Expert: Jannie Balliett - 6/16/2010

Question
I have a 10 month old female boxer (spayed) we (my sister and i) have had her since she was 8weeks old, she is a beautiful dog 80% of the time, she will sit, down, stay, come, shake, stand for treats and more often then not just for affection/praise, she is house trained and loves being inside with me, she sleeps outside in her crate (door open now since about 7months my backyard is probably medium suburban size and she is outside during the day while i work 6am-3pm.)

BUT she has a bad side, she gets very very 'aggressive' with me, whenever i am in the backyard and my sole attention not on her or even when we are playing nicely she will start to run circles around me barking #extremely loud and high pitched# she will lunge at me, bite me #hard# on my face, hands, arms, legs it doesn't matter, i turn my back it doesn't help, i tell her 'NO' or 'Enough' firmly but she does not stop, i don't want to chase her and turn it into a game and i cant get hold of her as she is too quick for me, i have submitted her when i do get hold of her but i try not to react to her but it is hard when she is barking so loudly and biting so hard, she will also do this to me and my sister inside the house e.g. when she wants to play and we do not, she starts off playing but it turns very nasty. She is more obedient with me because i am her main 'carer' and my sister is not home very often, i walk her everyday and take her to the local dog park where we stay for at least an hour, more often then not it is 2hrs+ of pure running around, she has gotten into a few 'fights' with other dogs there but i am quick to break them up and she can usually go back to playing nicely after i make her 'settle' if she does it more then once we will leave. She is very dominant with other dogs, usually sitting on them, she also tries this with me and when sitting on the lounge she leans heavily on me, i push her away when i can. She is also very 'enthusiastic' when greeting people she will continually jump up on them, she practically pushes off people's bodies with her front feet and has nearly knocked me to the ground more then once.

I'm worried i don't know how to get this behavior to stop and as much as i know i shouldn't let her see it, she really frightens me sometimes with her 'aggression' I understand boxers are highly energetic and boastress and that i need to assert my leadership but i just feel like i cant control her sometimes, its like i just don't matter to her at all. Also i cant trust her around children/elderly people because of her jumping, i work in aged care and would love to bring her in as the residents loved her as a puppy but i just cant risk it any more.

If there are any tips or hints you can give me would be great. I want nothing more then to have a well balanced well behaved dog, i love her more then anything but i want her to respect me as her owner.

Thank you

Answer
I hear this behavior all the time and can tell you that she is playing and excited and doesn't know any better than play the way her mama taught her; to be a big, bad Boxer girl!

Running around, running in circles, leaping and jumping like a bucking bronco, jumping up on you and others, nipping and slapping at you, pushing up against you, trying to knock you down; all that, is typical Boxer play.

What should have been is behavior training when she was younger. To teach her what is acceptable and what is not acceptable at a young age, then you wouldn't have her behaving this way now at 10 months old.

But she is not too old to learn-- now.

Start by establishing that you are not a "play-buddy" but the "alpha" to her.

Try this technique for a few weeks:

(Do not self-feed her during this time of behavior modification)

Place her food bowl on the table, and sit her in front of you to watch.

Place cookies or crackers on the table behind her food bowl.

Stand there and pick one up and eat it. Continue to eat them, while NOT looking at her.

It will appear you are eating out of her food bowl during this procedure.

When you are finished, place her food bowl down on the floor in front of her and tell her, "Okay, eat."

What this is doing is establishing you as the alpha. In the wild, wolves and other pack animals have an order: the alpha eats first, and eats all he wants, while the pack sits back patiently. When the alpha is finished eating, he gives the pack permission to eat- if there is anything left over. They do not eat until he says so.

After a few weeks, she will see you as an alpha. She will begin to listen to you and follow your instruction.

When she becomes overly excited and/or aggressive, immediately push her down onto her side in the submissive position. Hold her there for 3-4-5 minutes. Make her submit to you- the alpha.

Also, as a quick modification, grab the back of her neck- the scruff, and hold the skin up tightly. This is like the mother scolding her pup.

Keep her leashed at all times right now. Use a harness with leash for better control.

Even at dog parks, keep her leashed. You are the alpha, and she cannot be "free" until she learns to follow the alpha's lead and then, can be rewarded with freedom privileges.

When she jumps on you, turn your back, ignore her. Do not engage her with looks or verbally. Shun her. She will learn very quickly that something is wrong because her act equals you removing your attention.

She will want your attention and begin to act acceptable to get it.

Let me know how this works for you in a few weeks.

Good luck.