Doggy Raceism

[shelb'smum]

Does anybody know if dogs can be doggy "raciest"?

and if so will anybody give some examples and an way to "correct" this Quirk.

 

Let me go into detail. Pete, our soon to be adopted furkid (i'm adopting him) has a very strong dislike for Boxers... VERY STRONG. he won't attack/bite at them until they try to interact with him.

no matter how soft rough or submissive he snaps and attempts to "fight" them. he is fine, but watchs their every move always aware of where they are. as long as they don't touch him. or bark at him or any thing.

just think its odd... and shelby has about 5 boxer friends so it is difucult :eep:

[Beth G]

I agree.I have heard of this in other breeds too.

 

Alot of Borders including my own prefer only other Borders, so yes some breeds can be racist to one or all other breeds that aren't their own.

[MaggieDog]

Interestingly enough, BCs seem to be particularly prone to a dislike of boxers lol. Maggie loves 'em, but some BCs despise them, even w/o prior bad experiences.

 

There is some speculation that docked and cropped dogs are harder to "read" than dogs w/ natural appendages which may contribute to the animosity. Boxers also like using their paws when playing which may be incompatable with the play style of many BCs.

[hoku's mum]

Hoku seemed to love all dogs including a good boxer buddy. But after Gussy got attacked by a Pit, (and he was there) he got into it with a pit mix at the dog park the next week. First time he has ever been uppity with another dog. Made me wonder if he made an association, or it was just that they did not like each other for what ever reason.

 

Our ol' Spencer guy (RIP buddy) hated big dogs with haircuts - Standard Poodles, Giant Schnauzers, etc. Go figure....

[Kat's Dogs]

I will let others help you deal with it - but YES, dogs seem to be able to distinguish other dogs by their looks. Dazzle has something against Chihuahuas (they scare her to death if she sees one) and both shih tzus don't like GSDs, but love other breeds.

 

I have seen it go the other way too. I knew a BC who just LOVES Dobies! She would go crazy wanting to play with them! But only them!

[PSmitty]

I have heard that a lot of dogs, maybe BCs in particular, have problems with boxers. Two reasons: their squishy faces (for lack of a better description) and their play style.

[Alicia]

I have no experience with this and dogs but.. my horse, Star, is scared to death of Mini horses. She thinks they are freaks of nature or something, are gonna eat her, I dunno.. She starts snorting, shaking, prancing and gets all wide-eyed. Crazy mare lol!

[lance]

Bandit will play with any breed, including pits, but it makes me anxious. When he wants to play fight, usually it's with a lab.

[bc4pack]

OK here's an idea...you want your dog to associate Boxers with good things.Enlist the help of someone who has a dog-friendly Boxer...at a distance far enough away from the Boxer treat your dog..a distance where your dog is still relaxed...gradually (could be weeks) slowly decrease the distance...one is actually can change a dog's emotional reaction doing this,but it takes time and patience...you also incorporate a "watch me" (treats drawing his focus up to you will do it)...The dog will start associating Boxers with TREATS (great stuff for dogs..um,use treats like bits of cooked chicken) and your dog will start looking to you when he feels himself losing his "relaxed state of mind".

 

This does take time and patience and baby steps but it will work...the key is to start treating BEFORE the dog gets agitated!

 

Let me know how things go.

 

P.S BTW...a lot of bias between dogs is due to the subleties in body language and signals...Boxers and Labs are notorious for big inyour face stuff that herding breeds don't appreciate...Borders have problems w/ other breeds because others don't appreciate being 'stared' at!

[Olivia]

My Griffin has the exact same problem. He hates all boxers, no matter the attitude, color, male/female, etc. He is okay with most other dogs but boxers are the only big generalization. He will ignore them as long as they are not trying to interact with him. For instance, if we are at a pet store and there is one on leash in there shopping on another isle he is fine. Now if the owner allowed the dog to try to approach Grif it is another story. First he will avert his eyes, looking at me or the floor. He will try to move away from the dog. Then if the dog is still there he will start showing teeth and then using them. I know he is showing all the proper doggie signs but the other dog rarely moves away at the signs and I still worry a little.

 

I keep Grif away from boxers if I see them coming. In on leash situations I just tell the owner that my dog doesn't like boxers, nothing personal, and if they could please not allow their dog to walk over to "say hi". So far no one has taken offense and most kinda laugh it off.

 

I spoke to a local veterinary behaviorist and she recommended the process that Tara just outlined. I just don't have access to a nice boxer to try it. She also said that it was probably the smushed face and such and said I could find a life size picture of a boxers face and post it around the house so Grif gets used to seeing the face and not worrying. Might be worth a shot.

 

Olivia

[MrSnappy]

Boxers are very upright and their natural stance is the one that many other dogs take when they are ready to bring it on. A dislike of Boxers seems to be common in BCs.

 

In the reverse, I have yet to meet a rottweiler that does not want to kill Red Dog. he has been seriously injured on more than one occasion by different rotties. He needn't even start anything - they all want to demolish him the moment they lay eyes on him.

 

RDM

[bcnewe2]

I've noticed here, I have one LGD who's natural tail set is carried curled over his back. This causes my only male BC to come unglued. He has attacked (no blood but big huge scare the bageebes out of you type fight) on many different occasions. The LGD has learned to walk around this particular dog with his tail down, and there's no problem. Now that the LGD is twice the size and coming into his own maturity, I notice the male BC is less likely to start crap. Guess he's getting the message that one day the LGD will win.

I think it's the natural behaviors that either causes them to like or dislike a dog of another breed aside from the typical jerk in your face dog who we all can't stand.

All the boxers I've met are a bit in your face type dogs. That could be adding to your issues.

Good luck

Kristen

[borderlicious]

Dakota must be an active member of a BC Supremacy group. He'll socialize with other dogs if there are no BCs around, but if there are BCs, he gravitates towards them and shuns the other breeds.

 

Dakota has snarked at a Boxer before. They are very rough, in-your-face brutes and even my in-your-face brute can't stand them. I live with one that is a great dog, but he's 8 years old and I don't think Dakota recognizes him as a Boxer.

 

On the flip side, a lot of dogs seem to want to beat up Dakota. Rottweilers and GSDs in particular don't like him; I've had quite a few come out of nowhere and just start chewing on him. Others attack him as soon as he comes near. I can't say I blame them - he's a pest - but these dogs go all out when they reprimand him for invading their space. Older Border Collies tend to get annoyed with him too, but honestly i'm more comfortable with letting another Border Collie correct him than I am with letting a Rottweiler do the same thing. Often times those "corrections" from other breeds have turned into prolonged attacks.

[nowwown]

Cody loves all dogs, mostly bigger dogs. He's best friends with Odin, the Visla (sp?) next door, and loves bugging the big yellow Lab Winston who lives two doors away. He also likes the French bulldog Fergie up the street, and we call this tiny Cocker Spaniel neighbor, Sadie, his "girlfriend", as he is very gentle and cute with her.

 

At the dog park, he'll play with any dog that wants to 1. Run 2. Run 3. Play 4. Run.

 

However, I have found that the following breeds DO NOT like him: Miniature husky, large husky, Jack Russell terrier, Shetland Sheepdog (although the one that doesn't like him is very old and crotchety). Cody was actually attacked twice by the same dog two different times; he was bitten hard on the ear the first time and the second time no real injury) (without any provocation or playing, we were just walking and this dog ran over) by a miniature husky up the street (nasty dog, looks like a fox and is out of control with its owner who can't do anything with it; he has NO manners at all).

 

Oh, Cody also loves to play with my stepdaughter's female Chihauhau, Lilly, who likes to play bitey face with him. Maybe it's their way of kissing?

[Liz P]

My BCs will see another BC a mile away and go running to greet it but are less enthusiastic about other breeds. They generally don't play with non BCs but are very polite. (BC bigotry) A BC I used to have was attacked by an Akita with a black mask. From that point on in his life he never fully trusted brown dogs with a dark face.

 

One of my BCs, the exception to the rule, loves everyone to the point that he stands there and lets smaller dogs attack him and continues to try to make friends with them. It's funny to see a little Chi or Yorkie fly at him and bite him. He will wag his tail and stay calm until the little dog gives up, then he starts to play bow. Some of the little dogs look thoroughly confused, as if they are thinking, "I thought I was a big mean scary dog? Why isn't he afraid of me?" The only dog he ever disliked was a foster I had who had to be PTS for very serious aggression issues.