Do adult boerboels have difficulties socializing with other dogs?

[Leah]

At about 1.5yrs old we started to have problems with Mabel socializing with unfamiliar dogs.  This coincided with putting her on a medication to correct her incontinence (Proin).  The med is notorious for causing anxiety and we assumed her social issues were being caused by the medication.  With dogs she knows, whether big or small, she is great.  But when at the bark park she can go from playful to aggressive with various dogs, especially intense energy dogs.  

Sadly, we cannot go to the bark park with her any longer.  As we meet other boerboel owners, we have heard they have had socialization problems as well.  I am wondering if anyone else is having socialization problems with their boerboels?  Is this common to the breed?  She was spayed after her first heat.

With people and children she could not be more wonderful.  We try to do introductions to other dogs properly (ie no face to face, walking them together, ect) but if anything her tolerance of other dogs is getting worse.  Maybe my fear that she will snap at the dog is contributing to the problem as well???

Your thoughts and insights to the breed are very appreciated.

Leah

[Marco]

Hello Leah, thanks for posting your question.  I'm not a pro at this but I will give you my thoughts.  I hope others will chime in, and give there thoughts on the matter as well.  After all this site was made to help one another.  From what I can tell your dog may not be doing anything wrong.  You made mention she is great around the people, and dogs she already knows.  She is also at the age where she could be maturing, this can happen at different ages though.  Normally this can occur between 8 months to 3 years.  If she is going through this stage she will be trying to find out her rank among others especially new comers.  You must stay on top of your training even more so at this time.  Im at work at the moment, and staying pretty busy so need to go for now.  I'd like to leave you with some links below.  I hope this is somewhat helpful to you.

 

As much fun as a dog park can seem to be its best to stay away from them.   

Dog Parks Why They Are A Bad Idea

 

"Maybe my fear that she will snap at the dog is contributing to the problem as well???"

Yes dogs can pick up on your fear, and react to it.  Ultimately she needs to know you are in control of the situation, and not afraid.  This has to do with pack structure as well.

 

The Groundwork to Establishing Pack Structure with Dogs

 

A couple articles worth reading if you have not already.

 

How to Socialize

Dominant Dog

 

 

 

[Leah]

Thanks so much Marco!  I look forward to reading the articles...much appreciated.

Marco said:

Hello Leah, thanks for posting your question.  I'm not a pro at this but I will give you my thoughts.  I hope others will chime in, and give there thoughts on the matter as well.  After all this site was made to help one another.  From what I can tell your dog may not be doing anything wrong.  You made mention she is great around the people, and dogs she already knows.  She is also at the age where she could be maturing, this can happen at different ages though.  Normally this can occur between 8 months to 3 years.  If she is going through this stage she will be trying to find out her rank among others especially new comers.  You must stay on top of your training even more so at this time.  Im at work at the moment, and staying pretty busy so need to go for now.  I'd like to leave you with some links below.  I hope this is somewhat helpful to you.

 

As much fun as a dog park can seem to be its best to stay away from them.   

Dog Parks Why They Are A Bad Idea

 

"Maybe my fear that she will snap at the dog is contributing to the problem as well???"

Yes dogs can pick up on your fear, and react to it.  Ultimately she needs to know you are in control of the situation, and not afraid.  This has to do with pack structure as well.

 

The Groundwork to Establishing Pack Structure with Dogs

 

A couples articles worth reading if you have not already.

 

How to Socialize

Dominant Dog

 

 

 

[James Dillon]

My only experience with boerboels is my own dog but I have socialized him a lot since he was very young and haven't had any issues so far. I would say soak up all the info you can and just keep working with her. Good luck!

[Lisa Tiro]

Hi Leah,

I had this problem as well. I socialized my Bella every day and she loved going to the beach and meeting other dogs. Then when she was about 11 months old I stopped to talk to a man in a wheelchair with a little dog on his lap. Everything seemed fine and I was not tense at all because she was always good and all of a sudden I heard the low growl and I thought it was the other dog at first, then she lunged barking so aggressively that I thought she had gone mad. I put her down on the ground and reprimanded her. After that day it progressively got worse to where I couldn't take her down the beach anymore. People would look at me like I was nuts for walking a lion out in public. It progressed to people that would stop to talk with me. We spayed her after her first heat as well at about 11 months. I often wonder if that had something to do with it. I took her to a police dog trainer who showed us how to control her with an E-collar. She took to that very quickly and my older son who is a big guy took her on walks from then on out. He had better luck than I did with her. He physically could control her better than I if a situation arose. After she tried to kill about a dozen dogs and people I lost my nerve taking her out any farther than my street and even then I muzzled her on the walks. I have been told by many people that have bb's that they have this problem as well. My poor Bella recently passed away from AIHA and I have a 5 month old boy that I am hoping has the right temperment. He is very different from Bella so I am working on all these things to prevent the same from happening. Good luck with mabel.

Lisa

[Leah]

I am so sorry to hear that.  Thank you for your feedback.  We are going to try a remote vibrating collar for a quick correction.   Wish you the best with your new pup!

Leah

[Marco]

Hello Leah, how is everything going?  What type of collar do you plan on getting, or have you bought one already?  There are a lot of different ones to choose from out there, if you have questions please let us know.  I've done quite a bit of research on different ones in the past so if I can be of any help, just ask.

[Leah]

Thanks Marco.  My husband did the research and found a remote vibrating collar but I am not sure which brand.  We are babysitting our last foster dog (50lb shepard-mix) tonight.  For the first few minutes she wanted to attack him as we walked and I gave her a strong correction.  Now they are playing like the old days and she is nuts about him.  

Those articles you gave me were VERY helpful.  I will have to accept she can only socialize comfortably with dogs that are brought in and incorporated in the pack.  

Again, thanks for all the support.  

Leah

[Marco]

Leah I'm very glad those articles were helpful to you, I try to help when I can by sharing info.  I try to return the help that many have shown me on this site.  Thanks for posting your concern, and thanks to everyone else who replied.  Good luck with everything!

[Rik]

I now have my very first Boerboel...I socialized him ever since he was 9 weeks old with dogs, cats, a ferret, adults, children, the elderly, you name it. Before I got him, he was raised since birth until 9 weeks old among his breeder's children and other dogs. I used to take him to the dog park, but at about a year old he started to react negatively to any dog that tried to dominate him (via them putting chin-to-back or challenging him). There were never any serious fights, but it was clear that my dog was not going to take any crap. My theory is this...Boerboels were bred to perform a certain task, and they do it well. I think anyone who has a Boerboel that can freely roam a dog park and not have any issues whatsoever has a Boerboel that is not the norm for the breed. I have a Corso that is very bomb-proof, but like a Corso he watches me much of the time, is aloof with strangers, and he will not look for trouble. My Leonberger loves to lay outside in the snow, she hates dog parks, and she is on alert much of the time as she scans the perimeter of our yard (very common from the Leonberg relatives...Newfs/St. Bernards/Pyrs). My Boston Bulldog is a pain in the ass...much like the terrier breeds in general, she is too big for her britches, and although she will not actually brawl, she will charge with full bluster at any dog, any size, and be mouthy (kind of like the guys who are 4 feet tall and buy a giant truck). Unfortunately, she has been lit up several times at the dog park by dogs who do not understand that she is essentially harmless, despite her demeanor. Other owners stare at us like we are nuts to have such an "aggro" dog. Anyhow, my point is that each of my dogs does what their breed does best...exactly what they were intended to do. I think my Boerboel is no different. I know various control methods may thwart some of the behaviors, but I do not believe any tool such as a special collar or a correction will change internal, hard-wired genetics. I am just thankful that my BB does not look for trouble, and I can take him just about anywhere as long as I am cognizant that other unpredictable dogs may approach him. I carry a stun gun (very good for breaking up a brawl without hurting a dog) in case anything ever gets out of hand (some owners are very careless and I want to also prevent any dog from going after mine). I do agree that it is all about a pack thing and careful introductions to let the dogs sort out what they are comfortable with. My dogs asserted their hierarchy very early on, and the neighborhood dogs have sorted it out as well. A dog park if far too unpredictable, and if I want to have a mellow dog park dog I would get a mutt or a breed that was bred for laid-back-ness...and even then there would be the risk of even the friendliest dog getting attacked. People also are always willing to offer opinions about intact versus non-intact males, and females, but for every story out there there are others that contradict it. I plan to keep my dog intact until he is at least two, for this reason: http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInD...   Even so, I love Boerboels! Not going to a dog park is a small price to pay for having such a great breed.  

[Lisa Tiro]

I agree wholeheartedly Rik. The only problem with Bella was she did look for trouble, at least when she was with me. It could have been the "weak pack leader" vibes I was sending due to seeing her bite my son once in an uncontrollable fury trying to get another dog. They called that transferred aggression which I wanted no part of lol...My son could take her to places where irresponsible owners would let their roaming dogs run up to her. In some cases she was fine and others not. It just depended on the dog. But he was confident and would yell ahead to the person that their dog may be ripped apart of they came any closer. That usually worked. My new pup Axel is much different from Bella. Bella always wanted to smell and play with passing dogs. This guy is very aloof to them. He does not care if a dog is walking right in front of us, he will still heel. I would have to cross the street with Bella because the temptation was too much of a distraction. He is only 5 months and everything is new right now since we only have him 3 weeks now but my hope is that he will be able to walk in public and not embarrass me lol...I also am waiting to neuter hm as well. My vet said one year but I am going to read more about waiting longer or not doing it at all. I have to agree even with all the problems I had with Bella, I do still love this breed hence AXEL!

[Rik]

Check out that article I attached (the link in my last post)...very informative about the neutering! I also read another article that suggests that for large breed dogs waiting until two (at least) is the way to go becaue it gives enough time to allow the skeletal system to reach a girth that will support the muscle mass. The vet who wrote the article specializes in large breeds, and she claims that neutering too soon will result in joint issues due to a narrow chest, lanky overall confirmation, etc. What is interesting is a claim that females are not only inherently more protective but also even more so after they are spayed. I guess it all depends on who you ask!

[Lisa Tiro]

I agree about the females. I have been told that. She would have been a great guard dog on a farm somewhere. She was over the top with visitors. If I didn't catch her and put her in place or in a down before she escalated, she was out of control. And, it was after she was spayed. I also see a large breed dog vet. I changed from my last one because I was made to feel like a bad owner for waiting to spay her. Also, I don't think they picked up on her illness as soon as they should have. It may not have made a difference in the outcome where it was a 50/50 chance she would recover, but still the new vet was knowledgeable about that as well. He seems to not put too much credence in the argument about the growth plates and all but he says to be on the safe side we'll wait til he's a year old. It does depend on who you talk to. I worry about aggression the most since that's what I ended up with the last time. She was a sweetie pie with all the people she knew though, very loving. I have had that article since before I got my Bella. The breeder sent it to me.