Features Of A Breed Standard Boxer

The Muzzle
“The beauty of the head depends on the harmonious proportion of muzzle to
skull,” according to the standard. The muzzle should be two-thirds the width of
the skull and one-third the length of the head from the occiput to the tip of the
nose. (The occiput is the slightly rounded bony protuberance between the ears.)
Skin wrinkles appear on the forehead and contribute to the Boxer’s unique,
slightly quizzical expression. They are desirable but should not be excessive
(referred to as “wet”).

The Eyes Have It
The Boxer’s generous, full eyes are a dark brown color—the deeper shades are
preferred. They must not be yellowish (known as “bird of prey” eyes). They
should not be too round, slanted, or owlish, or too small. They reflect the dog’s
moods to an extraordinary degree, and you will soon learn to read them, to your
advantage. In combination, the Boxer’s eyes and wrinkles on his forehead create
an expression—a sweet and gentle look—that is uniquely his.

All Ears
In the United States, the Boxer’s ears are customarily cropped—surgically
trimmed and shaped to make them stand upright. However, as the 2005 breed
standard makes clear, cropping is strictly optional. (Ear cropping is prohibited
in Great Britain and is discouraged in other parts of Europe.) When ears are
cropped, this procedure is most commonly performed when the puppy is
between 6 and 12 weeks old.
The Boxer was originally bred to catch and hold game—sometimes wild boar
and other sizable prey—so historically, it was not desirable for him to have long,
flapping, easily wounded ears. What began as a purely utilitarian practice ultimately
became the fashion. However, many pet owners choose to keep the ears
uncropped. In that case, they should lie flat to the cheeks. To crop or not to crop
is purely a matter of individual preference.

The Skull
The Boxer’s skull is slightly arched on top, not too flat or too rounded. The standard
says, “The forehead shows a slight indentation between the eyes and forms
a distinct stop with the topline of the muzzle.” (The stop is the area where the
muzzle meets the face.) One of the most important features of the Boxer’s head
is that the “tip of the nose should lie slightly higher than the root of the muzzle.”
In other words, the nose should tip up slightly. Historically, this is essential in a
correct head so that the dog can breathe while holding his prey. This “tip-up” is
very visible in profile.
The muzzle protrudes slightly in front of the nose, further ensuring the ability
to breathe. The shape of the muzzle is influenced by the “formation of both jawbones
through the placement of the teeth and through the texture of the lips.”

Those Jaws
The Boxer is undershot; that is, the lower jaw protrudes beyond the upper jaw “and curves slightly upward,” ideally with “the corner upper incisors fitting snugly back of the lower canine teeth,” giving the Boxer an almost unshakable grip. “The front surface of the muzzle is broad and squarish.” The canine teeth beneath the full lips contribute greatly to this look. They should be wide apart in both upper and lower jaws. The row of lower incisors should be straight, while the upper incisors should be slightly convex. The distance between the upper and lower jaws should be definitive but not so pronounced as to ever show teeth or tongue when the mouth is closed. A wry mouth— where upper and lower jaws are slightly askew and out of line with each other—is a serious fault.The lips should meet evenly in front. The upper lip does not lie over the lower lip. The lips are padded and thick, and the upper lip is supported by the canine teeth of the lower jaw beneath. The Boxer’s chin must be prominent and visible both from the front and in profile.