April 28, 2011
I have an 8 month old Boxer who has a very dominant personality. How do I teach my dog that my son and boyfriend are higher up in the pack?
Full Question:
Cindy,I have an 8 month old Boxer, named Rambo, who's always had a very dominant personality. I think our mistake was getting him at just barely 6 weeks of age from the breeder before he learned bite inhibition. The past couple months he's developed what appear to be dominant traits of trying to mount smaller dogs and even my 4 yr old son. He also resource guards, but I'm the only thing he resource guards, he gets near vicious (back up, teeth barred, barking) when anyone comes near me even my boyfriend who lives with us. Unfortunately he did bite my boyfriends 5 yr old daughter on the face during what we thought was just play, that got out of hand. Upon recommendations from my vet I had Rambo fixed but I've not noticed any differences. How do I teach Rambo that my son and boyfriend for that matter are higher up in the pack? Is it possible for an 8 month old Boxer to be aggressive?
Thank you!
Beth
Ed's Answer:
You have a big problem brewing if you don’t get a handle on this right away.
Neutering rarely does anything to remedy the issues you are having with your dog. The problem is lack of leadership. It sounds like this dog displays a large number of red flag behaviors and you’ve still just let him do what he wants. I would NEVER allow any young dog around small children without have complete control of the dog and the child. You don’t teach Rambo that other people are higher up, you teach him that YOU are. If he’s resource guarding YOU, then he doesn’t respect you but sees you as one of his possessions. Many people are flattered because they think their dog is “protecting them” and in reality the dog looks at them as a thing to be controlled, not a leader.
You need to change your line of thinking with Rambo before he gets in some serious trouble. At 8 months old, he’s barely a teenager and if this behavior is allowed to continue it will only escalate.
I’d start with our Groundwork program and the video that picks up where the article leaves off. Pack Structure for the Family Pet.
I believe that this DVD could really help you. It’s titled DEALING WITH DOMINANT AND AGGRESSIVE DOGS and was a 5 year project.
I’d make sure you have a crate and use it, follow the ground work program to the letter.
Cindy
Neutering rarely does anything to remedy the issues you are having with your dog. The problem is lack of leadership. It sounds like this dog displays a large number of red flag behaviors and you’ve still just let him do what he wants. I would NEVER allow any young dog around small children without have complete control of the dog and the child. You don’t teach Rambo that other people are higher up, you teach him that YOU are. If he’s resource guarding YOU, then he doesn’t respect you but sees you as one of his possessions. Many people are flattered because they think their dog is “protecting them” and in reality the dog looks at them as a thing to be controlled, not a leader.
You need to change your line of thinking with Rambo before he gets in some serious trouble. At 8 months old, he’s barely a teenager and if this behavior is allowed to continue it will only escalate.
I’d start with our Groundwork program and the video that picks up where the article leaves off. Pack Structure for the Family Pet.
I believe that this DVD could really help you. It’s titled DEALING WITH DOMINANT AND AGGRESSIVE DOGS and was a 5 year project.
I’d make sure you have a crate and use it, follow the ground work program to the letter.
Cindy
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