Judges must prioritize temperament in Boxers, penalizing shy dogs to maintain breed standard and type in the show ring.
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This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, October 2017 issue.
At this time in our breed history, judges seem peculiarly indifferent to temperament. This is a serious breach of what should be a judge’s commitment to live and die by the Breed Standard. Luckily, Boxers are almost never aggressive to judges, or any humans, for that matter. They are happy, playful and bold. But alarmingly, we are seeing shyness and timidity displayed too often in the ring. This can be seen in dogs who will not stand for examination, who skitter around away from judges when they return from gaiting or clamp their tails down on the move. Our Standard is clear on the subject:
“These are of paramount importance in the Boxer. Instinctively a hearing guard dog, his bearing is alert, dignified and self-assured. In the show ring, his behavior should exhibit constrained animation. With family and friends, his temperament is fundamentally playful, yet patient and stoical with children. Deliberate and wary with strangers, he will exhibit curiosity but, most importantly, fearless courage if threatened. However, he responds promptly to friendly overtures honestly rendered. His intelligence, loyal affection and tractability to discipline, make him a highly desirable companion. Any evidence of shyness, or lack of dignity or alertness, should be severely penalized.” Please note that “severely penalized” does not mean awarding points – even if the dog is the best one in the ring. A shy dog lacks quintessential breed type and must not be rewarded. We implore judges to take this pronouncement to heart. To that end, the American Boxer Club sent our letter to judges in June of this year, imploring them not to reward shy dogs. Unfortunately, we still see this happening. While it is imperative that breeders breed dogs of sound temperament and only show such dogs, it is equally imperative that judges do not award championship points to shy dogs that should never have entered the ring in the first place.
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