Cross Breeds

Why are boxer dogs called boxer dogs?

Thanks!

Public Comments

1. Because they are tough and use to fight in wars in Gemany ( no lie ^^)
2. Back in the olde days when old was spelt with an e on the end they used to hang out in pubs and always get drunk and box with the irish Mc carter: arrrgh i lost me lucky charms Boxer dog: Big whoop want to fight about it
3. The name "Boxer" is supposedly derived from this breed's tendency to begin a fight 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.[4] 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),[7] 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".[8] 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 favours the one claiming the smaller Bullenbeisser (Brabanter) were also known as "Boxl" and that Boxer is just a corruption of that word.[8] 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.[9] "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 can also be simply due to the names of the very first known specimens of the breed (Lechner's Box, for instance).
4. OK, when the Boxer dogs fought, they would raise up on their hind legs and lunge at each other, there front legs they used to actually block and or grab their opponent, and it looked like they were boxing,
5. Because he appears to be boxing as he fights.
6. because it looks as though its face has been boxed in.lol sorry idk
7. Because they have a face as ugly as a boxers?!
8. I don't know but my son used to call them 'box of dogs' lol
9. Some people make them fight , it's illegal and cruel.
10. Because of the way they play sometimes and fight- they rear up and 'box' with their paws. I've never seen them do that, but that's what I've read.
11. because they punch you with their front paws wen they get excited, trust me - it hurts, lol.
12. THE OFFICIAL BREED STANDARD OF THE BOXER WAS ISSUED IN GERMANY IN 1905 AND THE NAME MAY B DERIVED FROM BULLEN-BEISSER WHICH MEANS BULL BITER (THE BOXER DESCENDED FROM THE BULLDOG AND GREAT DANE TYPE DOG)