Facts About the White Boxer Dogs

Boxers and white boxers can be healthy dogs, although the American Boxer Club long discouraged the breeding of white boxers.

The American Boxer Club has long discouraged breeding and registering white Boxers among American Kennel Club breeders. In many cases, owners of white Boxers were not given registration papers and many breeders simply put down healthy white Boxer puppies.The American Boxer Club encouraged members to put down any white Boxer puppy and penalized members who registered white Boxers until 2005.

History

Boxers were originally bred from the ancestors of ancient fighting dogs obtained from the Tibetan highlands. These dogs were bred to hunt stags and boar as well as to participate in the sports of bull-baiting and dog fighting.

Rarity

White boxers are often called "rare," but this is a misnomer. The white color in Boxers stems from a recessive gene, but most Boxers carry this gene and about 25 percent of all puppies are born are white. That is a large number of dogs and they are not rare. A white boxer should not command a higher price because it is white.

Health

Breeders used to think that white boxers were more prone to diseases, but they are no more or less prone than their colored counterparts. They are not albino, so they do not lack pigment the way albino animals do. That being said, some lines of white boxers carry the deafness gene. According to Northeastern Boxer Rescue, about 18 percent of boxers carry the deafness gene. White boxers are more likely to become sunburned, just like people with fair skin.

Registration

Foundation boxer dogs had various colors in them, including white. White is considered undesirable, but you can register a white boxer with the American Kennel Club. White is still considered a disqualification in the show ring; however, in 2005, the American Boxer Club's Code of Ethics was changed so that white boxers could be registered as an AKC limited registration, requiring a spay or neuter and allowing white boxers to compete in performance events.

Misconceptions

The reason behind the ban had to do with the Boxer Club's concern with health issues and the concern over changing the boxer away from the standard. The problem was that, in order to produce certain desirable markings on Boxers, there have to be dogs with recessive white genes.When you pair up dogs with those genes, you get a certain percentage of white boxers.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with a white boxer, if you want one for a pet or if you're planning on doing AKC performance events with the dog. White boxers typically make fine pets.

References

• "The Complete Dog Book, 19th Edition," The American Kennel Club, 1997.
• Northeastern Boxer Rescue: White Boxers: The Myths and the Facts!
• American Boxer Club: A "White" Paper
• Boxer Dog Advisor: The Dark Side of Being White Boxer Dogs