[danoshea]

Hi all.  I'm a new member and a new boxer owner.  My history: 2 Labs  for 16yrs. (now deceased) We adopted "Ruby" approx. 2 yr. old brindle in May 2006.  Took Ruby out into the public on leash right away.  She had no real training, but mingled amidst crowds fine.  Anxious to mingle with other dogs as to be expected too.  At a party in June, had her tied out at a Pavillion, and she tolerated guests' attention fine.  In July, we took her on vacation with our family of 6 plus the pug, our other dog with whom Ruby gets along wonderfully.  While on vacation, Ruby became aggressive, she started several dog fights with other dogs while leashed and passing them along walkways.  she began growling at houseguests on vacation.  Upon our return home in August, Ruby became even more aggressive--lunging at people (children too) .  I have worked with Ruby, and find her to be sensitive, eager to please, and very intelligent.  She is heeling fairly well, she is coming when called, not down/stay too well yet, but we're working on it.  I grade her a solid "B" average, and that's mostly because of her instructor(me) not being the best.  

Yet the aggressive behavior has worsened!  To date she has bitten an aunt of mine as she fed a treat to the pug (after feeding Ruby first).  She bit the corresponding uncle weeks later after being in his company for 10 minutes without any aggressive behavior.  Last night while on a walk(always with choke collar) a neighbor wished me Happy Holidays.  He came toward me to shake my hand.  I told him to be careful of the boxer..."she's not always nice"....he didn't hear me and extended his hand.  I restrained Ruby with my left hand on the leash and shook his with my right.  Somehow Ruby managed to lunge just enough to get him in the pant leg--leaving a blood blister on the outside of his knee.  My wife(the one who adopted the dog) has said it's time to find Ruby another home.  Everything I've read online indicates to me that you CAN train a dog not to bite.  I would really like to hear from the Boxer forum with some advice.  Somehow this boxer has me wrapped around her paw.  Thanks so much.  Happy New Year to you all.

 

[HannaBanana]

Sorry you are having some problems with aggression.  I would first try to find a trainer, talk to them about the issues and see if you can get them resolved thru some training sessions.  Here is a site that list kinds of aggression -

http://www.k9aggression.com/Aggression- ... ement.html

also taken from someone else on aggression, they had this to say.

You might start by training him with a Gentle Leader head harness to help you gain a bit more control over him. If you acclimate him to it properly, he shouldn't mind wearing it. It will give you more physical control, as well as inhibiting his behaviors. Even muzzling him when in public is an acceptable alternative to forgoing walks. He needs plenty of exercise, more now than ever if you are to work on his issues.

There are also some books that you can read on how to deal with aggression  here are some.

http://www.dogwise.com/Item_Inside.cfm? ... curImage=1

Also www.dogwise.com has tons of books as well.

Don't give up - I have seen it done, just got to have patients - good luck!!

 

[danoshea]

Thank you so very much for your reply HannaBanana.  I was just IMing my wife at work arguing in defense of Ruby's future with our family, and jumped to the page to see if there was a reply.  Going to paste the link to this forum for her RIGHT NOW...

Thanks again for what is obviously a caring and thorough reply to my dilemma.

 

[HannaBanana]

I am not expert on aggressive dogs, but I have seen some other people have boxer issues, were at whits end, but with the proper training, the dog made a 360 degree turn around.

Just tell your wife to have patients. Try to undertand the behavior problem and then map out some solutions, use experts advice too.   They do it for a living, and I feel know a lot more than me!!

Once you know you have made 100% every effort to try and correct the situation, and its still not working then an alternative decision needs to be made.   You cannot put your family, and others in harm.     If just fair to the dog to give it a try, esp. with rescue dogs, half of them are in the rescue programs because some people don't!

Good Luck!!!

 

[Bumpy]

Also consider ruling out any medical problems wich may be throwing the dog off. I have heard of this being a source of agression many times. Just a thought, you may wan't to rule out.

 

[Zhanna]

I agree with Bumpy.  It may be a medical problem.  I know it sounds extreme, but try doing a brain scan.  Ruby may have something going physically wrong in her brain.  It could be seizures or strokes or even a tumor.  I know this from personal experience.

Hope this helps and good luck.

Keep us posted and we'll be praying for you.

Hugs,
Zhanna & Little Henry

 

[Bumpy]

Could also be due to hypo thyroidism. Or other bodily, chemical imbalances. Also, Dogs are unbelievable at hiding the fact that they are in pain, if they are, something out of the ordinary may set them off, mutch like a human.

 

[AllCityDubs]

My 1.5 year old hound mix is by far the best dog you could ask for in the house... Snuggles, never barks, is friendly with EVERYONE who comes into the house or that she meets on the street.  She is also great with our 5 month old boxer.  But when on the street and leashed she is aggressive towards any dog she sees.. As soon as she sees another dog (other then our boxer) she goes nuts...  I have remedied this behaviour by squirting her with a small squirt gun everytime she started to bark at another dog while walking... She HATES it and immediately stops barking and walks beside me.  After a few days of that, I only had to show her the squirt gun and she stops.  Its been about 2 months now and I can tell her NO and she will stop or wont even bark at all..  I also have been working on Alpha Behaviour in the house and since we were spoiling her to much she thought she was the boss...  Now I wont even pet her unless she does something that I tell her first.  If she runs over, I make her sit and then shower her with affection.  It has worked great.  The first 3 days were hell for her, not getting mauled with petting everytime she wanted it... The 2nd day she would refuse to do anything I told her and now she seems to be a happier friendlier dog in general, knowing she is not the boss..  Try those things, they worked for me!

 

[nano]

Check her out medically.  Thyroid would be first concern to check.  If that comes back low, treat it and see if there is a change.  I would find a dog behaviorist for the aggression problem with her if you can't find a medical condition and in the mean time keep her in situation that keep her from harming someone.  Sometimes there is nothing that can be done, but hopefully not the case for you.

God Bless.

Nano

 

[BurningRiver]

I agree with what has been said. Any time a dog has a sudden change in personality, first course of action should be to take them to the vet. As Nano mentioned, Thyroid can cause aggression issues.

Too much protein in the diet can also cause aggression issues. You may want to try him on a senior diet for a few weeks to see if that helps.

If neither of the above help, HannaBanana's suggestion to gain information on behavioral modification techniques are good ones. I would also contact a qualified behaviorist/trainer to help you with these issues if they are deemed to be behavioral in nature.

Good luck!