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Also....He is smart. So he knows he isn't supposed to be growling at you. Put him in his kennel quickly.....just like you would react to a child talking back or something.....immediately respond.....taking him to his kennel. I would make it known that I was mad.....sharp voice....not timid.
They will sometimes try you at that age. I had a boxer for 16 + yrs....and when he was just a couple months old he stood and barked at me......I called the owner she told me to pick up a thin sheet of news paper......roll it up swat his bottom next time. Never the face...….and we're talking newspaper flyer......not much too it, it is more about the rustling noise. For the rest of his life......he never tested me again.....and the couple of times I even had to pretend to discipline him I'd go roll up a flyer......he'd snap too.
And no my dog wasn't afraid of me.....but any young dog will test the hierarchy like others have said. If you can't put him in order, you may want to rehome him. Sorry imo.....no one is safe with a dog that will bite it's owner.
Thanks for the info. A boxer for 16 years? We had one that lived until 10.5 years and we were told we were lucky to have him make double digits since many boxers don’t. 16 years is a long time. Was he a mix?
I do not want to alarm you, but we had a beautiful Springer put down at one year old, because he bit everyone in the family except me. One minute, he was fine, and the next, he snapped. I think it was a wiring problem. My husband resuscitated him when he was a puppy.
You had better be getting some intense training involved and hopefully it will work. We tried everything, including a dog psychologist.
One thing ours did was sleep with us. If my husband got out of bed in the morning, the dog would not let him back in.
I do not want to alarm you, but we had a beautiful Springer put down at one year old, because he bit everyone in the family except me. One minute, he was fine, and the next, he snapped.............
There is a medical condition called Springer Rage. I suspect it is a form of epilepsy.
OP is not describing a pup with Springer Rage. She is describing a dog that is inappropriately territorial.
I think 2 things are forming a perfect storm. The dog has hit 6 months which is the age that the cute puppy decides he is not a puppy and starts to test boundaries. It is also a common occurrence for a dog to behave well for a couple of months in a new home until the dog starts to feel really secure and then the dog will test boundaries.
I don't think there is anything wrong with OP's dog. The dog just needs a better understanding of his role in the family. It shouldn't be at all difficult to make a readjustment in the dog's understanding of the situation.
There is a medical condition called Springer Rage. I suspect it is a form of epilepsy.
This happened to friends in a tiny rural town. They had raised a beautiful springer from a pup until a couple of years old. Their property was on the main road and everyone knew or was used to seeing their springer in the driveway. It started off as a well-socialized friendly dog but we started to hear rumors that it started attacking guests, then progressed to blowing through the invisible fencing to go after people walking along the road. Obviously unsafe for everyone. The dog was put down. So sad.
Is he neutered? If he isn't he should be. 6 months old is about when they start reaching puberty. I would not let him be in the bed if he is being aggressive at all.
Thanks for the info. A boxer for 16 years? We had one that lived until 10.5 years and we were told we were lucky to have him make double digits since many boxers don’t. 16 years is a long time. Was he a mix?
No, Winston was a purebred. He was a fantastic and adored family member for all those years. Raised my 4 sons with him....He adored them all. And boxer's are my preferred breed for a family dog.
Yes, we were extremely lucky to have him so long.....I miss him so much still. I also just 2 weeks ago lost my 10 year old bulldog, Bella She is the dog we got after Winston passed. We were already in our 50's with no youngsters for a boxer to run around with....so we got a lovely but a bit less active bulldog....She will be dearly missed by all of us, including my adult sons who adored her.....
So it is hard to read about dogs, but I'm drawn to these threads.....living vicariously for a while I think.
I hope that you get your dog under control....I was considering a Boston because I adore brachycephalic dogs and we want a small dog since we are getting old. I initially thought of a pug, but my oldest son is trying to talk us out of a pug because of breathing issues. It is very hard not having a dog in my life.....I am so used to the unconditional love.....my recently rescued cat has decided I'm only partly worthy of her attention lol.
Anyway...not trying to sideline your thread. I do hope that you can put your pup back on track, it isn't too late imo…..but if you don't do it immediately getting him to stop biting and snapping at you may never happen and as others say, it will get worse. So, while you sound a bit timid, you have got to assert yourself.....and you should be the one who does everything for your dog.....so he sees you as the dominant between yourself and your husband.
I'll keep watching your thread for updates.
Last edited by JanND; 01-25-2019 at 06:47 AM..
Reason: edit
He is being neutered next month so maybe that will calm him down a bit. My husband takes him to work with him a lot so maybe that’s why he prefers him but I give him a lot more attention at home and feed him maybe 75% of the time. I trained him to sit and give paw and also discipline him more.
Boxers are my preferred breed also but ours shed so much our house was covered in hair regardless how much I vacuumed. We went to a rescue after he passed and the boxers were the only ones that left me covered in hair. So we decided on different bread and a little dog.
Yeah, I'd agree that dogs are pretty predictable and very basic in their notions of their "station" in life. I had a dog that was going down that path of ranking himself above us, we just had to "adjust" his behavior and as a pup he quickly learned his place. Dogs don't belong ON the bed, and they should never be fed from anywhere but the floor, and NEVER let a dog's aggressiveness go unpunished. In most of the Dog Whisperer stories, the owners are simply allowing the dog to make good on it's attempt to gain the alpha position, a natural aspiration for some dogs..Too many people are ignorant of how dogs live as pack animals and don't understand the various dominant/submissive social cues involved in that dynamic.
Says you.
My yorkie sleeps with me but she definitely knows that I am the HBIC up in this house.
My yorkie sleeps with me but she definitely knows that I am the HBIC up in this house.
Same here. My dog is invited to share my bed or the couch. She has known exactly what she can and cannot claim as hers from day one.
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