Getting Mad At Dogs That Look Like Him

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dieselicious

Boxer Pal
On Monday we took Diesel to his favorite place in the whole world...the dog park!!! We were there with a couple of other dogs and he was playing great, but none of them looked like him, black and chocolate labs. Then in walked a dog that looked like him but wasnt a boxer i dont even remember what they said the dog was but he DID NOT LIKE HIM....He would play with his other friends then out of nowhere run up to this dog and growl, never have i seen him growl at another dog. My boyfriend and i were shocked and told him "no". That dog left and he continued to play with the labs very happily and then they decided to leave and in walked two boxers and we were joyed, but he was not. He was not aggressive but was growling at them and trying to get them all most. He would walk away and then start all over again. we kept telling him no but it didnt seem to matter. It was like an angry growl too...Was he just tired of being at the park or was he defending his territory and why is only to dogs that look like him??? Please help me on this one.....
 
LucNesbitt

LucNesbitt

Super Boxer
It could be any number of things. Our boy Moab has not liked a single boxer we've introduced him to in the past 2 months yet if we introduce him to a lab or husky, he's perfect. We were trying to rescue a boxer and b/c of this, it got put on hold. We sought a behaviorist and here's a couple things she told us that I didn't know beforehand.

1) Dark colored dogs are more difficult for other dogs to read their facial signals and body language. If these were brindles or had dark faces, maybe Diesel wasn't sure how to react to them?

2) Boxers naturally have a more agressive stance (chest puffed out, etc) b/c of their build. This can make other dogs more defensive, whether they're other boxers or not. If they were adult boxers and had more of that proud stance we all love, maybe Diesel saw that as threatening in some way?

I understand your confusion though. We desperately want another boxer but Moab has decided otherwise. We're working with a behaviorist right now to help us and him but we really don't know if he'll ever accept a new dog. I'm not saying you would ever have this problem and I absolutely don't want to cause you any alarm. Maybe you could set up some play dates with other boxers and see how Diesel does? He might just need some positive experiences with other boxers before he realizes how much fun they can be!

Best of luck to you!
 
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dieselicious

Boxer Pal
Very Strange

thanks for the feedback!! he has had lots of time with other boxers....he was with 2 other boxers before we got him and our neighbors have a boxer that he does play with and sometimes he does get aggressive with him but in a playful manner. And we have friends who have a 6yr old male and 4 month old female and he gets along great with them. I dont know if he was being protective because he was at the dog park before these other dogs. I dont know, i am not to alarmed at least not yet, just confused on why now??
 
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