Do you really think White Boxers are a defect?

I, personally, think that no dog is a defect! That's dumb for anyone to think that!

No its not 20% of all boxers are born white due to the genetics of parents.

A dark faced mum and dad will be less likely to get white pups but parents that have white blaze over their face will probably get 1 or 2 whites. White parents will almost def produce nearly all white litter

Its like gingers and blondes in people the majority of the time you need 2 parents with a ginger gene to make a ginger child does that make a ginger child a defect no its genetics!!

My BFF is a Pitador! - me and my family have always had boxers and its not whites that are proned to allergies ITS BOXERS

Yes occasionally they can be deaf - but the breeder i got my current dogs from is a very good breeder and out of 30 yrs has only ever had 2 deaf whites

ADD - i cant believe how negative some people are of white boxers.My 1st boxer as a child was a red had heart trouble, was small, had epilepsy and died at 5 years old and was bought cheap out the local paper, my 2nd we learnt our lesson and went to a good breeder the same 1 i always use now actually and we had a WHITE which was not deaf had no heart murmour, no other health issues and lived to be 16 anyone who knows boxers knows thats a great age for a boxer. Its a 'breed standadrd fault'' not a defect and good breeding still can mean a white lives a happy long life.

Every white boxer I have ever met (which has been at least a dozen over the years in rescue) has had serious issues ranging from very severe allergies, skin conditions, deafness, etc.

Only an unethical breeder would breed them which is why they are usually sickly.

ADD: A reputable breeder will not breed a pup outside of breed standard and a white boxer is outside of breed standard.

Your pup is only 6 months old and I hope she stays as healthy as she is right now. Most of the white boxers that are dumped are about 2 yrs old, so I am assuming that is when they are likely to develop issues.

White Boxers were used frequently to establish the breed in Germany & the US. They are still accepted in Germany in the breed standard, but in the US the AKC has put them on a 'limited registration' so they can't be used for show but can still compete in dog sports. The only reason that people say they are 'bad' is because they have a tendency to be deaf in either one or both ears & also are more prone to skin conditions. This is hereditary & so if people breed white boxers, they're more likely to keep passing on these conditions to future boxers & make more health issues in the breed. There are usually at least one white boxer born in a litter, if both parents carry the gene for the white coat (That's where the 'flashy' pups come from, most boxers have at least some 'flash' which is just a fancy term for having white markings). There's nothing wrong with the white boxer though as far as temperament or trainability, & they still look like a boxer. If you aren't wanting to show or breed your dog, getting a white boxer is fine.

White Boxers were quite common long ago. They are not a defect, they are a genetic trait that is not the standard for Boxers now. A typical litter can have white puppies in it. They are sweet and good natured just not the standard for a show dog. They can be registered under a limited registration. This means they should not be bred but can be in agility shows. The only legitimate ailment I know of is that they can have skin problems just like Dalmatians have skin problems. Many suggest they have sun screen on when going outside for any length of time.

In breeding does not produce White Boxers! (See answer below) and a Fault is not a defect.

Considering the AKC and the actual breed club (American Boxer Club) both agree that it IS a fault, there must be a reason for it. A lot of breeds have defaults that won't be accepted and they're usually there for a reason - it usually pertains to health.

White is not rare, it's just the result of two parents carrying the white gene. Which is why it's possible for a litter to have a white pup or two.

It isn't the color but the PIGMENT (or lack of) that is the problem - according to the below site "The cause of the deafness associated with the white colour is the absence of pigment cells in the inner ear resulting in a loss of sensory hair cells at about 6 - 8 weeks of age."

Hence why white in this breed is bad (where in other breeds that are white, they don't LACk the pigment it is just very diluted.)

http://www.boxerbuddies.org/Boxer%20Info/white_box...

The AKC does not decide the breed standard. The parent club of the breed decides the standard and the club is made up of long time breeders. But I agree. I don't see anything wrong with a white boxer.

Technically, all variations of a breed could be classified as a defect... unless your dog is s operfect clone of the "first dog", but there are problems with dogs who are inbred and those who come from backyard breeders.. I know of a white boxer in one of my classes who seems to be perfect.. he's not deaf anyway.. I normally see a lot of deaf dogs who just happen to be more than 90% white boxers, pit bulls and the like.. that isn't a coincidence.. irresponsible breeders who just want to have white dogs and don't bother to do genetic testing.. sure, that is a big problem. I mean, if you are LOOKING for an all-white boxer or pit bull who is deaf, you will not have to look very far, but if you want one who is healthy, you are going to pay $2k to a show breeder with all the proper tests and documentation. I have a 85% white pit bull who I adopted from a rescue group.. no papers... but was checked out by a vet and has no health issues.

Yes. Here's why:

According to the article below, written by a geneticist in the UK, the genetic basis for deafness in the white Boxer is similar to that in the Dalmatian, although less complicated by the spotting gene. Deafness in the white Boxer is prevalent, despite what its proponents would have you think.

http://www.americanboxerclub.org/white-deafness.ht...

Personally, I've never met a white Boxer that didn't have health issues. But I admit I've only met a handful, and none of them were well-bred.

In the history of the Boxer breed, white was unheard of until 1830: "The literature and paintings previous to 1830 indicate that all Bullenbeisser up to that time were fawn or brindle with black masks. There is never any mention of white. About this time there came a great influx of English dogs to Germany including the English Bulldog. His entry into the country quickly followed by numerous crosses with the Bullenbeisser resulted in an eventual similarity of type that made it very difficult to distinguish where any degree of Bulldog blood was present except that white color began to appear in the Boxers."

http://www.americanboxerclub.org/boxer_history.htm...

The introduction of Bulldog blood into Boxer lines produced white. From a breed purist standpoint, it is not a valid color.

Add to this the functional disadvantage of a white dog being used as a guard/police dog, and you have three compelling reasons to support the disqualification of the white Boxer per the breed standard.

People who do flashy-flashy breedings get white Boxers. There is apparently some movement in the UK *away* from this type of breeding, specifically because it does produce white Boxers.

ADD: The original Boxers where NOT white in color. Did you read the excerpt I included, taken from a German text that is considered one of the Authorities on the breed?

Many of the first Boxers shown/registered in the 19th/20th century were piebald ("checked"), which comes from a *different* set of masking genes than pure white (as discussed in the article I linked first). But they weren't white.

It should be noted that the German Boxer standard ALSO disqualifies white, despite what "Michelle" believes.

http://www.boxerworld.com/standards/fci.htm

Yes yes, please continue TDing me for presenting facts. Objective truth sucks, doesn't it?

ADD2: I have no issue with white Boxers as pets - they will be born in a flashy-flashy litter, and deserve loving homes just as much as any other dog. But I can certainly see a health/historical precedent to avoid breeding for them, and I can see why they should be spayed/neutered. If that makes me "anti" white Boxer, so be it.

Whit boxers are known to be deaf it is the white gene which makes them deafboxers were never ment to be white the white coats is a problem it happens when inbreed.