Boxer Talk

hello everyone! my name is maureen and i have just joined.

i have a boxer named mollie she is 6 and a half years old and i have owned her since a pup. she has always been a bossy dog and took her to training classes since she was a puppy until she was 2 and a half.

over the years she tries to get dominant growls sometimes at my daughter but i have always kept her in check and corrected bad behaviour.

early on this week my son bent down to pick his dice up and accidently fell on her she did not growl but when he was getting up to a standing position mollie went for his face and caught his upper lip with her teeth. thankfully he is ok. i was in the room when it happened i could not believe she could do something like that.

i took her to the vet yesterday as she needed stiches removed. the vet said that she would support me whatever i decide and gave me a behaviourist number (i left a message and waiting for her to call me back) the vet said that even though mollie had stiches she should not of went for my son like she did.

i am very upset and i wondered if any of you have had similar things happen like that. i am thinking of asking the vet to do a full health check blood tests etc before i make any decision.

a couple of months ago she growled at my nephew who is 1 year old who just touched her shoulder when she was lying down on the floor.

please help

thankyou maureen

Last edit by Paul on Sun Jul 19, 2009 4:12 pm.

Hi Maureen.

Welcome and thanks for posting.

"Everyone" will possibly be only me. This place is very quiet these days and I'm not sure at all what to tell you.

Personally i've never had problems like you're experiencing. The only bites i've suffered have been accidental ones playing with dogs that were trying to get their ball or something other than me.

Certainly dominant, aggressive behaviour can't be allowed to go on. All I can say is that I think you seem to be doing the right thing. You're seeking help from professionals. The behaviourist and the vet.

Perhaps all it will take is good training or perhaps she does have some sort of medical problem.

Certainly I would try all available options before resorting to anything drastic like giving the dog away or worse.

In the mean time, while you are trying those options. If you feel Mollie is a big danger (You would know best.) to your children, keep them apart as best as possible. The kids must come first.

I'm sorry not to be much Help Maureen. It does seem you are trying to take the right action to resolve the issue though. I really hope it works out well for you and Mollie.

Paul

Oh, I edited your post but only to break it up a little to make it easier to read. I didn't edit the message.

thankyou paul for your reply. i will let you know what happens when i get results back from the vet and i am still waiting to speak to the behavourist.
thanks again for your reply.