I was under the impression that it was relatively simple to avoid breeding white boxers (which can suffer health problems)?

please read this interesting quote below and then tell me WHY breeders feel the need to allow their dogs to produce white boxers in the first place, surely this is UNETHICAL????

According to genetics, there are five ways of producing boxer puppies:

Plain x Plain = 100% Plain

Plain x Flashy = 50% Plain, 50% Flashy

Flashy x Flashy = 25% Plain,50% Flashy, 25% White

Flashy x White = 50% Flashy, 50% White

White x White = 100% White

Not being a geneticist, I have to accept that this is the only way, but if anyone knows different, please let me know. For now I shall assume that the above is correct. Well to me it is pretty obvious how to eliminate the "problem" of the white boxer, You breed plain x plain, or plain x flashy. Simple. So why isn't it done. After all the puppies would still be born, they just wouldn't be white. In truth, money and prestige!

Breeders like flashy dogs. They are the most "acceptable" in the show ring. They look "better" than plain boxers. The "Breed Standards and Boxer Council" prefer them. And that is, quite simply why this practice of breeding which produces whites is allowed to continue. The fact that this contravenes the Boxer Council Code of Conduct, seems to be of no interest whatsoever.

I don't think it is reasonable to start a debate without bothering to register and join in the discussion yourself, after all you don't have to reveal anything about yourself in your Champdogs persona so why not?

OK guest firstly am i right in saying that the first boxer was a White one.I have a very flashy bitch who not that long ago was mated with a red flashy dog, she had seven very healthy puppies four very flashy and three plain, i didnt get one White puppy in my litter maybe you can say i was lucky.I do own a white boxer who was spayed at 18mths old she has not suffered with any health problems whatsoever she has perfect hearing her only fault is she is white her parents where both red with very little white on them but possibly somewhere down their lines was a flashy dog put to a flashy bitch, Sorry for sounding off but it gripes me to think there are people out there who think whites have a lot more health issues than their coloured bretheran. And i chose to breed of my girl to improve not a way of making money
regards polly_45

I'm no expert but I would be suprised if it were that simple....things rarely are in my experience!
Archer

Yes it is easy to avoid producing white pups, if you mate genetic solid to genetic solid, or genetic
solid to flashy.
But you also have to consider that sadly in the show ring here in the UK it is VERY hard to campaign a
solid Boxer to become a champion etc. Especially when it is up against flashily marked rivals.
Even though at some breed Ch & open shows there are solid classes trying to promote the solid (plain)
marked Boxer. Sadly some of the solid dogs just aren't as good as their flashily marked litter mates - why who knows?
If there was the perfect Boxer who was a genetic solid he'd be used!

Sadly sometimes mother nature doesn't follow the genetic rule book.....
My litter was flashy to flashy (yes I wasn't naive to imagine that I have no whites, but I was using a stud that complimented
my bitch in health,temperament,breed attributes & bloodlines, it just so happened that he happened to be a flashy marked brindle dog, if I could have found a solid dog with all that I needed then I would have been happy to use him instead regardless of if he were red or brindle)
In my litter of 7 pups born I had 4 whites and 3 brindles, 2 of the brindles were flashy and one a solid.
Although my bitch was a red and white and the stud a brindle and white which carried the red gene I had no pups that
were red, but if I were to follow the genetic rule book I could say that I should definately have had a red pup in the litter.
Not one not even the whites had a red patch but they had brindle patches...

It is important to note that not all white Boxers suffer with health problems or higher than average breed health problems if compared to
their coloured siblings.

Perhaps if all pups were registered (including the whites-endorsed)then you could see which lines did produce higher than average numbers of whites, therefore you could make the informed choice of which stud dog/bloodlines you use with regard to reducing the number of white pups produced.

To me a dogs health and temperament is of a higher priority. To have a puppy or two which
adheres to the breed standard & that is promising enough to be shown is a bonus. To have a perfectly marked puppy
that has everything in abundance is a miracle and doesn't happen that often - as we are dealing with nature :)

All we as breeders can do is our best with what knowledge we have and hope that mother nature is not going
to wreak havoc on our best laid plans.

I see nothing wrong with producing whites as long as they are BAER hearing tested and not bred from, and any found to be deaf are put to sleep and not passed on  to new owners.

By flashy does the visitor mean brindle?

No. 'Flashy' means with white markings - chest, blaze, legs etc. This appears to make the term clear.

Flashy as Jeangenie's link describes is a dog that has white markings that are
on the face (blaze) legs (socks/stockings/feet) neck (collar or half collar)  & chest.

A plain or solid is a dog that has no white or very little white markings.
Typically they have no white on the face, minimal white on the chest and
white is normally confined to the toes or none on the feet at all.

The 'perfect' markings are considered an even symmetrical blaze, four even white socks,
& white on the chest.

Wonky blazes or no white on the face can give the optical illusion that the head isn't
as good as one that has the symmetrical blaze. In the same way if you have white that comes up over the shoulders
when watching the dog move it can also give the optical illusion of incorrect movement if you aren't watching closely.
But judges should be able to look past the cosmetic markings.