Imoen Boxers has introduced Bobtail Boxers into the bloodlines due to the Tail docking ban in Australia. This allows us to continue to breed the Boxer in its original fashion by having short tails.

Here is a short summary on the history of the Boxer with a naturally short tail, the Bobtail.

In 1992 Dr Bruce Cattanach "reinvented" the Boxer with a naturally short tail, the Bobtail Boxer. It began with the crossing of one of Dr. Cattanach’s Boxer bitches to a Pembroke Corgi with a dominantly inherited bobtail, Vaquera of Pemwell.

Dr. Cattanach is a geneticist by profession, with a specialty in the cause and analysis of genetic defects. He is a well respected breeder & exhibitor of Boxers in the UK under the Steynmere prefix established in 1949.

In a series of articles on Dr Cattanach's website - the creation of naturally short tailed (bobtail) Boxers as carried out over a series of generations is documented.

To answer the question on the possibility of Corgi characteristics reappearing in progeny, Dr Cattanach undertook a "double up" mating with a dog and bitch that were both only four generations removed from the Corgi. The four puppies were all short backed, had decent heads with obvious Boxer chins. None showed any trace of the short legs and longer coat type of the Corgi. The matings taking place in Australia now at least eight generations away from the Corgi and have less than 0.5% Corgi in their pedigree, the only gene being transferred is the Bobtail.

The length of a Bobtail can be in all variations, some even have a kink in the tail. A Bobtail can be identified by the feel of the end part of the tail. If there is no graduation to smaller bones towards the tip of the tail & fleshy part at the end of the tail - it is not a Bobtail. All of our Bobtails have veterinary documents verifying that they are in fact natural Bobtails. Bobtail Boxers can now be found in the UK, Europe, America and Australia, and have competed successfully in the show ring with both long tailed and docked dogs. The disadvantage of the tail gene used is that it will not breed true, there will only be a percentage of puppies in a litter with Bobtails.

Following is information about our Bobtails....