[Shadowjack]

Greetings fellow Boxer lovers.

My wife and I currently have 2 boxers.  Both are about 2 and a half years old.  The female, Phoenix, we purchased from a breeder in PA and has very few social problem.  Our male, Harley is a rescue and has some significant issues.  We picked up Harley about a year ago and thought he was much younger than Phoenix due to his size and weight.  He only weighed about 35 pounds.  The vet informed us that he was the same age as phoenix.  We had taken Phoenix to the rescue league with us to make sure that the two dogs got along and it was a wonderful relationship of play right away.  
We quickly found out that Harley had been abused and that the previous owners did not understand some of his issues.  First he was allergic to a number of foods which caused him to vomit.  Also he had difficulty chewing (appeared to have bad gums) and swallowing food (appeared he had difficulty swallowing).  He had a burn mark which looked like it was from a car lighter on his shoulder, and a scar where a rib had broken through his skin near his back belly area.  When ever my wife or I were cleaning the house with a broom or carried something that looked like a stick in our hands he shied away from us and tucked his tail (nub really) between his legs.  He had tremendous separation anxiety and was stubborn beyond anything that we had dealt with Phoenix.  And unlike Phoenix who is a bit of a chicken, Harley is not afraid of anything.    
None of the above issues were really big problems.  Both my wife and I are pretty well versed in dog training as we both grew up with family dogs.  We found a food he was not allergic to (Natural Balance

 

[g00dgirl]

First, Welcome to BF!
Now-
I think you should find a dog behaviorist (not a trainer) in your area to come to your house and witness what you are talking about.  It sounds like fear aggression to me, but it is hard to tell without seeing it.  He is under a table, cornered and someone is sticking their face in his trying to drag him out. this is possibly very similar to things he experienced when he was being severely abused in his previous home.  IMO he was defending himself because he thought he was about to be beaten again.
I guess you realize now that grabbing an aggressive dog and holding it down is NOT the correct way to handle the situation. Are your dogs crated? If so, just place him in the crate while you are eating.  If not, get a leash and tether him to the wall or across the room while you eat.  You want to prevent him getting under the table in the first place.
Have you tried before to completely ignore him while he is under the table? Don't acknowledge him under there, don't look at or talk to him.  Even if he nudges your legs, just ignore it- even negative attention is attention to him.  If he never gets feed or acknowledged he should stop going under there to beg eventually. It may take days or weeks- but eventually it should work.
I hope this helps- good luck with him, and thanks for rescuing a dog in need

 

[Patti]

wow, that sounds really scary & I'm sure your pretty shaken up and saddened by it. I would start him with a canine behaviour professional right away, and in the meantime start on a strict NILF (nothing in life is free) plan. Can you crate him during dinner to avoid this situation? I'm no expert in agressive types of behaviour hopefully someone with more experience can answer  your questipns more elaborately. Good luck!

 

[Barbs2Ks]

So sorry to hear about your problems, Harley sounds like a great dog and you have done so much for him.  I don't have enough experience to give you any help but have you considered talking to a behaviorist?  I know that several on here have had issues that a behaviorist has been able to help with.  I hope you come up with a solution that will help Harley.

 

[Shadowjack]

First, Welcome to BF!

Thanks, I have lurked in the back ground for a while.  But decided to register and post.

[quote="g00dgirl\";p=\"105868":3e4fngdf]I think you should find a dog behaviorist (not a trainer) in your area to come to your house and witness what you are talking about.

 

[jasonl]

How was he after you showed leadership , this should be the deciding factor in how you continue tring to help him
my boxer used to challange me all the time , if i tried removing her from the bed , or diner , if he responded submisive to you then you need to continue acting as the pack leader , but if he bacame fearfull when you grabbed him , then something like positive recienforcement with limits and quick corrections mabey better. i hope even after he bit you you continued you move foward . if you back away he has won. now he knows if i get mad he wont touch me
put him in a crate near the table . work from there . out when he is calm in when bad . even if he fights it will only be a few times he will understand
invite some of that family over for diner  and start training
Good Luck

 

[msdiamonddawg]

[quote="jasonl\";p=\"106011":t95f42qs]put him in a crate near the table . work from there . out when he is calm in when bad . even if he fights it will only be a few times he will understand
invite some of that family over for diner

 

[g00dgirl]

I understand the crate issues- my girl cannot be crated either b/c she freaks out.  So, I would go with tethering him while you have guests over.
Also, work on his down/stay when you aren't eating.  When you are eating place him further away if you need to so you can reinforce the stay before he gets under the table.
Good luck with him!

 

[Britneysdad]

Hi Shadowjack,

Welcome to the BF!

You mention, " you exercise him as much as possible." Does this mean you are taking him for walks and having him heal by your side? If not, I would recommend very highly that you start doing this at least 45 min. twice a day.

 

[nano]

Welcome to BF!

Your dogs are beautiful, although I've never met a boxer I just didn't love!

I just did some extensive training (under the instruction of a certified canine behaviorist) with a dog that had this exact same issue.

 

[Shadowjack]

[quote="Britneysdad\";p=\"106083":19v5vx6b]Hi Shadowjack,
You mention, " you exercise him as much as possible." Does this mean you are taking him for walks and having him heal by your side? If not, I would recommend very highly that you start doing this at least 45 min. twice a day.

 

[Shadowjack]

Welcome to BF!

Your dogs are beautiful, although I've never met a boxer I just didn't love!

Thank you.

 

[nano]

The dog I dealt with was resource guarding the owner.