Expert: Angela Donald - 4/18/2010

Question
My wife and I just decided to bring a 7 month old male boxer into our family. We have a 2 year old female boxer who is great but ma be a little spoiled. They play for the most part very nicely. The last day or so he has gotten a little aggressive towards her. He is not neutered yet. He is scheluded to be. She is spayed. Is there anything we can do to help them get along more consistently? They are both great personalities. Any help would be appreciated:)

Answer
Hi Rick,

Neutering the male should improve the situation to some degree. When bringing another dog into the household there are a few ways to make the transition better, don't show the new dog affection or attention first or give him more attention and affection than your female , don't feed them together in close proximity or facing each other, never feed the new dog first.Taking daily walks together will help them bond as well.
Letting the older dog take a higher pack position by being feed first ,etc can lessen aggressive behavior. It is likely that he is challenging her for her position within the pack which is normal behavior when new dogs enter into a new home or pack. Testing the rules and boundaries. If she is indeed spoiled she may be the culprit that starts these tiffs or refuses to step down or she may be correcting the puppy. You will need to let them work it out on their own to some extent but be ready to correct them if you suspect they are about to fight. It is best to correct the behavior before it gets to that point. You don't want them to cross over from playing or casual contact into real fighting, with observation you may be able to tell from their body language when this is about to happen. Just remember the rules, she gets everything first, even let outside the door first. Your female should go out the door after the human leaders though as this will help in establishing the humans as pack leader.You may also opt to buy him his own toys and supervise play when they have these objects, as resource guarding is common in many canines which leads to aggressive behavior. It will take a few weeks for the dogs to adjust to each other. If the aggression continues have your vet check both of them out as underlying medical issues can cause aggression in canines. Thank you very much for your question.

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