Hello--my husband and I adopted a 10 month old mixed breed (Boxer/Shepherd mix) two months ago so he is a year now. He is a great dog, but plays very aggressively. When he gets too excited he jumps, nips and punches with his muzzle. We are working with a trainer but would appreciate any input in stopping this behavior. We have been ending play when this happens and it seems to be happening less often, but yesterday at a dog park he did it to another dog's owner and I took him from the park. He had been to other dog parks before and had interacted well with owners. I don't want him to hurt anyone. Is there anything else I can do other than wait til it happens again and correct him? I'd like to prevent it from happening at all if that's possible.
Thanks for your message and welcome to kingdom of pets.
Your dog's behaviour is probably due to the way he was encouraged to play as a puppy- people often do not realize what this can lead to as an adult dog. Luckily for you,you pooch is still quite young, making behaviour alterations a much easier task.
What you are doing with stopping play time is great. You could also keep a paste of something distasteful at hand (please make sure it has no toxic effects on dogs) and apply this whenever he starts getting aggressive, make sure you tell him a firm 'NO' before you let him get a taste of it. Soon enough he will associate the 'NO' with the negative experience and hopefully stop the said behaviour. Also, you could use a water gun and give him a squirt when he is being naughty. Time-outs are another effective option too.
It would be great if you could teach him basic obedience commands- sit, lie down,stay,leave it, heel, etc. This way, when he misbehaves all you will need to do is ask him to sit and lie down. Have a look in the Secrets to Dog Training ebook for more details on this. There is a great 12 week training programme in there.
I hope this helps! Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with. All the best.
Sorry for the delay in responding. Thank you for your advice. We are continuing to work with him and he's getting there. We realize it's going to take time, training and love for him to unlearn how he was taught to play. Again, thank you for your response and your wisdom-- it is greatly appreciated!
Thank you very much for your reply. No need for apologies, your message has made my day. It is rare to get feedback, which is certainly great learning tool for myself! You are most welcome, I hope your pooch is getting better each day.
