[joejoe]

hi my name is joanne and me and mt husband have just adopted a 2 year old boxer dog her name is millie
we were led to belive that it was good with kids and was a brilliant dog but since we have got her home she has nipped all three of my children on the hand, my youngest child was at the time pulling and tugging at her

then we took her for a walk and she gets really aggressive towards other dogs and we have to hold on to her or she will fight with them and she doesnt like people in the street either as she will growl and bark at them as well as try to bite them,
she is fine in the house and when we introduce her to people at home but when we go out she goes crazy when she sees other dogs or humans  8O
we are her 4th owners and she is only 2  8O
the first owner was a young women and went into sheltered accomodation the second was a stupid young boy who just wanted to show off and the third was a man and his wife and they have just split up so couldn't keep her

i was wondering how i should go about trying to calm her down .should i get her a muzzle as if we dont this means we cant take her for walks :!:

 

[samsonsmom]

First let me welcome you to our forum..Lord have mercy Millie has had a tough time of it and it is no surprise that she has a lot of issues...Boxers crave humans, they thrive on stability and those have been lacking in Millie's life...Already my heart goes out to her..She's confused, frightened and has no clue what is going to happen next...

Go back to the basics with her I would say..Lillyzmomma I am sure will be able to give you a lot of help, but I'm going to just mention somethings that may help also...If she knows her basic commands, sit, stay etc, work with those, praise her a lot, give her those treats. Don't coddle her tho, that feeds into all the bad behaviors...Get her to trust YOU!!! She needs that badly. I'd keep your walks very short and try to stay away from anything that could cause her to react badly..If your yard is fenced, use that as a training area, put her on a long lead and teach her to "come"...I realize all this doesn't seem to be solving anything, and I may be wrong, but you need for Millie to listen to you and thats a good start..

A good obedience class would also be very helpful, but until she gets less agressive a class may not be the best thing for her or you for that matter. You may also want to talk to your kids, I don't know how old they are, but explain to them that Millie has "issues" Lol, and to try and not play rough or whatever with her..The last thing you want is for your kids to be frightened of her...

Ok, that's a start & I'm sure there are others on here that will be able to give you some great advice...Be patient, this could take time, Millie has a lot to overcome, but it can be done, believe me...My Tia, who we rescued at 9 mos was badly abused and shied away from everyone, it took time and the help of my lovely boy Buck, but she eventually became a very loving boxer..

 

[lillyzmomma]

Advice from a trainer:

Keep her walks short and quick paced.  As soon as she starts to react badly (9x's out of 10 they see/smell something well before we see it) change directions.  If you see people or another dog that she hasn't noticed yet, turn and go in the other direction. DO NOT give her the opportunity to react badly.  I advise getting a trainer to work with you one on one, in your home.  

How long have you had Millie?  If it has only been one or two weeks then she is gonna push boundaries and limitations (much like a child).  Figure out what she is and isn't allowed to do (both of you MUST agree on the rules for Millie and make them, clear for your children).  Set them HARD AND FAST.  NO WAVERING!!!  Boxer's are very intelligent and figure out chinks in our systems far faster than we do.  If you let them get away with something once then they will think they can get away with it every time.

Teach your children what is acceptable behavior with a dog.  Not just with Millie, but ALL DOGS!!!  Your children need to respect Millie as much as she needs to respect them.  If they screw with her she WILL react.  They can only be expected to tolerate so much, no matter how good they are with kids.  Her nipping at your kids should NOT be considered her fault, but the fault of you and your kids!!!  Because she is new to your household, YOU need to supervise her and your children VERY CLOSELY!!!

When dogs are given up, the resaons given are rarely that the owner has screwed up, but that there is something wrong with the dog!!!  A dog is only as good as it's owner!!!  If you give Millie a chance to trust you, love you, and LEARN FROM YOU you will have a wonderful dog.  She just needs a chance.

Let me know how everything is going and if you need more help.  I can also make a few phone calls and get some referrals for trainers in your area.

Liz and Lilly

 

[joejoe]

thanx for the repliies it has set my mind at rest a little and i will be taking your advise
thanx a lot