Aggression towards people

[NYBoxer]

I have a 4 month old male boxer. He is a great dog. He is very playful and is great with my kids. I know he is currently teething. He sometimes shows some aggression towards my wife(it doesn't happen that often - maybe 1-2 times a week). She saids that he gets this look in his eyes and tries to bite her hands if she goes near him. I saw him doing it last night for the first time when she tried to pick him up. He was trying to snip at her hands at at the same time he was also wagging his tail. I think he is just being overly playful at times. He sometimes tries to snip at my hands and I tell him to stop and he does. He slao gives my wife a hard time when she tries to put him in his crate if she is going out. He will look at her and kinda of snip at her. I have told her to be more forceful and show him authority. Also, i have heard that if you get him neutered it will somewhat cause his aggression to sudside. Is that true?

Is this normal or should I be concerned?

 

[natrhymer]

I don't know much about normal puppy behavior (I've never owned a puppy less than a year old), but have read countless articles on aggression (our boy Dieter, who we adopted at about 1 year old, is fear aggressive). Do a forum search for aggression; there is really great information here and TONS of it. It could be that he is challenging your wife for pack status, or it could be normal puppy play behavior. Obedience training that you AND your wife participate in is always a great first step. Seek out a qualified trainer, talk to your vet and read through the forums here. Start here (if you haven't read through it already): http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46555

And if you don't plan on showing your puppy, then getting him neutered is best for his health and happiness, regardless of what benefits it might have toward curbing aggressive behavior.

Good luck!

 

[boxer]

Sounds like normal puppy behaviour to me

There's plenty of information in the forums about teaching puppies' bite inhibition and more appropriate ways to play. There is also a short (but useful) article here that should give you some good pointers: http://www.boxerworld.com/puppy/biting/

 

[NYBoxer]

Thanks for your responses. I am bringing him to the vet on Saturday so I will ask the vet what I can do. Today, my wife had no problem taking him for a walk or putting him in his crate when she left for work.