Female Boxer attacking other dogs in the home

Question
QUESTION: Hi. I have a 2 yr old adorable female boxer, Lexi,
who has recently began attacking our other two
dogs. One is an eleven month old male boxer and
the other is a five year old min pin. She play fights
with the other boxer for hours on end but
occasionally something makes her snap and she
turns on him. It seems to be territorial or food
related but not always. It's not daily or even
weekly but worries me nonetheless. All of my dogs
have been spayed/neutered. Is it possible her
actions are "hormonal?" We feed them separately
but just tonight Lexi attacked the other boxer
while my son was petting both of them, one on
each side. I'm worried, what cam I do? Thanks a
million,
Janet


ANSWER: Female Boxers are the aggressor of the breed- not the male.

She is territorial, and most males will back away and give her whatever she wants....

The territorial and food aggression is common with females.

It is not hormonal-- she is spayed.

Boxers tend to get jealous of attention very easily and it sounds as though Lexi is extremely jealous. She is insecure because of other dogs in the house and is aggressive to get the attention- not another dog...

Do not allow your son to pet both at the same time- it isn't working.

You need to get control of her. She should have had socialization at 3-4 months old by establishing what is acceptable behavior, and what is not.

You must be the "alpha." She must see you as the alpha and not her- but know she is a submissive.

Try this alpha training:

Place her dog dish with food, on the table or counter. Set her in front of you to watch you.

Place cookies or crackers on the table or counter behind the food dish.

Stand and eat them without looking at her.

When finished, place her dish down on the floor in front of her and tell her it is okay to eat now.

In a pack, the alpha eats and the pack waits and watches. The alpha gives them the left overs and tell them when to eat, if there is anything left to eat.

So doing this each and every time it's feeding time for a month is critical.

Also, when she is aggressive, immediately, physical push her down onto the floor in a submissive position; back or side, and hold her there for 3 minutes until she submits. That is usually on her back ad a leg up.

This is critical. Alphas make the pack submissive to them on command and when misbehaves.

When she is aggressive to the other dogs, leash her immediately, remove her away from the crime scene, verbally reprimand her, physically push her down into a submissive position until she submits. Then unleash her.

Also, if you want to use a whistle, blow it when aggressive to startle her and stop her, then follow the above instructions...

....soon the sound of the whistle will be instilled naturally into her knowing she is misbehaving and it is not acceptable and she needs to submit to you-- the alpha.


Let me know how it goes in 3-4 weeks with a follow-up.


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

QUESTION: Thank you so much, we will begin with these suggestions immediately!  Another question is, why would this be happening now at 2 years old?  She has been around the smallest dog since we brought her (Lexi) home and the other boxer for almost a year now.  Even though she has been spayed, can she go through a "hormonal" stage?

Answer
No, it wouldn't be hormonal since they took her ovaries out when they spayed her- she has nothing to cause it...

It can be a change in the family dynamics; moving, new family member, some new friends, new work schedules and hours, not getting as much attention as before-- any small change in a dog's routine causes anxieties and bad behavior---


And, she might be fighting to be the "alpha" of the pack- which includes human family members too!

Many things can cause distress and behavior problems, and is usually linked to changes or not feeling secure...........