Trying to get a handle on my Dogs Tempermant

[gordnbec]

Now Ben is 5mths old i'm trying to work out his basic tempermant. I'm finding him a little harder to read than any other dog i've owned before. I know he is very playful and can be quite mischeivious and is certainly not aggressive. His first reaction upon meeting a new bigger dog is to look non threatening and sort of duck and turn his head slightly. With smaller dogs he is very persistant and will gently paw them every now and then as if to get them to play. However most don't seem to like this and sort let him know with a snarl or snap but instead of leaving them he keeps at them pleading them to play and just sway his head out of the way of fiesty jaws. He never at any stage displays any aggression back just keeps trying to get them to play with taps with his paw. This has me a little concerned cause if was a bigger dog that was unhappy with him i'm not confident he'll back off and stop trying to play. Also when he is locked in play with another dog that wants to have a box and wrestle he doesn't seem to mind wether he his the one on top or not as long as he is getting a wrestle. Is this normal sort of play for boxers as i have only really ever owned Staffies before and they are pretty easy to read i.e They generally set the ground rules by being fairly dominant regardless of size.

[HostelDog]

He sounds very much like our pup, she is nearly 5 months now. Dogs have to learn whats acceptable with other dogs and how to read their signs to play and signs to stay away! At first our Fiona would not pay much attention to growls, until a couple of weeks ago when she got a nip on her ear (after 3 clear warning growls) and now she understands fully when it's time to leave well alone! It hasn't stopped her in her constant quest to find new playmates, she is just more careful about who she asks these days!

When she plays she runs, she wrestles, she bats them in the face and is all just play. Not once since the nipping incident have we had any injuries. Boxers are very playful, and can be very rough. For this reason we have found the best playmates for her are the more 'solid' types, she particularly loves the little french bulldog at our dog park! If a dog barks or growls at her she runs back to us. If a dog gets too rough she yelps and play stops for a moment. If she doesnt want to play with a certain dog (which has only happened once) she will stand her ground and 'tell them' to go away.

I'm sure he will learn whats ok soon. How often does he meet other dogs off the lead? Our pup has been going to the dog park 2 or 3 times a day foor the past month or so and now is quite well versed in the language of her species!

[jessic]

Well I am no expert but I can tell you that dominic who is 6 months does the same thing as Ben. if he mets a bigger dog he does this duck and turn, totally displaying submissive, but a smaller dog, he wants to play with no matter if the dog is nice or not. so i have to keep an eye on him around the smaller dogs. maybe it is a boxer thing??

[Caney Creek]

Originally Posted by gordnbec

This has me a little concerned cause if was a bigger dog that was unhappy with him i'm not confident he'll back off and stop trying to play.

That's why you have to be very careful as to which dogs you expose him to while he is little. Ben is getting to the age where adults dogs are going to stop tolerating his puppy antics. A friendly adult dog with a good temperament will still likely tell him off, but in a "nice" way (by "nice" I mean they'll react just angrily enough to get the message across without any intention to harm Ben). However if Ben runs into the wrong adult dog, one who does not care to be nice about telling him off, then Ben could be in trouble, and beyond what may happen physically Ben could also be permanently psychologically scarred by the incident, causing him to fear other dogs and even develop dog aggression.

This is a great example of why dog parks are not a good idea for puppies -- you just never know what kind of dogs your pup will run into. Until he's well over a year old, try hard to ensure that his experiences with other dogs are positive ones.

Originally Posted by gordnbec

Also when he is locked in play with another dog that wants to have a box and wrestle he doesn't seem to mind wether he his the one on top or not as long as he is getting a wrestle. Is this normal sort of play for boxers as i have only really ever owned Staffies before and they are pretty easy to read i.e They generally set the ground rules by being fairly dominant regardless of size.

That's pretty normal considering his age, and it's definitely a GOOD thing. As long as he's happy wherever he falls on the totem pole, you can be assured that he won't be the one to start a fight over it. Of course he's still young so that could change, but if it doesn't then personally I'd be happy about it.

[gordnbec]

The trouble is most of the adult dogs in the training group i go to are collies or dogs of that type who all seem to develop a very strong personal space issue once they mature regardless of how their owners try to avoid it. So apart from a couple in his class who love a romp he really has no one to play with. That's why i have had to sort of change my veiws on dog parks. I make sure that their are very few vehicles around and use my experience with other dog breeds and if i have any doubt on the breeds playfullness i'll be very cautious and either not go in or take him on the long lead around the other way(very big park has tree lined pond in the middle you can use as a buffer and multiple exits). At low tide the river is perfect for him to get used to water. He has had some good experiences with some labs, a springer spanial that taught him swim and a mastiffx?? pup. The socialisation is ultra important for me as when we first got him after about 3wks he got a very costly lesson from our other dog who had been very good up until then and was quite often the first to start the mock battles. As i didn't see what happend i have no clue what went wrong they were both asleep so i took the odds to leaving them for a while unattended(other dog male desexed staff and had had for 10yrs always got on well with others and had been really good with Ben). We decided to rehome the Staff with the mother inlaw as she wanted some company and he adored and after the incident it became very clear that Ben only had to look at him the wrong way and he was in big trouble. It was the most Heart wrenching decision of mine and my wife's life but was done for the greater good of both dogs. Ben seems relatively unscathed from the incident but it highlighted the need to make sure he got lots of positive socialisation. He can't meet the Sister inlaws dog either cause she is very unfriendly. So i have been basically left with the club and dog parks.

So from the above replies he appears to be relatively normal for a Boxer and i shouldn't be too worried. Thanks guys as i said he just seemed different to previous dogs i'd owned because at his age they all had seemed to have learnt back off when given a warning and i could tell wether they were dominant or not.

[TwoDogs]

Originally Posted by gordnbec

The trouble is most of the adult dogs in the training group i go to are collies or dogs of that type who all seem to develop a very strong personal space issue once they mature regardless of how their owners try to avoid it.

This is soooo true. The border collies (and other herders) that I've seen--and I see a ton in flyball--do often like to have a greater personal space than other breeds. Additionally, while they still do the freeze, stare, lip lift, growl, snap, bite sequence of warning that other breeds do, they progress through it a bit faster than other breeds. And they expect young whipper-snappers to pick it up the first time. They definitely don't like to have to repeat themselves!