Don't touch the head!

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apollosdad

apollosdad

Boxer Insane
regis2259-
i completely agree with gmacleod, in that it is not aggression. too many people incorrectly pronounce something as aggression, but are too quick to jump the gun. what ends up happening is that you go about correcting the unwanted behavior in the wrong way.
it sounds to me like your pup might have been mistreated before. did you get him from a reputable breeder? pet store? byb?
when a pup "flinches" or lowers his head when a hand is being held over it, it is a good sign that the poor dog might have been abused. in actuality, it is a defensive reaction to growl or snap, out of fear.
you might try handling your pet a bit more and giving it plenty of affection. limit the amount of times you pet him on his head at first, but DO gradually begin to pet him there as well. you want to desensitize him from this behavior so that he doesn't grow older and start to snap at anyone who wants to touch his head. just keep giving him affection and when you are doing so, just move your hands towards his head so that he can see that there is nothing wrong. you can also try re-training him with the "sit" command and utilize the treat over the nose method. that way he will associate a positive with a hand being held over his head.
 
beausmommy

beausmommy

Boxer Insane
The only time Beau has ever gotten aggressive around a child was because of Bailey. We were at Petco and Beau was fine with being petted, but when the little girl reached under him to pet Bailey on the head, he got aggressive and snapped at her. I'm wondering if maybe he saw this as aggression toward his little bro. I'd actually welcome that explanation because I've been thinking that it's because he doesn't like kids. So...do they view it as aggression when someone pets another dog on the head??
 
R

regis2259

Boxer Booster
Thanks everyone! Pokey is a big baby with our family, it doesn’t bother him if “we” touch his head, that is why I was so surprised with his behavior Tuesday. I am so proud to know that it is NOT a sign of aggression!

zoe-bear - The nails are a different story, I would like to try the Dremel, where did you purchase it?

apollosdad - I agree with you that too many people incorrectly pronounce something as aggression, and are too quick to correct the unwanted behavior in the wrong way, and that is what I don't want to do with Pokey. Thank you for your suggestions. As far as Pokey being abused, I know he hasn’t been. I know the breeder we got him from very well and he has only been with us since leaving him.

Gus's Teah – When will the level 1 classes be starting again? This is my busiest time of year, my oldest son is on our high school baseball team and they play several nights a week and my youngest son actually starts his season tonight. I am usually running to different towns every night of the week. And the price of gas...enough said.

gmacleod – Thank you for reminding me about the second fear imprint stage, I need to learn more about the stage he is currently going through. You have been so helpful to me! I just hope one day to know ½ of what you do about the Boxer breed! Thank you for taking so much of your time to help people like me. :D
 
gmacleod

gmacleod

Elusive Moderator
Staff member
sgbtab said:
I will make sure when I go to the dog park not to pet any dog on the head. my guys love when i pet them on the head I hope that I am not screwing them up.
Click to expand...

Avoiding petting a strange dog on the head is a very wise idea. Or at very least, pet it somewhere else first. Going straight to a strangers head is at very least rude LOL

Petting your own dogs on the head isn't going to screw them up. But it is a very dominant gesture - so if your dog is giving you signals that you're making him uncomfortable by doing it, then you need to back off. Actually, even when they aren't especially threatened by the head thing, most dogs don't much like it. The ears go back and down, often accompanied by some air licking. Those aren't signals of enjoyment, the ears is a submissive gesture and the licking is a calming signal. In short, the message is "OK, I submit. Please calm down and don't hurt me". A lot of people wrongly interpret those signals as enjoyment. The dog would enjoy their attentions a whole lot more if they were directed away from the head though ;)

Now of course dogs can learn that touching of the head by a human isn't intended to be threatening, just as they can learn that eye contact from a human isn't threatening either (it would be from another dog). And they can thus learn to enjoy our attentions on our terms and according to our language/body signals rather than theirs. But *if* you're getting the message from your dog that he is threatened by your behaviour, it is better to take heed of that and work the dog up to a comfort level that allows him to accept it rather than forcing him into a threatening situation. The latter case risks the dog feeling a need to defend himself beyond just a warning growl or snap.
 
apollosdad

apollosdad

Boxer Insane
regis2259-
good to hear that you know what type of treatment your pup was getting before you got him. it's a relief to hear. ;)
 
Z

zoe-bear

Boxer Booster
Dremels are multi purpose tools with all sorts of attchements, you should be able to find them at any home improvement store, possibly Walmart, otherwise if you don't want the full works just getting a nail grinder would be fine, I have seen them in the Drs Fosters & Smith & JB Pet magazines, & I would think pet stores probably carry them. We already owned a Dremel when I heard to use them as a nail grinder so never price checked. Our 2 accepted it almost immediately, good luck!
 
Gus's Teah

Gus's Teah

Super Boxer
I too was very surprised to hear about the head petting as being uncomfortable to dogs! Add that to the countless (and growing) number of things I've learned on this site...

Regis - the classes start again on the 2nd of May. I understand the busy part!!! I don't even have skin kids yet and can't imagine how much busier they make you!

gmacleod - I'll definitely be reading those links about body language as I think that I may have "misdiagnosed" Gus with aggression too early. What do you think I should do about his growling when certain strangers approach him? I only want for him to be a happy, well-adjusted dog :confused:
 
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