Boxers are the result of breeding the English bulldog and Bullenbessiers, thought the latter is now extinct and since they were first bred in 1895 they have become one of the most popular breeds of dogs to have as pets. They are a very bright breed that love to play, get on great with children, are extremely loyal but they won’t trust stranger’s easily, however they are known for being quite headstrong which means that they need good training in place to keep them under control.

In general if given enough exercise and a healthy diet then they should live between 10-13 years old. However there are some illnesses that have been linked with the breed like; cancer and heart conditions, like Aortic Stenosis, this is when their aortic valve becomes too narrow that it starts to limit the blood flow to the heart. They are also known to suffer from ‘boxer cardiomyopathy’; it is called this due to it mainly only affecting the boxer breed. The disease affects the muscles around the heart and it can cause them to faint a lot and in the worst case sudden death.           

When first getting your Boxer pup you need to be careful not to over exercise them as this often affects growing bones. However you will find when they have stopped growing you will find that they become the perfect running partner as they have the ability to run for long periods of time. If you have a Boxer you also have to watch that their heads aren’t exposed to too much heat due to them having flat heads. In general they are a healthy breed with 21.5% dying simply of old age, to ensure your dog stays fit and healthy you can have them checked over by your vets and have tests to check for any of the likely diseases, this should minimise them getting ill.