i have a 3 year old boxer bitch, who is as gental as anything most of the time but will for no reason attack our other dogs.(2 yorkies, boxer bitch) When it happens, its like she cant help herself and once she has been pulled away she is all sorry. When she attacks its not just growling to warn off, she actually attacks them. We just cant work out what is making her do it, and i am really worried, because my dad has said that if it continues we will have to find her a new home or worse.
please if anyone has any ideas why she could be doing this and how we might be able to stop it, i would be very very grateful.

Lucy

Hi is she this way with any other dog when you are out? I have the same problem i have a border collie dog who behaves the same way with my other dogs but only in the house, if they are out playing he is in the middle haveing a ball ,but in the house he hides under a chair and if any of the other dogs pass he will growl to warn them off and a few times with no warning he just attacks and he also really means it ,I have also thought about rehoming him but i dont know if i could ever let him go .I took him to a trainer who said that he was classed as a fear agressor ,and he just does this when he feels scared so when we are all in the same room at night i put a muzzel on him so i know he cant hurt any of the dogs .I dont like to see him in a muzzle but he is able to pant and drink in it and i think if it is the only way to live without harming each other thats how it is . He only wears it at night when we are all together (and he does not mind at all because he has a game of ball and a tasty treat) he also looks as if he is very sorry but as far as he is concerned it is only self preservation so i do not allow the others to upset him when they are in the house.But if you ever find a cure please let me know

Sometimes two bitches do take a distinct dislike to each other and strict management or rehoming are the only answers :(  Does it appear to happen randomly?  Or only at specific times under certain circumstances?

It would be really difficult, not to say irresponsible to try and advice on the 'net without seeing the dogs in action, so I'd suggest you have your girly checked by the vet to rule out any medical reason, and ask for a referral to a behaviourist.

I agree you need to get a vet check first followed by behavioural help :)

Dogs will attack other dogs for many different reasons, and you have to first of all make sure this is not due to medical reasons. This can be anything from the obvious (ie an ear infection) to something not so obvious, such as an internal organ not functioning very well, or hip dysplasia. Often medication in such instances can actually solve the problem :)

Some vets will only give a quick once over - it may be that, if you go to a behaviourist who is reputable, they may even end up referring you back as they may be suspicious that the problelm is health related. One problem that can cause aggression is hypothyroid, this requires specific tests. Vets don't always have a good understanding of this problem, and are not always good at reading the results unfortunately.

A good behaviourist will work with you as a family to find out why the dog is behaving in this aggressive manner, and then support you whilst you implement a programme designed to hopefully solve the problem. 

It would be unfair of your father to do what you mention unless everything is done to find out what the problem is - that  is part of our responsibility as a dog owner. Of course it's possible the dog would be fine with another family. It may be that she is even resource guarding the familly from other dogs, but it will take experienced eyes to see this and to work it out :)

Lindsay
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I agree with Lindsay that you need a behaviourist.  There are a lot of cowboy behaviourists out there, who use methods which involve punishment - which can actually make aggressive behaviour worse, not better.

For this reason, I'd advise you to go down the official route of going to your vet for a physical check up (sometimes aggression can be caused by physical pain), before seeing a member of the APBC: www.apbc.org.uk

thank you for your replies, its just not like her to be aggressive, she never shows any sign towards other dogs, she loves other dogs and enjoys playing with them.
she has been to see the vets and has had a blood test which has shown that she may have an underactive thyroid, which could be causeing her aggression. she is going back to the vets today and i think she is going to have another blood test to confirm.

Ah, that's interesting!

If as you say it's not like her to be aggressive, and the vet is suspicious she may have an underactive thyroid (hypo thyroid rather than hyper, which is what cats tend to get but dogs rarely get) it may well be the cause of the problem in which case she can be put on medication :)

It would be really interesting if you could kindly keep us updated :)

Hope all goes well, best wishes

Lindsay
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Her second blood test did confirm that she has an underactive thyroid, and she is know on tablets, which she will be on throughout her life, and so far they seem to be helping her, she seems to be more happy and seems to be more ecxcited to see the other dogs rather than attack them, hopefully this will continue and there will be no more aggression from her.

Lucy

Lucy thanks for getting back and confirming, I'm sorry she does have an  underactive thyroid but the good news is, it is treatable :)

Hope I'm not premature in saying that it  goes to show that aggression does need a vet check, well done you :)

Lindsay
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