Playing or Dominance??

[Lyncca]

Hey there! It has certainly been awhile since we had a pup in the house and Dex is really different than Ty was! I have a question We have had Dex now for a week and a half and he has really made himself at home. Ty was always a quieter boxer and still is, so I didn't run into this before with him.

My question with him is, how do I know if he is being playful, or already going for dominance? He is VERY vocal. He growls and barks all the time in a playful manner and gets down with his head down and butt in the air and jumps around. I can also get down and do the same thing and play with him and he starts going crazy barking at me, but will then immediately cuddle up to me as soon as we are done playing. Is this ok to let him do it? He is really cute and funny, but I don't know how to tell if he is going to have dominance problems later or if this is normal playful behavior since to be honest he really isn't as scary looking as he thinks he is at only 8 lbs!

Thanks for any advice!

 

[ehayes21]

Sounds like a perfectly normal puppy to me. I wouldn't worry too much about dominance at this point, pups this age play pretty rambunctious. Of course if you see he's getting a little too worked up, feel free to step in, but Ty will more than likely be the first to let little Dex know if his behavior becomes too innappropriate.

 

[Lyncca]

Thanks! That does make me feel better We are definately working on bite inhibition, and half the time its not even intentional! Those little teeth have no problems pulling a "YEOCH!" out me when they sink in my toes!

He did start a little habit last night that I put an end to pretty quick. He started barking his head off in what seemed to be a more serious manner when he wants something (such as on the couch). I sternly told him "NO." and then ignored him until he stopped. It worked pretty quickly once he saw that barking got him nowhere

 

[adamcorn]

We just got Remington this past Saturday and I will never own another breed of dog. He too, is very rambunctious and growls and barks. We play with him and use our hands as his play toy and he gets over top of our hands and growls so loud and aggressively that you would think he was ripping your hand to shreds, but the funny thing is, he has his whole mouth over our hand or our fingers, but he isnt biting down at all. No pressure or anything, but you would think he was ripping flesh! Its so cute, but I'm not going to let him keep doing that too much longer. He has only done it a couple times, but he has never done it to me. He does this with my girlfriends father and her brother, but i try it and he wont growl. (i have disciplined him for biting too hard with a tap on his side and a stern NO! and he listens great. I had no idea how smart these dogs are!
But i agree with what others have said.. he is just being a puppy... mine is that way and like I mentioned, i am going to make sure he doesnt keep it up too much and make it a habit.

 

[ehayes21]

(i have disciplined him for biting too hard with a tap on his side and a stern NO! .

Here is a better way to teach him how to use his mouth...

The Bite Stops Here

 

[adamcorn]

that was interesting...

But my discipline wasnt a beating or anything, more like a Cesar Mlian attention getting like someone tappin you on the shoulder to tell you something.

You know, i watch the dog whisperer alot and I dont think I have ever seen a boxer on there... but after having one now, i can see why.. great dogs

 

[DarbsNDingo]

We had the same issue with our new puppy... growling, barking, etc... We intially tried the spray bottle method but the dogs just ran over and drank from it after a while I was worried about it and asked our vet if she had any ideas. She told me that I could use a leash to slip on him when he got out of control, that way I could remove him from the situation and calm him down.. It has worked so far and seems to be getting easier. Hope this helps..

 

[Bridget D]

Bella is very playful with our 11 year old GSP.

She does the play bow, etc. and they get along great.

One thing you have to watch as the puppy is playing is when he may grab your older dog by the folds around the neck, without necessarily meaning to, their body weight as they jump and then dangle may bruise your older dog.

With Bella, we redirected when she got a little too feisty and Simon was sure to "put her in her place" when she got over exuberant.

Your pup sounds perfectly normal and not aggressive at all. I worried about the same thing when she accidently bruised Simon's neck.

Learning about bite pressure is very important at this stage, we did the "ouch" yelp with Bella and it really worked quickly!