I have a male boxer, 17 months old, and I absolutely adore him. The problem is, he only seems to listen when HE wants to, and he is starting to be agressive toward other people/dogs when I take him anywhere. Not trying to bite or anything, just barking and intensely watching and pulling. Any suggestions on getting him to listen and be calm around people!?!?
2007-01-28 09:35:07 · 6 answers · asked by Jennifer K 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
First of all welcome to boxer ownership!!!! You are going thru a normal stage. Mine are stubburn but you have to work with them. I would suggest a class for training. and get the boxers for dummies and pet training for dummies , they have alot of usefull info in them.
ALWAYS REMEMBER dont let a young boxer do what you dot want an older one to do. He will do whatever you let him get away with. Boxers stay in the childhood for 3 years they say. And my male is 2 and very much in terrible 2's lol But a very very good dog. Just work with him, I know you can do it !!!
2007-01-28 09:44:28 · answer #1 · answered by tammer 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The watching and pulling sounds normal. He's definitely curious, and wants a nice vigorous game of wrestling or slap-face.
Animals pick up on human emotions, but they often mis-read where those emotions are directed to. If you're worried that he's going to start misbehaving whenever a strange dog comes near, he's going to think the strange dog is making you worried, so he'll try to scare him off. Relax and give your dog something else to think about. Telling him to do something else works better than "no."
Whenever you take him on the leash, stop him every now and then and have him sit. Make him sit for a good ten seconds or so, at varying intervals, then tell him to get up and start walking again. If he gets up before you tell him, make him start over. This pays off when a stranger comes near: make him sit, and he'll have a reason to pay attention to you, not the other dog. You just need to relax and make sure he keeps sitting.
2007-01-28 21:15:45 · answer #2 · answered by Rachel R 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is he fixed? If not that would account for a lot of the behavior you are seeing in him. Unneutered dogs can be aggressive towards other dogs and will wander and be easily distracted if they smell a female in heat (they can smell them up to 2 miles away)
Has he been to obedience classes? If not, that is a great place to start. You need to practice with him at home as well, things like "watch", "leave it", and "stay" however. Consistency is the key here.
Try a gentle leader on him when you are walking. They work wonders in stopping dogs from pulling and will help reinforce to him that you are leader of the pack.
2007-01-28 17:47:40 · answer #3 · answered by dog7788 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
keep a short leash on him. when he does this behavior give him a quick correction with the leash by popping it back and telling him no. or making any quick firm sound that will get his attention and mean no to him. and keep walking. do not let him pull, keep him close to your body and as soon as he tries to walk in front or pull away from you give him the correction while pulling him back into place. you can do this until you find a training class. he is a great age for training. by enrolling him in a class, you can help build his confidence and teach him to listen to you with other dogs and people present. the instructor will also be on hand to give advice. if he's not neutered, have him neutered, this also will help curb this behavior. good luck.
2007-01-28 17:45:04 · answer #4 · answered by cagney 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Obedience school. If nothing else, you can utilize the trainer for any personalized problems. Try www.apdt.com
2007-01-28 17:44:46 · answer #5 · answered by meggs4 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should watch Dog whisperer on the discovery Channel.
2007-01-28 17:40:25 · answer #6 · answered by jukjuk90 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋