Help me! I don't know what to do!!

[camilla]

I'm sending tihis message with hoping that someone can give me some help with what do do...
We have a big problem with our 12 weeks old boxerpuppie.
The problem is that he's so aggressive and we don't know what this can depend on.
The thing is that it doesn't only occur when he is playing. He can lie still but then suddenly, out of nowhere, he starts to snarl and jumps up on us biting real hard. It is the same thing when coming in after a walk. When taking of the leash sometimes he gets really upset, snarls and tries to attack. He has biten both me and my boyfriend several times, so it bleed.

I know that puppies often play quite brutal with eachother, but I honestly don't think this is a game for him.

To me it seems like he tries to be dominant, but isn't he too young for that kind of behaviour? According to the breeder, the puppies in the litter are very early in their development, but I don't know..I've tried to search for answers in books about boxers, but I can't even find anything about boxers being aggressive!!

I have wondered if his behaviour could be explained by that he is stressed, but I can't see what it would be in our everyday life that could make him feel that way. He is never left alone and together with us all day. We don't play any figthgames, or games that are stressful to him. Instead we try to play games that activates him menatlly. We are outside a lot, and he has the opportunity to run and play outside and to get an outlet for his energy.

He almost never wants to cuddle, he is either hysteric,snarling and attacking, or asleep. There doesn't seem to be something inbetween.

What shall we do when he shows this aggressive behaviour? It seems to us that nothing works!! We have tried to grap his neck and say 'no' in a firm voice, but this seems to trigger him more. The same is with the advice we got to snarl back, but when doing this he snarls even worse and attacks us! We have tried to ignore him, and to walk away when he attacks, but he doesn't care! It doesn't matter how long we ignore him, because as soon as we starts to pay him attention, he attacks again. And this is eventhough he has calmed down while ignoring him. We have also tried to spray water on him but he thought that was fun.

I read somewhere that one should castrate puppies that showes aggression early, is this true?

As this is our first boxer and I've never heard that they would have aggresice tendencies, I feel like a failure. Has anyone else experiences with aggressive puppies?


Please help us!!

 

[Bers]

I think it is very hard to classify a 12 wk. old puppy as "aggressive". He's still just a baby, and still learning about his environment. While he may have a genetic predisposition toward dominance, he is still very young and probably not even concerned about the social hierarchy. One thing that worked very well for us to teach about a soft mouth, was to let our puppy play with older, healthy dogs. They will tolerate a lot of naughty puppy behavior, but will reprimand the pup in a very clear way when he gets out of line, without really hurting him. It may be his first lesson about self control. He is also old enough to begin learning basic obedience, so you should get a good book on positive reinforcement dog training and start right away. Just remember he's a baby, and expect too much from him. Holding a dog down and growling at it is not recommended, especially when the dog is already riled up and ready to fight. The best way to teach your dog is by setting him up to make the right decisions about how to get what he wants by being polite and well-mannered. If I were you, I would be absolutely intolerant of all biting of human skin, hair, and clothing. That means the instant his teeth touch any of these forbidden things, you should YELP!, stand up and walk away. If he follows and continues to misbehave, leave the room. I think if you do this every time, you will begin to see a difference. Consistency is the most important thing when teaching a pup. If he gets away with it 1 out of 10 times, he will keep trying. Good luck with your puppy, and have patience. Welcome to Boxer World!

 

[sgbtab]

if I was you I would take charge right away.puppy training can start as early as 8 week's you need to let him know that you are alpha. and you need to be consistent all the time. that include's eating first,not letting him bite you,and I will tell you what I did with all my puppie's and it worked for me [gracie is very dominet] when I am home when they were young I would put them on a leash and make them my shadow.now two thing's happened 1 they did not get into trouble,and 2 they learned that I was alpha. remember dog's are pack animals and if you do not lead they will.if they see you are not alpha they will be.that is the way they see it. if you do not take control they will. they need you to be a leader and you need to be. boxer's are very strong and if you do not train them they will reak havoc on you and the house. many boxer's end up in shelter's from that reason alone. so take charge and become the alpha. now that doe's not mean to hit or hurt the animal. there is never a need for that just be patient and everything will come together. good luck

 

[Shanz]

you need to take charge and show him whos boss now. DOnt hit him or do anything physical, just dont let him [ush you around. If he bites on you, tell him not firmly and give him a toy to bite on, when hechews on the toy, praise him. You really need to discourage any bad behaviour at a young age otherwise it can develope into something worse. And you also need to rpaise good behaviour so he continues that behaviour.

BTW you need to post an intorduction in the intriductions forum.

 

[courtney323]

Camilla -

Please read the RULES, and post your Introduction.

Thanks

 

[B-and-Z]

My puppy seemed aggressive when we first got her. I think she was just used to romping really hard with her sisters. After she lost all of her teeth she is very gentle because she thinks she is going to hurt us. She still punches us in the face though. She knows not to and she just does it to be bad.

She bit me a couple of times so hard that it bled, I just yelled ouch and wimpered so she understood she hurt me. Now when you say ouch she backs off right away. She also grabs the leash and bites and pulls it. She only does it with me because I let her, but she wont with my folks.

Shes about 5 months old now and is very strong, and i wouldnt be able to control her if she wasnt trained. I have trained her well so she knows words and hand signals. Work with them every day, for short perioids a couple of times a day on commands. Liver treats worked really well. The dog may really respond well.

 

[Taren]

we have a 10 week old boxer girl. and also a 12 week old male and she has snapped at us when we picked her up like growled and looked really mean. well we asked the vet about it and he said to hold her down on her back with your forearms and say no and keep on saying no until she quits moving. and then pet her when she gets up and say good girl. he said to do this 4-5 times a day. they are trying to dominate when they do that and you have to let them know quick like you are the dominant one not her. good luck.

 

[BeckyNC]

Without seeing how your pup is acting, it's difficult to explain why he's acting this way. It does sound to me, though, that he might be acting like a typical Boxer puppy. I have read many posts from people here in BW who have had the same concerns. It IS important that your puppy knows who is boss, but also remember that Boxers LOVE to play and sometimes their behavior seems aggressive, when it is only play. They growl a lot and sound very fierce.

Tae and I play and she softly bites my arms and growls like a crazy girl. When I first adopted her, I wasn't sure if this was play growl or mean growl, but I soon realized she was just playing.

 

[apollosdad]

it sounds as if your pup might just need to become more socialized with other dogs. could it be possible that your pup might have had a negative experience with someone from where he came from? boxers love to play and sometimes they play rough. they will growl and snarl and it might sometimes be mistaken for aggression. without being able to see or hear how your pup is interacting with you, it is quite difficult for me to say if he is just playing really rough or perhaps having a dominance issue. i would suggest placing him in a basic obedience class and talking to the instructor and see if they have any suggestions for you, since they are the ones that will be able to evaluate your dog. either way, it is a really good idea to establish yourself as the "pack leader" as soon as possible.

 

[bubba7]

im new to the boxer world myself, with only about 4 weeks of actual experience. some said it before and i agree; consistancy is the key. we got our bubba young(6 weeks) and he played(bit) to rough and growled like a feen! we just said ouch! and put a toy in his mouth every time. i must say it helped enormously. he is much well mannered now. he still goes after my two boys like all hell is breaking loose(but thats the way they play with him) as for me and my wife if he gets to rough we say ow!....nice! and he sits and gives us kisses and we start the play up again. theres hope just keep on trying.
off topic a little, i just remember when he was almost 8 weeks old and i was on the floor, my wife dropped a pan and he came flying to me. he put his neck tightly to mine and was shaking and really light whimpering. i wrapped my arms around him without saying anything and he calmed down and fell asleep.thats how i always picture him now, no matter how bold,big, or couragous he acts hes just my baby.

good luck, you have your little gem you just have to help him shine!