Monthly quick tip

QUESTION

Hello Inger,

My 18 month old Boxer is starting to become more aggressive to friends at the front door. He used to just bark and jump out of excitement when people entered my house. Now he is beginning to not leave my guests alone. He follows my friends around and seems very concerned about them being in the house. His new hobby is to look out the front window and bark at every person who passes our house. He is a very sweet dog and smart, it seems to just happen when people enter, then he mellows out. I tell him no! but he is tunes me out. Is this normal?

Nancy

INGER'S ANSWER

Hi Nancy!

     Is it normal? Well...a young dominant male Boxer would probably do the same investigation to every dog that came through your front door. Normal that he does this to human guests? That behavior should be refocused. You as his owner should curb this bullying behavior. It sounds as though your dog is becoming territorial over your house.
The best way to do this is by setting positive boundaries! Try a variety of things and vary the following suggestions.

1. Create a new ritual at the front door.
A good way to create eye contact and focus back on to you at the front door is to keep a leash at the front door. When the door bell rings put your dog on a leash and say sit and stay before you open the door! That way if your dog breaks the command you can say No and correct him and repeat the command with a positive voice. As your guest walks in your dog is on a leash and you can guide him to sit patiently while you are talking to your friend encouraging your dog to chill out as you hang out with company. Do this the first few minutes that your guest enters. Then you can take the leash off and guide your dog to sit with a dog with a dog cookie. The emphasis will go onto the positive command sit versus bullying a guest. Remember, dogs are pack animals and they respond well to being guided. I know this is not always possible to do every time the door bell rings, however that is why I am suggesting to vary all of these tips

2. Curb his hobby of looking out the front window all day long.
In addition, I also want to encourage you limit his front window hobby. Dogs that hang out guarding the front window can over time can trigger aggressive behavior. A mixed signal gets conveyed to your dog by allowing him to excessively bark at people or other dogs.

Occasionally gate your dog in the kitchen by using a baby gate and give him a chew bone to chew while you are home to break up his routine. Dogs are den animals and rely on you to set the pace. Gating him for an hour or two while your home, psychologically makes him feel secure and sends him a signal that you lead. Otherwise, your entire house is his den at all times and not yours. It sounds as though he is greeting your guests the same defensive way he would greet another dog coming into the house. And that needs to change!

3. Finally with a young adult male Boxer exercise, training, and neutering is key.
Take him to an obedience class in your area. You will both enjoy learning how to communicate with each other.

All my best,
- INGER