The breed standard serves two main purposes; it is a guideline for breeders in their efforts to produce dogs that fit close to the ideal to work towards the 'betterment of the breed' and it is used as a guideline for judges when evaluating dogs in the show ring.
So, to first understand Boxer dog appearance, let's take a quick look at some excerpts from both the AKC and FCI Boxer dog standards:
AKC:
The ideal Boxer is a medium -sized, square - built dog of good substance with short back, strong limbs, and short, tight-fitting coat. His well - developed muscles are clean, hard, and appear smooth under taut skin... His expression is alert... The chiseled head imparts to the Boxer a unique individual stamp. It must be in correct proportion to the body.
The broad, blunt muzzle is the distinctive feature, and great value is placed upon its being of proper form and balance with the skull....Substance – Sturdy, with balanced musculature. Males larger boned than females.
FCI: The Boxer is a medium sized, smooth coated, sturdy dog of compact, square build and strong bone. His muscles are taut, strongly developed and moulded in appearance... The Boxer must be neither cumbersome nor heavy, nor light or lacking in body substance.
You may be wondering what the 'square build' is, that both the AKC and FCI refer to.
This means the muzzle is 1/3 the length of the entire head (from the tip of the nose to the back of the skull). and the muzzle is also 2/3 the width of the skull. In addition, the measurement from the top of the withers (shoulder blades) to the floor is about equal as from the middle of the chest to the rear of the upper thigh.