About Us
I have been passionately pursuing excellence in the Boxer breed since 1990. I have an accomplished boxer kennel, "Boxers du Champ des Legendes. "In 2009, we earned the distinction of being the #1 kennel in the United States by winning the USA-BOX's Breeders Category. We also went on to win the USA-BOX Nationals Best In Show, with our female Janet z Dybohurky. Our Boxers are best known for the balance the posses in both structure, temperament and health. A great part of our success comes by how we feed our dogs. They are raised on a diet of fresh raw meat and top quality grain-free kibble.
I feel honored to share my passion and knowledge of the Boxer breed with you. My years of experience encompasses training, breeding, and showing Boxers. Our customers have come to respect my commitment to quality and integrity that together makes our kennel so successful.
I have been a professional dog trainer for over 20 years and have competed in a variety of K9 sports over that time. This experience has given me insight on dogs' temperaments that help me improve upon my boxer breeding selections. I am always excited to meet with families looking for that one in a million Boxer to call their own. Please don't hesitate to call me any time with questions related to our Boxers.
Call me anytime at 847-791-7749 to discuss your next Boxer
Please view my credentials as an expert dog trainer and breeder below.
I feel honored to share my passion and knowledge of the Boxer breed with you. My years of experience encompasses training, breeding, and showing Boxers. Our customers have come to respect my commitment to quality and integrity that together makes our kennel so successful.
I have been a professional dog trainer for over 20 years and have competed in a variety of K9 sports over that time. This experience has given me insight on dogs' temperaments that help me improve upon my boxer breeding selections. I am always excited to meet with families looking for that one in a million Boxer to call their own. Please don't hesitate to call me any time with questions related to our Boxers.
Call me anytime at 847-791-7749 to discuss your next Boxer
Please view my credentials as an expert dog trainer and breeder below.
In regards to RED FLAGS and Questions and Concerns you should ask every breeder.
As of late, I came across some interesting points that I read on a boxer forum concerning red flags when dealing with breeders. I deal with hundreds of boxer fans and dog lovers in general and would like to take this time to inform and enlighten prospective buyers on other breeders as well as giving our insight on these questions.
1. Be suspicious of breeders who only breed "In-House". Meaning they do not travel to breed their dogs, they have a breeding pair.
Champs du Legendes' reply: We do a number of In house breedings, simply stated: We have the males that possess everything we look for in a boxer. Yes, that sound arrogant and it would be if our males sat in kennels and laid on the couch. For example, our dog Adams is titled in IPO, he has been worked extensively by myself. I am a retired French Ringsport Decoy and actively train Police K9s. It is safe to say that I know a working dog. He also has excellent conformation, rated excellent at a number of USA-BOX shows by official BK (German Boxer Club) judges. He was named Reproducer of the Year in '09 at the USA-BOX Sieger Show. He has produced two Youth Winners at USA-BOX shows, and these are only two that competed. I have not found a dog in the United States that shares his pedigree, working attitude, conformation and produces consistently as he does. On that note, I have traveled personally to California, Florida, sent dogs to the East Coast and have been all over the Midwest to breed with no such luck. Yes, there are prettier dogs out there, but they are not complete. They may not work, or produce, or have a weak pedigree, etc. I am always searching for dogs that are the complete package.
As of late, I came across some interesting points that I read on a boxer forum concerning red flags when dealing with breeders. I deal with hundreds of boxer fans and dog lovers in general and would like to take this time to inform and enlighten prospective buyers on other breeders as well as giving our insight on these questions.
1. Be suspicious of breeders who only breed "In-House". Meaning they do not travel to breed their dogs, they have a breeding pair.
Champs du Legendes' reply: We do a number of In house breedings, simply stated: We have the males that possess everything we look for in a boxer. Yes, that sound arrogant and it would be if our males sat in kennels and laid on the couch. For example, our dog Adams is titled in IPO, he has been worked extensively by myself. I am a retired French Ringsport Decoy and actively train Police K9s. It is safe to say that I know a working dog. He also has excellent conformation, rated excellent at a number of USA-BOX shows by official BK (German Boxer Club) judges. He was named Reproducer of the Year in '09 at the USA-BOX Sieger Show. He has produced two Youth Winners at USA-BOX shows, and these are only two that competed. I have not found a dog in the United States that shares his pedigree, working attitude, conformation and produces consistently as he does. On that note, I have traveled personally to California, Florida, sent dogs to the East Coast and have been all over the Midwest to breed with no such luck. Yes, there are prettier dogs out there, but they are not complete. They may not work, or produce, or have a weak pedigree, etc. I am always searching for dogs that are the complete package.
2. Ask to see health tests on parents of prospective puppies such as : DM, Hips, Elbows, Cardio.
Champs du Legendes' reply: Yes, I totally agree! The current fad is breeding Euros or Imports from Europe. What people don't realize that European breeders dump their unwanted or unhealthy dogs on the U.S.. Yes, its a sad fact. Eastern European breeders probably do more of this due to their breeding standards and lack of structure/integrity in their boxer clubs. Not all of course, there can be some super breeders from Poland and the Czech Republic. I have been raising and most importantly working dogs since late 80's. I have seen dogs with bad hips, bad backs, poor cardio etc. These individuals simply don't make good sport dogs. They struggle in jumping exercises and in bite work. The issue comes when breeders don't work their dogs. The Boxer is a working dog, a utility dog that requires training in agility, protection and endurance events. These are the criteria that I use to evaluate my boxers. The OFA, is great but there are many ways to cheat and pass with a great evaluation, therefore it holds no weight. Of course there are always exceptions, but I have seen it both ways in that I have seen parents with excellent hips produce bad hips and then dogs with no hips testing produce excellent hips. So bottom line, I do my best which in my opinion is better than all those who breed and only test. You will notice that a lot of our dogs have the German Title AD, the AD stands for ausdauerprufung. It's a test for health, endurance, & conditioning in which a dog runs 12.5 miles (usually next to a bicycle) and is checked twice along the way by an authorized judge. The checks are to make sure the dog isn’t suffering from lameness or sore paws and confirmas the dog’s heart rate isn’t outside of acceptable range. In order to be entered in the German Boxer Klub studbook, dogs must complete both the AD and the ZTP. If my dogs were couch potatoes I would probably test more too.
http://www.chicagolandboxers.com/awards.html
Champs du Legendes' reply: Yes, I totally agree! The current fad is breeding Euros or Imports from Europe. What people don't realize that European breeders dump their unwanted or unhealthy dogs on the U.S.. Yes, its a sad fact. Eastern European breeders probably do more of this due to their breeding standards and lack of structure/integrity in their boxer clubs. Not all of course, there can be some super breeders from Poland and the Czech Republic. I have been raising and most importantly working dogs since late 80's. I have seen dogs with bad hips, bad backs, poor cardio etc. These individuals simply don't make good sport dogs. They struggle in jumping exercises and in bite work. The issue comes when breeders don't work their dogs. The Boxer is a working dog, a utility dog that requires training in agility, protection and endurance events. These are the criteria that I use to evaluate my boxers. The OFA, is great but there are many ways to cheat and pass with a great evaluation, therefore it holds no weight. Of course there are always exceptions, but I have seen it both ways in that I have seen parents with excellent hips produce bad hips and then dogs with no hips testing produce excellent hips. So bottom line, I do my best which in my opinion is better than all those who breed and only test. You will notice that a lot of our dogs have the German Title AD, the AD stands for ausdauerprufung. It's a test for health, endurance, & conditioning in which a dog runs 12.5 miles (usually next to a bicycle) and is checked twice along the way by an authorized judge. The checks are to make sure the dog isn’t suffering from lameness or sore paws and confirmas the dog’s heart rate isn’t outside of acceptable range. In order to be entered in the German Boxer Klub studbook, dogs must complete both the AD and the ZTP. If my dogs were couch potatoes I would probably test more too.
http://www.chicagolandboxers.com/awards.html
3. Be careful with breeders who have a lot of litters.
Champ du Legendes' reply: Absolutely! There are many breeders out there who do nothing but use the same pair of dogs with no ryhme or reason and breed her countless of times. Stay away from breeders who have no agenda, or are not actively training or showing their dogs. Ask them what their goals are and what are they trying to accomplish from the breeding.
I am a professional breeder, our goal or dream is to compete at the World level in both conformation and working arena. I am fortunate enough to be supported by a large Boxer Club who helps raise, show and work our boxers (Boxer Club USA). Our young females are raised to compete as adults. We test for focus, drive, endurance, agility, aptitude and courage. Once our females are titled or show us their ability, we begin planning a breeding. Our decisions are based with the goal of strengthening the Boxer gene pool and always moving forward. Generally our females are bred twice, sometimes three times in their life time if they are producing beyond expectations. My club which is constantly growing has first pick of pups that are geared for utility work, and the rest are found forever homes in the pet seeking market. Every dog we produce has the ability to show successfully in all aspects of the Boxer World. This is a bold statement that I confidently stand behind. To date, we have provided dogs to homes that have successfully competed in Agility, Cadaver K9, Service k9, conformation, USA-BOX events and IPO trials.
Champ du Legendes' reply: Absolutely! There are many breeders out there who do nothing but use the same pair of dogs with no ryhme or reason and breed her countless of times. Stay away from breeders who have no agenda, or are not actively training or showing their dogs. Ask them what their goals are and what are they trying to accomplish from the breeding.
I am a professional breeder, our goal or dream is to compete at the World level in both conformation and working arena. I am fortunate enough to be supported by a large Boxer Club who helps raise, show and work our boxers (Boxer Club USA). Our young females are raised to compete as adults. We test for focus, drive, endurance, agility, aptitude and courage. Once our females are titled or show us their ability, we begin planning a breeding. Our decisions are based with the goal of strengthening the Boxer gene pool and always moving forward. Generally our females are bred twice, sometimes three times in their life time if they are producing beyond expectations. My club which is constantly growing has first pick of pups that are geared for utility work, and the rest are found forever homes in the pet seeking market. Every dog we produce has the ability to show successfully in all aspects of the Boxer World. This is a bold statement that I confidently stand behind. To date, we have provided dogs to homes that have successfully competed in Agility, Cadaver K9, Service k9, conformation, USA-BOX events and IPO trials.
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4. Stay away from Kennels who market their boxers as being Euro Boxers.
Champ du Legendes' reply: All boxers have European descent, the issue as of late is the fad of selling "Euro Boxers". If you have been in Boxers as long as I have been, you will know that many of these kennels on the internet have recently acquired their European Boxers. Before that, many of them had a kennel full of American Boxers that they conveniently dumped in order to profit off the more pricey European dogs. I started with boxers in the 80's that were American born, I did AKC obedience with them and protection work with them. I learned that my American dogs didn't have the temperaments necessary to compete in working dog sports. North American breeders at the time were focused solely on looks and nothing more, not much has changed since. So in the early 90's I moved to France and while training Belgian Malinois I came across some boxers that worked. Soon after, I brought back some great working specimens from ATIBOX SIres. Now, this was no an easy task because the breeders didn't like the idea of sending their best pups to the U.S. After seeing my ability on the Ring field and with some references from judges who know my work, they entrusted me with their dogs. The one thing I learned was that to preserve the Boxer breed you must breed a working dog, if not, we will end up at square one again-with american dogs that don't work. Sadly, many what I call puppy millers have caught on to the "Euro Boxer" asking for huge, ridiculous amounts of money for pups with no working ability, poorly bred with no worthy intentions and poaching information from kennels like mine. So, ask for intentions of breeding, ask if they work their dogs and what disciplines (Hint: it is very difficult to work a Boxer. It requires years of expertise, they are not a shepherd or malinois) and lastly, ask them what they have produced and if they are titled? We market our Boxers as great representations of the breed that are healthy and selected for their original working qualities. We pride our Boxers on being from "Champ des Legendes" not because they are European in origin. |
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