Expert: Angela Donald - 12/23/2009

Question
I need your help. My husband and i bought a female boxer puppy and have had her since she was 8 weeks old. we love on her and play with her all the time. She sleeps in bed with us every night  but the last couple nights she has woken in up in the middle of the night and barks to go outside, but when we come back its like she is a completely different dog. Before she goes outside she is a loving puppy, after she barks growls and jumps and bites hard. when we play with her she bites and gets really hyper  but  this is different then at night about an hour before bed we stop playing with her and i take up her toys except her bone.  i don't understand why  she is doing this. we when she starts to act like this we tell her to sit and she does and we praise her and or give her a treat but  then she goes right back and does it again but worse, and if we tell her NO she becomes a maniac. Is this normal? At petsmart they having a training  class should i enroll her? Should i try a different approach. tonight she hurt me so bad my husband is having her stay in her crate tonight which she hates . she has been so easy to train up until now. I just don't know what to do with her. PLEASE HELP ME

Answer
Hi Hannah,

Yes, I would enroll her in the puppy classes to get hands on training with a professional trainer. Explain the behavior to the trainer and follow their instructions. I would crate her at night and never play rough games with her like tug a war or such, these types of games encourage aggressive play and dominance. The sleeping in your bed encourages her to be dominant too so don't let her sleep with you or get on any of your furniture. It is normal for dogs to vie for positions within the pack in this case your family is the pack. The leaders of the pack get the best sleeping spots,eat first, etc. It is very important to continue training on a daily basis. Some dogs are born followers and some are born leaders in my opinion. Those that are leaders will continue to test the limits in their households or packs. Ask the trainer if they are familiar with the Nothing in Life is Free Program, if so ask more about it and how to implement it. It works very well. If they aren't familiar with it then email me personally and I'll get you on the right track with that too. I think hands on training with a professional will benefit you, your husband and your beloved boxer. Good Luck and thanks so much for your question.

Angela Donald
Canine Behavior Consultant
http://www.hitowerboxers.com