aggression in 5 month old boxer mix - Page 1

I know this is a GSD board,but maybe someone can offer some much needed advice for my nephew who recently adopted a 5 month old boxer type mix from their local SPCA.
This pup seems friendly enough to my nephew and his girlfriend.He loves his toys etc and seems very smart and trainable.He is an only pet and gets lots of love etc. They had him about 1 week.
The problem is,they had a young couple over for dinner and they had their 2 year old toddler with them. This pup turned very aggressive towards the baby and would not snap out of viciously trying to get to this baby,even after they corrected him and put him in the crate he still tryed to get to the baby from his crate.
I have never experenced this and I am by no mean's a trainer.I told them I would ask on here if anyone can offer advice.
Can anyone offer any advice please? I personally think this pup is way too much for in experenced dog owners.
Thank you.

Put him down and get a gold fish.

FHT tracker -
I would recommend them to find a good trainer to help them with the puppy - socializing,obedience,etc.With 5 month old puppy it shouldn´t be that difficult with a good supervisor.

Can you describe "viciously trying to get to" the toddler?

That's sort of vague.  Kids that age are kind of jerky and high-pitched, two things that tend to get puppies worked up. 
It could be that the dog was amped up and wanted to play with the very interesting creature.
It could be that the dog was frightened and was displaying fear aggression.
It could be many things, but without a better description of what this "aggression" looked like, its sort of impossible to guess.

Is the dog too much for inexperienced dog owners?  Quite possibly.
Dogs end up in shelters for two main reasons: the owner can't keep them due to economics, time or space constraints
OR
The dog has really poor nerves and temperment, and they dump him there.

With a dog this young, either reason is equally likely.  With a mutt especially, its likely that it was an accidental breeding and the pups the owner of the female couldn't get rid of ended up in a shelter.

It just depends... if this was the puppy getting worked up and wanted to play in an unacceptable manner, its totally something they can handle.

If this is bad nerves, they're probably best finding a no-kill rescue to take him, so that the dog can be rehomed with someone more experienced.  Thankfully he's already been neutered, so no need to worry about that end.

Cage,

I'm sorry but look at the OPs comment, how can anyone, no matter how experienced with dogs, in good conscience give any advice over the internet, beyond 'see a trainer in your area'.

Also, what the hell is the SPCA doing adopting out a dog that is so violently hostile towards a small child?  How did this dog get past temperment testing if the dog is THAT out of control?

Per the OP's words, the dog was relentless vicious towards a CHILD.  If that truly is the case then the dog needs to be destroyed.  Too many good dogs out there who are being euthanized left and right for this dog to remain alive.

I have not seen the pup,nor was I their when it happened.but i am going to let them get on here because they can best discribe what actually happened.
What I do know is this is their first dog they have owned them selves. They went to a no kill shelter and adopted him,And have had him a short time when this happened.
I do know  the toddler was not running or acting bad in any way,it was when the puppy first seen the baby it lunged at the baby teeth bared hair up and would not stop at all,even after being put in his crate.They could not calm him down. If it were me" That pup would go back ASAP. 
So it would be best if the owner would join on here and maybe get some much needed help.
I do thank you all.

If the dog was hackling, snarling and generally having a shitfit about the kid, I'd definitely take him back to the shelter, with a full explanation of the behavior.

That's why I asked what exactly was meant by "vicious".  Boxers are.. pretty spaztastic dogs by nature, and an inexperienced dog owner could mistake overexhuberance toward a child as aggression.

Hackling and snarling, however, is not overexhuberance, its aggression, and probably indicative of a serious temperment fault.

If the dog is reacting this way to children at 5 months of age, and is neutered, I don't see the behavior stopping without some serious, serious training and management of the dogs, which is arguably beyond any first-time dog owner, and probably not what they wanted in a dog at all.  It does no one any good for them to keep a dog they dislike and consider a burden because he has to be managed to such an extent.

I would put him down.  Any puppy that young showing that much aggression to a child is dangerous.  Too many good dogs need homes to mess around with an unstable one.

I wouldn't take him back to the no kill warehouse, because they would just blame the child, the house, the color of the rug, anything but accept the dog is nuts.  And they would turn around and adopt him out to some other unsuspecting family.

Try and find a vet that will put down a 5 mo old puppy. Will be hard to find. Although I agree that the dog will most likely be rehomed, it could be that the home the dog is in, is just the wrong one. Take the dog back and find one more suitable.

Unfortunately, most Vets will err in favor of a puppy as much, or more so, than the Rescue will.

The rescue faces legal liability if they keep rehoming a dog that has been returned for aggression.
The Vet faces almost none if they decide to find another home for the pup, or take it to the humane society rather than put it down.