Bella aggressive with 12 yr old???

sherrybaby · #1 08-29-2009, 07:02 AM

Going to try to summarize as much as possible. My 12 year old daughter Dallys has wanted a boxer puppy for years. After moving out of state away from her friends we got her one. She has done WONDERFULLY with being responsible & taking care of her. She feeds, plays & takes her outside. But Bella seems to "not like her" She is calm & well behaved around the house when Dallys is at school. She is so gentle & loving around my 16 month old son & 6 yr old daughter, but she will growl at Dallys & bite at her hands & feet. She only does it to Dallys. Is it because Dallys is her primary caretaker? This is SO sad for us because Dallys wanted her so bad & has been trying SO hard. I will not have an aggressive dog, & am truly hoping this is puppy behavior & can be corrected. Bella is 7 months old. She knows basic commands - sit, down, stay, release. She still hates her crate but it has gotten better & she will sleep in it at night. My neighbors say she barks for about an hour when we leave her alone (she is crated when we leave) She is only alone for short periods of time - ie when I go grocery shopping, or go somewhere she is not allowed.
We have now implemented the NILIF system.
Any sugggestions appreciated.

Caney Creek · #2 08-29-2009, 10:22 AM

I don't think that this is aggression at all. It sounds like she is just being a puppy, and at her age Bella is coming into the teen stage and is simply pushing her boundaries and acting up to gain your daughter's attention. She is testing to see what she can get away with and you need to show her that it is unacceptable before she pushes it any farther.

Now it seems as though your daughter is the primary caretaker of the dog in your eyes. But your daughter being only 12 yrs old herself I don't see how this is really possible to raise a well-rounded dog when you are the one home with the dog most of the day. I think that you need to step up and help your daughter with this since she is still very young and IMO should not be fully responsible for this dog quite yet. Puppies take a lot of work, especially at this age where the pup is getting older and will be pushing her limits.

There are several other threads concerning this same type of behavior with young boxers; here are a few very recent ones. Maybe you'd like to read over the advice that others gave to these posters, and then sit down with your daughter to talk about how she should handle Bella and what you are going to do to help her.
Should I worry about this behavior?
what do I do?
Help please!!!

Caney Creek · #3 08-29-2009, 02:06 PM

Forgot one

why me? Aggression?

Let us know how it goes.

BxrMommieNAZ · #4 08-30-2009, 12:14 AM

Yeah I would have to agree with Caney 100%. Absolutely not aggression IMO. She wants to play for one. Sounds like she is also not getting enough physical activity or mental stimulation. I'd also recommend you stuffing and freezing a Kong when you leave her in her crate which may help with the barking.

Good luck.

RoxiesEcho · #5 09-03-2009, 02:39 PM

Is it possible to enroll Bella in an obedience class and have Dallys be the primary trainer? We had a young girl in one of our classes who came with her mom but the youngster did most of the work. She didn't have a boxer but had a mixed breed that was rather fiesty. It's a great way to bond and learn at the same time. Bella would learn that Dallys is the boss and nice things happen when she behaves with her.

BxrMommieNAZ · #6 09-03-2009, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoxiesEcho

Is it possible to enroll Bella in an obedience class and have Dallys be the primary trainer? We had a young girl in one of our classes who came with her mom but the youngster did most of the work. She didn't have a boxer but had a mixed breed that was rather fiesty. It's a great way to bond and learn at the same time. Bella would learn that Dallys is the boss and nice things happen when she behaves with her.

It depends on the training. Many places will allow you to bring children and they incorporate them into the program as the dog needs to listen to everyone, while some will let children be the "primary" others want mom or dad to be the primary and the children to simply participate. It will depend on where you go and the instructor.