The boxer is descended from bulldogs and mastiffs, so you may expect modern day boxers to wear all of the coat colors of these two breeds. Every now and then a “mutant” colored puppy is born, but the colors for the boxer have been mostly set over 110 years. Boxers are available in surprisingly few colors, with only two colors being predominant.
The Common Colors
If you hear the words “boxer dog” what image comes to mind? Of a mostly chestnut-red dog with white markings on the legs, belly, chest and face. Many boxers are variations of red and white, although the Kennel Club (UK) American Boxer Club breed standard calls this shade “fawn.” The fawn itself can vary in shades from a sandy tan to nearly mahogany red. They may have a lot of white or very little. Ideally, the white should not cover more than one-third of the dog’s coat.
The other common color is brindle and white, patterned in the same ways that fawn and white boxers are. They also come in a lot or very little white. Brindle, sometimes called “tiger striped”, is a fawn coat with black stripes. In the United States and in the UK, these are the only two colors allowed in the breed standard, but boxers come in a few other colors, although they cannot be shown, although they may be registered. Perhaps this is to keep the price of the favored colors high.
Unusual Colors
Other colors rarely seen in boxers but can pop up in purebred litters include all black, black and white and mostly white with small fawn spots in a color pattern seen often in American Bulldogs and even English bulldogs. The black and white pattern is the same as for fawn and white, except the base color is black. Some argue that black is actually an extremely dark shade of fawn, especially if brown highlights can be found when bright lights shine upon the coat.
The Canadian Kennel Club at least allows “reverse brindling.” Instead of a fawn coat with black stripes, they allow a black coat with fawn stripes.
White Boxers
According to Northeastern Boxer Rescue, about 25% of all boxers born are white or mostly white with small colored spots. Because they cannot be shown and because of bad PR, white boxers often crowd dog shelters if they haven’t been culled by the breeders. The rumor is that white or mostly white boxers are deaf and untrainable. The fact is that deaf dogs are trainable and that only 18% of white or mostly white boxers are deaf.
In the end, it does not matter what color a boxer is. A good dog is of any color.
References:
Dog Breed Info. “Boxer.” http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/boxer.htm
American Boxer Club: “Breed Standard.” http://www.americanboxerclub.org/standard.html
Canadian Kennel Club. “Boxer Breed Standard.” http://www.boxerworld.com/standards/ckc.htm
Oden Kennels: “Black Boxers – Fact or Fiction?” http://odinkennels.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/black-boxers-fact-or-fiction/
Northeastern Boxer Rescue.com: “White Boxers: The Myths and the Facts.” http://www.boxerrescue.com/whiteboxer.htm
