Please Please Help, My Teather Is About to Break :0(

[devilwoman]

So quick background as I don't post in here too much (always read though ) i've got a 5 year old boxer who is as mad as a box of frogs, absolutely loving and not a nasty bone in him, 5 months ago got a puppy off my brother in law which is a jack russell cross (father unknown as it was a rescue bitch that turned out to be in pup) both male dogs, puppy now 7 months old and getting his wits about him and although is the most lovely little chap no nastiness etc, he is starting, I think, to try to get top place in the "pack", he is being a real little git to my poor boxer, for example if the boxer has a toy and he wants it, he'll stalk him growling at him then goes in with all the noise of a dog fight until boxer drops toy or does what he wants him to do, luckily for the pup boxer just cowers down, but it's so horrible I feel really sorry for my boxer, we have tried shouting, and this morning he was so nasty I gave him a smack hard slap on his bum (i'm sure i'll be told that's the wrong thing to do but after pulling him off the boxer for about the 5th time I was at my wits end )

When he's not being a git they are lovely together they play for hours and lay together all cuddled up, so it's not all bad but these "turns" are really not nice.

Boxer is neutered already and pup is booked in for Thursday next week, he was a bit late dropping, i'm hoping and praying it'll knock the stuffing out of him and he'll calm down but also worried that i'm just getting my hopes up and that he'll still be doing it.

Any tips how i should deal with him when he does it ? thanks.

 

[Dobiegirl]

Personaly if this was my dogs and they coudnt play nicely I would remove the toys as this seems to be the only flashpoint. I would train the leave it command as well.

Are they fed together? because if the new pup is getting above himself this might be the next flash point.

I wouldnt smack but just remove him from the room and if he comes back for more I would keep doing the same, they are feisty little monkeys can we have some pics please.

 

[devilwoman]

Hi, thank you for the reply, its not just the toys to be honest, sometimes it just if the boxer is sitting in the wrong place, or looks at him the wrong way

Food, they are grazers, have food available a 24 hours 7 days and only eat as/when they want it, I never any problems with the food.

Here they are when they are best friends ;-

 

[CAYLA]

It's up to you to teach him that this behaviour is not acceptable, I too would have smacked his back side and sent him on out to be on his own, you need to chose his reprimand and couple it with a command, so for instance he is bossing boxer, you take him by the collar and march him out, coupled with a "NO", leave him out of your company for 10 mins then allow him to re enter no talk, let him settle and calm, each time he displays his advances of bullying lol, then send him back out. I never leave toys around, in my house the only toys allowed are balls outside or a frizbee, im not into the whole toys being strewn around and flung around by dogs, inside is calm time, outside is play time.
If you are at all worried about leaving them unsupervised through fear of the j.r.t being a little git when you are out and pushing his luck them maybe introduce a little crate for him to be in, this will also give the boxer some peace and quiet. Otherwise when you are there take charge and let the little one know there is only one boss in your house and it's "you"
He will only carry on pushing his luck until someones teaches him how to behave and if the boxer won't you have to, he is just being a little brat

 

[Ranyhyn]

I don't leave toys with my two jacks now, it causes far too much bedlam, jacks tend to go over the top with noise when play/fighting. TBH they seem really quite happy without them so it's worked well.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Agree, toys away and up your general control, no means no, sit means sit, etc etc etc!

 

[devilwoman]

Thank you so much for all for the help.

Cayla, thank you, that's great advice, i'll put the toys into the garden and not have them inside, i'll also adopt the stern NO and put him outside on his own each time he does it, today actually hasn't been too bad after he got the wallop this morning, he's only done it once since so hopeully if I assert myself more each time he does it, he will learn to "play" nicely. Thanks again.