More from Boxerworld.com, an excellent resource on all things Boxer:
What should I look for in a breeder?
The very first thing you should look for in a breeder is one who breeds only properly health tested stock. The boxer breed is prone to several serious genetically-inherited health conditions that need to be screened for prior to breeding. These are: aortic stenosis, boxer cardiomyopathy and hip dysplasia. Testing for corneal dystrophy is also appreciated, and a dog that has ever developed generalised mange must not be bred.
Remember that these are serious health conditions that will severely impact on the quality and length of life of any affected puppies. While health screening of breeding stock can’t absolutely guarantee a puppy won’t be affected, it substantially reduces the risk. Your breeder should be able to provide you with hard copies of the satisfactory test results for both parents. If they can’t (or won’t), find another breeder.
Your breeder should also offer a minimum of 1-year written guarantee against genetic health conditions, preferably 2-3 years.
A good breeder should also (successfully) show their breeding stock. Conformation showing isn’t some elitist beauty pageant, it is exists for the purpose of assessing potential breeding stock. If you’re going to buy a purebred boxer, you want a boxer that looks and behaves like a boxer! Well, conformation showing is about the independent assessment of how much a dog looks like a boxer is supposed to and, to a lesser extent, how closely it’s temperament matches that which a boxer is supposed to have.
Warning signs – be very suspicious of any breeder who:
Does not or cannot produce hard copies of health testing carried out on the parents of a puppy you’re considering. Just don’t buy from this person.
Does not provide a written guarantee against genetic disorders.
Does not show and title their dogs. Not all dogs need to be shown and titled, but if a breeder doesn’t show any of their dogs or none of them are of sufficient quality to gain a title, find a better breeder.
Employs lots of phrases and buzzwords such as “champion lines”. We don’t want to see one titled great-grandparent in a pedigree, we want to see titled parents and grandparents.
Allows, or asks you to take your puppy home before it is at least 7, and preferably 8, weeks old (note that 8 weeks is the legal minimum in many places).
Tries to sell you are “rare” colour such as white (not rare), reverse brindle (not rare) or black (does not exist in a purebred boxer). Also beware of a breeder who presents a black puppy, calling it “reverse brindle”, especially if it is also “rare”. Backyard breeders have caught on that boxers can’t be black and some are now marketing black mixed breed puppies as reverse brindle. Very dark brindle boxers do exist, but the fawn striping should still be clearly visible especially in good light. See our colour genetics page
http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/view_boxer-coat-colour.htm for more information on coat colour and inheritance.
Charges more for “papers”. The AKC prohibits charging for registration papers. What is a breeder going to do with those papers anyway – use them for another dog or sell them to someone else to do the same? Don’t laugh, it does happen. Steer clear of anyone engaging in this practice.
You can read more about what are and aren't acceptable reasons to breed boxers (and how to go about learning to do things the right way!) at http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/view_top-...ve-to-breed.htm
