New to the forum and I have a question

[Yosef10]

I am new to the forum, my boxer Yosef is a flashy fawn male that is a year and a half old. My question is... Like I said earlier in the post my boxer is a year and a half and he is protective of my wife around other dogs. He has never barked or growled at the other dogs but will stand in-between my wife and the other dog with his chest "bowed" out,I'm not sure what to do about the situation. Just somemore info we also have a black lab that is eight months old (boxer is not protective when my wife is around him) and my boxer is not protective around other dogs when it is just me and him. Thanks for your help in advance.

[Katielovesleo]

Boxers are just protective of their owners. Mine will do the same, I can't stop him from being protective, I like him that way bc I am little and need protection especially if it was just Rosco and I and if there was some kind of vicious dog or bad guy trying to rob me.


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[af_wx_wife]

Sounds like he's protective of your wife. Does she spend a lot of time with him?? I know I'm with my girls a lot more than anyone else in my house so they tend to protect me more. Not saying they wouldn't protect my husband or my boys.

[Yosef10]

She does spend a little more time with him because I work weekend shifts. He is always right with her and keeping an eye on her every move.

[Ril-Mas]

Sounds like he's watching out for her. I don't know what if anything can be done about it. I'll never forget one incident when I was walking Riley. I had him trained to walk on the left side of me so he wasn't on the side with the road. One day there was a guy walking towards me on the same side of the street as me. I didn't like the way the guy looked or how he was acting and apparently neither did Riley. His fur stood on it's end and he HAD to be on the other side of me so he was in between me and the guy as we passed each other. Nothing happened thankfully, but looking back it was neat to see my big ol' teddy bear turn into my fierce protector!

Was he socialized as a puppy to be used to other dogs and people?

[dyson]

I think this is a positive thing & you should not attempt to discourage it what so ever - some day it may very well come in handy.

Remember, Boxers are part of the working group and originally bred for police work, militia duties and to be: GUARD dogs. None of those things preclude them - nor ever did - from being the loving, "great with kids" all-around family dog. But you cannot expect them to behave as "toy" dogs bred ONLY for companionship nor should breeders attempt to alter those very characteristics in temperament they were meant to have.

Just as an aside, so many Americans race out to purchase dogs from the working or herding group because they like the "look" of the dog, it's popular, a friend or neighbor has one, etc. They come home with an adorable Rottweiler pup, as an example, and are "freaked out" that by the time the dog reaches maturity, he/she is "barking" at strangers, behaving in a protective manner in some capacity, growling at passer-by, etc. & inevitably ask "What should I do??" The answer is easy: "Nothing." Your dog is behaving normally - take it to a reliable, reputable obedience class so it will recognize you as the "decision-maker" & learn more about dogs, read breed books about Boxers (there are many) and love them.

Working dogs are largely dogs bred specifically for protection. People truly need to be much more educated prior to bringing home a pup or dog from this group so they aren't shocked or otherwise surprised by their dog's natural abilities and proclivities.

Enjoy your dog - he sounds like he's doing exactly what nature & nurture intended.

[Yosef10]

He was socialized as a puppy with larger dogs and smaller dogs he has always been well behaved around other dogs other than the few times he is with my wife and for some reason he doesn't like another dog. It is Very interesting how he gets different vibes than we do sometimes.

[af_wx_wife]

I trust my dogs when they "hear" something. I'm also cautious around people that my dogs tend to not like. Obviously they can pick up on there is something not right with that person.

[2manydogs]

This breed is known as guardians/protectors. He is just doing his job if you ask me