dominant female boxer

Q: I have a 1 yr old female boxer who is as good as gold indoors but when shes off her lead in the park shes started to become very dominant grabbing other dogs around the neck and standing over them. She never bites them but i can tell other owners don't like it, can i stop it?


Answer:

First of all you may want to avoid the dog park for a while if she's showing this kind of behavior. It's very common for a boxer to start showing issues with aggression at this age.

I not sure that the issue here is dominance though. It sounds more like an issue with confidence. The park can be a very scary place for a young dog. She's like the schoolyard bully who pushes others around to hide their own insecurities.

The best way to build up her confidence is proper obedience training with positive reinforcement. One of most effective ways to do this is clicker training.

Socialization is important as well, but you might want to do it in a more controlled environment. Try arranging play groups with dogs and owners that you know. Maybe enroll her in a training class with other dogs as well.