can anyone offer any advice they may have please

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maureenmay

Boxer Pal
hello everyone! i am very new here so i hope this posts ok!
i own a 6 and a half year old boxer called mollie. when she got to about 6 months in age her behaviour was starting to be very dominant so i started to take her to training school which lasted about 2 and a half years (yes it took that long !!!) i never gave up on her and i have always put her in her place if she tries to take over as pack leader. from time to time she would growl at my daughter.
last monday mollie crossed a fine line. my 3 year old son and my daughter were playing a board game on the table when the dice my son rolled fell off. he got down of his chair and bent down to pick it up and lost his footing and accidently fell on mollie. mollie DID NOT GROWL but as he was getting up to a standing position mollie lunged for his face and cut his top lip which drew blood. i was very very shocked thankfully my son is ok. i cannot believe she could do this and cannot believe she could do this in the same room as me.
i have taken her to the vet and she gave me a behaviourist number (i am waiting for her to call me back) i am taking mollie to the vets this wednesday to have a full health check in case there is a underlying problem.
my vet was very supportive and said she support me in whatever i decide eg: re-homing or the other thing that i cant even bring myself to type.
mollie also has gone very aggressive to my other dog (bichon frise) since this happened last monday.

has anyone been in a similar situation with there boxer??
this is my first boxer and wondered if they reach a age like 6 years onwards can there behaviour change???
any advice or tips i would be grateful for.

thankyou for taking the time to read this
maureenmay
 
ehayes21

ehayes21

Boxer Insane
Oh wow. I am so sorry you're having to deal with this. I would definitely get a full health check up on her. Drastic changes in behavior are often a symptom of an underlying medical issue. If she checks out to be in good health, your next step should be a behaviorist - one who preferrably practices a positive approach to behavior modification. Until you can get her some help, I would definitely keep her away from the kids. Good luck and keep us posted on her progress.
 
Firerobin

Firerobin

Boxer Booster
I rescued a English Springer Spaniel (waiting at bridge), he was the sweetest boy ever, wouldn't hurt anyone, but one day for no reason he snapped at Stryker who was about 6 months old at the time and a few days later he snapped at my 100 lbs German Shepherd, so I knew there was someting going on, went to the vet and as soon as she looked into his mouth, she noticed that he had an absessed tooth, had the tooth removed and NEVER had any problems with him snapping again.
 
BxrMommieNAZ

BxrMommieNAZ

Boxer Insane
Unfortunately my experience isn't as happy ending as the other, but when my Boxer boy started showing some aggression (to dogs though not humans) around 6-7 years old it turned out it was a neurological problem. Unfortunately he deteriorated fast and he passed away 9 months or so later.

Definitely get it checked out and keep an eye on any other odd behaviors or abnormalities.

Good luck!
 
Epilogue

Epilogue

Boxer Pal
Its sounds like you're doing all the appropriate steps to address the issue, good for you. I really hope if it is a health issue that its something simple, like the abscess tooth mentioned above. Maybe have a talk with your kid(s) telling them to steer clear for awhile til you get that figured out. Just try to keep your cool and be vigilant. Keep us posted please...
 
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maureenmay

Boxer Pal
update on mollie

i took mollie to the vet this morning. the vet shaved her fur to see the lump and she tried to take a swab but mollie was having none of it. in the end the vet said that she will need to sedate mollie to do further biopsy and blood tests. the vet said it could be fatty tissue lipoma i think she called it or it could be a mast cell tumour. she wants me to keep an eye on the lump for 4 weeks to see if it grows etc if it does grow alot in a week i need to take her back ASAP. the vet told me mollies chances and to be honest it doesnt look good at the moment. i am devestated and my heart feels like it is breaking. i am praying for her and keeping my fingers crossed it is just fatty tissue. mollie also has a lump on her hind leg and a further 3 smaller lumps on her back but the vet could not do much as she was not keeping still (took 3 of us to hold her down) and in the end we had to muzzle her as she was growling(first time she has ever growled at a vet) the vet will look at the scrape she took to see if she can see anything abnormal and will phone me if there is, but i dont think she could get enough.
i will keep you informed of mollies progress
i spoke to the behaviourist who said mollie was NOT being dominant as to why she attacked my son..........but now it looks like it is a underlying health problem as to why she did it.
 
RileyandMax

RileyandMax

Boxer Buddy
Is the lump under the skin or in the skin (can you move the skin over it)?

We have a wheaten terrier who has a small bump (like pimple sized for a while), and then in the course of a couple of weeks, it got to like golf ball size and became very painful. It felt like it was in or attached to her skin, and it ended up just being an infected hair follicle. We were preparing for the worst, but it turned out to be a minor thing. I hope that you and Mollie are as lucky.
 
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maureenmay

Boxer Pal
the lump is on her skin and you cant move it. last night while she was peaceful and sleepy i checked over her again and i found a new lump just below her ear and another where her collar is on the shoulder and one on her leg. they are all different sizes. and it seems like they have just "appeared" so quickly. i hope it is not bad news thankyou to all your replies.
 
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