Scolnik Boxer

1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59378-859-9
Verlag: CompanionHouse Books
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 158 Seiten

Reihe: Comprehensive Owner's Guide

This Comprehensive Owner's Guide to the Boxer serves as a complete introduction to this handsome German breed that has become one of the world's most cherished companions and most relied-upon working dogs. The loyal and friendly Boxer is impossible to beat for affection, elegance, and the sheer 'paws-on' fun! Owners will read about how the Boxer was invented in Germany and the important people and dogs who put the canine pugilist on the map;from Frau Stockmann and Bang Away to the modern-day movers and shakers in England, America, Canada, and beyond.The history chapter is followed by a chapter devoted to the characteristics of this exceptional working breed, offering sound advice about which owners are best suited to this vigorous and active canine.New owners will welcome the well-prepared chapter on finding a breeder and selecting a healthy, sound puppy. Chapters on puppy-proofing the home and yard, purchasing the right supplies for the puppy as well as house-training, feeding, and grooming are illustrated with handsome adults and puppies bursting with energy and personality! In all, there are over 135 photographs in this useful and reliable volume. The author's advice on obedience training will help the reader better mold and train into the brightest and most well-mannered dog in the neighborhood. The extensive chapter on healthcare provides up-to-date detailed information on selecting a qualified veterinarian, vaccinations, preventing and dealing with parasites, infectious diseases, and more. Sidebars throughout the text offer helpful hints, covering topics as diverse as historical kennels, toxic plants, first aid, crate training, carsickness, fussy eaters, and parasite control. Fully indexed.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Scolnik, William

Leseproben

Definition: A standard is a written description of what the ideal representative of a breed should look and act like.

A standard is drafted by a breed club, like the American Boxer Club or the German Boxer Club, and then submitted for acceptance to the national kennel club. The American Kennel Club controls all standards for the US Breeders and other experts usually convene to put the ineffable perfect dog into words. Composing such a word picture is fraught with difficulty and dissension, since words are prone to interpretation and the meaning of words vary. For instance, if a dog’s muzzle is described as “broad and deep,” just how broad and how deep should the perfect muzzle be? What is in balance to one viewer is totally out of balance to the next. Thus, breeders could never agree on the perfect dog even if it walked into the show ring! Nonetheless, the breed standard is the best measuring stick available for determining which Boxers are excellent and which are below-average. The American Boxer standard, as accepted by the American Kennel Club, has many sections that are very specific. Study the Head and Skull section carefully. There is no doubt that fanciers revere the Boxer’s head, and the detail set forth in the standard on the head does not leave too much room for poor interpretation. The standard is used by judges in the show ring, just as breeders use the standard to decide which dogs are worth breeding and which dogs are not.

The standard included here is approved by the American Kennel Club, the leading dog-governing body of the US. It was approved by the AKC on March 14, 1989.

How will your new puppy “stack” up against the standard? Whether you are purchasing a pet dog or a show dog, you still want a Boxer who looks and acts like the breed you’ve so carefully chosen.

THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB STANDARD FOR THE BOXER

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 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 to which attractive color and arresting style contribute. Next is overall balance with special attention devoted to the head, after which the individual body components are examined for their correct construction, and efficiency of gait is evaluated.

Size, Proportion, Substance: Height—Adult males 22.5 to 25 inches; females 21 to 23.5 inches at the withers, preferably, males should not be under the minimum nor females over the maximum: however, proper balance and quality in the individual should be of primary importance since there is no size disqualification. Proportion—The body in profile is of square proportion in that a horizontal line from the front of the forechest to the rear projection of the upper thigh should equal the length of a vertical line dropped from the top of the withers to the ground. Substance—Sturdy with balanced musculature. Males larger boned than their female counterparts.

Head: The beauty of the head depends upon harmonious proportion of muzzle to skull. The blunt muzzle is one-third the length of the head from the occiput to the tip of the nose, and two-thirds 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 folds 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, not too small, too protruding or too deep-set. Their mood-mirroring character, combined with the wrinkling of the forehead, gives the Boxer head its unique quality of expressiveness. Ears—Set at the highest points of the sides of the skull are cropped, cut rather long and tapering, raised 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 and should taper into the muzzle in a slight, graceful curve. Muzzle—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.

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. Bite—The Boxer bite is undershot; the lower jaw protrudes beyond the upper and curves 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 incisors is slightly convex with the corner upper incisors fitting snugly back of the lower canine teeth on each side. Faults—Skull too broad. Cheekiness. Wrinkling too deep (wet) or lacking (dry). Excessive flews. Muzzle too light for skull. Too pointed a bite (snipy), too undershot, teeth or tongue showing when mouth closed. Eyes noticeably lighter than ground color of coat.

In the show ring, the judge compares each competing Boxer against the breed standard. The winner of the class is the dog that the judge feels is closest to the standard.

Neck, Topline, Body: Neck—Round, of ample length, muscular and clean without excessive hanging skin (dewlap). The neck has a distinctly marked nape with an elegant arch blending smoothly into the withers. Topline—Smooth, firm and slightly sloping. 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 back is short, straight and muscular and firmly connects the withers to the hindquarters. 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. Tail is set high, docked and carried upward. Pelvis long and in females especially broad. Faults— Short heavy neck. Chest too broad, too narrow or hanging between shoulders. Lack of forechest. Hanging stomach. Slab-sided rib cage. Long or narrow loin, weak union with croup. Falling off of croup. Higher in rear than in front.

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. Faults—Loose or loaded shoulders. Tied in or bowed out elbows.

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 long. Leg well angulated at the stifle with a clearly defined, well “let down” hock joint. 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. Faults—Steep or over-angulated hindquarters. Light thighs or overdeveloped hams. Over-angulated (sickle) hocks. Hindquarters too far under or too far behind.

The muzzle of the Boxer is shaped through the bone formation, placement of the teeth and texture of the lips.

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

Color: The colors are fawn and...