Hey guys! I need help and quick. Psi is an 8 month old neutered male boxer. He has started displaying very aggressive behavior. I don't think he is trying to hurt me but he has started biting me. I have been the nurturer in the family and my husband is the disciplinary figure. I scold Psi as well but not to the degree my husband does. Anyway, the past two months have been really bad. Psi has started biting me. The first accurance happened during his training session. IT was the first day and the trainer had all of the dogs sit with their owner on a leash while she gave an orientation. Psi began to bite on my wrist and then jump up on me and growling. Afterwards the trainer told me that she felt Psi was overly stimulated and might benefit more from a personal training class. So we have started him with that class. BUT he has continued with this biting behavior. On Saturday during the training session he ran over and started biting my coat and pulling it while he was growling. When the trainer saw this she asked me does he do that often. I told her ever since that first class. I tell him No firmly and if he persist, I will put him in a time out. But the behavior is not stopping. She tried to teach me different things to stop the behavior (like telling him to sit) but it didn't work. Then she told me to get tough with him and hold him by his collar but his aggressive behavior escalated. I don't know what to do. I love him so and am trying everything to curb this behavior. He is also barking at us alot and destroying things right in front of us. He peed on the bedroom carpet this morning (something he never does) and my husband is at his wits end. The trainer suggest that we need to teach Psi how to be calm. He is an overly energetic boxer that is appearing to throw temper tantrums on a regular. I don't know what I have done to make him behave this way but the larger he gets, the more he is capable of hurting me. Please help!
Psi is biting me!
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Tulsa-Dan
Your Friendly Moderator
Sounds pretty typical to me. The dog wants to play and is bored and since the disciplinarian in the house is your hubby, you are the most likely best bet to be a playmate for the dog.
There are many threads on this site regarding biting and bite inhibition. Please do a search using the gray search button at the top of each page and use search words like "biting" and "bite inhibition" and you'll come up with tons of information on how to deal with this issue. It is most common and we've all been through it.
My best recommendation is for you to, instead of yelling "NO!" and "disciplining" the dog with a time out, to ignore the dog. Make sure the dog understands that biting and growling at your and pulling your clothing is NOT going to get you to play with him. What I did was turn my back when Maggie did this, and fold my arms across my chest and all play stops and she is ignored. If she continued, I went into the bathroom and closed the door until she calmed down. Then when she calmed down, we would resume play. But she learned pretty quickly that biting me would NOT get me to play with her. In fact, it got her just the opposite of what she wanted.
I recommend you getting two books, to supplement your work with the classes. "The Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson and "Dog Behavior" by Ian Dunbar. These books will be most valuable to you in helping you overcome some of these issues quickly and easily.
Best of luck.
There are many threads on this site regarding biting and bite inhibition. Please do a search using the gray search button at the top of each page and use search words like "biting" and "bite inhibition" and you'll come up with tons of information on how to deal with this issue. It is most common and we've all been through it.
My best recommendation is for you to, instead of yelling "NO!" and "disciplining" the dog with a time out, to ignore the dog. Make sure the dog understands that biting and growling at your and pulling your clothing is NOT going to get you to play with him. What I did was turn my back when Maggie did this, and fold my arms across my chest and all play stops and she is ignored. If she continued, I went into the bathroom and closed the door until she calmed down. Then when she calmed down, we would resume play. But she learned pretty quickly that biting me would NOT get me to play with her. In fact, it got her just the opposite of what she wanted.
I recommend you getting two books, to supplement your work with the classes. "The Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson and "Dog Behavior" by Ian Dunbar. These books will be most valuable to you in helping you overcome some of these issues quickly and easily.
Best of luck.
Thank you so much for the advice. I started turning my back on Psi when he first started (actually because of a thread I read on the subject) but just recently he started biting me on the back, butt or leg when I do it. Then he will get down on his front paws with his butt in the air and bark and growl at me. I have even tried walking into another room and closing the door. When I come out he will jump on me growling. The trainer suggested that we need to completely withdraw any attention from Psi UNLESS he is sitting calmly or laying down calmly. She said that we are not to use any tone of voice other then a monitone voice with him because he is hyper and any change in voice pattern seems to excite him more. He is also very attention driven so negative attention is better then none so the no's and bad boys yelling excites him as well. All day yesterday I spent the day praising him when he sat quietly on his own or by command (with the clicker and treats and continuous petting, kisses) and when he did something bad, I would calmly put him on his leash (which was tied to the bed) and tell him "time out" and leave the room for a minute or until he sat quietly. I have to say that it was a stressful day because it was a constant thing. He spent the majority of the day in time out. He was growling and barking and if I walked passed him he would bite me. I was strong and would not let him off until he was sitting down quietly. Does this sound like a good technique?
I have actually spent the entire morning reading through threads on biting but haven't seen anything that resembles my issue. The trainer was very concerned about his behavior and said that she was going to consult with another trainer who specializes in boxer behavior.
I have actually spent the entire morning reading through threads on biting but haven't seen anything that resembles my issue. The trainer was very concerned about his behavior and said that she was going to consult with another trainer who specializes in boxer behavior.
MMMM
Boxer Buddy
He is just a baby.
My boxer did the same thing when he was that age.
Play biting like this is how a dog learns to have a soft mouth as an adult.
If he doesn't play bite, then he will not learn what hurts and what doesn't.
The growling is just a boxer trait.
They growl all the time while playing.
It means nothing.
Just say "ouch!" and walk away when your boxer bites too hard.
He will get the hint eventually.
My boy has the softest mouth ever now and he would playbite like crazy when he was younger.
Love,
Marisa and Brewster (2yr. white male rescue boy)
PS- When my boxer was younger, he had so much energy and was such a handful that I would sometimes just cry because of it.
That's just the way they are at that age no matter how horrible it seems at the time. They do grow up and gradually calm down.
I think consulting a trainer familiar with boxers is a good idea.
My boxer did the same thing when he was that age.
Play biting like this is how a dog learns to have a soft mouth as an adult.
If he doesn't play bite, then he will not learn what hurts and what doesn't.
The growling is just a boxer trait.
They growl all the time while playing.
It means nothing.
Just say "ouch!" and walk away when your boxer bites too hard.
He will get the hint eventually.
My boy has the softest mouth ever now and he would playbite like crazy when he was younger.
Love,
Marisa and Brewster (2yr. white male rescue boy)
PS- When my boxer was younger, he had so much energy and was such a handful that I would sometimes just cry because of it.
That's just the way they are at that age no matter how horrible it seems at the time. They do grow up and gradually calm down.
I think consulting a trainer familiar with boxers is a good idea.
Well it is a couple weeks later and things have not gotten any better. My husband is at his wits end. Psi has completely destroyed all of our remote controls, chewed my husband's playstation 2 game and continues to bit me. Now when I try to put him in time out, he bites me harder. I can tell that this is when he gets aggressive. We do not like to put him in his crate for time out because we felt he was spending much too much time in there. We want him to like his crate so now we attach a leash to the end of the bed and put him there when he bites. We have to reach for his collar in order to put him there and now he snaps at us when we try to get his collar. I have no idea what else to do. He is 9 months old and his teeth hurt. He did not display this behavior when he was younger. This just started a couple of months ago. I don't know where it came from or what to do. He also bites our 7 year old daughter. I am trying so hard to be patient and work with him but my husband is on the verge of finding Psi a new home. That would absolutely break my heart but at the same time, I cannot sit by and watch our dog bite me and my daughter when we try to discipline him.
I'm a new boxer owner and a first time dog owner so I may not have the best advice but you never know....
Does Psi have a dog playmate? We take our dog over to play with his cousin Scooter as much as we can! They go at it for hours without getting tired. I think they'd play all day if we let them. They play rough and when we take Indy home he is so tired he sleeps for hours! If we dont let him release all of his energy he starts acting out by jumping, growling, grabbing things like socks and running away so I have to chase him. He gets alot of attention when he is misbehaving. It's always a sign he needs to get out and run around or play with Scooter!
Indy is only 5 months old, I wonder if his personality will change as he gets older, I hope I don't have the same problem.
Hope this helps :rolleyes:
Does Psi have a dog playmate? We take our dog over to play with his cousin Scooter as much as we can! They go at it for hours without getting tired. I think they'd play all day if we let them. They play rough and when we take Indy home he is so tired he sleeps for hours! If we dont let him release all of his energy he starts acting out by jumping, growling, grabbing things like socks and running away so I have to chase him. He gets alot of attention when he is misbehaving. It's always a sign he needs to get out and run around or play with Scooter!
Indy is only 5 months old, I wonder if his personality will change as he gets older, I hope I don't have the same problem.
Hope this helps :rolleyes:
Tulsa-Dan
Your Friendly Moderator
Having read your addendum, I would agree with the other posters that your dog is bored and needs much more exercise than he's getting. As dogs mature, they need more and more exercise to keep them occupied and to tire them out. Otherwise, you get situations such as yours where the dog has nothing to do so "oh look, a remote control. I'll just chew on that for a while," is what he thinks.
As you can see, the time outs are not working. So that would indicate that you don't need to tie the dog to the bed when he bites you. It isn't changing his behavior any, now is it?
Next time he starts biting, say "OUCH" like you've been bitten (comes naturally) and turn your back or go into another room if necessary until the dog calms down. Then return to the dog, have him "sit." If he sits calmly for about 3 to 5 seconds, REWARD the dog for this calm behavior with a treat and then immediately take the dog out and exercise it. Real world rewards, such as playing games with the dog or going on a walk, are equally as effective as treats many times.
The point is that you have to let the dog understand that biting isn't going to get him what he wants and being calm will get him things much BETTER than he wants.
People wonder why I exercise my dogs as much as I do (see other thread on exercising), but I guarantee you I still have my original remote controls, there has been no destruction of my furniture or clothing or shoes. The worst thing my dogs have chewed up or destroyed is a toilet paper roll. Susie has a thing for kleenex and toilet paper rolls. Because I make sure they are fully exercised and TIRED before returning home, they generally sleep most of the time we are home.
And also, as said, puppies grow up and this sort of behavior doesn't last forever. Please be patient. I know it is frustrating, but if you are persistent and consistent, one day the dog will "get it" and you'll wonder how that happened all of a sudden.
Best of luck.
As you can see, the time outs are not working. So that would indicate that you don't need to tie the dog to the bed when he bites you. It isn't changing his behavior any, now is it?
Next time he starts biting, say "OUCH" like you've been bitten (comes naturally) and turn your back or go into another room if necessary until the dog calms down. Then return to the dog, have him "sit." If he sits calmly for about 3 to 5 seconds, REWARD the dog for this calm behavior with a treat and then immediately take the dog out and exercise it. Real world rewards, such as playing games with the dog or going on a walk, are equally as effective as treats many times.
The point is that you have to let the dog understand that biting isn't going to get him what he wants and being calm will get him things much BETTER than he wants.
People wonder why I exercise my dogs as much as I do (see other thread on exercising), but I guarantee you I still have my original remote controls, there has been no destruction of my furniture or clothing or shoes. The worst thing my dogs have chewed up or destroyed is a toilet paper roll. Susie has a thing for kleenex and toilet paper rolls. Because I make sure they are fully exercised and TIRED before returning home, they generally sleep most of the time we are home.
And also, as said, puppies grow up and this sort of behavior doesn't last forever. Please be patient. I know it is frustrating, but if you are persistent and consistent, one day the dog will "get it" and you'll wonder how that happened all of a sudden.
Best of luck.
MMMM
Boxer Buddy
I agree completely with Tulsa Dan.
My dog has never chewed anything he wasn't supposed to and he sleeps too much. He falls asleep as soon as he walks in the door.
Come to think of it, I think this is because he gets a lot of exercise. I live in the city and walk my dog a total of 3 hours a day(minimum). In the warmer weather he is at the dog walk for 3 hours every night.
Why don't you start exercising him before you go to work?
Even a half hour walk in the morning should make a difference.
If you feel like you cannot exercise him more and have a fenced in back yard, I would get another dog (out of puppyhood) and I'm willing to bet you will notice a lot less problems.
Sometimes two dogs are less dog than one.
Also, the older dog will teach your dog manners very quickly.
Love,
Marisa and Brewster
My dog has never chewed anything he wasn't supposed to and he sleeps too much. He falls asleep as soon as he walks in the door.
Come to think of it, I think this is because he gets a lot of exercise. I live in the city and walk my dog a total of 3 hours a day(minimum). In the warmer weather he is at the dog walk for 3 hours every night.
Why don't you start exercising him before you go to work?
Even a half hour walk in the morning should make a difference.
If you feel like you cannot exercise him more and have a fenced in back yard, I would get another dog (out of puppyhood) and I'm willing to bet you will notice a lot less problems.
Sometimes two dogs are less dog than one.
Also, the older dog will teach your dog manners very quickly.
Love,
Marisa and Brewster
Psi doesn't have a playmate. We were thinking of getting another boxer to keep him company but we just wanted to try to make sure we were good parents to Psi first. It does make perfect sense that Psi is bored. Thanks for all the helpful information. I am going to tell my husband the wonderful news. I will keep you guys posted on his progress.
Oh when he growls at me he normally has his front paws down and his butt up in the air. The problem comes in when we try to discipline him by taking him by his collar and he snaps at me. I will try the other techniques that you guys documented and see how he responds to them because our way is definitely not working!!!
Thanks Boxerworld!
Oh when he growls at me he normally has his front paws down and his butt up in the air. The problem comes in when we try to discipline him by taking him by his collar and he snaps at me. I will try the other techniques that you guys documented and see how he responds to them because our way is definitely not working!!!
Thanks Boxerworld!
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