Boxer Run-in

[MP_the4pack]

I don't mean to say the breed is bad. I just wanted to know if there was something about Greyhounds that possibly threaten some Boxers and made them go on the attack. Thought maybe somebody else had experienced the same thing. We have several Boxer friends that are not aggressive, just playful in that Boxer way.

 

Bommer has been nearly attacked by three different Boxer or Boxer mixes. This was the only time it happened in a dog park. It was 6:45 am and my friend was dogsitting while I was away. She saw that it was empty and thought she'd let him wander around off leash a little before she walked him. The Boxer owner said his dog was friendly but for some odd reason it immediately went on the attack. The owner felt awful and said that his dog had never done that before.

 

Bommer is recovering just fine. It was pretty scarey because he had bites on all four limbs and both shoulders. Two of the bites are deep tissue tears with air pockets. We're just waiting for the swelling to go down and hoping he doesn't get any infections.

 

I don't usually take Bommer to dog parks because I have other better options. We spend most of our offleash time at the beach. My take on it is that this particular dog park was very small and that is not a good thing. A Greyhound's best defense is his speed and in this situation he could not get away. I also never muzzle Bommer. He was muzzled 24hrs after his leg break and now just bangs his head against the wall when he has one on. I also agree that it would put him in a bad position if other dogs are not muzzled.

 

Anyway, thanks for the feedback and I hope all is well with everyone! Bommer and I are hanging at home together this week. He's loving it!

 

 

My girls have never been introduced to my brother's boxers. But my Pearl was mauled quite badly by a black lab. The owner said the same thing. "He's never done that before...."

 

 

[turbotaina]

I don't mean to say the breed is bad. I just wanted to know if there was something about Greyhounds that possibly threaten some Boxers and made them go on the attack. Thought maybe somebody else had experienced the same thing. We have several Boxer friends that are not aggressive, just playful in that Boxer way.

 

Someone else mentioned body language and I'll add to it that if the boxers are cropped and docked (as most in the US are), a greyhound may not be able to read the dog's language and that may cause problems.

 

We have one elderly boxer in the neighborhood who's just a really nasty old girl and will snarl at us (but as I understand it, her behavior is not exclusively towards greyhounds - she's just a mean old dog). That's the only one we've ever had problems with. In fact, one of Turbo's favorite old girlfriends was a tiny boxer girl. He liked to wrestle her in the back yard

[Guest RooMomma]

I'm glad to hear Bommer is doing ok, keeping fingers crossed for no infections or further problems!!

[Guest HeatherDemps]

I've had problems with boxers at the dog park. They don't get "aggressive" but they play too rough and try to jump on Dempsey. Most boxers I actually know/meet just seem to have HIGH levels of energy. They do terrorize my IG, especially. I'll eventually pick him up when he gets tired of evading him and then the boxers will usually start jumping on me to get to him. My IG is used to big dogs and doesn't know how to play with the little ones on the small dog side, but we don't really go to the dog park anymore. We have too many problems here with people not paying attention to their dogs or controlling them. I do know that one lady at the dog park had a boxer run full force at her and the dog took out her knee and an ambulence was called. Ever since then, when I saw boxers at the park, I made sure to stand with my knees slightly bent at all times.

 

While I was out of town this past weekend my little red fawn Bommer was attacked by a Boxer in a dog park. He's going to be ok as long as none of the bites become infected. He still has air pockets in his left thigh area from where the tissue was torn but his spirits are good.

 

I wasn't sure what section of the forum this topic should go in but I was wondering if anyone else has had consistent problems with Boxers not liking their greys. It doesn't happen with all of them but aside from a pit bull it is the only other type of dog that has had issues with Bommer. It happens upon first meeting him and the owners always say that their dogs have never behaved this way before.

 

Just thought I'd throw it out there.

Edited March 13, 2008 by HeatherDemps

[Guest Winterwish]

Wow,I'm so sorry that happened to your boy Bommer and send get well wishes to both of you.

[Guest LindsaySF]

At the time we were taking some obedience classes with a very good (APDT) trainer to help socialise him, so I raised this problem with her. She explained that it was not surprising that Doc was having difficulty reading these dogs' body language - many dogs do, because their shape makes this confusing - no tails to wag, squashed up faces which tend to look as if they're snarling. Pugs similarly are a difficult breed with their squashed faces and curly tails - certainly when she brought along a black one called Elvis the next week Doc nearly barked the hall down!

 

I think it's also fair to say that boxers as a breed are playful and bouncy by nature, in a way that greyhounds and some other breeds may find rude. I see them adopt this sort of 'gladiatorial' stance with their shoulders braced when spotting another dog - usually that's because they want to play, I think, but if there's a misunderstanding it could lead to a fight. And their ideas of play are again very different - boxers and the bullbreeds like wrestling and rough-housing, greyhounds like 'chase and nip' - again, lots of potential for disaster!

I think these are very astute observations, and I'm glad you posted them. Having both a Greyhound and 2 bully breeds, I definitely see the differences in body language.

 

Some of our Greyhounds at meet & greets act defensive when they meet certain breeds, and I think it is because they can't read their body language properly. Just today we had a Grey act very interested yet defensive when a mixed breed came in. The dog was vibrating from excitement and slipping on the floor (trying to drag its owner over to see us). I think the Grey misinterpreted this as aggressive or confrontational behavior, with the dog braced forward and all. This same Grey was fine with other dogs that walked right by us, and even smaller dogs that were behaving calmly.

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[Guest LazyBones]

sorry to hear about what happened. i hope bommer feels better soon.

 

gumby has only met one boxer, that i can recall. one weekend when my brother was staying here, he brought his AB wrinkles. one day his friend brought over his male boxxer ziggy in hopes that he and wrinkles would play together. i initially kept gumby inside, because i did not know the dog and how he was with others. wrinkles kept trying to play with him, kinda roughly, but for the most part, he pretty much ignored her and focused on marking the yard. seeing how laid back he was, i allowed gumby to come out later on. not a single growl or raised hair. gumby sometimes can be a little shy (mostly outside her turf, though), but she was really interested in him and wasn't bothered at all. they checked each other out a few times, but otherwise they ignored each other. if she were a male, the interaction likely would have been different, because the owner said he at one time tried to add a second (male) boxer to the home, but ziggy wasn't having any of it. so anyhow, while gumby, ziggy, and wrinkles were getting along well, it was my mom's YORKIE who was being anti-social.