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	Biting Boxer Puppy Q: Hello, I am writing to you as i'm a little bit worried about my 11 week old Boxer puppy. Although he is well behaved most of the time, he is beginning to bite and growl at members of the family. He bites so hard that he is breaking the skin. He also does not like being told "no!" Again he begins to attack. I was just wondering if you could help me on what is causing this problem. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you. Yours sincerely, Julie O'Brien.

A: Dear Julie A little work may be necessary now to prevent your pup growing into a dominant and difficult to control dog. All family members will have to co-operate and try to keep to the rules or one or more could find themselves at the 'bottom of the pack' and keep getting attacked. 1 Avoid those situations where he is most likely to be aggressive, at least initially, as every successful confrontation by the pup increases it's confidence. Stand up and ignore him, you still have an advantage of height at this stage. If you can, go off and leave him shut in the room alone, making withdrawal of attention a punishment. 2 Ignore the pup. Not easy when it's young and cute. Approach the pup to pet it, call it to you, train it but ignore it when it approaches you. This has two affects, it increases it's desire for your attention as a reward and secondly ignoring it is dominant behaviour by you. It will also help to distance you all from it a little and remember that this is a small wolf, not a cuddly toy. 3 Reward only submissive actions, sitting, lying, coming on command. Your attention or a bit of play can be a reward. Make him do something to earn his meals, 'sit' is something even a pup can learn easily. Never give any titbits at this stage without a bit of work on his part first. This will speed up training as well as helping behaviour. Everyone must do this, nobody should crack and give unearned treats. 4 Avoid dominance situations. Don't let him on furniture. Don't let him on your beds or even upstairs. Don't let him jump up or sit on your lap. 5 If one member of the family is less dominant, they should take over most of the care, training and rewards. It doesn't sound like much fun, but only by modifying his behaviour now can he accept a position at the bottom his human pack and be a loyal and protective family member. Dominance is not cured, only controlled, so you must always watch for any signs of a bid for dominance. What not to do:- Don't hit him, this provokes confrontation as he interprets this as a challenge. It may temporarily subdue him or it may make him submissive to a particular person, but it can leave him dangerous or unreliable for others. It may also make him anxious, projecting this as other undesirable behaviour such as destructiveness. You may prefer to work with a behavioural specialist and your vet will be able to give you a contact for whoever is most local to you. The Bach Flower Remedy Vine can be given to decrease dominance. June Third-Carter B.V.M.S., M.R.C.V.S., Vet.M.F.Hom. for PetPlanet.co.uk

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