Q&A ˃QZGT
HOWARD ENGEL 1. Please tell us about your background in Boxers, including kennel name, highlights, judging experi- ence. We’d also like to know where you live and what you do outside of dogs. I grew up in the 50s and 60s with a Boxer as a family pet. In the late 70s, after college, I acquired my first personal Boxer as a companion. My wife, Patricia Healy, and myself currently breed and show under the Ryzingstar Kennel prefix. We have owned or bred over 45 Boxer Champions, several Doberman Champions and many Beagle Champions. We have owned one Sire of Merit, and bred and owned three Dams of Merit. Most of the Boxers we have finished have been owner-handled. I was approved to judge Boxers in 2005 and have judged many specialties across the US including the ABC National (dogs and inter-sex) in 2014. Now retired, we are in the process of building our retirement home and looking forward to traveling the continent in our motor home. 2. What five traits do you look for, in order, when judging Boxers? What do you consider the ultimate hallmark of the breed? When judging the Boxer, I first look at profile for balance. A short back, slightly sloping topline, balanced angles front and rear, well let down hocks. Stepping to the front, I proceed to make sure the legs give good columns of support and set under the dog properly. A well-filled front and forechest is mandatory. From the rear the legs should be parallel and have well-developed inner and out- er thigh muscling. A well-defined tuck-up helps complete the picture. Good bone and substance is a must. The Boxer should hold the profile in motion and the topline should level as the dog moves. Reach needs to be present in motion as short choppy strides indicate straight fronts. The hallmark of the breed is the classic head of a Boxer. High ear set (preferably cropped), frontally placed eyes (dark and filling the socket), pronounced stop, tip of nose slightly higher than root of the muzzle, and broad blunt muzzle with acceptable bite. The muzzle should be in bal- ance with the skull, not too short but definitely not too long. Too much lip overhanging the lower jaw or exces- sive flews are very unattractive. 3. What shortcomings are you most willing to forgive? What faults do you find hard to overlook? A perfect bite is not as important to me as structural soundness. If the outer structure of the head is pleasing to me the bite is not as important. I have a hard time overlooking poor fronts. Lack of depth, cathedral fronts, legs setting to far apart (Bulldog look) are to me serious faults. Gay tails are to me very wrong and quite unattract- ive, as is a too long (docked) tail. 4. How has the breed changed since you became involved with it? Do you see any trends you think
are moving the breed in the wrong direction? Any traits becoming exaggerated? The breed has changed very little since I started exhibit- ing. The depth of quality has been severely reduced but there are still some good ones out there. Lack of bone and substance is more common than in the past. Over angulation in rear assemblies is becoming more prevalent and a trend I hope doesn’t continue. 5. How do you feel about uncropped ears? Undocked tails? The Boxer standard was revised a few years ago to describe natural ears. I prefer cropped ears, but a good specimen of the breed with correct natural ears can also be competitive. The standard calls for a docked tail and no other example is right. Undocked tails should be severely penalized. 6. Is there anything Boxer handlers do you wish they would not? Boxers are a very heavily professionally handled breed. Owners need to be on the top of their game to compete. All must remember that this is not a race, so slow down when asked to. 7. Name a dog not currently being shown that exempli- fies your ideal type. A Boxer from the past that greatly impressed me was Heldenbrand’s Jet Breaker. He was a stallion of the breed. One of the finest moving bitches I ever judged was Bay- view’s Strides Ahead, “Monroe”. 8. Anything else you’d like to add? Temperament is an issue that needs to be addressed in different ways. In general, Boxers are a happy, outgoing breed that accepts strangers readily. Shy dogs should not be rewarded but dogs wary of new people but willing to stand their ground can be accepted. Aggressiveness, towards people, is totally unacceptable. ANN GILBERT sArKeL BoXers
1. Please tell us about your background in Boxers, including ken- nel name, highlights, judging experience. We’d also like to know where you live and what you do outside of dogs. My late husband, Herb,
and I started in Boxers over 48 years ago. The Boxer was our first choice as a family dog but our first visit to a dog show, as with many others, left us bitten with the competition of the sport. Our kennel name, SARKEL, was
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