Our Boston terriers are generally very sweet natured dogs who get along well both, with people and other pets, but like all other living creatures each dog has its own individual personality, and one of the traits could be the little “green eyed monster” that we know as jealousy.
If you have a Boston terrier as well as another pet, or even children in the house; you may find your Boston starts to get a little jealous of the attention you pay to them, and this can trigger aggression in some dogs.
If, for example, you’ve got two Boston terriers, one may feel that you are paying the other more attention and, therefore, start getting aggressive with the other.
On the other hand it may just be that the dogs have established a pecking order in their own doggy ways, and the aggressor may be the one that has become the alpha dog.
There are steps that you can take to try and ease such a problem
One of the things you should avoid is, paying all of your attention to the “underdog” who is being bullied by the dominant one, as this could trigger even more jealousy and make the problem worse.
Instead, pay attention to the aggressor - this does not mean rewarding him with treats and fuss when he gets aggressive, but handling him to try and stop the behaviour.
Another important step is to try and get the two dogs involved in activity together. This could mean getting another person involved and taking the two dogs for long walks, where both are receiving attention.
Taking them to fun obedience classes can also help, as they may form a closer bond through being involved in fun activities together. Obedience classes are also a good way to get your dogs to acknowledge…. YOU are the leader of the pack…and this could encourage the dominant dog to better obey you, and make your life easier!
You also need to consider the age and sex of your dogs, as this could have something to do with the aggression.
Make note of whether the aggression occurs on a random basis or at certain times, such as meal times or when the dogs are playing with toys. Again, this could help to determine the cause of the aggression.
11 responses so far ↓
1 tonia // Jun 30, 2008 at 5:51 pm
my mingus is a male, a little over a year and a half and he’s an only dog. He is almost always sweet and lovable, but lately he’s been getting jealous when we are at the dog park. If I start showing another dog attention, he will come running and start barking at the other dog and will not let up. Also last week, i was giving attention to my friends baby and he barked at me and kept jumping up until I allowed him to sniff the baby’s feet and gave him a bone to gnaw on. Any suggestions?
2 Admin // Jul 3, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Hi Tonia,
I will be writing more about how to try and tackle an aggressive Boston Terrier pretty soon…so watch this space.
3 Jeff // Jul 5, 2008 at 12:17 pm
My Boston is a 2 yr old male, Bobby, who is so wonderful with people but not with other dogs. We have a Beagle who is 4 and they get along fine. Bobby seems to respect other Alpha dogs but will definitely check it out to see who is the alpha. If another dog is a sweet type then Bobby will bite if we do not have him on his leash. We have not been to the dog park for over a year now because of this. He will do this to large breeds and they are afraid of him because they do not understand why he doesn’t want to play. We are sad about all of this. Any suggestions?
4 janice howard // Jul 5, 2008 at 12:21 pm
My 9 year old Boston, Muffin, bit me yesterday when I was holding one of the cats. I know she needs more attention, but with a lover who’s had 3 heart attacks and whose dad is about to die, and 3 cats (we just got rid of 4 kittens!), it’s easier said than done. Help! shy
5 kajuncandee // Jul 5, 2008 at 10:21 pm
I have two boston girls that are both 4 years old. One (Madison) is very loving and kisses everybody and everything. The other (Morgan) is in a class all her own. If i try to get them to go outside the aggressive one will not go until I send the other one outside and come back and kiss her. Then she is more than willing to go out. She also bullies the other when playing. I cannot and do not make a difference in them at all. I refuse to give her treats when she acts this way and believe me she knows when she has done wrong. She is very smart and she knows that she is far smarter than the loving one. Anything she can get away with she will. At one year old we found out Morgan was born with a shunted liver and was not expected to live very long. I brought her home to die. She had lost a lot of weight and had become very frail. Seizures were and still are the norm. To make a long story short, a friend had gotten a Boston too. She brought her over for a visit and never left. The sick dog suddenly had the will to live. Thank God for Madison. Morgan now weighs 23 pounds and is healthy as a horse. It is a miracle! It is amazing what another Boston can do for a sick Boston.
6 Admin // Jul 6, 2008 at 7:05 am
Kajuncandee,
that’s the most amazing story I’ve heard. It really does sound like a miracle
I’m glad Morgan’s doing so well now. This is a truly inspiring story…I hope others read about the change in Morgan.
Jeff and Janice, as I wrote above to Tonia, I will be writing more in depth about tackling the problem of aggression in Boston Terriers. I’ll let you know when it’s up.
7 esther // Jul 7, 2008 at 6:31 pm
thank you so much for your mail. i really appreciate all the tips you send me. I have a boston that is a year and a half. I also have another dog that is nine years old and weight 95 lbs. I usually have to keep them apart because the boston always wants to hit the other dog in the face, and then she gets very annoyed and i’m afraid that she will bite him and hurt him. How can I get him out of the habit of hitting her. Again, than you for all your tips.
8 Karen // Jul 8, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I have a Ripley’s Believe it or Not Boston that weighs in at 45 lbs, named Winston. He’s not fat at all, just really big - almost like a Boxer. His parents are only 25 lbs., so I’m not really sure what happened. I’ve taken Winston to all the PetsMart classes and an aggression class, where he challenged even the Great Dane! He is extremely reactive on a leash and will charge out at any dog we pass. I can’t take him to a dog park either, since we always end up leaving pretty embarrassed for bullying the other dogs. I always thought the problem was that he wasn’t socialized in his first 6 months, (I didn’t have him then) but there may be other reasons behind it. He does ok off-leash with one other dog, sometimes. Pretty unpredictable and he has even snapped at people. I’d love any suggestions you have at this point.
Thanks!
9 Jan // Jul 21, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Anyone have a spiteful Boston? She’s nearly 2 years old, very sweet, listens great. But if I leave her out, even for 10 mintes while I go down the street, something in my house gets eaten. She’s not the Alpha Dog, and gets her fair share of attention and exercise. Thought she might outgrow it, but seems more spiteful than anything, that’s she mad she got left. Anyone see this behavior, or have any tips on how to address it?
10 rachel // Jul 31, 2008 at 2:24 am
my boston cross, Lucky is great with my other dog but as soon as he sees any other dog, he literally tries to eat them. this little guy weighs about 20 pounds and he attacked a german shepheard.
I love animals and want another dog some day, but I don’t want to put them in danger.
please, please help me.
11 Kathleen // Nov 9, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Recently adopted a puppymill rescue BT. He is beautiful. After he was rescued he went to the rescue lady until he was healed from neuter, etc. 3 yrs old. 18 lbs. He does not have any use for my 4 yr BT that is the best little guy ever. They will go to it into a blood bath, sometimes 3 wks apart, usually over a toy, raw hide etc. It breaks my heart as I do not want to give up the adopted newbee but I can’t continue to have Otis torn into. I’m thinking Bark Busters but they are very expensive. Or can u suggest something else?
Leave a Comment