Expert: Jannie Balliett - 5/27/2010

Question
Hi,We have a female boxer who is coming up to 2 years old. we all love her dearly and she has been great with our 10 year old daughter - very affectionate, loyal, loving (and funny.) However we have a problem-she is very nervous around strangers,and shows signs of aggresion. We have done the puppy classes. We live in the countryside and have always given her plenty of exercise, where she has been well socialised, also with other dogs within our family. But this problem has been getting progressively worse, now to the state where my wife doesn`t feel confident on a walk on her own and I am constantly aware of who is around the next corner on a walk. We have always owned a dog at one stage or another and wondered if you could please give any advice please.

Answer
First, when outside your home and your own "fenced" yard- leash her at all times. Never allow her off-leash for other's protection, your legal protection, and her safety.

Secondly, she is now 2 years old and this is when the female Boxer begins to be more aggressive. The female is the aggressor in the Boxer breed species- not the male.

She is the "alpha."

You and your wife need to establish more control by becoming the alpha in the pack (household).

Try this technique for 2 weeks:

Take her food bowl and set it on the kitchen/dining room table. Have her sit before you so she can see you and watch you. Take a couple of cookies or crackers (or whatever you choose) and set them down on the table behind the dog food bowl.

Pick one up at a time and eat it without looking at her. When finished eating them, place her food bowl down on the floor before her, and tell her "okay, eat."

What this is doing is what the alpha does in the wild, like wolves. The alpha eats before any other pack member, and eats all he wants. When he is finished, he gives the pack permission to eat what is left over.

She will think you are eating out of her food bowl- first. She will wait for "permission" to eat. This makes YOU the alpha.

Now that you and your wife have done this (sharing times doing it for 2-3 weeks) she will know she is not an alpha.

When she becomes aggressive, lay her down (physically make her lie down) on her side in the submissive position for at least 2 minutes.

When walking her on the leash, and she begins signs of aggression, shorten and tighten her leash and turn her around away from the source of aggression, and talk to her in a calm but assertive voice. If necessary, give her a treat to keep her attention focused on you (or your wife) while the person passes by.

Watch the Dog Whisper on the National Geographic Channel or Online. You will better understand.

Try these two techniques and let me know if she's improved in a few weeks.

Good luck!