Over protective???

[kermit0069]

is there a such thing? Joe, new boxer, is fine around my family, lord knows my 2 year old does whatever can be done to both of my boxers.... well anywasy wehn we have friends over joe is extremely protective of us. i mean it is too the point that when a friend walked to close to me joe growled at him, adn he bumped into my leg and joe jumped at him. like i said he is fine with us, is it just socialization? i talked to the previous owner and it was her and him and they never went anywhere or anything like that. not too concerned just curious

ken

 

[hanley]

My female Susie is like that with some people, she is very social when we are at the park around people, they can pet her & she loves it, but don't get to close to me or the children,& heaven forbid touch one, she can change real fast. She is very protective of kids & they don't have to be mine. We were at the park talking to some of our friends, they have a 12yr old daughter & her dad was playing with her & my Susie didn't like it at all,I told her NO & she stopped & sat, Susie had been playing with her Dad just seconds before that. Hanley

 

[lafsalot]

Sounds like your dog is showing territorial agression. Try to direct him to the appropriate behavior when visitors come to the house by getting him to sit on command, and once calm, rewarding him with a treat. You may even want to consider enrolling Joe into an obedience class where he would be exposed to other people and dogs. It takes a lot of patience, praise, and socialization, but hang in there - I'm sure more knowledgable members will provide you with more helpful advice. Good luck and do keep us posted - Cathy

 

[kermit0069]

I dont think that it is territorial, he does it where ever we go. any kid in the world can come up to me, or any lady for that matter. but let another guy come up to me, my wife, or my kid, he goes nuts, unless i tell him its ok or my wife does. i htink it is awesome that he is like this cause i travel alot and leave my wife and kid home.

ken

 

[lafsalot]

It is still a form of agression that should be addressed - as the owner, you are liable for for compensatory damages in the event Joe did bite. Perhaps our canine trainer/behaviorist, Tulsa-Dan will have some helpful advice. - Cathy

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

Sounds like lack of socialization with others to me. Have your guests give the dog treats and lots of attention (when the dog is calm), first, then I'm sure the dog will begin to relax and realize that no one means anyone any harm.

Good luck.

 

[Alidog]

Right on!

I dont think that it is territorial, he does it where ever we go. any kid in the world can come up to me, or any lady for that matter. but let another guy come up to me, my wife, or my kid, he goes nuts, unless i tell him its ok or my wife does. i htink it is awesome that he is like this cause i travel alot and leave my wife and kid home.

ken

I think its awesome too, it is a great feeling when an animal cares about your family so much that you can almost trust them with your life. My wee girl is like that but we have also taught her that our friends and anyone we are comfortable around need not worry her. She is still protective around other animals, especially males. We have been told that this is a jealousy issue but I noticed it was protectiveness after one particular episode. My partner was introduced to a grown male who was having issues socializing (his owner had departed & was weary of other males). He disliked my partner and Ali picked this up, she remained by his side the entire time and had one eye on oden whenever he came near.
It is a beautiful thing that you & your family feel protected by your boxer but you never want to come to the stage where a friend or family member is hurt..trust me..seek some obedience or professional help this way you can teach your boxer the right way to protect

 

[kassa]

I agree that you should deal with this now in a training approach, rather than after some incident as a last ditch effort.

The ideal boxer temperament as outlined in the standard:

These are of paramount importance in the Boxer. Instinctively a "hearing" guard dog, his bearing is alert, dignified and self-assured. In the show ring, his behavior should exhibit constrained animation. With family and friends, his temperament is fundamentally playful, yet patient and stoical with children. Deliberate and wary with strangers, he will exhibit curiosity but, most importantly, fearless courage if threatened. However, he responds promptly to friendly overtures honestly rendered. His intelligence, loyal affection and tractability to discipline make him a highly desirable companion.​

You've got the deliberate and wary, but it sounds like the dog never had enough experience of the world to develop the radar to understand what constitutes being "threatened" and what are friendly overtures honestly rendered. That's probably more a socialization problem than a genetic problem, but chances are it's both to some extent. There are rescue dogs from puppy mills who have been poorly treated who have that ability to tell the difference between good and bad strangers, and otherwise well bred dogs with loving owners who do not.

Don't romanticize the "we feel safe because he'll protect us from a bad stranger" part to the exclusion of recognizing that he might also take a chunk out of the workman who steps outside for a cigarette and then comes back into the house 2 minutes later. Or the teenage brother of a child your child is playing with who comes to pick up the child and gets bitten for touching her. Or the paramedic who is trying to treat someone who is sick or injured.

Teaching the dog that there are people (male strangers) worthy of trust is an important gift and skill to give to your dog.

 

[Shanz]

well, when i got my puppy, the house had a new baby. My 4 y/o niece came with us and she likes babies so she went to the baby. My puppy's dad saw that and started growling. He was just protective of the baby, so we calle dmy niece away. But the owner also scoleded him (Jack was his name). We told the owner he shouldnt do that because when the time comes to protect..he wont if he keeps getting scolded. So chanses are your dog is just being protective..but my suggestion is dont scold him if you would like him to protect you in the future. Intorduce him to strangers and show him that new people are ok. My GSD is like that. When anyone comes to the door she tries to get at them..but once she sees us talking with the person and interacting she realizes its ok.

 

[Alidog]

[/QUOTE] Don't romanticize the "we feel safe because he'll protect us from a bad stranger" part to the exclusion of recognizing that he might also take a chunk out of the workman who steps outside for a cigarette and then comes back into the house 2 minutes later. Or the teenage brother of a child your child is playing with who comes to pick up the child and gets bitten for touching her. Or the paramedic who is trying to treat someone who is sick or injured.

Teaching the dog that there are people (male strangers) worthy of trust is an important gift and skill to give to your dog.[/QUOTE]

This is too true! A family friend has a very protective male boxer that has had a pretty rough background. Oden is incapable or meeting new people or allowing new dogs on the property - although this sounds bad, it has been a long socialization process that gets harder every day. His owner was walking along the rocks on the beach one day where she slipped and broke her wrist and hit her head. She walked herself the short trip home and put herself in bed where oden sleeps also. Unfortunately she was too frightened to call any paramedics as she knew oden would not allow them anywhere near here. T

This is why you really must get onto some obedience, your dog may allow you to feel secure but there is only a certain amount of protection they can offer until they hurt someone.