[boxersaige]

Last Sunday I entered Saigey at the dog show and he came last I was so disapointed though I will always love my baby no matter what, When he was 4 months he came first best boxer puppy and also best reserve from all puppies when he wast 5 months he became 3rd and last sunday he was last, people told me he is unproportioned, It is true all other boxers his age have broad chest and a huge head my Saigey is very slim and tall for 6 months even his head is still small, Gudges always write that he is a very big puppy on the certificate, he is 23/24 inches height already, is it normal for his age to be that tall and do you think I should wait until he is fully grown to enter the next show or gudges go for the normal sized boxers? His dad is massive and he takes after him he is 28 inches height.

 

[caillou]

Hello, Your Saige does sound absolutely massive for 6 months - I had to do a convertion into cm. It worked out at about 71cm or so for 28inches. 61cm for 24inches. The maximum according to the 'rules' is between 57 and 63cm for a male.
Anyway i'm sure that the compliments you get from people saying he's a fantastic looking dog will make up for the fact that you won't be able to show him if he's above the standard height. Showing isn't everything!
After reading a web site link that someone posted on a forum i also realize that my european boxer is quite different to the americain boxer. Voltaire's face is a lot flatter than the faces of the americain dogs - but here in France it's the perfect standard! So to each his or her own taste really!

 

[caillou]

http://www.worldwideboxer.com/

This is the website that compares boxers from america, england and europe. Really interesting. It was posted by "Jordane" - thanks by the way!

 

[samsonsmom]

I have a lot of friends in the UK and their boxers look a lot different than ours...When I lived in Ireland my 2 kinda stood out a wee bit....Good site Caillou, it has a lot of good info

 

[boxersaige]

Thank you so much for this information.
yes compare to other boxers he still looks like a big puppy and skinny, the trainer told me that he will get his chest wide like the others when he is a year old and because he has very long legs I cannot take him for long walks until he is 8 months, His behind legs are still not straight when he poses.

 

[ibox]

And don't forget all dogs mature differently and a different speeds. They can go through many different "ugly" stages. :wink: I'd try again after 9 months and then again maybe after 12 months. But boxers don't fully mature until 2-3 years old. Sometimes later than that. Ishie comes from slow maturing lines so in the puppy classes, he looked much younger than the other males in the ring so I ended up taking some time off for him to mature some more. He's now 19 months old and will be in a show next week so we'll see how that goes!

 

[Mom2BoNLaila]

How do you know if your boxer is of good enough quality to show?

 

[Newcastle]

If you're new to the standard/showing, then your best bet is to talk to some experienced successful breeders/exhibitors and ask them to evaluate your pup for you.  While the time between eight weeks and about two years of age is one of lots of structural changes, an experienced eye can help you see how your dog compares to the ideal at that point in time, so you can watch for development as he ages.  Of course, in the mean time you also want to study the breed standard, read books on canine structure in general and Boxer structure in particular, go to dog shows to see different adults and try to evaluate them based on the standard, etc.

 

[Zhanna]

Sounds to me like Saige is in the akward "teenage" stage of life.  All feet and legs.  Maybe let him grow some more then show again.

Good luck!

 

[HannaBanana]

Some dogs mature at different rates.  However in the show world you cannot be or get frustrated.   Just got to keep on going and learn along the way.  I agree you need to be familar with the standard and then see in your opinion what your dog is lacking, and what its strong points are.     Getting involvedi n boxer clubs or kennel clubs give you a great opportunity to work with some professionals who are familar with the standard and they can give you an honest opinion and some pointers.

You also (IMO) need to have tough skin, cannot take any comments personal but more use those comments to understand and work on things!  

Good Luck!!