How can I stop my boxer going for other dogs?

Question

How can I stop my 11 month boxer going for other dogs, she does this when on the lead and because of this I am wary of letting her off in the park.

Answer 1

Echoing everyone else: Training and socialisation.



Just wanted to clarify though; you need to ind a positive reinforcement trainer, not one who preaches "dominance theory". Your dog is not being "dominant", she's unsure of other dogs and so reacts aggressively.



Give her plenty of praise, treats and lovings for behaving when she sees another dog and when she mis-behaves turn around and walk away. She'll quickly learn that the approach of another dog means nice things rather than scary things.



You may be surprised how she reacts off-leash as opposed to on-leash. A lot of dogs who are reactive on-leash are fine off-leash. The reason for this is that when they're on a lead and nervous they have no "flight" option and so resort to "fight". When off-leash "flight" is a very viable option and so they don't resort to being aggressive.

Answer 2

All dogs needs to be socialized



The main cause of aggression or fear which sometimes looks like aggression is that the dog has not been properly socialized.



Enroll in obedience training and possibly specialized training. Clicker training works wonders with Boxers as they are eager to please their owner. They do best with positive reinforcement and will reward you with proper dog manners so that you will be able to take her anywhere and everywhere with you with no concerns about her behavior.



You need to take her out as often as possible so that she can see many different people, dogs, animals sights and sounds. Usually the reason for being or seemingly being aggressive toward other dogs is that they have not be exposed enough to them. Once she has been in classes and taken to all sorts of different places and has been exposed to what lies beyond her own property she will find that other dogs are not a threat but playmates.



Take her for walks, to a pet store, park, beach, etc ...



She is still a pup and you still have time to socialize her.. be patient and diligent with her training and socialization.



As for taking her to a doggie park, unless you have complete control over her she should not be off leash at all.

Answer 3

Lots of dogs appear to be aggressive when they are on the lead, it’s not aggression it’s fear.

When dogs are loose they never walk towards another dog, they both curve it's a natural instinct. Let your dog follow its natural instinct and avoid walking towards another dog or allowing him to get too close when he is restricted by the lead...

If your dog is frightened don't add to his fear by acknowledging this in any way. Try not to pull on the lead or rebuke him.



Get some tasty treats and do some training in the garden/yard, get him to do things like sit, stay, down or come. When your dog does what he is told make a daft excitable sound followed IMMEDIATELY BY A TREAT, always make the same sound. (Clicker training would help enormously instead of making an excitable sound)



Eventually your dog will associate this sound with good behaviour, when you are sure that he does and he looks at another dog from a distance and does not pull, make your daft excitable sound and give him a treat, however if he shows any signs of fear ignore this. Nevertheless you must always either curve or cross the road.



I suspect that your dog would be friendly with other dogs if it was loose in a fenced area. Some behaviorist's have a friendly dog and they will allow it to play with your dog to access its behaviour.

Answer 4

Socializing and obedience classes are a good start.

In the meantime you must teach what is acceptable behaviour when other dogs are about. Take treats out with you in your pocket and a squeaky toy or anything that she likes that may get her attention, at the first sign of another dog get her attention and get her to sit, timing is essential, you must do this before her attention level of the other dog goes right up and she starts to get to exited. Once she is sat and calm, give her plenty of praise and a treat. If she does strait up to a high attention level & over excited leave, or walk in the opposite direction to the other dog and try again when she has calmed down.

Do not let her off the lead in till this issue has been fixed or you might find yourself in trouble.

Answer 5

Find a good training class where your dog can learn to interact sensibly with other dogs.

http://www.apdt.co.uk/local_dog_trainers.asp

She's probably like this because she didn't meet enough dogs as a youngster and is apprehensive, especially on lead.

Don't let her off the lead until you've sorted this problem. Boxers are pretty in-your-face dogs anyway and strange dogs might take exception to her bounding over and this will reinforce her problem.

Answer 6

She's growing up and as he approaches maturity she's beginning to notice the things around her she thinks are dangers to her and to you, who she may be feeling the need to protect. You need to be able to reassure her that you're a capable leader and that she doesn't need to worry.



Don't let her off at the moment, she may well be very difficult to get to come back, in fact it might be a good idea to spend some time practicing walking indoors and in your back garden where there will be fewer distractions. As she's still very much a puppy and still growing she shouldn't be "over walked" in any case.



Get hold of "The Dog Listener" by Jan Fennell, this explains in detail what's going on and how to tackle it. My partner deals with this type of behaviour regularly and successfully using Jan's method, so I know it works very effectively.



If you contact me direct I can refer you to someone who can help, but this would entail expense and everything you need is in Jan's book - you'll just need to be consistent and have a bit of patience..

Answer 7

Your dog needs obedience training something that should of been done as a young puppy dogs learn everything from when they are a puppy find a class near to you

Answer 8

Training with a professional, or a group will obviously help and is a whole load cheaper than paying for other peoples vet bills.

Answer 9

Is she being aggressive or playful? The best thing to do is take her to training and socialize her. She's still young, so she can be trained to change her behavior.

Answer 10

hi,u need her to interact with other dogs,maybe taking her to classes,where shel get used to being around others

Answer 11

Mr has suggested you the right thing an other option is that give her a chance to have a family

marry her

with some kewl looking dog boxer

Answer 12

I had this problem with my dog. I'm not advocating you do the same but here's my story : She'd attack most dogs but usually ones smaller than her. One day, she went for a large male dog. The male dog retaliated. It was ugly but she's chilled since.



So, find yourself a big, strong male dog. The means justify the ends.