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Breed Specific Aggresion

Zeus

Zeus is my 10 month old Pit bull terrier and he has always done great with dogs of all sizes, except for boxers. For some reason he always gets rather agressive around boxers and it isn't a sometimes he gets that way, he always gets aggressive around any boxer. Is there something we can do to help reduce his aggression around them? Should we just avoid them all together? We've tried distracting him and it works for a while until he discovers there is a boxer there. We want to be able to enjoy our time at the dog park but we have to keep an eye out for the dogs that are coming in and make sure they aren't boxers because the boxers and he will always end up starting a fight with them. He sniffs them for a little while and then all of a sudden it turns into a fight. It happens so quickly that I can't tell who is starting it and I'm at my wits end. I want to help him get over this but I don't know where to start. Any advice would be helpful.

•   Kelly Modzelewski says:

  August 14th, 2009 at 11:13 AM

  It's great that Zeus is good with most dogs. As you probably know, pits can be very dog aggressive because of their heritage as fighting dogs. I have three and they're usually O.K. together but they're not great with outside dogs.

  Yes, you could avoid Boxers but that would be a bummer since he's good with other dogs. Boxers are also believed to come from fighting dogs and they, too, can be dog aggressive. It's tough to know exactly what goes on when the two breeds meet but, basically, they're fighting for dominance. If a Boxer roled over on her back for Zeus, there probably wouldn't be a problem.

  The best solution is to find a friend with a Boxer who is willing to let her socialize with Zeus in a confined place. Both dogs should be leashed and very slowly introduced to each other. Stay next to them as they get closer. If one gets uppity, gently kick into the groin area (kick behind you on their side). This has worked wonders for me. Let them sniff around and the minute you see a sign of impending aggession (cackles raised, staring, stiff stance) correct it. Then reward them. You'll have to be patient.

  Do obedience work with Zeus as well. Cesar Millan, www,cesarmillaninc.com, has lots of good tips on aggression.

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