She used to like them...

[Amber+Myah]

Hi! I am new to this website but love the idea of getting other boxer parents opinions.

I have an 11 month old white girl (Myah) who has up until this weekend been great around kids. My friend comes over about once a month with her kids and has been since we brought Myah home - 9 months ago.

This weekend we were camping together and everything was great for the first day - I have pictures of our 2 dogs and the 2 kids playing. On the second day, for no apparent reason, Myah jumped up and bit the little girl on the chin. The rest of the weekend she was surrounded by a lot of kids, and she continued to growl at all the little girls who came near her. Back at our own campsite, Myah kept on lunging at my friends daughter. I don't know what to think - except that maybe doggie school is in my baby's near future. Can anyone offer any advice?

[VTbxrFan]

Is it possible that something happened between the dog and the little girl (or another little girl Myah encountered on the trip) that created a negative association?

I would start with a trip to the vet -- a sudden change in behavior can often be an indication of a medical problem -- keep in mind that dogs really don't have a way of telling us that they feel bad. If you are noticing the problem only with little girls rather than all children, I would guess that something probably happened somewhere along the way with a little girl teasing or hurting Myah. If the vet check comes back ok, definitely get some help from a certified behaviorist -- that's obviously a problem that needs to be addressed before it gets worse. Make sure that all young children exposed to your dog understand how to properly behave around dogs -- if they are teasing, hurting, or otherwise causing stress for Myah, remove her from the situation immediately so the problem won't get worse.

Others with experience in this area will probably have good advice for you -- that's just where I would start.

[boxermom5]

I agree with Susan. I have 2 boxers, both female, and the older girl, Tess, was constantly teased by a male neighbor behind a solid 6' fence. He would call her over as if to give her a treat, and then either spray her in the face with a hose or throw rocks at her. This is an older man mind you, and the only thing Tess could see over the fence was his baseball cap. She was very young at the time this occurred but the impact is still with her (she's 7 now). Sorry for all the background - anyway Tess will growl and show her teeth anytime she encounters ANYONE wearing a ball cap or other type of hat, including my 14 year old daughter (Tess lunged at her). We tried an experiment with the cap - Nikki would put the cap on , Tess would growl, she'd take the cap off to show Tess it really was her Nikki, and then put it back on and the growling would start again. Consequently, no one is allowed to wear a hat of any type when they are in our home or in Tess's presence.

Good luck -
Jen - mom to Tess, 7 fawn female, natural ears & Tenaia, 2 dark brindle female, natural ears