Spare a thought for a much maligned branch of the Boxer family; the pure white Boxer. There has been so much misinformation about the white Boxer that some clarification is in order.
In the United States of America alone, white Boxers make up 25% of the Boxer population, yet these dogs are still being sold to unsuspecting buyers as something quite rare and altogether unique. The pure white Boxer in fact is not rare at all, so don’t let unscrupulous Boxer breeders try to pull a fast one. Although the color of a Boxer does not determine its’ individual personality or all those other Boxer traits we know and love, much has been published about the White Boxer. In many cases they are listed as rare, but the fact is that they have been a part of the breed as long as the Boxer breed has been around. The reason some Boxers are white is quite easy to explain and has to do with history. Most experts in the field firmly believe that an early type of Boxer was crossed with the English Bulldog in the first part of the nineteenth century, and it was possible to register the result of this as a Boxer in Germany until 1925.
The problem with the white boxer being unsuitable can be found, funnily enough, with the German police. At that time it was being used by the police for differing tasks, but because of its all white color most police officers found it impractical for night work, as all the German criminals could see a big white slobbering Boxer from miles away! This in turn resulted in the white Boxer being ruled out as part of the official breed in order to get the breeders to eliminate the white Boxer from the Boxer genes. All that happened of course, was that any breeder who had white puppies would just kill them, and from here stems the debate on the white Boxer.
Another common misconception regarding the white Boxer is that it is an albino. This of course is completely untrue, as an albino is an animal without any pigmentation in skin. The white Boxer, on the other hand, has plenty of pigmentation that just happens to be white.
If you are looking for a family pet then there is absolutely no difference between a white or ‘normal’ colored Boxer. Both can become an integral part of any family due to their loving and crazy nature. However, if you are looking for a Boxer to show, then look elsewhere, as according to the American Kennel Club guidelines, any Boxer with more than one third of its body white will be automatically disqualified. Although the white Boxer can not be shown it can still be registered with the American kennel club and compete at sporting events.
Another common misconception is that the white Boxer suffers from more health problems than its normal counterpart. There is still no evidence that this is true but the white Boxer does seem to be more prone to deafness.
To find out more information on the white Boxer and to get into contact with associations near you, perform a search for ‘white Boxer’ on the internet, and remember that, if you are looking for an animal to love and who will love you back, the white Boxer along with any other Boxer will be the perfect choice.
