What Boxer lacks in brains, he more than makes up for in physical strength. And as a big old shire horse, Boxer's strength is mainly concentrated in his powerful legs and hooves, which he uses to great effect in sending Napoleon's dogs packing when they try to attack him.
Sadly, Boxer's strength will only get him so far. He's not getting any younger, and with his lack of brain power, he's easily deceived and manipulated by Napoleon and his regime. Ultimately, Napoleon realizes he doesn't need to rely on brute strength to defeat Boxer; he can simply resort to more cunning methods. Boxer is an unfailingly loyal supporter of Napoleon, and Napoleon cynically manipulates that loyalty to convince Boxer that all is well, thus legitimizing his regime.
So when the time finally comes for Boxer to be sent off to the knacker's yard—which in British English is a place where old or injured animals are taken to be slaughtered—Napoleon doesn't have to turn the dogs on him; he's already rendered Boxer docile and compliant through persistent propaganda.
In chapter 7, Napoleon calls an assembly to begin his purge and orders his dogs to immediately attack four defenseless pigs. The dogs drag the pigs by their ears in front of Napoleon before three of them attack Boxer. Fortunately, Boxer sees the attack coming and kicks the first dog to the ground and does not let it get up. While the pinned dog shrieks for mercy, the two other dogs run away in terror. Boxer then looks towards Napoleon to know whether he should crush the dog or let it go. Napoleon then appears to change his countenance and orders Boxer to let the dog go. Boxer is able to escape being attacked because of his size and strength. Boxer is by far the most powerful, physically intimidating animal on the farm and cannot be easily brought down by several dogs. Unfortunately, Boxer is not intelligent and is easily manipulated by Napoleon.
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