We have three boxers in our house, a 13 year old girl, 7 1/2 year old boy and a 8 month old male puppy (Recently neutered) Lately the puppy keeps attacking the older girl without warning. They could be walking together and then he pounces on her and pins her down. I pull him off and scold him and make him go into the 'down' position for a minute or so. My main word is 'off' and 'enough'. It is still happening and I am looking for some advice on what to do next. My poor old girl (Her name is Bunny) doesn't need this...
8 Month old boxer puppy being aggressive to my 13 year old boxer girl
- Thread starter Dannyboy
- Start date
TwoDogs
Boxer Insane
Ah, 8 month old males--if they're not acting like clueless dorks they're acting like cocky punks. Honestly though, your description of his "attacks" isn't really very descriptive. I don't mean it to be insulting, it's just that more description of the interaction is needed for anyone to offer you meaningful advice. What specifically does each dog do during the interaction? What do his ears look like--pinned back, relaxed, alert and forward? What is his mouth doing--tight lipped, tongue out, lips raised? How does he pin her--box her with paws, bite at her neck, body slam, goes for her legs? Is he pinning her, or is she just flopping over to get him to stop? Does he bite her? Is there any punctures or just a lot of swapping of spit? How long do the altercations last? What are they doing right before it happens and how do they behave toward each other right after? Look closely for signals that will predict the behavior--nothing ever happens without warning, it just happens so quickly we often miss it. If you happened to have video of it occurring, we'd be better able to give advise as to the possible cause and suggestions for altering the behavior.
Hi,
Thanks and I will try and be more descriptive about this.
His ears are forward, he grabs her by the neck. He is tight lipped. No bite punctures, just slobber. The events only lasts a few seconds (when I stop it by pulling him off of her) there are times when these events occur when they just received a treat, but not all of the time. He will be walking along side of her and then turn around and then it happens. He does a deep growl and she lets out with a whimper....
Thanks and I will try and be more descriptive about this.
His ears are forward, he grabs her by the neck. He is tight lipped. No bite punctures, just slobber. The events only lasts a few seconds (when I stop it by pulling him off of her) there are times when these events occur when they just received a treat, but not all of the time. He will be walking along side of her and then turn around and then it happens. He does a deep growl and she lets out with a whimper....
TwoDogs
Boxer Insane
I would not be surprised if this is resource guarding behavior. Some dogs will aggressively attack other dogs over things that we don't necessarily recognize as resources. I've had a number of clients who described attacks "for no reason" and it was actually that the dog was guarding/attempting to control access to doorways, preferred sleeping areas, food prep areas, or proximity to the owner. Generally, adopting an approach like 'Nothing In Life Is Free' and teaching some good old obedience behaviors to give the owner a way to direct the dogs behavior around each other work well to teach the guardy dog that it isn't his place to control things.
I would also recommend that you take a close look at your 13 y.o. girl. It is not entirely uncommon for a dog with health issues to become the target of attacks. For example, there are many stories of dogs suffering from petite mal seizures that go unnoticed by the owner, but incite an attack from housemate dogs. Maybe there is something going on with your old girl's health that causes your male to target her.
I would also recommend that you take a close look at your 13 y.o. girl. It is not entirely uncommon for a dog with health issues to become the target of attacks. For example, there are many stories of dogs suffering from petite mal seizures that go unnoticed by the owner, but incite an attack from housemate dogs. Maybe there is something going on with your old girl's health that causes your male to target her.
Sad news. My baby girl bunny passed away yesterday after having a series of seizures. She was 13 years, 2 months old. When you mentioned the seizures in your last post I wonder if she was having mini seizures as you had said. Very sad right now. I will be posting her passing on the Rainbow Bridge section.
LoveMyDoggie
Boxer Insane
Very sorry to hear this. It sounds like she lived a long and happy Boxer life.
