Crouching = violence?

[BroD]

Lately Brody has been crouching down whenever anyone approaches our fence. My neighbor has commented about it EVERY DAY for weeks now, saying he can't come to our fence anymore when we are not in the yard because Brody is "becoming violent." (Personally, I don't understand why the man would be coming up to the fence if we are not in the yard, but that's neither here nor there.) He says Brody crouches like he is getting ready to attack, and he has become afraid of the dog (not afraid enough to stop reaching over the fence, but whatever). Anyway, is this "crouching down" behavior really a sign of aggression, or is it more likely a sign of submission? I've seen him crouch like that at the dog park, when we first get there and all the other dogs rush him-- then they all sniff each other and everything is fine. Brody is definately a submissive dog and I can't imagine him ever "becoming violent" in any way. Any ideas on the meaning of this behavior? We're putting up a privacy fence in the Spring to keep nosy neighbors away from my boy, but until then, should I be worried?? What should I tell my neighbor to get him off our case?

 

[Just-A-Clown]

If he is laying down on his belly, maybe with head low and ears flattened, he is being submissive. Ask your neighbor to greet him calmly, talk softly and friendly to him and I bet he will stand and wag his tail, or entire behind.

 

[BroD]

As soon as my neighbor says his name, Brody jumps up and is all wiggles and joy. My neighbor even takes his little chihuaua (sp?) and dangles him over the fence for Brody to play with. Actually, I'm a little more concerned about my neighbor's behavior than Brody's!

 

[Indy's mom]

I'm certainly not an expert and won't pretend to be, but it's your neighbors behavior that would concernt me. Why is he reaching over the fence into your yard when you are not out there? That is Brody's 'territory' and many dogs would see that they are supposed to stop that from happening. Dangling his little dog is just asking for trouble! I'm sure that if Brody were to box, pull on that little dog with feet or teeth he would be accused of attacking in stead of playing.

In my humble opinion your neighbor is provoking, and sooner or later something serious could happen with Brody taking the blame. Please ask your neighbor to simply stay away from the fence unless you are outside to supervise, it's the polite, neighborly thing to do on his part. Be very insistent and supervise Brody's time outside, you don't want anything to happen to your buddy.

 

[ehayes21]

I'm certainly not an expert and won't pretend to be, but it's your neighbors behavior that would concernt me. Why is he reaching over the fence into your yard when you are not out there? That is Brody's 'territory' and many dogs would see that they are supposed to stop that from happening. Dangling his little dog is just asking for trouble! I'm sure that if Brody were to box, pull on that little dog with feet or teeth he would be accused of attacking in stead of playing.

In my humble opinion your neighbor is provoking, and sooner or later something serious could happen with Brody taking the blame. Please ask your neighbor to simply stay away from the fence unless you are outside to supervise, it's the polite, neighborly thing to do on his part. Be very insistent and supervise Brody's time outside, you don't want anything to happen to your buddy.

Excellent post and I totally agree. I would tell your neighbor to quit that right away.

 

[TwoDogs]

The neighbor's behavior concerns me, too. What other liberties might he take when you aren't around to see? Setting that aside, though, could he be misinterpreting a play bow? You said your dog is all wiggles and shows affection to the neighbor while you are there to supervise. Could your dog be play bowing? I know my dogs will bow low and almost pounce from side to side and even forward when initiating play this way. They are terribly vocal and will grumble and growl but it's all in play. My male will resort to a demanding bark when frustrated that could be interpreted as aggressive if you didn't know better.

I would ask the neighbor's help and watch from a window while he approaches your dog to see the behavior and judge for yourself. If it's just play, explain it to your neighbor. Boxers are exhuberant and do have a different play style. It could be that his dog in fact does some of the same behaviors, but since he has a Chi, he is not used to seeing it come from a bigger, louder breed.

It could be fear. Some fearful dogs are submissive and some become fear-aggressive. My rescued female is fear-aggressive and will bark and lunge at strange people and things. I've had people exclaim "My! She's so protective." and I have to laugh at their misinterpretation of her behavior. If she were truely protective, she wouldn't be putting me between herself and the scary thing! She has mastered the art of lunging forward while moving backward away from scary things. If your dog is showing fear by either submitting or aggressing, a good program of gradually socializing him to strangers will help change the behavior. In the meantime, explain to your neighbor that you are working on the behavior and you don't want your dog to practice inappropriate behavior when your not there to interrupt it, so could he please not approach the fence when you are not there to supervise.

If the behavior seems harmless to you, or your neighbor is going crazy and seems to be making the whole thing up but insists on continuing to approach your dog anyway, you can always tell him that you've heard of a rash of dog thefts in your area where dogs are stolen right from their yards. Tell him you don't want your dog to learn to approach people at the fence or accept treats and petting from strangers without you there and so could he please no longer approach your dog when he is alone in the yard.

 

[Murp.mm]

I agree with everyone else. Your neighbour should not be reaching over the fence particularly with a small dog in his arms. About the crouching down Ali has done this especially when she was younger. Sometimes when we were out walking she would crouch right down when she saw something or someone. She does this when she plays with her doggie friends too. I never made anything of it cause when we would meet someone she would just wiggle and be real silly. Boxers are fun of fun and just act real silly on times.

 

[ELubas]

As soon as my neighbor says his name, Brody jumps up and is all wiggles and joy. My neighbor even takes his little chihuaua (sp?) and dangles him over the fence for Brody to play with. Actually, I'm a little more concerned about my neighbor's behavior than Brody's!

Uh, Brody is fine but your neighbor sounds a little strange...Brody is being very polite so i would ask your neighbor to please not "dangle" his dog over the fence and how scared can he be if he is doing that anyway...

 

[Gruntsmom]

I totally agree that your neighbor should not be approaching your fenceline while Brody is in the yard alone, and definitely not "dangling" his dog over the fence. He is asking for trouble!! Some of the suggestions posted are good and very diplomatic. Hopefully, your neighbor will have the sense to listen and comply. Good luck, and let us know how it goes. Your boy sounds like a sweetie!

 

[dafzichu]

I will chime in and agree about your neighbors behavior at your fence. Sometimes when Mindy wants me to chase her she crotches and tried sort of stalk and sneak up on me, like she is going to chase me. The first time she did it, I was a little wierded out b/c I thought, like your neighbor, she might come after me (I hadn't had her for very long at that point, now I know she wouldn't attack). It took me a time or two to realize she just wanted to play with me.