cange in temperment

Question
QUESTION: Hi , I have had my male neutered boxer , for 3 1/2 years  since he was a pup. He is on ephiphen 90mgs twice daily for previous seizures. he has had the same medication for last 2 years or so .he has always been bouncy n loves attention but always well behaved n gr8 with our grand children coming n goin . recently though he is getting aggressive when new friends come into our home or approach myself or our grandchildren . He doesn't growl or attempt to bite, but lunches at their face  and because he is big it is frightening for them.  . I have recently started giving him omega oil as his coat although shiny was getting a couple of thinning bits on his side n ankles. He is such a baby n so gentle n loveable but changes as soon as he sees a stranger near us . please help . thank you x

ANSWER: Has there been any change in your household or family?

A 3 1/2 year old does not change behavior without some trigger-- cause.

Unless medication is no longer accurate-- his behavior to strangers might simply be a protective instinct.

Leash him when someone visits and slowly introduce him under supervision.

Do not allow him off leash at anytime--- let him out in a fenced yard- no dogs parks since he is aggressive now.

Get a whistle, and when he becomes aggressive-- blow the whistle, then leash him and verbally reprimand him in simple one-word commands-- "no."

Try this consistently for a few weeks and let me know how he is behaving in a follow-up.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much for your suggestions and advice , I will let you know how we get on . The only trigger i can think off was that this really only started after he was in kennels while we were on a weeks holiday in March ??? No change in family apart from me being unwell and unable to walk him as much as usual. Do you think either of those things would have made the problem worse . He still has plenty of room to run about as we have a big fenced off garden with plenty of toys and has lots of playtime with the family .

Answer
If being in the kennel was his first time, then I say "yes" it has a lot to do with his territorial aggression.

He felt as though he was abandoned. Time to a dog is different than it is for us.

Now that he feels he might have been abandoned, he has become more protective of his home and family.


Do the things I said so it will return to normal.

If you have a way to put him in a crate and leave (walk outside where he cannot see or smell you)... leave him in the crate for 5 minutes and return and give him a special treat. Do this as often as you can (2 times a day) and increase the time from 5 minutes to 7 minutes, etc.

Get him accustomed to this and learn to realize that you WILL be back soon and he WILL get a treat.