The Genetic Make-up of a Boxer
The origin of the Boxer breed is an interesting one. The breed was developed in Germany in the late 1800s from the Bullenbeisser breed and the Bulldog breed that was brought in to Germany from England. The Bullenbeiser breed is now extinct, but it was a Mastiff-type dog. 1895 saw the first boxer-club in Germany and by 1902 a breed standard of the developed Boxer was published. The mother of all boxers is considered to be a dam by the name of: Meta von der Passage . Although strangely enough she lacked the look of a modern boxers, her genetic make-up, that originated from the afore-mentioned cocktail of Bullenbeiser and Bulldog genes was to be the basis for future generations, since with her crossing, the genes were perpetuated. Of all the 5 generations that had existed before her, she had the best confomation. All the puppies she gave birth to were of extremely good quality and paved the way for them to sire the best descendents of today’s Boxers.
