I have a mastive boxer who is 26 months old and I'm having this problem,whenever there are kid's playing or adult wrestling or any kind of physical activity he gets really excited and tries to stop them by putting a body part in his mouth, he is not aggresive but will not stand for any kind of horseplay, he will stop if i catch him but i can't watch him 24/7, i just took him for behavior evaluation and the instructor said she never seen a better dog, what do i do? jonyblade1@yahoo.com

Originally posted by jon mihaliich:
I have a mastive boxer who is 26 months old and I'm having this problem,whenever there are kid's playing or adult wrestling or any kind of physical activity he gets really excited and tries to stop them by putting a body part in his mouth, he is not aggresive but will not stand for any kind of horseplay,

No horseplay with the dog around.

he will stop if i catch him but i can't watch him 24/7,

Got a crate? How about an outdoor kennel? If you can't supervise or control others, it is only safe for both you and the dog if it is contained.


i just took him for behavior evaluation and the instructor said she never seen a better dog, what do i do? jonyblade1@yahoo.com Maybe work on OB with a trainer, so you have good voice control, get a kennel or a crate, or find the boxer a home who can handle its normal behavior...

The dog tries to stop them by putting a body part in it's mouth??? :rolleyes: Is that the PC term for biting these days? Sounds like your dog gets overly excited, and you need to keep him under control (on a leash) at all times.

Very typical Mastiff / Bullmastiff behavior. They will not reaslly bite, just hold the arm or leg and NOT let go...well documented.

Ditto the other suggestions and simply don't let him out if you can't watch him and there are others around you cannot trust to behave, or if you wish to indulge in some "adult wrestling". <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

a kennel? isn't that mean?is there no cure or training for this? it sure sounds like it's instinct, he does not bite but he also does not let go,a leash would be fine but he listens so well that i havn't really needed one for him, of course i have one, for walks etc. but i can't have a dog who hurts people, even if he is playing or stopping something, the idea's are helping alot you guy's but i am still not positive on what to do, i don't want to get rid of him, we've bonded greatly and i'll try anything before i go to drastic measures, please more input jonyblade1@yahoo.com

this is a gag posting , right ?
no . a kennel is not " mean " ! it is the responsible thing any pet owner should be doing with a pet that likes to hold body parts in their mouth ....

Originally posted by jon mihaliich:
a kennel? isn't that mean?is there no cure or training for this? it sure sounds like it's instinct, he does not bite but he also does not let go,a leash would be fine but he listens so well that i havn't really needed one for him, of course i have one, for walks etc. but i can't have a dog who hurts people, even if he is playing or stopping something, the idea's are helping alot you guy's but i am still not positive on what to do, i don't want to get rid of him, we've bonded greatly and i'll try anything before i go to drastic measures, please more input jonyblade1@yahoo.com Don't anthropomorphise. It makes your decision making process about your dog wholly incorrect.
Time to go find a quality qorking dog trainer to help you train your dog. The internet can give you some vague idea about how to proceed but action isn't found on line. It isn't drastic to train your dog, it is irresponsible to not train your dog. It is irresponsible to not contain him while you are in the process of training him. Get a crate, get a kennel, use your leash, find a trainer.

a couple of questions: you said the dog gets excited. is he trying to join in the play or is he actually trying to protect one from another? and you said he tries to hold. is he just holding or is he biting?
i'm going on the asumption that the dog has great character per the evaluation. remember.....dog training is about taking normal dog behavior and putting a switch on it so that we humans can turn it on and off as we wish. we don't teach dogs to track,jump,run,sit,carry, or to bite. these are all things that dogs do by nature. training is the switch; behavior on, behavior off.
i believe training is the answer to your problem. if you are not able to do this yourself, then get help from someone who can. you need to put a switch on your dogs behavior so he will know when this is acceptable and when it is not. it will require giving him an outlet for this activity; a ball, frisbee, jute roll, or such.
kenneling a dog is not mean and sometimes necessary, but does not allow you to "live with the dog." if this is a family pet and you prefer to "live with him" then train him and your kids. instead of wrestling, maybe the kids would like to throw a ball for the dog, tug on an old sock or towel and then enjoy some quiet time together watching t.v. or going for a walk.
you said the dog is not aggressive, so i believe good results are very possible. good luck.

thank you for your answers everyone, my dog is not playing when this happens but it would appear that he is tryin to stop the activity. He generally does not like aggresiveness of any kind and this is his way of saying "stop" . He doesn't bite only restricts it from happening. I guess that proper supervision and some training will help so i guess i'll start this training. thanks everyone, if anyone has more ideas please let me know.