Dogs with "problems?"

[BigDies]

I couldn't decide if this should be posted here or in the training/behavioural forum so I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong spot...

I was just curious how many people had boxers with issues..ie, extreme shyness, dog/man/children/people in general aggression. I had a Dalmatian who was increadibly dog agressive and am noticing that my Diesel boy seems to be slowly heading down a similar path. He just seems to get the introduction period all wrong by assuming a very dominant stance when meeting another dog. Usually, if the other dog accepts it, there is no problem but a lot of dogs don't seem to appriciate it. He never seems to start the fight directly but maybe more through the body language.

He also (after the previously posted incident) seems to be becoming leash aggressive. :(

I've never owned a people aggressive dog though and Diesel is amazingly tolerant of children. He also LOVES little dogs, he has no idea he's a giant to them :rolleyes:. Anyway, I'm not exactly looking for advice on what to do with him, I'm just curious if anyone shares the embarrasment and frustration of owning an aggressive or other wise difficult (but still rediculously loved of course!) dog.

 

[EAO76]

YES! I have an aggressive (people aggressive) Boxer. Trucker was rescued when he was about 4yrs. I have no history on him but judging from the fly strike that was on his ears it’s likely that he was just a back yard dog & never socialized. We have been working with him for a long time and he has made progress but he still needs to be monitored very closely around anyone he doesn’t know. But he is such an amazingly funny & sweet dog once you get to know him! I just wish more people could see that side of him.

 

[Widges]

Billy was also rescued and we noticed straight away that he also had not been properly socialised or treated with any sort of respect. He is not good with small dogs (they run fast & the chase is on - so I avoid dog parks with small dogs in them :() Other size dogs he is great with, he is fab with children - although can get quite excited and then is over zealous, so he gets watched very carefully when other children come over to play. Freaks out at automatic doors and is fear aggressive towards men.

So you are not alone - and Billy is still after nearly 3 years with us, a work in progress.

 

[BigDies]

But he is such an amazingly funny & sweet dog once you get to know him! I just wish more people could see that side of him.

I know how you feel. The Dalmatian I owned actually ended up biting a dog and the other owners took us to court over it (even after we offered to pay the vet bills ) and from then on whenever we walked him we had to take him out in a muzzle. He loved people, but whenever they saw that muzzle they gave him a LOT of room. He always would kinda head there way hoping to get pet too :( they probably always thought he was going to eat them!

 

[Bruisersmomi]

Well, Bruiser is not aggressive one bit, BUT I think he is seriously ADHD. We can't have him out of his crate when company is over because he literally will be on top of them licking and all up in there business. Bruiser is a product of a BYB so he was definately not bred for temperment. I got him without doing any research but I have learned from this and would only go with a reputable breeder next time. He pulls on leashes and just cannot sit still when he is around other people. When I try to restrain him around company he will literally throw him self on the floor kicking and wiggling around, almost like a 2 year old. I don't know what to do, he is the most loving dog ever but I can't take him anywhere without acting out. I was actually going to post this the other day then I saw your post and thought....a sign maybe? LOL Any suggestions?

 

[Tima]

Tima ws like the two year old kicking and screaming on the floor

My Tee Tee boy was like this with people he needed a serious dose of manners...But when I watched closely it was certain people who just adored him that allowed the behavior of a crawling slobbering kissing boxer on them that encouraged it for every visitor...now as mean as Mommy is I don't let even the ones who love it encourage his kisses. Now after a fun wiggle and greet he lays on his bed pouting .
As for the aggression my Tee is unfortunately at the head of every possible bad meet and greet with other dogs.He was bit by a smaller dog at the dog park (his very first outing poor guy) now every dog he sees is fair game.He does however have two best friends our neighbors golden and a chow mix he plays with at the lake. Jake next door is a very well balanced dog and Tima has never had an issue with him.Tia is the chow mix at the lake and she runs him like donald trump runs NY ...as for other dogs if they are even as slightly unbalanced as he is he goes after them on or off leash.
The good news is that even though he's 8 he has had improvement over the past year or so learning to ignore other dogs and pay attention to me on walks.Its hard work but you need to remember not to be tense when taking your lil ball of fire out ...He'll feed off your anxiety I know mine did....good luck,be patient, and may puppy love be with you

 

[beausmommy]

Beau is people aggressive. Only my parents, my brother and one of my brother's friends are allowed in my house when Beau is loose. He has never inflicted serious injuries but that is only because he has not been allowed around strangers unrestrained since he began showing signs of aggression 2.5 years ago. It is very humiliating. I hired the only behaviorist in town and he was too afraid to work with Beau. Therefore, Beau must live a very sheltered life. I've had multiple people suggest I put him down because he's "an accident waiting to happen" but I won't do it. Sometimes I feel like he controls my life and it is exhausting having to watch him so closely all the time but he is extremely sweet toward the select people he likes. He is also a very fearful dog (I'm sure this contributes to the aggression). He has separation anxiety and is terrified of storms. Essentially, he does not have a lot of the traits I read about when deciding to get a boxer but I think that just makes him special

 

[RubyRu]

not so much 'problems' as a lifestyle (turned out long sorry)

I have a fawn 4 year old boxer she came from a friend of mine who couldn’t have her any more as she was fighting with the other dogs in the pack. The fights were escalating and blood and fur was flying, the vet recommended putting her down before she became more 'dangerous'.

I took her home with me and for the first three days she slept She now lives alone and didn’t seem to suffer separation anxiety which was the big worry.
She has had to relearn EVERYTHING. She is not allowed on my furniture and that goes double for the bed. She has come from a home where everything was fair game and sleeping on the bed was actively encouraged but I just don’t like it.

She is sadly a very nervous dog, but rather than cowering on meeting people and dog she goes for the aggressive approach, ears tail hackles all up, growling. She isn’t very big, I've known bigger boxer bitches but for all that its intimidating and I can’t let her off the lead around people and dogs which means our walk schedule is more like a military campaign so she can go off the lead :s

She is left all day while I work she has the run of the hall and kitchen in the house. I’ve had to stop her getting into the rooms in the house while I’m not in because she gets on the furniture and pees on it. She doesn’t pee in the hall and after the first week of lots of training she stopped peeing in the house.

She also destroys things this can vary from underlay, she pulls the carpet up to get at it. Oddly and thankfully she doesn’t damage the carpet (I rent, carpet is harder to fix than underlay) to the plastic in the recycling box. I know that this is likely caused by bad manners from her old home where she was allowed to take anything from any one and anywhere, combined with being alone all day but I do have to work.
I don’t want to crate her during the day while I’m away, confining her all day seems worse than spending time working on her manners.

She growls at people coming into the house, I had friends stay over a week ago and she was unfriendly towards both of them we were very careful to introduce her to them one at once and we did lots of stick throwing on her walk to build some sort of relationship (she doesn’t really ‘get’ fetch she will chase what you throw but tends to get to it and give you a ‘now what look?’ she also seems to be of the opinion if I wanted the stick I shouldn’t have thrown it in the first place and she isn’t about to fetch it for me) but she didn’t really settle and spent two days hardly eating which had me very worried. She took a day or so to settle down once they had left and her appetite came back and she’s fine now.
I don’t trust her around children, she growls and acts threatening, which is sad because I have a sister who would like to visit but because she has a daughter who is only one and a half I have had to ask her not to.

However for all of her problems and the things I have to differently to accommodate her I wouldn’t do anything else she is a very happy healthy dog and putting her down would have been a terrible shame. She has rules and boundaries with me and we have bonded very well I am the undisputed leader of the pack and she makes me laugh as much as she makes me sigh in aspiration.

The only problem I really really can’t solve is how to think faster than her when it comes to stopping her getting into trouble before she gets there

 

[chrystel]

I have 2:

Snatch is shy-nervous and gets scared of thunderstorm. But he is a sweetie and gets along with everyone, is so respectful and would never misbehave....

Oxford is dog-aggressive. He gets along with his buddies he knows since puppyhood... but any new dog, he gets in "psycho-mode"

great..... lots of work in my hands!!!