We just adopted a 13-month boxer. We believe he was abused in previous homes those homes since he always growls and barks around new people. Will a dominant dog collar help?

Question

Dear Mr. Frawley,

We have been watching your videos on training puppies and dominate dogs. we had a question for you about a male pure bred boxer that is about 13 months old. He has been owned in six different homes before we had brought him into our home and lifes about 2 months ago. We know for a fact that he was beaten as a puppy and it shows even when you try to pet him or even make any fast movements close to him. He will either flinch or move his head back. we know that in your video you say that when they growl that they are uncomfortable.My girlfriend and I are trying to work on that with him.

We just don't know if we need to take any other important actions into trying to turn our boxer around to be a good well mannerd dog. We both feel that he has the potetial to becoming a better dog!

We have just purchased the dominate dog collar at your website and are hopeing that this collar will work?

It is very difficult for us to introduce him to new people in our families because we feel that he is uncomfortable, he will growl, bark, and even try to jump up and even nip at someones face.This is uncalled for and we know this. He sometimes tries to nip at my hands when I have tried to give him a comand and has gotten a hold of me, but not enough to really hurt but if it was a child there could be problems, and this all relates back to him being beaten in his other homes. we both feel that being beaten has made him into a stubborn dog, we just dont know where to start?

We just would like some advice from a trainer who knows animals and knows what to do in our situation. It would be a great help and would be very appreciated if you could get back to us. We appriciate your time and concern

Troy

Accepted Answer

An insecure dog can be very dangerous. A big misconception is that fearful dogs have suffered some form of abuse. This is usually not the case. Don’t make excuses for his behavior because of what you think may have happened to him in the past; it won’t help him become a better dog. Temperament is a genetic trait, and many fearful dogs are that way simply because that’s how they are programmed. Dogs like this need rules that make sense to them and lots of structure. They need to feel safe and protected by YOU, their pack leader. Dogs like this do not want to make decisions, they want to be followers and so we need to be strong leaders for them. The fact that he’s been bounced from home to home will also be a factor in his behavior, so you need to be a very reliable source of rules and leadership.

Many times fearful dogs just want their owners to protect them and keep non pack members away from them. In my experience these dogs can learn to be neutral to strangers, if handled correctly. Having a stranger or person that makes your dog uncomfortable get close to your dog goes against everything your dog needs from you as a pack leader.

Also letting your dog interact with strangers, and then correcting him or putting him outside when he breaks your rules (which he probably doesn’t understand) will do nothing except make him more worried when strangers are present. Dogs don’t understand what we expect of them automatically, they need to be shown with clear and consistent handling. By doing this, you may actually be making him worse and more worried.

I will make some recommendations for articles and videos that I feel could help you out.

I’d start with our Groundwork program. Pack Structure for the Family Pet is the DVD that picks up where the article leaves off.

I feel that the way dogs are handled on a daily basis are the most important factors to consider when dealing with insecure, nervous or aggressive dogs. Obedience training only plays a small role in this, actually. How you live with the dog has the most impact.

I believe that this DVD could really help you also. It’s titled DEALING WITH DOMINANT AND AGGRESSIVE DOGS and was a 5 year project. You can go to the web page and read the outline of what’s included on the video. These DVDs are not meant to be watched one time. The fact is anyone who needs this information needs to watch it many times because every time they watch it they will pick up new ideas.

I hope this helps.