Overly aggrerssive!

[MACKS_MAMA]

Mack is a 9 month old male that is not neutered, he is supposed to have that done while we are on vacation in August. He just attacked my neighbors mastiff after he let himself out of the house. She and I were talking outside of his view and boom out the door he came and attacked this big fellow who was just sitting there. He has a few "friends" and we also have a male lab, so it isn't like he has never seen another dog.
I will admit that I have made mistakes when purchasing. I didn't know what a byb was until I joind Boxer World after my puppy purchase. I did get him from a pet shop, I did not see heis parents, and after reading here think that maybe he was taken from his mom too soon. But hindsight is 20/20 and now he is mine. I feel like he could be a huge liability.
I have three kids one with a disability, he is fine with any other children too. He is house broke and crate trained when I am out or at night. He is a boxer through and through as far as all of his wiggles and puppy behavior.
I just do not want to live in fear of him attacking again... Suggestions please.
And again I am well aware of the purghasing mistake I made.

 

[Indy's mom]

Have you had Mack to an obedience class? There are many benefits to the class besides learning to sit, down and heel. We learn how to communicate much more effectively with our dog, they learn to listen to us more effectively. The dogs have a chance to be close to other dogs and still behave appropriately. Might well give you a chance to make some playdates.

If you have a good trainer (hopefully you will!) he/she will help Mack and you learn how he can meet other dogs much friendlier. Your trainer will also surely give you tips on avoiding the situation you had tonight.

For now - you want to work on teaching Mack that it is not ok to leave the house without your permission. We taught Indy that by teaching him to 'wait' at the door. We go to the door together, I open it a crack, tell him to wait. If he starts to go out I quickly close it so that his nose is GENTLY bumped. Not pinched in the door - only bumped, very important distinction. As he starts to avoid that crack, make it wider and repeat. Eventually getting to the point that I am outside of the door, he can't see me. I never call him, but if he starts to leave without being given permission - his nose gets bumped. Always have a leash or line on him so that he can be caught. We do work on a refresher every now and then, but he's 3 and is pretty reliable with the door.

Attacking the mastiff next door. That's a whole other ball game. Was it a real attack? Growl, snarl, I'm going to tear you limb from limb and the proceeded to try to do so? Or was it charging over there for all he was worth so that you couldn't grab him?

At 9 months old, he's a big, strong puppy. Emphasis on puppy. I would again, put him on a lead (in fact he would spend most of his time on a lead/leash learning to behave nicely all of the time) and introduce him to the neighbor, not the mastiff, just the neighbor. Expect this to take some time for him to meet calmly. After some time if your neighbor is willing to work with you, possibly you could take her dog/mastiff and Mack for walks together. Not letting them interact, but simply walking and each behaving nicely.

If you do searches here, you will find many tips from people much more knowledgeable than I. Just hoping that you will realize you are far from lost.

Mack may not have started out with the best shot in life. You may not have gotten him in the best of circumstances. But you have learned so much! And it's clear that you are willing to learn more. You will do great together and you and you family are going to have a terrific dog.

Sorry this is so long, best of luck to you and Mack!

 

[MACKS_MAMA]

Reply

It was a full blown attack. He was biting and snarling and tangling with the mastiff. I can't blame the other dogs reaction, he was just laying in the drive way (on leash) while I was chatting.
He also does have friends, about 8 that he plays with regularly. He is out of control when he sees another dog. He even goes nuts if he is in the window.

 

[ehayes21]

Sounds like you might need a behaviorist. Not a dog trainer, a professional degreed in animal behavior modification. Check at the top of the behavioral Issues forum, there is a sticky called Aggression Issues. There are a number of aggression articles that might be of help as well as how to find a behaviorist. Make sure you interview them well, get references and make sure they use positive reinforcement methods. Keep us posted.

 

[Boniboxer]

I have never had a Boxer that wasnt territorial about his or her yard ! They were always ok about things that were already there but not about other dogs comming in !
As a matter of fact thats why I adopted these two ! Cause we have proplems with a Pit bull pack and ever since we have had them the Pitts have not come back !
I have never had a boxer that wasnt kid crazy , they have always been bred for that We always called them nanny dogs !

 

[Indy's mom]

I have never had a Boxer that wasnt territorial about his or her yard !

I have to admit, that would cause me a bit of concern as well.

I agree with others, sounds as if you definitely need to consult with a good behaviorist. At 9 months Mack is still very young, it's well worth putting the time and effort into helping him become the dog you need him to be.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Just-A-Clown]

think that maybe he was taken from his mom too soon.

Although there are many benefits for a pup to remain with Mom until 8 weeks old, a pup that was taken from Mom sooner can be a well rounded & well behaved boy. Ours for example, brought him home at 8 days old after his mom died. He loves people and other dogs, but we did go out of our way for socializing.

He will bark at strangers that come to the house, but will be beaning, wiggling and licking before they get within 10 feet. He may even bark at another dog walking by, but I think that is to say "Hey, come on over and play" he just loves to play with other dogs. In fact, we have the opposite probelm, at dog class he wants to play with everyone rather than train, we're working on it.