my new baby is mean

[kt_brandy]

i am a first time boxer owner, hubby & his family only ever had boxers, i've haven't had a dog for about 17 yrs and can't remember ever having a puppy so brandy is an eye opener. she is loud when she plays, she grows when playing tug-a-war with hubby or me - normal, she will talk in a funny way almost a growling but we know its not aggressive - my dad was worried when she did it to him - i told him no she was just talking , she bounces and barks really loud and drops really low like she is ready to pounce and i sometimes think she is being aggressive - (never owning a boxer before) hubby and his family say no she is playing but i can see why someone would think this is could be aggressive but we then use the sit command and ignore her if she doesn't - she usually will sit about the 3rd time - still training . when she was tiny she would chew on everything us included and sometimes it was like she was being mean but it was teething her poor little gums:( now its a chew without any teeth followed by lots of kisses. i hope this helps you what another boxer puppy does but i have found out they are all so different ours is full of personality as my in-law put it:p

karen & brany

 

[dukie's mom]

If what I understand is right from y our post you have not had a puppy before or not for a long time that is the difference in what you are seeing,. Puppies think you are another puppy until you teach them limits and how to behave, and they play very rough and tumble, biting, growilng and roughhousing, and then droping with sleep the next. Like human babies, it isn't reasonable to expect them to sleep the night.
Boxer puppies are full of sass and talk back. The books that Dan reccomends are great. You have to have patience and gently correct them.
Chloe was about 2 mo when we took her on a picnic. We laid on the grass to play with her..she went from person to person ( 4 of us) and tried to bite and nip and we each consistently said no, puched her away and redirected her to a toy. She got so frustrated that we would not let her bite that she barked at all of us.
They grow out of the tendancy to do this, but it takes awhile. They tend to look at your children as their peer also, so may play rough with the kids. Don't leave them alone together. We had several socks knottd together laying around when she was little and if she was in the mood to bite, we'd redirect her to these.

 

[robynkendall]

My Samson used to snap at us a lot when we first got him. I believe he was just playing..and we have worked with him to get him to stop. Sometimes he looks and sounds pretty fierce, but he really isn't. He's just a big baby. So I wouldn't worry about it too much, it sounds like a puppy thing to me, just tell him no and quit playing with him if he keeps at it. Eventually he will learn not to do it. Robyn

 

[peanutmom]

When Chewy was little (10-12 weeks) he went through an aggressive streak. I was so stressed out that he was going to be mean when he got older because he would be playing normally and then just start attacking like he wanted to rip you to pieces. He is no longer like that, he is a lick monster and a snuggle bug. I did a search on this sight and found a lot of good info. From my understanding, puppies bite when they are playing because that is how they play with thier brothers and sisters to establish dominence. What helped with Chewy was EVERYTIME he would bite while he was playing I would instantly yell "OUCH" and pull away, it is like the other puppy yelping to let him know he had gone too far. Pretty soon he would just put his mouth on me but not bite. Be patient, but my advice would be to take corrective steps right away so she does not think it is okay to bite or be aggressive.

Good Luck

 

[Crayolita]

Hi, I hope this helps. My vet once told me that you should let your puppy sleep whenever he/she needs it. And never wake him up, or they'll feel that someone is atacking them. Let him/her rest. Specially when they are babies they need to sleep a lot, since when they are awake they are very active. So my suggestion will be to let your puppy sleep.

 

[hudson78]

Our girl Ally use to snap at us when we cut her nails, we rescued her about 9 months ago. She now trusts us completely and no longer snaps at us when we cut her nails. Sometimes these things take time. As for the growling. Boxers often sound vicious when playing, when i play with Ally you would think she was trying to kill me when in fact she's wagging the whole time and can't get enough of playing!!! good luck.

 

[sawcut64]

When I first got both of my boxers they had aggressive streaks in them. I was told by some neighbors who also have boxers that theirs were like that too. When they got older(within a month or so) they calmed right down. The neighbors were told by their vet that boxers are a bit aggressive as puppies but they grow out of it and are great dogs. Mine sure have grown out of the aggressive stuff and are great now. Tank is laid back now and when we first got him he was aggressive towards the other dogs. I do agree with the others let the dog sleep. I tried what you are doing keeping my dog awake to make sure he slept at night but it is better to let them sleep when they want to sleep and let them whine at night. I crate mine and at first they whined but after awhile they learn you are not going to let them out to play. I just kept them away from the bedroom in the utility room. They have a nightlight, each other, a radio, and a winding clock to keep them happy and after a week they learned. I just took my babies outside once during the night starting at 16 weeks like at 3 hours for a week and then 4 hours and keep this up until 5 or so months old. Until 16 weeks I kept them in a little pen with papers and a crate in there with them. This way they got used to the crate but could use the papers to go to the bathroom. I know other people do it differently but that worked for me. Make sure to just let the dog sleep when it wants and just make sure to watch the dog with the other little dog until they get used to each other. My chihuahua and boxers took some time to get used to each other with the chihuahua snapping at the boxers but now they sleep togather and play togather which is really funny and get along great it just takes time. Good luck with your baby. I know mine at just a joy.
Laura

 

[kelbel1]

Laura,

Gosh, where were you a month ago. That is the answer I was looking for. I appreciate everyones input, but thats what I needed to know. If most of them acted this way, or if mine was just out of the ordinary. I agree now that she is not out of the ordinary and with training she has come a long way. She is the youngest and brightest in her class, and much more laid back. And you were right it took about a month. I realize now that letting the pup sleep is a good idea, it just seemed like keeping her awake was the right thing to do. And I love her just the same. Thanks

 

[sawcut64]

I am glad I was able to help and she is more laid back. I understand like I said I kept mine awake for awhile thinking it was a good idea. It was harder on me keeping her awake then I think it was on her. But I just figured she would get used to her own schedule and until she did she would have to whine at night. I love my babies but it does take awhile for everyone to get used to a schedule. With four dog (2 boxers, 1 boston terrier, and a chihuahua you have to get to a schedule. I crate trained and worked with my dogs all the same except for the chihuahua who was the first baby. She was one kept up all the time and crate trained wrong. The rest trained the other way and have been fine sleeping all night and going straight to their crates. Something I forgot to tell you all is that my dogs get a snauage at bedtime or whenever they go in the crate (bedtime, when we leave) and it helps. That is the only time they get the treat they love and it helps. At night when they think it is about bedtime I have four dogs going to the door and then running to their crates for the snauage and bedtime. Sometimes they decide to go early and it is so funny. Well I guess I am getting wordy. Good luck with your baby.
Laura

 

[Scorpio]

All I wanted to say was no matter how long you keep them up its not going to change the way she behaves in her crate at nite. she is only a puppy and will get used to the crate.