Expert: Jannie Balliett - 7/7/2009

Question
hi, me and my husband just recently bought a female white boxer, she does have patch of fawn around her eye. we were very disappointed when we heard you should not breed white boxers. we wanted to breed her 3 or so years from now. is this true? i have read that even if we breed her with a fawn or brindle boxer, all of their puppies will come out all white. which will take away from boxers beautiful markings. she was the only one in her litter to be white and both her mom and dad were flashy fawn. please help. did we just kill our dream in breeding a boxer.

Answer
A white Boxer has a "white" gene.

Sometimes, white Boxers are born deaf. Sometimes blind, sometimes both-- or can go deaf within a few weeks or so, and/or blind too. But it is normally deaf.

The Boxer Breeders Association and AKC, etc. discourage breeding white Boxers for many reasons.

One is that they do not want to continually taint the breed with the "white gene" and soon, have no fawns and brindles-- but more whites, thus having more deaf and handicapped dogs in the breed.

It takes a mother and father both to have the "white gene" to produce white puppies.

Often it can be one, or many, in a litter. The stronger the "white gene" gets by passing it on, the more chance of white puppies each litter of the descendants.

It is not wise to breed a white Boxer. Sooner or later, a white puppy will be deaf and no one will want it, or if rehomed, the handicap is not fair to the pup.

Please do not breed her, have her spayed so there aren't any deaf babies born in the future.

I am sorry, but that should not interfere in loving her and having a happy life anyway!