help male boxer dog is people/dog aggressive...

[karajell]

hi.i have two dogs one 4yr labrador and 1 1/2 yr old male boxer dog ,we have had him for around 8 months now , his previous owner kept him in a cage for most off the day with the odd walk as far as i know.. when we went to see him he was fine ,no aggression ,just very bouncy .we took him home and instantly got on well with my other dog and 3 children,, the trouble is when anyone comes into the house he just jumps straight at them and growls /mouths them.. ,i have tried keeping him on a lead and when he calms down let him off ,it still happens,ive taken him out of the room same thing so basicly no one wants to come in now, also when i try to take him out for awalk as soon as he sees anyone he lunges forward to attack them the same if he sees a dog so i try to stay calm but just end up turning the opposite way and walk home ,which is a shame as hes really great on the lead untill he sees someone..so now im too wary to take him out as i dont know how to deal with him..hes really loving at home always flops down on your lap for a cuddle ,he has no problems with food aggression.. and he sleeps in my daughter room at night...also if he sees people outside he straight at the window barking . hes got the most gorgeous looking face and i dont want to give up on him,,hes also aggressive at the vets,, (hes due injections in june ) and i really dont want to have any more confrontations..if anyone could give me some advice that would be fantastic..

[ladybug1802]

Ah sounds very much like my dog a year ago! Only he wouldnt jump and mouth when people came to the house...he would lunge and snap at them and not let them move! Dylan also wouldnt let the vet or nurses even in the same room as him, and would totally freak out (flailing round, screaming, trying to bite although he was muzzled) and would lunge at anyone who passed us or walked near us. Now the vet or nurse can sit next to him and stroke him on the shoulder, and I dont worry about him around people outside the home now and we can walk through town if need be (but we nevcer do).

So...,the main thing to remember is that he is acting this way out of fear. So first of all, you need to find the distance away from both people and dogs that he feels safe -ie where he doesnt feel he needs to lunge and snap. When you find this distance you should try as much as possible to keep this distance away from people and dogs, and be armed with treats that your dog loves (chicken, cheese, whatever) and heavily reward him for staying calm while still being able to see them.

With people coming to the house, with my dog he was worse when put on lead, and he got so hyped up and anxious he coukldnt pay attention to anything else. SO now what works best is when the doorbell goes he knows to go in the kitchen (the doorbell sets him off barking a LOT!)...then he stays in there for 10-15 mins or so, and then he is bought out and he knows to go straight on his bed. I treat him when on his bed, then he is allowed off...whereas before he would zoom over to the guest, now he starts to go over then comes back to me for a treat! When he does wantto go sniff the guest, the guest ignores him...and then nmore often than not he goes back to the guest for a stroke later on! So...have you tried shutting your dog in a different room? The reason being some dogs find the fact a new person is coming in their home very stressful, and they cant calmn down if they can see them.

[karajell]

thanks for that nice to know we are not alone ,it would be great if i could manage him like your dog ,no i havent tried him in another room but i will do, and you say leave him there for 10 mins or so untill he is calm do i repeat this untill eventually he is calmer ..thanks .im new to this

[runlikethewind]

Vets
I would ask you vet if you can administer the vaccine in the room or outside the vets. It's a slow process to desensitise a dog to the vets. Tell him to put no pressure on your dog at all, no eye contact, nothing. Set it up so you minimise reactivity as much as possible

People and dogs out and about
I would also take a look at this link. Have a good read through. These are the methods you absolutely need to learn and use to help your dog cope with day to day walks with people and dogs in sight

These methods are the safest, most humane way to treat person and dog aggression. Ladybug explains the Look at That (LAT) game in her response. You will get set backs... but don't worry, it's a journey, helping your dog to enjoy life more and be less reactive.

http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com/ta ... t-training

Distance is key . You are too close at the moment when he sees people and dogs. Find his distance where he can look calmly at people and dogs, praise and reward him and walk backwards (this shows him he CAN leave as an option and does not need to fight/react. It is pointless when a dog goes over threshold because they learn nothing and get themselves into a state. In time, the distance will reduce because you are looking after him, people and dogs = nice things.

Visits to the home
In time, as you help your dog be less scared and reactive outside, your dog will come to accept guests as no big deal. However, now is too soon. You must practice management for the time being: Give him a stuffed Kong or something else to occupy him when you have people over and either put him in a different room or if he can't cope with, then behind a tall baby gate or crate if he can cope and if he is able to keep calm at the same time as watching your guests. In time, you can work on things like Treat and Retreat and hand targeting which your guest do, under your supervision.

Window reactivity
You should put a special material you can buy to block the view or don't allow him access to the rooms where you can stare out of of, if you cannot work on helping him at the time ie when you are not there. You don't want him to practise the barking and you don't want him in a state because it will delay progress elsewhere. If you are there to help, you can engage him in the Look at That game or you go into the room, acknowledge what he is barking and at say, it's ok, just a person and come with me for a reward. (trust me... they do know what you mean after a while!)

Where are you based?

[karajell]

hi there, thanks for that im feeling more positive now ,ill have a read and we are in mid wales..

[jacksdad]

Just wanted to jump in and let you know your not alone, I also have a dog and people fearful dog. being a terrier X he often uses "aggressive" behaviors to deal with his fears. we are doing much, much better these days using the methods discussed here.

Don't hesitate to ask questions or seek clarification if something isn't making sense or appears to not be working. we are here to help

[karajell]

hi , thanks a lot for all the advice given i will put all of this into practice ,, and hopefully our dog will soon be a happy chappy

[ladybug1802]

Oh and with vet could they show u how to vaccinate so u could do it yourself at home? Thats what my vet did so it took pressure off and it wouldnt put him back.

[karajell]

hi there, well my boxer bruiser is very slowly making progress ,i asked my vet if i could vaccinate him myself and he said sorry no we have do it as he wouldent sign his record book if i did it myself so ,he suggested to bring bruiser to the vets just to let him have a sniff around, i did that this morning ,but it dident go well ... luckily there was not any animals there ,although his has made a friend who he runs around with at my partners work place,, ,its strange because he is fine off the lead he takes no notice of people he just wants to run and play,,, anyway after returning from the vets , i had a phone call from them to say i shouldent bring him for his yearly injection next week as he was stressed enough today, and that i really need to work on his aggression towards people who approach him ,i am trying but its q bit difficult with our other dog around.. i have to go and see the vet in a weeks time so they can give me more advice , and if all else fails i need to talk to an animal behaviorist which is is expensive £130 approx for 2 hours arghhhh ,anyway im sure we will get there in the end "hopefully" thanks to all who gave me advice back in may ,and i would really appreciate any more advice ,,many thanks .

[Ari_RR]

Hi there.. This business of bringing the dog to vet's office just to get him used to it.. It's a good idea. But I got the impression that you expected it to go well on the first try? Hey, that's too much to expect.. These things take time, you start slow, with no pressure on the dog.. Perhaps just sniff around the office first time, or go in - get a treat - go right back out... Takes time, patience.. So don't be discouraged that it didn't go well. The idea is to keep the dog under his stress threshold, and slowly, SLOWLY push it, never crossing the line where he reacts. It will take time.

[Erica]

You may not even go inside the vet's office the first time - or the first ten times. Remember, your dog sets the pace...keep him far away enough that he can still accept treats. If he won't eat treats, he's too close.

[emmabeth]

I don't think your vet was massively helpful there really

If you don't need to kennel your dogs, and therefore don't need the certificate, I don't see why you can't administer the vaccine yourself, although actually if he had his puppy course and he regularly goes out to areas other dogs have been, he probably doesn't need vaccinating anyway.

That should take the pressure off, and then yes, just walk around outside the vets (maybe even at night when they are closed and theres no one around), reward him well for that and repeat that so he finds the approach to the vets a rewarding experience..

Build things up slowly as Erica says and her point about the treats is extremely good - if your dog won't take treats he would take at home, then he is too stressed and cannot perceive a reward so you have got to back off and make the job easier.

For some people that might mean starting outside the vets.. for some its going to mean starting in the car.. for some people their dogs are so reactive they are having to start inside their hallway with the dogs leash on and the door open..

Finding the RIGHT starting point for your dog is a big key to th eprocess, because as long as you are trying to start too far in, you won't make progress and will just get horribly frustrated.

[karajell]

HI, THANKS FOR THE COMMENTS I THINK I AM EXPECTING TOO MUCH TOO SOON ,I JUST WANT HIM TOO BE A HAPPY CONFIDENT DOG NO I DONT THINK MY VET WAS VERY HELPFULL EITHER BUT HE'S NOT GOING INTO KENNELS ANYTIME SOON SO THAT HAS BEEN A BIT OF A RELIEF AS I WAS PANICKING ABOUT IT .. I WAS JUST WONDERING ,I HAVE A TALL BABY GATE IN PLACE BETWEEN KITCHEN /LIVING ROOM SO HE IS USED TOO STAYING IN KITCHEN SIDE ALTHOUGH HE DOES WINE AND BARK A BIT ,, I'D REALLY LIKE MY MUM AND MY MOTHER IN LAW" SHE IS PARTIALLY SIGHTED" TO COME TO MY HOUSE ,DO I KEEP HIM IN THE KITCHEN SIDE UNTILL THEY HAVE LEFT AND DO I LEAVE MY OTHER DOG ALFIE ( SHY BLACK LABRADOR ) IN THE SAME ROOM OR PUT HIM IN KITCHEN ASWELL AS THEY BOTH SEEM TOO WIND EACH OTHER UP ... BRUSER IS 2 THIS MONTH AND ALFIE IS 4.. THANKS KARA..

[ladybug1802]

Yes I definitely dont think your vet is being very helpful! To say that they HAVE to do the vaccination themselves rather than do whats best for the dog seems very short sighted. I do have very helpful vets though....but what my vet did was to show me how to vaccinate using the nurses dog, how to get the vaccine into the syringe etc, and then I took the empty bottle and my card back in and she signed it. They know that to even try to vaccinate him when I can do it myself is not worth it....its a very simple prcedure!

Also, as you recognise, Im afraid you are expecting too much too soon....but its so easy to do! As a rough guide, I go in to my vets at least once a week, every week....and it was twice a week. I have been doing that for well over a year....in fact I have been doing it consistently for probably about 15 or 16 months...every single week. I started off just sitting in the waiting room and feeding him treats constabtly (at his worst he wouldnt let anyone even in the waiting room with him...he would stare, lunge and try to kill them...and when he did need to go in when he broke a claw, it took an hour to be able to get near him to sedate him)......and we progressed, with the help of my vet and nurses who had to walk across the room, then at a later stage sit at the opposte end of the waiting room etc etc. Now we are at the stage where he is very happy to go into the surgery...and the vet or nurse can sit next to him and stroke him now. We have started doing the same in the consulting room too. We are not at the stage where he can be properly examined yet but its a huge progress...but my point is that it takes a long time and needs a lot of consistency....but I have found it soooo rewarding.

With regards to a behaviourist....yes it is a good idea in theory (I have been seeing a fab veterinary behaviourist who has helped immensely)...BUT.,....you need to make sure that its a qualified one, and also that they are experienced in these kind of issues. Maybe a veterinary behaviourist would be best as with them being a vet and a behaviourist they can advise from both sides. Just my thoughts as it has helped us loads.

[wvvdiup1]

Just to add something to the advices given already. While you're keeping your dog away at a distance from other people and dogs, try desensitizing his fears by associating something good and positive everytime he doesn't react to the other people and/or other dogs and at the vets by rewarding him with something he values the most whether it be food, treats, toys, petting/your attention, etc.