Why is my dog being aggressive?!!

[tinaharold]

Hi,
Just this evening my husband, son, and I were playing in an open field with Chloe, my 2 yr old Female boxer. Another couple came with their 2 labs. Chloe runs to the dogs and sniffs one and then totally started attacking the dog! Chloe jumped on the dog and started growling and fur was flying! I couldn't get a hold of her and my husband came running with the leash. I was so embarrassed. I apologized and the couple didn't seem mad or anything. My husband had Chloe on the leash and in a sit position and would not let her look at the other dog as they were leaving. I was so upset! I can't figure out why she did this. The other dog seemed passive. All I can think of is that Chloe was playing with my husband with a big ball and Chloe was getting really excited and running around and the other dogs surprised her. Chloe has always been nice to other dogs when I pick up my son from school. Their is one dog that she even licks and they have played together chasing each other.

The last time we went to a dog park, Chloe got annoyed at another friendly male dog and got him on his back and was fighting him. I guess this dog was playing too rough because he was snapping at her face as they were running together. Sometimes I see little dogs at the dog park and wonder if Chloe will do anything to them but she doesn't. How does she tell a schnauzer puppy from a oppossum or rodent?!

I take Chloe to Petsmart for training and she passed the beginner class and the trainer wants me to take her to intermediate now. I do too. She is very smart. The trainer said she is a balanced dog but dominant and stubborn. Chloe loves people and loves attention! He used to train boxers in Germany so he know a lot about them. She also has a hight prey drive and he said intermediate lessons will help with this because the commands she will learn are with distractions.

Anyway, I'm so concerned with the aggressiveness. I don't want to stop going to dog parks but now I'm paranoid. I just don't understand where the aggession is coming from. She is such a calm sweet dog in all other situations.

Any advice would be great!

Tina

 

[kleve13]

I hope someone with some insight replies to this! Vito is just over two years old and over the past few months he has become increasingly aggressive towards other dogs. For the first year and a half we would take him to the dog park several times a week with no problems whatsoever. Since we have moved into a house (previously lived in a condo) he has begun growling and attacking unfamiliar dogs (he is still as sweet as can be with all people, strange or familiar). He still plays fine with dogs that he knows, but new dogs he does not get along with.

I don't know if it has something to do with the new house, but was wondering if that had something to do with it?

tinaharold, have you had anything change in your lifestyle? This is the only thing that makes sense as to why Vito has all of a sudden become much more aggressive.

 

[zaraque]

I am also having similar issues with my almost 2 yr old neutered male boxer. Previously I have never worried about him with other dog, but over the last few months he has show signs of aggression towards both unknown bitches and males. His behaviour is unpredictable, as most dogs he seems to have no problems with. I have engage a behaviouralist, however I am still interested to hear what other people have done to combat this, as I have not as yet started sessions with the behaviouralist as I am presently on holidays. However on discussing the matter with the behaviouralist he has suggested that this is a socialization issues and can be overcome.

Like others, my dog was socialized as a puppy, attened puppy school and continues at obediance training.

In order to protect other dogs, I have in the mean time kept my dog on a leash at all times when in public and under strict observation when near other dogs, even ones he knows. I dont want to take any chances. If he hurt another dog seriously I would be devistated and I would never want to put any family through the pain of seeing their precious pet maulled.

One thing that has struck me with the dogs mentioned in this thread is that they are all apporximately the same age.

 

[zaraque]

I forgot to mention that I dont believe taking advice from the internet exclusively is a good idea, especially on such serious behavioural issues. This was also mentioned by other wise people on this forum in similar posts. Online research is great, but I will still be proceeding with a professional behaviouralist.

 

[Lou.ise]

Lola turned two in Jan. We have always walked around other dogs and she has been fine until a month ago. Another dog 'went' for her and she turned into a different animal!!! attacking back. Lola has always been the one to bark if someone knocked at the door or if someone was walking outside our back garden. Now though if another dog comes near and she senses anything she will growl and show her teeth ready for a fight. If she is with other dogs she knows she is fine.
I know it is something to do with the dog that went for her, but how do I get her to trust other dogs?
It must be something to do with the 'terrible two's'

 

[tinaharold]

Hi Kleve13,
Thank you for replying.
Nothing has changed in our lifestyle. Chloe is a boxer rescue so I got her at 2 yrs old. I don't know how she was raised as a puppy. It must of been pretty good because she is a love bug. Loves people and attention.

What is really weird is that my friend has a border collie/lab mix and this dog gets really mad at Chloe over tennis balls. This dog will growl and get in her face and Chloe does nothing even if this dog is at our house..her territory! I'm so confused.

When I was at Petsmart after a training class, I was speaking to the trainer while the next class was coming in. Well this puppy was trying to play with Chloe. All of a sudden Chloe growled and lashed out at the puppy. The trainer said that Chloe got mad at the puppy because it did not approach Chloe with proper doggie greeting etiquette. She was putting the puppy in its place! Puppies are usually hyper and excited when they greet other dogs. Notice how adult dogs greet each other? They go in circles sniffing each other in a calmer way. He said Boxers are really dominant because he used to raise them. He said she will keep testing her place in our family. He said she is a balanced dog too and that I was lucky to get a dog like that from a rescue. So maybe this dog that I said Chloe attacked the other day was trying to be dominant over her. Who knows. But it happened so fast I didn't get to see the body language. Its just so weird because one time she was playing with a big Mastiff puppy at the dog park and there was no problem. They were chasing each other having fun.

I'm going back to Petsmart soon for intermediate classes and discuss this with the trainer. I'm also thinking about taking her to a puppy socialization class that was offered through the rescue I got her from. They let all the dogs play and give a correction when they get out of line. I will let you know how that goes. One of the reps from the rescue said she has to take her dogs there every so often when they start getting out of line. Maybe you can find something like this for your dog. But it would be great if someone had ideas about this.

Thanks so much,

Tina

 

[zaraque]

Kleve13-there could be a link to changes in environment as my dogs while I am away are living with my parents and it was while he has been there that the aggression started.

Tina- the behaviour you describe with Chloe is exactly the same as with my dog Harry, everything to a tea. I will be interested in what tips the trainers give you...

 

[amymboxer]

Many times with dogs you do not always know why some dogs get along and some dogs do not. At 2 years old your dog is really hitting maturity.
In my experience many dogs don't start showing any "aggresive" signs until 1 1/2 to 2 years of age. There are many, many signs that we as humans miss. How did your girl come up on this dog? Does she tend to come up with her head and tail high. A stiff tense body with or without a wagging tail can be a sign of a problem. Boxers are very, very quick.
Personally I no longer go to the dog park. Last year my dog and a male Rottie got into it over a ball. Needless to say I saw a problem happening and asked the owner of the Rottie not to throw the ball in his hand. Both dogs were intent on the ball and they were giving off body signals that I saw but no one else seemed to notice, the owner threw it anyways, a dog fight insues, I unwisely put myself in danger pulled the Rottie off mine and sent my dog away to lie down. My dog had an $800 vet bill and the Rottie's owner took off. Hard lesson learned. My dogs now only go to a doggie daycare if I need dog interaction for them where the people know their dogs and have ways of breaking up disagreements.
Some dogs get along, some dogs don't, I have learned to be very careful with how my dogs interact with others.
However I don't think there is anything wrong with your dog, she's quite possibly protecting her "pack". I personally don't tolerate lashing out at other dogs and immediately correct and redirect, which sounds like you did. My very leash-reactive rescue male has been taught to ignore other dogs he doesn't know. He just doesn't sniff dogs he does not know. When I bring a new dog foster or temporary visitor my dogs are very well supervised. He does very well when I work with him regularly, if I don't bad habits can start up again. If I allow him to sniff a dog I use my happy go lucky voice to encourage good behavior and then ask him to heel within a few seconds after sniffing, I try to keep the leash loose as a tight leash is an aggression trigger, but he is fairly well voice controlled so I don't need to pull him. It works for his temperment. I don't use food for redirection for this exercise, for one it adds something to fight over and two I don't want to give food and unintentionally encourage tense behavior. I feel this is a pack rule, not fighting and I "train" come, sit, heel with some treats. I used to be mainly compulsion but have since changed my techniques to a more blended form of training after alot of reading and research.
As for boxers being dominant, the breed is not dominant the dog is, there are submissive boxers and dominant labs. Each litter has a more dominant pup and submissive pups.
I do not find dominant tempermants bad, IMO well-raised dominant tempermants are more confident in training, are more likely to try things and less likely to be fear-biters.
I really believe in fair pack-leadership mentality.
She may not get along with everyone, all the time. After all kids on a playground don't always get along either.

 

[tinaharold]

Thanks AmyM,
That's terrible about the $800 vet bill and your poor baby. I don't think I want to go to the dog park anymore. If I do, I just need to be by her side at all times.

Thanks for you input. It may have been she was protecting us because the people and their dogs came around a corner and may have startled her. I don't really remember if she was stiff and tail up. All I remember is that she was running towards them and stopped to sniff and then it happened in 2 secs. I will watch her next time. I had her off the leash because I love to see her run and have fun. Now I will have to be more cautious. I don't feel like dominant personality is bad either. I'm just not used to it because my other dog was not like that .And, Chloe is 60 lbs so I really had to go to training to control her. She has such a prey drive too. If I didn't have the training she would pull me down to get to a cat or squirrel! She is so much better now. It has been a big learning curve for me. But I love her to death and she is the biggest sweetheart!