Miniature Boxer

The Miniature Boxer is a fairly new hybrid mix of the Boston Terrier and the Boxer.  Though it is new on the hybrid scene, there is a little bit of information available for the hybrid itself.  While we don't know the date and location of origin, we do know that the hybrid is becoming more popular in North America.  What we also know is that there are several other breed combinations which also seem to share the "Miniature Boxer" moniker.  Those breed mixes are:  Pug and Boston Terrier, Pug and Fox Terrier and Pug and Rat Terrier.  However, it should  be noted that the Boston Terrier and Boxer combination is the most frequently found Miniature Boxer hybrid mix.  This pretty much constitutes what we know of the history of the hybrid itself.  So, on to take a look at the individual parent breeds to get a better idea of our hybrid's ancestry and why those parent breeds were created. The Boston Terrier is a breed which has been known by other names in its history: the American Gentleman, the Boston Bull or simply the Boston.  As you can probably guess, this breed originated in the United States, making it a truly American canine breed, having crossed the English Bulldog with a white English Terrier.  It has become one of the most loved breeds in the United States and it is has even become the State dog of Massachusetts - does that surprise you, given its name!  Some fanciers also believe that the heritage of the Boston Terrier has some French Bulldog in it which would have been a breeding step to reduce the size of the Boston Terrier. The origination in the city of Boston, Massachusetts is believed to have occurred in the late 1800's when Robert C. Hooper of Boston got a canine named "Judge" who was a mix of the English Bulldog and white English Terrier who bore a significant resemblance to his "bulldog" side.  Judge was later bred with a white female and their offspring were the beginning of the Boston Terrier breed.  In the era of this acquisition and subsequent breeding, bulldogs were being utilized in both Britain and the United States for a variety of blood-sports such as bull-baiting and pit dog-fighting.  This practice was later outlawed in both countries.  The Boston Terrier made its way back across the "big pond" into Europe in the 1920's and by the 1950's was decidedly the most popular pure bred canine in North America.  Today, the breed maintains its popularity, being considered exceptional as a totally devoted companion. The Boston Terrier was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1893.  The Boxer originated in Germany, also being known as the Deutscher Boxer, the German Bulldog and the German Boxer, was largely designed by the Germans in the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and may have as a distant relative the English Bulldog.  Their distant heritage is believed to have been fighting dogs from Tibet and the purpose for which this German breed was created initially included working, guarding and hunting tasks.  The predecessor of the Boxer, the "bullenbeisser mastiff" (which means "bull-biter"), was a stoutly built German breed that was utilized to chase, catch and detain fierce wild game, which included boar, bison and bear.  Later, during both World Wars, the Boxer breed was utilized as messengers and carriers of supplies and ammunition.  Soldiers returning from those wars brought these dogs back to the United States with them, their value being recognized and their popularity skyrocketing.  The American Kennel Club first recognized the Boxer breed in 1904.