abnormal aggressive behavior in a 4 year old nuterued male

Question
QUESTION: Just recently our boxer(Ali) snipped a stranger after he got loose. Ali has no problems following commands when he is in the house or our yard. When he gets loose its a different story he turns into this wild dog that has no name. He is currently being quarintined an this is day 5. Today he growled at the staff, the staff said he is pretty nervous still. Im having blood work done tomarrow. I dont want to get rid of our dog an trying to figure out all my available options.  Any advice??????

ANSWER: Hi Syndi,

Generally it is difficult to analyze the behavior of a domesticated dog that attacks, especially because of the modifications the dog acquired through his contact with humans. The things that unleash diverse aggressive dog behaviors can be due to a dog maintaining a dominating hierarchy, defending his territory, problems between male or female dogs, because of food, or maternal, which are results of the instinctive behavior of the species.

While Ali is in your house, you are the pack leader.  Through training and normal day to day routine this association has been acquired. Your dog knows that when he is in the house, he is supposed to listen to your commands and be a well behaved k-9.  However, it is not uncommon for a dog to become aggressive when he/she gets loose.  There is however a line between a dog being aggressive in certain situations and a just a plain mean dog.

There are certain things to think about: How is Ali when he is with you on leash in public?  Is he nervous and very aware of strangers?  Does he growl when people approach you? Keep in mind the boxer is a very protective and loyal breed and they tend to be wary of new unknown people unless you reassure them they are safe people.  Taking treats with you out on walks and praising him when he does good while socializing can help.  Is Ali an only dog?  If so he should have interactions with other dogs, like at a dog park, weekly.  A dog who has no other k-9 interaction becomes a very aggressive dog when encountering others due to no socialization skills.  You should look into a trainer to teach him outside of the house, like in a park.

However, there is always the possibility that his abnormal behavior is caused because of a neurological problem, so it would be wise to have him checked out if you really feel his aggression is out of place.

Please feel free to contact me at lbnewman@purdue.edu if you need further assistance as i check their multiple times per day.

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

QUESTION: i had a physical an blood check done on him an they came back good. we do have another dog! an when we walk to he is not nervous or anything an will sit when people stop. for the most part he will just ignore people an dogs when we are on a leash. he will also just sit an not react to a dog that is loose an approaches us,even if they approach barking an running at us. he has been very nervous at vet hospital. the vets said he did one time growl at a lady that was walking him. but she continued to walk him an that was the end of it. we still have 4 days left an Im wondering what would be the best way to interact with him when we go pick him up? because i think how we act we when see him will be a big deal!

Answer
Right now Ali probably misses you very much.  I think you should show him affection when you pick him up.  Let him know that staying their, although he probably didn't like it, was best for him.  You should not treat him any differently than you would if he was just in the house with you.

Once he is back with you i would suggest walking him on leash and bringing treats.  Every time and any time he does something he should, praise him and give him a treat.  This constant reinforcement will stick with him if he happens to find himself loose again!