Devotees of the Boxer need to be fit to stand up to their charges; a gentle, meek Boxer does not exist; extrovert and energetic are two adjectives that spring to mind as soon as the breed is mentioned, along with loyal and fun-loving. Once converted to the Boxer, owners never give up the breed.

Home for the Boxer is Germany and behind the breed are believed to be dogs such as the Great Dane and the Bulldog. It is thought his name may have come from a corruption of the German word beisser, the Boxer being a refined version of Bullenbeisser, meaning ‘bull biter’. The breed has been in its present form since the late 1800s and in America (though not in the UK), it has its ears cropped (upright).

A guarding breed of a high order, the Boxer is intelligent and, with patient firmness, tractable, but he needs to be convinced of the rightness of what he is asked to do. On the other hand, he will enter into the spirit of the most riotous of family games. Hardy and full of stamina, his idea of a country walk is to get as wet and muddy as possible, but the shortness of his coat permits easy cleaning.

A good trencherman, he is rarely finicky or faddy. Truly a delightful breed, he is not quick to pick a fight but ready to prove that his slightly pugnacious face with its upturned chin can be backed to the hilt.