour. The Greyhound is the only dog mentioned by name in the Bible; the King James version names the Greyhound as one of the Four things stately in the Proverbs. However, in the modern version of the Bible this has been changed to strutting rooster, which appears to be a more correct translation of the Hebrew term זַרְזִיר (zarzir).
According to Pokorny the English name "greyhound" does not mean "gray dog/hound", but simply "fair dog". Subsequent words have been derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *g'her- 'shine, twinkle': English gray, Old High German gris 'grey, old', Old Icelandic griss 'piglet, pig', Old Icelandic gryja 'to dawn', gryjandi 'morning twilight', Old Irish grian 'sun', Old Church Slavonic zorja 'morning twilight, brightness'.
The common sense of these words is 'to shine; bright'

Appearance

Males are usually 71 to 76 cm (28 to 30 inches) tall at the withers and weigh around 27 to 40 kg (70 to 100 pounds).
Females tend to be smaller with shoulder heights ranging from 68 to 71 cm (27 to 28 inches) and weights from less than 27 to 34 kg (60 to 75 pounds).
Greyhounds have very short hair, which is easy to maintain.
There are approximately thirty recognized color forms, of which variations of white, brindle, fawn, black, red and blue (gray) can appear uniquely or in combination.

Temperament

Sensitive, sweet and elegant. Brave and loyal.
With meek owneres it can become willful.
The Greyhound is very intelligent, but its character is often undervalued because of its reserved behavior toward its master and toward strangers.
Socialize them at an early age to prevent timidity. As a rule, they are gentle and even-tempered - both racing lines and show lines. Most Greyhounds have a definite prey instinct.
It is instinctive for these dogs to chase anything that moves quickly.
They are extremely fast and some will kill cats and other domestic animals, although this is not the majority (only about 20% of ex-racers are too "keen" on chasing prey to ever be safe with small animals).
About 10% are immediately okay due to low prey instinct, and the rest can be trained to leave cats and other small pets in the home alone.
They seldom present difficulties with other dogs and are normally good with children, though they do not usually like rough-house play, and would not be a good choice for young children who are looking for a play mate.
Indoors, these dogs are calm and sociable to a point where they can even be considered lazy.
They bond strongly with their own people, have tremendous stamina, and do not bark much. Show lines tend to be of a different body style than racing lines, and are often more angulated.
Racing lines are bred for performance, but often a good by-product are friendly, outgoing dogs, who make wonderful pets when their racing days are over.
Greyhounds are not particularly vigilant. Show lines tend to be a bit heavier and bred more for temperament than racing lines, who are bred for speed.
However racing lines also make wonderful pets. There are hundreds of adoption groups all over North America, Europe and Australia to place these gentle, loving dogs when they retire.
Retired racing Greyhounds are not usually difficult to housebreak. They are already crate trained from the track, so it doesn't take them long to learn that they are not to "go" in the house.
The Greyhound needs an even tempered, gentle but firm loving owner who knows how to consistently communicate the rules of the home.
A Greyhound who knows his place in his pack and what is expected of him is a happy Greyhound.

Health

Greyhounds are typically a healthy and long-lived breed, and hereditary illness is rare. Some Greyhounds have been known to develop esophageal achalasia, Bloat (gastric torsion), and osteosarcoma. Because the Greyhound's lean physique makes it ill-suited to sleeping on hard surfaces, owners of companion Greyhounds generally provide soft bedding; without bedding, Greyhounds are prone to develop painful skin sores. Greyhounds typically live 10–13 years.
Due to the unique physiology and anatomy of greyhounds, a veterinarian who understands the issues relevant to the breed is generally needed when the dogs need treatment, particularly when anaesthesia is required. Greyhounds cannot metabolize barbiturate-based anesthesia as other breeds can because they have lower amounts of oxidative enzymes in their livers.
Greyhounds demonstrate unusual blood chemistry, which can be misread by veterinarians not familiar with the breed; this can result in an incorrect diagnosis.
Greyhounds have higher levels of red blood cells than other breeds. Since red blood cells carry oxygen to the muscles, this higher level allows the hound to move larger quantities of oxygen faster from the lungs to the muscles.
Greyhounds have lower levels of platelets than other breeds .
Veterinary blood services often use Greyhounds as universal blood donors.
Gastric torsion can occur which causes the stomach to twist, heavy vomiting, pain and death within a few hours if not treated with surgery. This condition is common to many deep chested dogs.

Extra Info

Anatomy
The key to the speed of a Greyhound can be found in its light but muscular build, largest heart, and highest percentage of fast-twitch muscle of any breed, the double suspension gallop and the extreme flexibility of the spine. "Double suspension rotary gallop" describes the fastest running gait of the Greyhound in which all four feet are free from the the ground in two phases, contracted & extended, during each full stride

Racing
Until the early twentieth century, Greyhounds were principally bred and trained for coursing. During the early 1920s, modern Greyhound racing was introduced into the United States and introduced into United Kingdom (Belle Vue) in 1936 and Northern Ireland (Celtic Park) on April 18th 1927 and immediately followed by Shelbourne Park in Dublin very soon after.
The Greyhound holds the record for fastest recorded dog.
Aside from professional racing, many Greyhounds enjoy success on the amateur race track. Organizations like the Large Gazehound Racing Association (LGRA) and the National Oval Track Racing Association (NOTRA) provide opportunities for Greyhounds and other sighthound breeds to compete in amateur racing events all over the United States

Coursing
The original function of the Greyhound was to be a hare coursing dog. Some Greyhounds still fulfill their original function, although artificial lure sports like lure coursing and racing are far more common and popular.
Both the American Kennel Club and the American Sighthound Field Association sponsor lure coursing events in North America.

Greyhounds as pets
Greyhound owners and adoption groups generally consider Greyhounds to be wonderful pets. They are pack-oriented dogs, which means that they will quickly adopt humans into their pack as alpha. They can get along well with children, dogs and other family pets. Rescued racing Greyhounds occasionally develop separation anxiety when re-housed or when their new owners have to leave them alone for a period of time (the addition of a second greyhound often solves this problem).
Greyhounds bark very little, which helps in suburban environments, and are usually as friendly to strangers as they are with their own family. The most common misconception concerning Greyhounds is that they are hyperactive. In retired racing Greyhounds it is usually the opposite. Young Greyhounds that have never been taught how to utilize the energy they are bred with, can be hyperactive and destructive if not given an outlet, and require more experienced handlers
Greyhound Adoption groups generally require owners to keep their Greyhounds on-leash at all times, except in fully enclosed areas.
This is due to their prey-drive, their speed, and the assertion that Greyhounds have no road sense. Due to their strength, adoption groups recommend that fences be between 4 and 6 feet, to prevent them being able to jump.
Greyhounds do shed but do not have undercoats and therefore are less likely to trigger people's dog allergies (Greyhounds are sometimes incorrectly referred to as "hypoallergenic"). The lack of an undercoat, coupled with a general lack of body fat, also makes Greyhounds more susceptible to extreme temperatures, and most sources recommend that Greyhounds be housed inside.
Greyhounds are very sensitive to insecticides. Many vets do not recommend the use of flea collars or flea spray on Greyhounds unless it is a pyrethrin-based product. Products like Advantage, Frontline, Lufenuron, and Amitraz are safe for use on Greyhounds and are very effective in controlling fleas and ticks.
It is often believed that Greyhounds need a large living space, however, they can thrive in small spaces. Due to their temperament, Greyhounds can make better "apartment dogs" than some of the smaller hyperactive breeds.

Welfare
In the late 20th century several Greyhound adoption groups were formed. The early groups were formed in large part out of a sense of concern about the treatment of the dogs while living on the track. These groups began taking greyhounds from the racetracks when they could no longer compete and placing them in adoptive homes. Prior to the formation of these groups, in the United States over 20,000 retired Greyhounds a year were euthanized; recent estimates still number in the thousands, with about 90% of National Greyhound Association-registered animals either being adopted, or returned for breeding purposes (according to the industry numbers upwards of 2000 dogs are still killed annually in the US while anti-racing groups estimate the figure at closer to 12,000.).
Accidents and disease are also common killers among racing Greyhounds. In 2005, an epidemic of respiratory failure killed dozens of dogs and left over 1200 quarantined in the U.S., particularly in Massachusetts, Colorado, Iowa and Rhode Island.
The vast majority of Greyhounds in the USA are bred for racing (registered with the National Greyhound Association or NGA), leading American Kennel Club registered dogs about 150:1. Each NGA dog is issued a Bertillon card, which measures 56 distinct identifying traits with the Bertillon number tattooed on the dog's ear to prove identity during their racing career.
Not all dogs bred for racing are able to do so, due to speed, temperament, or physical problems. Most NGA greyhounds finish racing between two and five years of age. Some retired racing greyhounds have injuries that may follow them for the remainder of their lives, although the majority are healthy and can live long lives after their racing careers are over.
There are currently two online databases to easily lookup or search for all past and present registered dogs: Greyhound-Data.com and Rosnet2000.com Dogs can be searched by their Bertillon number, race name, and other attributes. Data includes dog photos, race statistics, and pedigree.

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Doberman Pinscher

Doberman Pinscher

The Doberman Pinscher (alternatively spelled Dobermann in many countries) or Doberman is a breed of domestic dog.
Doberman Pinschers are among the most common of pet breeds, and the breed is well known as an intelligent, alert, and loyal companion dog.
Although once commonly used as guard dogs, watch dogs, or police dogs, this is less common today.
In many countries, Doberman Pinschers are one of the most recognizable breeds, in part because of their actual roles in society, and in part because of media attention.
Careful breeding has improved the disposition of this breed, and the modern Doberman Pinscher is an energetic and lively breed suitable for companionship and family life.

History

Doberman Pinschers were first bred in the town of Apolda, in the German state of Thüringia around 1890, following the Franco-Prussian War by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann. Dobermann served in the dangerous role of local tax collector, and ran the Apolda dog pound.
With access to dogs of many breeds, he aimed to create a breed that would be ideal for protecting him during his collections, which took him through many bandit-infested areas.
He set out to breed a new type of dog that, in his opinion, would be the perfect combination of strength, loyalty, intelligence, and ferocity.
Later, Otto Goeller and Philip Gruening continued to develop the breed to become the dog that is seen today.
The breed is believed to have been created from several different breeds of dogs that had the characteristics that Dobermann was looking for, including the Pinscher, the Beauceron, the Rottweiler, the Thuringian Shepherd Dog, the black Greyhound, the Great Dane, the Weimaraner, the German Shorthaired Pointer, the Manchester Terrier and the old German Shepherd Dog - now extinct.
The exact ratios of mixing, and even the exact breeds that were used, remains uncertain to this day, although many experts believe that the Doberman Pinscher is a combination of at least four of these breeds.
The single exception is the documented crossing with the Greyhound and Manchester Terrier.
It is also widely believed that the old German Shepherd (now extinct) gene pool, was the single largest contributor to the Doberman breed. The book entitled "The Dobermann Pinscher", written by Philip Greunig (first printing in 1939), is considered the foremost study of the development of the breed by its most ardent students. It describes the breed's early development by Otto Goeller, whose hand allowed the Doberman to become the dog we recognize today.
After his death in 1894, the Germans named the breed Dobermann-pinscher in his honor, but a half century later dropped the pinscher on the grounds that this German word for terrier was no longer appropriate.
The British did the same thing a few years later.

Appearance

Kennel club standards describe Doberman Pinschers as dogs of medium size, square build and short coat.
They are compactly built and athletic with endurance and speed.. The Doberman Pinscher should have a proud, watchful, determined, and obedient temperament.
The dog was originally intended as a guard dog , so males should have a masculine, muscular, noble appearance. Females are thinner, but should not be spindly
.


Size and proportions
The Doberman Pinscher is a dog of medium size.
Although the breed standards vary among kennel and breed clubs, the dog typically stands between 26 to 28 inches 27.5 being ideal (66 to 72 cm), the bitch is typically somewhere between 24 to 26 inches, 25.5 being ideal (61 to 68 cm).
The Doberman should have a square frame: its length should equal its height to the withers, and the length of its head, neck and legs should be in proportion to its body.
There are no standards for the weight of the Doberman Pinscher.
The ideal dog must have sufficient size for an optimal combination of strength, endurance and agility.
The dog generally weighs between 75 and 100 pounds (34 and 45 kg) and the bitch between 60 and 90 pounds (27 and 41 kg).

Color
Two different color genes exist in the Doberman, one for black (B) and one for color dilution (D).
There are nine possible combinations of these allelles (BBDD, BBDd BbDD BbDd, BBdd, Bbdd, bbDD, bbDd, bbdd), which result in four different color phenotypes: black, red, blue, and fawn (Isabella).
The traditional and most common color occurs when both the color and dilution genes have at least one dominant allele (i.e., BBDD, BBDd, BbDD or BbDd), and is commonly referred to as black or black and rust (also called black and tan).
The red, red rust or brown coloration occurs when the black gene has two recessive alleles but the dilution gene has at least one dominant allele (i.e., bbDD, bbDd). "Blue" and "fawn" are controlled by the color dilution gene.
The blue Doberman has the color gene with at least one dominant allele andthe dilution gene with both recessive alleles (i.e., BBdd or Bbdd).
The fawn (Isabella) coloration is the least common, occuring only when both the color and dilution genes have two recessive alleles (i.e., bbdd). Thus, the blue color is a diluted black, and the fawn color is a diluted red.
Expression of the color dilution gene is a disorder called Color Dilution Alopecia. Although not life threatening, these dogs can develop skin problems.
Since 1994 the blue and fawn colors have been banned from breeding by the Dobermann Verein in Germany and under FCI regulations Blue and Fawn are considered disqualifying faults in the international showring.
In 1976, a "white" Doberman Pinscher bitch was whelped, and was subsequently bred to her son, who was also bred to his litter sisters.
This tight inbreeding continued for some time to allow the breeders to "fix" the mutation. Although the disorder is consistent with albinism, a proper characterization of the mutation is currently unknown.
The animals are known to be tyrosinase-positive albinoids, lacking melanin in oculocutaneous structures, but no known mutation has been identified. Thus, these Doberman Pinschers are not actually white, rather they suffer from a deleterious genetic disorder that is associated with increased health risks.

A red Doberman Pinscher

An example of one black and one blue Dobermann Pinscher

An example of a fawn colored Doberman Pinscher

Tails

The Doberman Pinscher's natural tail is fairly long, but individual dogs often have a short tail as a result of docking, a procedure in which the majority of the tail is surgically removed shortly after birth.
The practice of docking has been around for centuries, and is older than the Doberman as a breed.
The putative reason for docking is to ensure that the tail does not get in the way of the dog's work.
Recently, docking has become a controversial topic.
The American Kennel Club standard for Doberman Pinschers includes a tail docked near the 2nd vertebrae.
Docking is a common practice in North America, France, Russia and Japan (as well as a number of other countries with Doberman populations), where it is legal.
In many European countries, docking has been made illegal, and in others it is limited.

Doberman with undocked tail

Ears
Doberman Pinschers will often have their ears cropped, as do many other breeds, a procedure that is functionally related to breed type for both the traditional guard duty and effective sound localization.
Like tail docking, ear cropping is illegal in some countries, and in these Doberman Pinschers have natural ears.
Doberman Pinscher ear cropping is usually done between 7 and 9 weeks of age.
Cropping done after 12 weeks has a low rate of success in getting the ears to stand.
Some Doberman Pinscher owners prefer not to have their pet's ears cropped because they are concerned the procedure is painful for the animal.
The process involves trimming off part of the animal's ears and propping them up with posts and tape bandages, which allows the cartilage to develop into an upright position as the puppy grows.
The incision scabs fall off within a week and stitches are removed a week after that.
The puppy will still have the ability to lay the ears back or down. The process of posting the ears generally takes about a month, but longer show crops can take several months.
Ear posting is more discomforting to the dog than the surgery itself. Posting techniques and the associated discomfort vary from one posting technique to the next.
After the initial surgery has been done, the ears are taped.
Ear taping uses posts to keep the ears straight in the upright position, allowing them to grow and strengthen the cartilage.
There are many variables involved such as crop size, infection, healing, post choice, tape choice, time, teething.
Properly cared for ears rarely get infected.
In some countries' conformation shows, Doberman Pinschers are allowed to compete with either cropped or natural ears.
In Germany a cropped or docked dog cannot be shown regardless of country of origin.
Special written exception to this policy does occur when Germany is the location for international events.

Doberman with natural ears

Temperament

Doberman Pinschers are the target of a mistaken stereotype of ferocity and aggression. As a personal protection dog, the Doberman was originally bred for these traits: it had to be large and intimidating, fearless and willing to defend its owner, but sufficiently obedient and restrained to only do so on command.
These traits served the dog well in its role as a personal defense dog, police dog or war dog, but were not ideally adapted to a companionship role.
In recent decades, the Doberman Pinscher's size, short coat, and intelligence made it a desirable house dog, but its popularity was limited by a harsh or sharp personality.
In response, these personality traits have been actively minimized through selective breeding.
There is evidence that Doberman Pinschers in North America are calmer than their European counterparts because of these breeding strategies Because of these differences in breeding strategies, different lines of Doberman Pinschers have developed different traits.
Although many contemporary Doberman Pinschers in North America are gentle, loyal, loving, and intelligent dogs, some lines are bred more true to the original personality standard.
Although the stereotype is largely mistaken, the personality of the Doberman Pinscher is peculiar to the breed. There is a great deal of scientific evidence that Doberman Pinschers have a number of stable psychological traits, such as personality factors and intelligence. As early as 1965, studies have shown that there are several broad behavioral traits that significantly predict behavior and are genetically determined Subsequently, there have been numerous scientific attempts to quantify canine personality or temperament by using statistical techniques for assessing personality traits in humans.
These studies often vary by identifying different personality factors, and by ranking breeds differently along these dimensions.
One such study found that Doberman Pinschers, compared to other breeds, rank high in playfulness, average in curiosity/fearlessness, low on aggressiveness and low on sociability.
Another such study ranked Doberman Pinschers low on reactivity/surgence, and high on aggression/disagreeableness and openness/trainability

Intelligence

Canine Intelligence is an umbrella term that encompasses the faculties involved in a wide range of mental tasks, such as learning, problem-solving, communication. The Doberman Pinscher has ranked amongst the most intelligent of dog breeds in experimental studies and expert evaluations.
For instance, biologist Stanley Coren ranks the Doberman as the 5th most intelligent dog in the category of obedience command training in his book The Intelligence of Dogs. Additionally, in two studies, Hart and Hart (1985) ranked the Doberman Pinscher first in this category, and Tortora (1980) gave the Doberman the highest rank in trainability, as does Howe.
Although the methods of evaluation differ, these studies consistently show that the Doberman Pinscher, along with the German Shepherd and Standard Poodle, is one of the most trainable breeds of dog.

Aggression

In addition to the studies of canine personality, there has been some research to determine whether there are breed differences in aggression.
In a recent study, aggression was divided into four categories: aggression directed at strangers, owner, other strange dogs and rivalry with other household dogs. This study found that the Doberman Pinscher ranked relatively high on stranger-directed aggression (behind the Dachshund and chihuahua), but extremely low on owner-directed aggression.
The Doberman Pinscher ranked as average on dog-directed aggression and dog rivalry.
Looking only at bites and attempted bites, Doberman Pinschers rank as far less aggressive towards humans, and show less aggression than many breeds without a reputation (e.g., Cocker Spaniel, Border Collie and Great Dane).
This study concluded that aggression has a genetic basis, that the Doberman shows a distinctive pattern of aggression depending on the situation, and that contemporary Doberman Pinschers are not an aggressive breed overall..
Although recent studies do not rank Doberman Pinschers as one of the most aggressive breeds overall, their size, strength and aggression towards strangers makes them potentially dangerous. Studies of dog bites and dog bite fatalities have shown that the danger of attack by Dobermans is relatively high, although this danger was less than that of a number of other breeds.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 1979 and 1998, the Doberman Pinscher was involved in attacks on humans resulting in fatalities less frequently than several other dog breeds such as pit bull–type dogs, German Shepherd Dogs, Rottweilers, Husky-type, Wolf-dog hybrids and Alaskan Malamutes.
According to this Center for Disease Control and Prevention study, one of the most important factors contributing to dog bites are related to the level of responsibility exercised by dog owners.

Health

On average, Doberman Pinschers live about 10–14 years, and they frequently suffer from a number of health concerns.
Common serious health problems include dilated cardiomyopathy, cervical vertebral instability (CVI), von Willebrand's disease (a bleeding disorder for which there is genetic testing), and prostatic disease.
Less serious common health concerns include hypothyroidism and hip dysplasia.
Studies have shown that the Doberman Pinscher suffers from prostatic diseases, (such as bacterial prostatiti, prostatic cysts, prostatic adenocarcinoma, and benign hyperplasia) more than any other breed. Spaying or neutering can significantly reduce these risks (see Dog for information).
Doberman Pinschers frequently suffer from an "attenuated wavy fiber" type of dilated cardiomyopathy.
This serious disease is likely to be fatal in most Doberman Pinschers affected. Multiple studies have investigated this disease, and found it to be specific to Doberman Pinschers and a few other larger breeds (e.g., Boxers), and found that more than half of the Doberman Pinschers studied develop the condition. Roughly a quarter of Doberman Pinschers who developed cardiomyopathy died suddenly from unknown causes, and an additional fifty percent died of congestive heart failure. Although the causes for the disease are largely unknown, there is evidence that it is a familial disease inherited as an autosomal dominant trait.
Investigation into the genetic causes of canine DCM may lead to therapeutic and breeding practices to limit its impact.

Famous Doberman Pinschers
• Ch. Rancho Dobe's Storm: back to back Westminster Best in Show (1952, 1953).
• Bingo von Ellendonk: first Dobermann to score 300 points (perfect score) in Schutzhund.
• Ch. Cambria Cactus Cash: Sired 144 AKC champions as of June 2007.
• Graf Belling v. Grönland: first registered Dobermann.

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Rottweiler

Rottweiler

The Rottweiler, or Rottweil Metzgerhund (Butchers Dog), is a "medium to large size, stalwart dog" breed originating in Germany as a herding dog.
It is a hardy and very intelligent breed. Rottweilers also worked as draught dogs, pulling carts to carry meat and other products to market. "Rottweiler breeders aim at a dog of abundant strength, black coated with clearly defined rich tan markings, whose powerful appearance does not lack nobility and which is exceptionally well suited to being a companion, service and working dog."
The Rottweiler was kept busy in these traditional roles until the mid-19th century when railroads replaced droving for getting livestock to market. Although there are still Rottweilers working stock all over the world, many other roles have been found for this versatile breed.
During the first and second World Wars, Rottweilers were put into service in various roles including as messenger, draught and guard dogs.
Currently they are often used as search and rescue, assistance, guide dogs for the blind, guard and police dogs in addition to their traditional roles.

History

Although an extremely versatile breed used in recent times for many other purposes, the Rottweiler is first and foremost one of the oldest, if not the oldest, of herding breeds. A multi-faceted herding and stock protection dog of exceptional ability, it is capable of working all kinds of livestock under a wide variety of conditions.
The breed is an ancient one, whose history stretches back to the Roman Empire. In those times, the legions traveled with their meat on the hoof and required the assistance of working dogs to herd the cattle. One route the army traveled was through Württemberg and on to the small market town of Rottweil.
The principal ancestors of the first Rottweilers during this time was supposed to be the Roman droving dog, local dogs the army met on its travels, and dogs with molosser appearance coming from England and The Netherlands.
This region eventually became an important cattle area, and the descendants of the Roman cattle dogs proved their worth in both driving and protecting the cattle from robbers and wild animals.
However, by the end of the 19th century as railroads became the main method for moving stock to market, the breed had declined so much that in 1900 there was only one female to be found in the town of Rottweil.
The first Rottweiler club in Germany, named DRK ("Deutscher Rottweiler-Klub" — German Rottweiler Club) was created the 13 January 1907, and followed by the creation of the SDRK ("Süddeutscher Rottweiler-Klub" — South German Rottweiler Club) on the 27 April 1907 and became the IRK (International Rottweiler Club). The DRK counted around 500 Rottweiler, the SDRK 3000 Rottweilers.
The goals of the two clubs were different.
The DRK wanted to produce working dogs and did not emphasize the morphology of the Rottweiler. The main stud dog of this club was Lord von der Teck. The IRK tried to produce a homogeneous morphology according to their standard. One of the main stud dogs of this club was Ralph von Neckar.
The various German Rottweiler Clubs amalgamated to form the Allgemeiner Deutscher Rottweiller Klub - e.V (ADRK) which is recognised worldwide as the home club of the Rottweiler.
The build up to World War I saw a great demand for police dogs, and that led to a revival of interest in the Rottweiler. From that time the breed has become popular with dog owners, and in 1935 was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club. In 1936, Rottweilers were exhibited in Britain at Crufts. In 1966, a separate register was opened for the breed. In fact, in the mid 1990s, the popularity of the Rottweiler reached an all time high with it being the 1st most registered dog by the American Kennel Club.

Description

General Appearance
The ideal Rottweiler is a medium large, robust and powerful dog, black with clearly defined rust markings.
His compact and substantial build denotes great strength, agility and endurance. Dogs are characteristically more massive throughout with larger frame and heavier bone than bitches.
Bitches are distinctly feminine, but without weakness of substance or structure.

Size, Proportion, Substance:-

Dogs--24 inches to 27 inches.
Bitches--22 inches to 25 inches, with preferred size being mid-range of each sex. Correct proportion is of primary importance, as long as size is within the standard's range. The length of body, from prosternum to the rearmost projection of the rump, is slightly longer than the height of the dog at the withers, the most desirable proportion of the height to length being 9 to 10.
The Rottweiler is neither coarse nor shelly.
Depth of chest is approximately fifty percent (50%) of the height of the dog. His bone and muscle mass must be sufficient to balance his frame, giving a compact and very powerful appearance.
Serious Faults--Lack of proportion, undersized, oversized, reversal of sex characteristics (bitchy dogs, doggy bitches).

Head

Of medium length, broad between the ears; forehead line seen in profile is moderately arched; zygomatic arch and stop well developed with strong broad upper and lower jaws. The desired ratio of backskull to muzzle is 3 to 2.
Forehead is preferred dry, however some wrinkling may occur when dog is alert.
Expression is noble, alert, and self-assured.
Eyes of medium size, almond shaped with well fitting lids, moderately deep-set, neither protruding nor receding. The desired color is a uniform dark brown. Serious Faults--Yellow (bird of prey) eyes, eyes of different color or size, hairless eye rim. Disqualification--Entropion. Ectropion.
Ears of medium size, pendant, triangular in shape; when carried alertly the ears are level with the top of the skull and appear to broaden it.
Ears are to be set well apart, hanging forward with the inner edge lying tightly against the head and terminating at approximately mid-cheek. Serious Faults--Improper carriage (creased, folded or held away from cheek/head).
Muzzle--Bridge is straight, broad at base with slight tapering towards tip. The end of the muzzle is broad with well developed chin. Nose is broad rather than round and always black. Lips-Always black; corners closed; inner mouth pigment is preferred dark. Serious Faults--Total lack of mouth pigment (pink mouth).
Bite and Dentition--Teeth 42 in number (20 upper, 22 lower), strong, correctly placed, meeting in a scissors bite--lower incisors touching inside of upper incisors. Serious Faults--Level bite; any missing tooth. Disqualifications--Overshot, undershot (when incisors do not touch or mesh); wry mouth; two or more missing teeth.

Neck, Topline, Body
Neck--Powerful, well muscled, moderately long, slightly arched and without loose skin.
Topline--The back is firm and level, extending in a straight line from behind the withers to the croup.
The back remains horizontal to the ground while the dog is moving or standing. Body--The chest is roomy, broad and deep, reaching to elbow, with well pronounced forechest and well sprung, oval ribs.
Back is straight and strong. Loin is short, deep and well muscled.
Croup is broad, of medium length and only slightly sloping. Underline of a mature Rottweiler has a slight tuck-up. Males must have two normal testicles properly descended into the scrotum.
Disqualification--Unilateral cryptorchid or cryptorchid males. Tail--Tail docked short, close to body, leaving one or two tail vertebrae.
The set of the tail is more important than length.
Properly set, it gives an impression of elongation of topline; carried slightly above horizontal when the dog is excited or moving.

Forequarters
Shoulder blade is long and well laid back.
Upper arm equal in length to shoulder blade, set so elbows are well under body. Distance from withers to elbow and elbow to ground is equal.
Legs are strongly developed with straight, heavy bone, not set close together. Pasterns are strong, springy and almost perpendicular to the ground.
Feet are round, compact with well arched toes, turning neither in nor out.
Pads are thick and hard. Nails short, strong and black.
Dewclaws may be removed.

Hindquarters
Angulation of hindquarters balances that of forequarters. Upper thigh is fairly long, very broad and well muscled.
Stifle joint is well turned.
Lower thigh is long, broad and powerful, with extensive muscling leading into a strong hock joint.
Rear pasterns are nearly perpendicular to the ground. Viewed from the rear, hind legs are straight, strong and wide enough apart to fit with a properly built body. Feet are somewhat longer than the front feet, turning neither in nor out, equally compact with well arched toes.
Pads are thick and hard. Nails short, strong, and black. Dewclaws must be removed.

Coat

Outer coat is straight, coarse, dense, of medium length and lying flat. Undercoat should be present on neck and thighs, but the amount is influenced by climatic conditions. Undercoat should not show through outer coat.
The coat is shortest on head, ears and legs, longest on breeching. The Rottweiler is to be exhibited in the natural condition with no trimming.
Fault--Wavy coat. Serious Faults--Open, excessively short, or curly coat; total lack of undercoat; any trimming that alters the length of the natural coat.
Disqualification--Long coat.

Color
Always black with rust to mahogany markings.
The demarcation between black and rust is to be clearly defined. The markings should be located as follows: a spot over each eye; on cheeks; as a strip around each side of muzzle, but not on the bridge of the nose; on throat; triangular mark on both sides of prosternum;on forelegs from carpus downward to the toes; on inside of rear legs showing down the front of the stifle and broadening out to front of rear legs from hock to toes, but not completely eliminating black from rear of pasterns; un-der tail; black penciling on toes.
The undercoat is gray, tan, or black. Quantity and location of rust markings is important and should not exceed ten percent of body color. Serious Faults--Straw-colored, excessive, insufficient or sooty markings; rust marking other than described above; white marking any place on dog (a few rust or white hairs do not constitute a marking).
Disqualifications--Any base color other than black; absence of all markings.

Gait
The Rottweiler is a trotter.
His movement should be balanced, harmonious, sure, powerful and unhindered, with strong forereach and a powerful rear drive.
The motion is effortless, efficient, and ground-covering.
Front and rear legs are thrown neither in nor out, as the imprint of hind feet should touch that of forefeet.
In a trot the forequarters and hindquarters are mutually coordinated while the back remains level, firm and relatively motionless.
As speed increases the legs will converge under body towards a center line.

Temperament

The Rottweiler is basically a calm, confident and courageous dog with a self-assured aloofness that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships. A Rottweiler is self-confident and responds quietly and with a wait-and-see attitude to influences in his environment.
He has an inherent desire to protect home and family, and is an intelligent dog of extreme hardness and adaptability with a strong willingness to work, making him especially suited as a companion, guardian and general all-purpose dog.
The behavior of the Rottweiler in the show ring should be controlled, willing and adaptable, trained to submit to examination of mouth, testicles, etc.
An aloof or reserved dog should not be penalized, as this reflects the accepted character of the breed.
An aggressive or belligerent attitude towards other dogs should not be faulted.
A judge shall excuse from the ring any shy Rottweiler.
A dog shall be judged fundamentally shy if, refusing to stand for examination, it shrinks away from the judge.
A dog that in the opinion of the judge menaces or threatens him/her, or exhibits any sign that it may not be safely approached or examined by the judge in the normal manner, shall be excused from the ring. A dog that in the opinion of the judge attacks any person in the ring shall be disqualified.

Health

his breed is susceptible to ACL damage. Prone to hip dysplasia. Tends to snore and overeat. Also prone to entropion (narrowing of the slit between the eyelids).

The Rottie will do okay in an apartment if it is sufficiently exercised. They are relatively inactive indoors and a small yard will be sufficient.

The Rottweiler needs plenty of exercise. You can't give these robust dogs too much work or exercise; they thrive on it. They need to be taken on a daily walk or jog. Running in the woods and in open country makes them very happy and they have no desire to wander from you. Swimming or running beside a bicycle are perfect activities for this dog and it also loves retrieving a ball.

Live to about 10-12 years.

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Great Dane

Great Dane

The Great Dane, Danish Hound, Deutsche Dogge, Boarhound, or German Mastiff is a breed of domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) known for its giant size and gentle personality. The breed is commonly referred to as the "Apollo of all breeds." Great Danes are considered one of the tallest dog breeds along with the Irish Wolfhound. More recently, Great Danes have been in the Guinness World Records for tallest dog. The Great Dane was named the state dog of Pennsylvania in 1965.
Although the current holder of the world record for tallest dog is a 42-inch tall Great Dane, the Irish Wolfhound is the breed that tends to be tallest, though it is lighter in weight.

History


Great Danes Gislev church, Denmark 1500-25



The Great Dane Raro, Denmark 1655



The Great Dane Sultan, Denmark 1699

Historians claim that there are drawings of dogs that resemble the breed on Egyptian monuments from roughly 3000 B.C. The earliest written description of a dog resembling the Great Dane can be found in Chinese literature of 1121 B.C. Some sources state that dogs similar to Great Danes were known in Greece and Rome too. The dog was developed at least 400 years ago in Germany, where it was used for boar hunting. Various sources report that the Great Dane was developed from the medieval boarhound, and of the Mastiff and Irish wolfhound lines.

It is also reported that the Great Dane was developed from mastiff-like dogs taken to Germany by the Alans. The Bullenbeisser may be its direct ancestor, composing about the 40% of its make-up.
According to Barbara Stein, "The breed originated in Germany, probably from a cross between the English mastiff and the Irish Wolfhound." However, other sources maintain that the breed originated in Denmark and still others report the question as controversial and unsettled. In 1749 Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffonused the name ”le Grand Danois,” (translated by William Smellie (encyclopedist) as ”Great Dane”). Up until that time the hound was referred to in England as ”Danish dog.”

According to Jacob Nicolay Wilse the Danes called the dog ”large hound,” a terminology continued well in to the 20th Century.
In Germany in 1780 the hound is referred to as ”Grosser Dänischer Jagd Hund” (English: Large Danish Hunting Hound). At the first dog exhibition, held in Hamburg 14-20 July 1863,[citation needed] eight dogs were called ”Dänische Dogge” and seven ”Ulmer Doggen.”
There is, without a doubt, no more curiosity in dog breed names than in the Great Dane. However, it can be clearly traced back that this breed originated in Germany, not in Denmark as often mistaken by its Anglo Saxon name.

The reason why in Anglo Saxon and French speaking countries refer to the German Mastiff still as Great Dane are political reasons of historical issues especially during the unification of Germany by Prussia and Bismarck.

In the Holy Roman Empire of German Countries this breed had many names and not a united one.

The variety of names were depending on its origin. The oldest trackable breeders were in the Wuerttemberg Region and Hessian Region of Germany.

All regions had they favourite colour of coat.

This led to the confusion during the first dogs breeder exhibition in Germany in 1863 that breeders from all different areas signed in this breed with its local name although it was the same breed.

When it was decided during the German Dog Exhibition in Hamburg Altona that they should be a united name for this old German breed it was decisive that this dog would be called "Deutsche Dogge" (German Mastiff) at a time when Germany united and Prussia became a European Power in defeating France. Therefore it is clear that Britain or France would not call a dog " Great German".The precursors of today's Great Dane are the old "Bullenbeisser" as well as the so-called "Hatz- and Sauhunde" (hounds), which are a cross between the strong Mastiff of the English type and a fast and nimble Greyhound.

At first, big and strong dogs that did not necessarily belong to a certain breed were considered as Danes.

Later on, names like Ulmer Dane, English Dane, Danish Dane, "Saupacker" (wild boar hunt) and big Dane described the different sizes and colors of this type.

In 1878 a committee of seven, consisting of committed breeders and judges with the chairman Dr Bodinus, decided in Berlin to unite all varieties of the above-mentioned types under the term "Deutsche Dogge" (German Dane, ie Great Dane).

Through this the foundation for the first German dog breed has been laid. In 1880, on the occasion of a dog show in Berlin, a standard for the Great Dane was determined for the first time. Since 1888, the "Deutsche Doggen Club 1888 e.V." is in charge of this standards and repeatedly modified it since. Today's edition fulfills the demands of the F.C.I.

Genral Appeareance

The Great Dane combines, in its regal appearance, dignity, strength and elegance with great size and a powerful, well-formed, smoothly muscled body. It is one of the giant working breeds, but is unique in that its general conformation must be so well balanced that it never appears clumsy, and shall move with a long reach and powerful drive. It is always a unit-the Apollo of dogs.
A Great Dane must be spirited, courageous, never timid; always friendly and dependable.
This physical and mental combination is the characteristic which gives the Great Dane the majesty possessed by no other breed.
It is particularly true of this breed that there is an impression of great masculinity in dogs, as compared to an impression of femininity in bitches. Lack of true Dane breed type, as defined in this standard, is a serious fault.

Size, Proportion, Substance
The male should appear more massive throughout than the bitch, with larger frame and heavier bone.
In the ratio between length and height, the Great Dane should be square.
In bitches, a somewhat longer body is permissible, providing she is well proportioned to her height.
Coarseness or lack of substance are equally undesirable. The male shall not be less than 30 inches at the shoulders, but it is preferable that he be 32 inches or more, providing he is well proportioned to his height.
The female shall not be less than 28 inches at the shoulders, but it is preferable that she be 30 inches or more, providing she is well proportioned to her height. Danes under minimum height must be disqualified

Head
The head shall be rectangular, long, distinguished, expressive, finely chiseled, especially below the eyes.
Seen from the side, the Dane’s forehead must be sharply set off from the bridge of the nose, (a strongly pronounced stop).
The plane of the skull and the plane of the muzzle must be straight and parallel to one another.
The skull plane under and to the inner point of the eye must slope without any bony protuberance in a smooth line to a full square jaw with a deep muzzle (fluttering lips are undesirable).
The masculinity of the male is very pronounced in structural appearance of the head. The bitch’s head is more delicately formed.
Seen from the top, the skull should have parallel sides and the bridge of the nose should be as broad as possible.
The cheek muscles should not be prominent.
The length from the tip of the nose to the center of the stop should be equal to the length from the center of the stop to the rear of the slightly developed occiput. The head should be angular from all sides and should have flat planes with dimensions in proportion to the size of the Dane.
Whiskers may be trimmed or left natural. Eyes shall be medium size, deep set, and dark, with a lively intelligent expression. The eyelids are almond-shaped and relatively tight, with well developed brows. Haws and mongolian eyes are serious faults.
In harlequins, the eyes should be dark; light colored eyes, eyes of different colors and walleyes are permitted but not desirable. Ears shall be high set, medium in size and of moderate thickness, folded forward close to the cheek. The top line of the folded ear should be level with the skull.
If cropped, the ear length is in proportion to the size of the head and the ears are carried uniformly erect.
Nose shall be black, except in the blue Dane, where it is a dark blue-black. A black spotted nose is permitted on the harlequin; a pink colored nose is not desirable.
A split nose is a disqualification. Teeth shall be strong, well developed, clean and with full dentition.
The incisors of the lower jaw touch very lightly the bottoms of the inner surface of the upper incisors (scissors bite).
An undershot jaw is a very serious fault.
Overshot or wry bites are serious faults. Even bites, misaligned or crowded incisors are minor faults.

Neck, Topline, Body

The neck shall be firm, high set, well arched, long and muscular. From the nape, it should gradually broaden and flow smoothly into the withers. The neck underline should be clean. Withers shall slope smoothly into a short level back with a broad loin. The chest shall be broad, deep and well muscled. The forechest should be well developed without a pronounced sternum. The brisket extends to the elbow, with well sprung ribs. The body underline should be tightly muscled with a well-defined tuck-up.

The croup should be broad and very slightly sloping. The tail should be set high and smoothly into the croup, but not quite level with the back, a continuation of the spine. The tail should be broad at the base, tapering uniformly down to the hock joint. At rest, the tail should fall straight. When excited or running, it may curve slightly, but never above the level of the back. A ring or hooked tail is a serious fault. A docked tail is a disqualification.

Forequarters
The forequarters, viewed from the side, shall be strong and muscular. The shoulder blade must be strong and sloping, forming, as near as possible, a right angle in its articulation with the upper arm. A line from the upper tip of the shoulder to the back of the elbow joint should be perpendicular. The ligaments and muscles holding the shoulder blade to the rib cage must be well developed, firm and securely attached to prevent loose shoulders. The shoulder blade and the upper arm should be the same length. The elbow should be one-half the distance from the withers to the ground. The strong pasterns should slope slightly. The feet should be round and compact with well-arched toes, neither toeing in, toeing out, nor rolling to the inside or outside. The nails should be short, strong and as dark as possible, except that they may be lighter in harlequins. Dewclaws may or may not be removed.

Hindquarters
The hindquarters shall be strong, broad, muscular and well angulated, with well let down hocks. Seen from the rear, the hock joints appear to be perfectly straight, turned neither toward the inside nor toward the outside. The rear feet should be round and compact, with well-arched toes, neither toeing in nor out. The nails should be short, strong and as dark as possible, except they may be lighter in harlequins. Wolf claws are a serious fault.

Coat
The coat shall be short, thick and clean with a smooth glossy appearance.

Color, Markings and Patterns
Brindle--The base color shall be yellow gold and always brindled with strong black cross stripes in a chevron pattern. A black mask is preferred. Black should appear on the eye rims and eyebrows, and may appear on the ears and tail tip. The more intensive the base color and the more distinct and even the brindling, the more preferred will be the color. Too much or too little brindling are equally undesirable. White markings at the chest and toes, black-fronted, dirty colored brindles are not desirable.

Fawn--The color shall be yellow gold with a black mask. Black should appear on the eye rims and eyebrows, and may appear on the ears and tail tip. The deep yellow gold must always be given the preference. White markings at the chest and toes, black-fronted dirty colored fawns are not desirable.

Blue--The color shall be a pure steel blue. White markings at the chest and toes are not desirable.

Black--The color shall be a glossy black. White markings at the chest and toes are not desirable.

Harlequin--Base color shall be pure white with black torn patches irregularly and well distributed over the entire body; a pure white neck is preferred. The black patches should never be large enough to give the appearance of a blanket, nor so small as to give a stippled or dappled effect. Eligible, but less desirable, are a few small gray patches, or a white base with single black hairs showing through, which tend to give a salt and pepper or dirty effect.

Mantle--The color shall be black and white with a solid black blanket extending over the body; black skull with white muzzle; white blaze is optional; whole white collar is preferred; a white chest; white on part or whole of forelegs and hind legs; white tipped black tail. A small white marking in the blanket is acceptable, as is a break in the white collar.

Any variance in color or markings as described above shall be faulted to the extent of the deviation. Any Great Dane which does not fall within the above color classifications must be disqualified.

Temperament

The Great Dane's large and imposing appearance belies its friendly nature; the breed is often referred to as a gentle giant. Great Danes are generally well-disposed toward other dogs, other non-canine pets and humans. As with all dogs, they should be supervised around young children. Great Danes can be protective and make good guard dogs. Some Great Danes — as with any breed — can have dominance issues, can be aggressive with other dogs, or chase small animals; however, this is not typical.
Exercise

Although Great Danes have a fairly slow metabolism they need daily exercise the same as any other dog, and a fair amount of it.
A common misconception is that they are slow and docile and don't need walking; this is incorrect and in most cases Great Danes are full of energy and need regular walking. The Great Dane was bred to hunt wild boar and guard the manor. They are robust, alert and agile when needed to be.

Health

Great Danes, like most giant dogs, have a fairly slow metabolism. This results in less energy and less food consumption per pound of dog than in small breeds. Great Danes have some health problems that are common to large breeds. Bloat (a painful distending and twisting of the stomach formally known as Gastric volvulus) is a critical condition that can affect Great Danes and results rapidly in death if not quickly addressed.
Drinking large amounts of fluid in a short period of time can provoke Bloating in Great Danes, as well as other larger breeds of dogs.
It is a commonly recommended practice for Great Danes to have their stomachs tacked (Gastropexy) to the right abdominal wall during routine surgery such as spaying or neutering if the dog or its relatives have a history of bloat, though some veterinary surgeons will not do the operation if the actual sickness has not occurred.
Elevated food dishes are often believed to help prevent bloat by regulating the amount of air that is inhaled while eating, although one study suggests that they may increase the risk.
Refraining from exercise or activity immediately before and after meals may also reduce risk, although this has not been validated with research.
Another problem common to the breed is hip dysplasia.
Typically an x-ray of the parents can certify whether their hips are healthy and can serve as a guideline for whether the animals should be bred and are likely to have healthy pups.
Great Danes generally live 8-10 years, but with responsible breeding and improved nutrition they can live to be 12-14.
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and many congenital heart diseases are also commonly found in the Great Dane.
Great Danes also suffer from several genetic disorders that are specific to the breed. For example, if a Great Dane lacks color (is white) near its eyes or ears then that organ does not develop and usually the dog will be either blind or deaf.

Great Danes in culture
• Scooby-Doo, a Hanna-Barbera character.
Creator Iwao Takamoto based this famous animal character on a Great Dane based on sketches given by a Hanna-Barbera employee who bred this dog, although Scooby's tail is longer than a real Great Dane's and actually bears a closer resemblance to a cat's tail.
Technically speaking, his tail notwithstanding, Scooby-Doo would be a Fawn.

In one episode of the original series, one of the characters says that he's part-terrier and "part-terrified" in response to someone asking what kind of dog he is.
"Part-terrified" was most likely added for humor, but he might possibly be part-terrier.
• Brad Anderson's newspaper comic character Marmaduke.
• Brutus from Disney's version of The Ugly Dachshund, who is a Great Dane raised by a Dachshund.
• Chester, Alan's dog is a harlequin Great Dane in Two and a Half Men.
• The school mascot for the University at Albany is the Great Dane. The Big Purple Growl, the annual basketball event held in early February gets the name from their mascot.
• Fang from the Harry Potter series is a boarhound, but in the films he is portrayed by a Neapolitan Mastiff.
• In rapper Lil' Wayne's song Got Money he mentions a Great Dane in his lyrics.

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Boxer

Boxer

Developed in Germany, the Boxer is a breed of stocky, medium-sized, short-haired dog. The coat is smooth and fawn or brindled, with or without white markings. Boxers are brachycephalic (they have broad, short skulls), and have a square muzzle, mandibular prognathism (an underbite), very strong jaws and a powerful bite ideal for hanging on to large prey.
The Boxer was bred from the English Bulldog and the now extinct Bullenbeisser and is part of the Molosser group.
Boxers were first exhibited in a dog show for St. Bernards at Munich in 1895, the first Boxer club being founded the next year.
Based on 2008 American Kennel Club statistics, Boxers are the sixth most popular breed of dog in the United States for the second year in a row—moving up in 2007 from the seventh spot, which they'd held since 2002—with 33,548 new dog registrations during the year.

History

The Boxer is part of the Molosser dog group, developed in Germany in the late 1800s from the now extinct Bullenbeisser, a dog of Mastiff descent, and Bulldogs brought in from England. The Bullenbeisser had been working as a hunting dog for centuries, employed in the pursuit of bear, wild boar, and deer. Its task was to seize the prey and hold it until the hunters arrived. In later years, faster dogs were favored and a smaller Bullenbeisser was bred in Brabant, in northern Belgium. It is generally accepted that the Brabanter Bullenbeisser was a direct ancestor of today's Boxer.

In 1894, three Germans by the name of Roberth, Konig, and Hopner decided to stabilize the breed and put it on exhibition at a dog show. This was done in Munich in 1895, and the next year they founded the first Boxer Club, the Deutscher Boxer Club. The Club went on to publish the first Boxer breed standard in 1902, a detailed document that has not been changed much to this day.

Friedrich Roberth and his Boxer, 1894

The breed was introduced to other parts of Europe in the late 19th century and to the United States around the turn of the century. The American Kennel Club (AKC) registered the first Boxer in 1904, and recognized the first Boxer champion, Dampf vom Dom, in 1915. During World War I, the Boxer was co-opted for military work, acting as a valuable messenger dog, pack-carrier, attack dog, and guard dog. It was not until after World War II that the Boxer became popular around the world. Taken home by returning soldiers,they introduced the dog to a wider audience and soon became a favorite as a companion, a show dog, and a guard dog.

Early genealogy
The German citizen George Alt, a Munich resident, mated a brindle-colored bitch imported from France named Flora with a local dog of unknown ancestry, known simply as "Boxer", resulting in a fawn-and-white male, named "Lechner's Box" after its owner. This dog was mated with his own dam Flora, and one of its offspring was a bitch called Alt's Schecken. George Alt mated Schecken with a Bulldog named Dr. Toneissen's Tom to produce the historically significant dog ''Mühlbauer's Flocki. Flocki was the first Boxer to enter the German Stud Book after winning the aforementioned show for St. Bernards in Munich 1895, which was the first event to have a class specific for Boxers.

The white bitch Ch. Blanka von Angertor, Flocki's sister, was even more influential when mated with Piccolo von Angertor (Lechner's Box grandson) to produce the predominantly white (parti-colored) bitch Meta von der Passage, which, even bearing little resemblance with the modern Boxer standard (early photographs depicts her as too long, weak-backed and down-faced), is considered the mother of the breed. John Wagner, on his The Boxer (first published in 1939) said the

following regarding this bitch:

"Meta von der Passage played the most important role of the five original ancestors. Our great line of sires all trace directly back to this female. She was a substantially built, low to the ground, brindle and white parti-color, lacking in underjaw and exceedingly lippy. As a producing bitch few in any breed can match her record. She consistently whelped puppies of marvelous type and rare quality. Those of her offspring sired by Flock St. Salvator and Wotan dominate all present-day pedigrees. Combined with Wotan and Mirzl children, they made the Boxer."

Boxer early genealogy chart

Breed name
The name "Boxer" is supposedly derived from the breed's tendency to play by standing on its hind legs and "boxing" with its front paws.
According to Andrew H.
Brace on his "Pet owner's guide to the Boxer" this theory is the least plausible explanation.
He claims "it's unlikely that a nation so permeated with nationalism would give to one of its most famous breeds a name so obviously anglicised".
German linguistic sciences and historical evidence date from the 18th century the earliest written source for the word Boxer, found in a text in the "Deutsches Fremdwörterbuch" (The German Dictionary of Foreign Languages), which cites an author named Musäus of 1782 writing "daß er aus Furcht vor dem großen Baxer Salmonet ... sich auf einige Tage in ein geräumiges Packfaß ... absentiret hatte".
At that time the spelling "baxer" equalled "boxer". Both the verb ("boxen") and the noun ("Boxer") were common German language as early as the late 18th century.
The term "Boxl", also written "Buxn" or "Buchsen", in the Bavarian dialect means "short (leather) trousers" or "underwear". The very similarly sounding term "Boxerl" is also Bavarian dialect and an endearing term for "Boxer". More in line with historical facts, Brace states that there exist many other theories to explain the origin of the breed name, from which he favors the one claiming the smaller Bullenbeisser (Brabanter) were also known as "Boxl" and that Boxer is just a corruption of that word.
In the same vein runs a theory based on the fact that there were a group of dogs known as "Bierboxer" in Munich by the time of the breed's development. These dogs were the result from mixes of Bullenbeisser and other similar breeds. Bier (beer) probably refers to the Biergarten, the typical Munich beergarden, an open-air restaurant where people used to take their dogs along. The nickname "Deutscher Boxer" was derived from bierboxer and Boxer could also be a corruption of the former or a contraction of the latter.
A Passage from the book "The Complete Boxer" by Milo G Denlinger also states that "It has been claimed that the name "Boxer" was jokingly applied by an English traveler who noted a tendency of the dog to use its paws in fighting.
This seems improbable. Any such action would likely result in a badly bitten if not broken leg.
On the other hand, a German breeder of forty years' experience states positively that the Boxer does not use his feet, except to try and extinguish a small flame such as a burning match.
But a Boxer does box with his head.
He will hit (not bite) a cat with his muzzle hard enough to knock it out and he will box a ball with his nose.
Or perhaps, since the German dictionary translates 'boxer' as 'prize-fighter' the name was bestowed in appreciation of the fighting qualities of the breed rather than its technique."
"Boxer" is also the name of a dog owned by John Peerybingle, the main character on the best selling 1845 book The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens, which is evidence that "Boxer" was commonly used as a dog name by the early 19th century, before the establishment of the breed by the end of that same century.
The name of the breed could also be simply due to the names of the very first known specimens of the breed (Lechner's Box, for instance).

General Appearance

The ideal Boxer is a medium-sized, square-built dog of good substance with short back, strong limbs, and short, tight-fitting coat. His well-developed muscles are clean, hard, and appear smooth under taut skin. His movements denote energy. The gait is firm yet elastic, the stride free and ground-covering, the carriage proud. Developed to serve as guard, working, and companion dog, he combines strength and agility with elegance and style. His expression is alert and his temperament steadfast and tractable.
The chiseled head imparts to the Boxer a unique individual stamp. It must be in correct proportion to the body.
The broad, blunt muzzle is the distinctive feature, and great value is placed upon its being of proper form and balance with the skull.
In judging the Boxer first consideration is given to general appearance and overall balance.
Special attention is then devoted to the head, after which the individual body components are examined for their correct construction, and the gait evaluated for efficiency.

Size
Adult males 23 to 25 inches; females 21½ to 23½ inches at the withers. Proper balance and quality in the individual should be of primary importance since there is no size disqualification

Proportion

Substance
Sturdy, with balanced musculature. Males larger boned than females.

Head
The beauty of the head depends upon the harmonious proportion of muzzle to skull. The blunt muzzle is 1/3 the length of the head from the occiput to the tip of the nose, and 2/3rds the width of the skull. The head should be clean, not showing deep wrinkles (wet). Wrinkles typically appear upon the forehead when ears are erect, and are always present from the lower edge of the stop running downward on both sides of the muzzle.

Expression
Intelligent and alert.


Eyes
Dark brown in color, frontally placed, generous, not too small, too protruding, or too deepset. Their mood-mirroring character, combined with the wrinkling of the forehead, gives the Boxer head its unique quality of expressiveness. Third eyelids preferably have pigmented rims.

Ears
Set at the highest points of the sides of the skull, the ears are customarily cropped, cut rather long and tapering, and raised when alert. If uncropped, the ears should be of moderate size, thin, lying flat and close to the cheeks in repose, but falling forward with a definite crease when alert.

Skull
The top of the skull is slightly arched, not rounded, flat, nor noticeably broad, with the occiput not overly pronounced. The forehead shows a slight indentation between the eyes and forms a distinct stop with the topline of the muzzle. The cheeks should be relatively flat and not bulge (cheekiness), maintaining the clean lines of the skull as they taper into the muzzle in a slight, graceful curve.

Muzzle and Nose
The muzzle, proportionately developed in length, width, and depth, has a shape influenced first through the formation of both jawbones, second through the placement of the teeth, and third through the texture of the lips. The top of the muzzle should not slant down (downfaced), nor should it be concave (dishfaced); however, the tip of the nose should lie slightly higher than the root of the muzzle. The nose should be broad and black.

Bite and Jaw Structure
The Boxer bite is undershot, the lower jaw protruding beyond the upper and curving slightly upward.
The incisor teeth of the lower jaw are in a straight line, with the canines preferably up front in the same line to give the jaw the greatest possible width.
The upper line of the incisors is slightly convex with the corner upper incisors fitting snugly in back of the lower canine teeth on each side.
Neither the teeth nor the tongue should ever show when the mouth is closed.
The upper jaw is broad where attached to the skull and maintains this breadth, except for a very slight tapering to the front.
The lips, which complete the formation of the muzzle, should meet evenly in front. The upper lip is thick and padded, filling out the frontal space created by the projection of the lower jaw, and laterally is supported by the canines of the lower jaw.
Therefore, these canines must stand far apart and be of good length so that the front surface of the muzzle is broad and squarish and, when viewed from the side, shows moderate layback.
The chin should be perceptible from the side as well as from the front. Any suggestion of an overlip obscuring the chin should be penalized.

Neck
Round, of ample length, muscular and clean without excessive hanging skin (dewlap). The neck should have a distinctly arched and elegant nape blending smoothly into the withers.

Back and Topline
The back is short, straight, muscular, firm, and smooth. The topline is slightly sloping when the Boxer is at attention, leveling out when in motion.

Body
The chest is of fair width, and the forechest well-defined and visible from the side. The brisket is deep, reaching down to the elbows; the depth of the body at the lowest point of the brisket equals half the height of the dog at the withers.
The ribs, extending far to the rear, are well-arched but not barrel-shaped.
The loins are short and muscular.
The lower stomach line is slightly tucked up, blending into a graceful curve to the rear.
The croup is slightly sloped, flat and broad. The pelvis is long, and in females especially broad. The tail is set high, docked, and carried upward. An undocked tail should be severely penalized.

Forequarters
The shoulders are long and sloping, close-lying, and not excessively covered with muscle (loaded).
The upper arm is long, approaching a right angle to the shoulder blade. The elbows should not press too closely to the chest wall nor stand off visibly from it.
The forelegs are long, straight, and firmly muscled, and, when viewed from the front, stand parallel to each other.
The pastern is strong and distinct, slightly slanting, but standing almost perpendicular to the ground.
The dewclaws may be removed.
Feet should be compact, turning neither in nor out, with well-arched toes.

Hindquarters
The hindquarters are strongly muscled, with angulation in balance with that of the forequarters.
The thighs are broad and curved, the breech musculature hard and strongly developed.
Upper and lower thigh are long.
The legs are well-angulated at the stifle, neither too steep nor over-angulated, with clearly defined, well "let down" hock joints.
Viewed from behind, the hind legs should be straight, with hock joints leaning neither in nor out.
From the side, the leg below the hock (metatarsus) should be almost perpendicular to the ground, with a slight slope to the rear permissible. The metatarsus should be short, clean, and strong.
The Boxer has no rear dewclaws.

Coat
Short, shiny, lying smooth and tight to the body.

Color
The colors are fawn and brindle. Fawn shades vary from light tan to mahogany. The brindle ranges from sparse but clearly defined black stripes on a fawn background to such a heavy concentration of black striping that the essential fawn background color barely, although clearly, shows through (which may create the appearance of reverse brindling).
White markings, if present, should be of such distribution as to enhance the dog's appearance, but may not exceed one-third of the entire coat.
They are not desirable on the flanks or on the back of the torso proper.
On the face, white may replace part of the otherwise essential black mask, and may extend in an upward path between the eyes, but it must not be excessive, so as to detract from true Boxer expression.
The absence of white markings, the so-called "plain" fawn or brindle, is perfectly acceptable, and should not be penalized in any consideration of color. Disqualifications Boxers that are any color other than fawn or brindle.
Boxers with a total of white markings exceeding one-third of the entire coat.

Fawn Boxer

Brindle Boxer

White Boxers
Dogs with white markings covering more than one-third of their coat - conventionally called "white" Boxers - are neither albino nor rare; approximately 20-26% of all Boxers born are white. Genetically, these dogs are either fawn or brindle, with excessive white markings overlying the base coat color. Like fair-skinned humans, white Boxers have a higher risk of sunburn and associated skin cancers than colored Boxers. The extreme piebald gene, which is responsible for white markings in Boxers, is linked to congenital sensorineural deafness in dogs. It is estimated that about 18% of white Boxers are deaf in one or both ears, though Boxer Rescue organizations see about double that number. In the past, breeders often euthanized white puppies at birth; today, most breeders place white puppies in pet homes with spay/neuter agreements. White Boxers are disqualified from conformation showing by the breed standard, and are prohibited from breeding by every national Boxer club in the world. They can compete in non-conformation events such as obedience and agility, and like their colored counterparts do quite well as service and therapy dogs.

Temperament

The character of the Boxer is of the greatest importance and demands the most solicitous attention.
He is renowned from olden times for his great love and faithfulness to his master and household.
He is harmless in the family, but distrustful of strangers, bright and friendly of temperament at play, but brave and determined when aroused.
His intelligence and willing tractability, his modesty and cleanliness make him a highly desirable family dog and cheerful companion. He is the soul of honesty and loyalty, and is never false or treacherous even in his old age.

Boxers are a bright, energetic and playful breed and tend to be very good with children.
They are active dogs and require adequate exercise to prevent boredom-associated behaviors such as chewing or digging. Boxers have earned a slight reputation of being "headstrong," which can be related to inappropriate obedience training. Owing to their intelligence and working breed characteristics, training based on corrections often has limited usefulness. Boxers, like other animals, respond much better to positive reinforcement techniques such as clicker training, which affords the dog an opportunity to think independently and to problem-solve.

Because of their resistance to "traditional" training such as repetition and corrections, Stanley Coren's survey of obedience trainers, summarized in his book, The Intelligence of Dogs, ranked Boxers at #48 - average working/obedience intelligence.
Many who have actually worked with Boxers disagree quite strongly with Coren's survey results, and maintain that a skilled trainer who utilizes modern and scientific methods will find Boxers have far above average intelligence and working ability.
The Boxer by nature is not an aggressive or vicious breed, but it does need socialization. Boxers are generally patient with smaller dogs and puppies, but issues with larger adult dogs, especially those of the same sex, may occur.
Boxers are generally more comfortable with companionship, in either human or canine form.

Health

Leading health issues to which Boxers are prone include cancers, heart conditions such as Aortic Stenosis and Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (the so-called "Boxer Cardiomyopathy"), hypothyroidism, hip dysplasia, and degenerative myelopathy; other conditions that may be seen are gastric dilatation and torsion (bloat), intestinal problems, and allergies (although these may be more related to diet than breed).
Entropion, a malformation of the eyelid requiring surgical correction, is occasionally seen, and some lines have a tendency toward spondylosis deformans, a fusing of the spine, or dystocia.
According to a UK Kennel Club health survey, cancer accounts for 38.5% of Boxer deaths, followed by old age (21.5%), cardiac (6.9%) and gastrointestinal (6.9%) related issues.
Responsible breeders use available tests to screen their breeding stock before breeding, and in some cases throughout the life of the dog, in an attempt to minimize the occurrence of these diseases in future generations.
Boxers are known to be very sensitive to the hypotensive and bradycardiac effects of a commonly-used veterinary sedative, acepromazine. It is recommended that the drug be avoided in the Boxer breed.
As an athletic breed, proper exercise and conditioning is important for the continued health and longevity of the Boxer.
Care must be taken not to over-exercise young dogs, as this may damage growing bones; however once mature Boxers can be excellent jogging or running companions.
Because of their brachycephalic head, they do not do well with high heat or humidity, and common sense should prevail when exercising a Boxer in these conditions.

Uses

Boxers are friendly, lively companions that are popular as family dogs.Their suspicion of strangers, alertness, agility, and strength make them formidable guard dogs. They sometimes appear at dog agility or obedience trials and flyball events. These strong and intelligent animals have also been used as service dogs, guide dogs for the blind, therapy dogs, police dogs in K9 units, and occasionally herding cattle or sheep. The versatility of Boxers was recognized early on by the military, which has used them as valuable messenger dogs, pack carriers, and attack and guard dogs in times of war.
As puppies, Boxers demonstrate a fascinating combination of worrisome expressions, energetic curiosity, flexible attention spans and charming characteristics. Boxers have an average lifespan of 10-12 years.

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