Cocker Spaniel Aggression-Behaviourist?

philng

We have a lovely Blue Roan 4 yr old Cocker Spaniel who 99% of the time is loving, but have had a number of family biting incidents over the last 2 years. We do not have young children & there has never been any problem whilst out walking.

Example of recent issue was on Sunday when myself wife & son went to collect him from my mums after a 2 week holiday-he had been great for my mum for the 2 wks & was ecstatic to see us with a great welcome but all of a sudden my mum approached him & he bit her on her hand. Was this because he only now wanted our attention & not hers?

This has happened before under similar situations but he is never an issue 1 on 1. We would hate to have to have him PTS & will do anything to sort this problem out. The vet has suggested a behaviourist. Will this work in sorting this behaviour issue out & what might be causing it?

Any advice & help would be greatly appreciated.

rising_from_the_ashes

Sorry to hear this - please see expert help ASAP.

I've a couple of friends who've been through something similar with both Cockers and Springers - same as your dog, 99% absolute sweetheart but the occasional "episode". It can become very hard to trust the dog as you just don't know when "its" going to happen.

I don't want to be too negative but would suggest you do a search on "rage aggression"

Wishing you all the best

hotcookie101

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Sorry to hear this - please see expert help ASAP.

I've a couple of friends who've been through something similar with both Cockers and Springers - same as your dog, 99% absolute sweetheart but the occasional "episode". It can become very hard to trust the dog as you just don't know when "its" going to happen.

I don't want to be too negative but would suggest you do a search on "rage aggression"

Wishing you all the best

I agree, please speak to a professional behaviourist.

However, please do not get overly worried about rage. It is very rare, and its not just a random nip. Its heartbreaking, but it is really uncommon...

elsien

If the vet has suggested a behaviourist, then that is the obvious starting point.
However it might be helpful if you can start to identify some of the triggers and circumstances in which it happens and think about what is happening at the time.
For example when mutt was less decrepit than she is now, whenever she became over-excited or highly strung she used to jump and nip. It was not what I call a "serious" bite - although she could break the skin, she had no intention of hurting, and it was not the sort of aggression where an animal is out to do serious mischief and maul someone. It was more of a flying leap then scarper.

Still totally unacceptable of course, but manageable with a bit of care, and not something that I would ever have considered having her put to sleep for. It is possible to train dogs out of some seriously bad habits if you put in the time and effort and get the help you need, so don't start worrying about worst case scenarios just yet.
Have you looked at your insurance policy- if it's a vet's recommendation you might find that the insurance will cover some of the costs.

DitaVonTee

It's unlikely to be 'rage syndrome' rage attacks almost always are directed at the owner, during a 'rage attack' the dogs eyes will appear to be glazed, pupils are dialated and some people have reported their dogs eyes turning red in colour. Dogs will often drool, vomit or defecate during or after an attack and attacks are provoked over the slightest thing, such as being patted, moving around whilst a dog is sleeping etc. Sometimes a dogs behaviour will change just before an attack then afterwards the dog will be exhausted, fall asleep for an hour or so, then return back to 'normal'. Rage is extremely hard to diagnose and my advice would be to seek advice from a behaviourist in your area from this list http://www.apbc.org.uk/

Fire_Fox

Does your pet insurance cover a behaviourist? It's worth checking.

suki1964

Cockers can become very possessive and clingy and nipping can be part of that behavior if its not picked up on from the word go and dealt with from the start. My lad, when he was a pup you couldnt have touched him without getting a nip - I was certain I had the pup from hell and that he had to be pts. But nope he was trained out of it by time his big teeth came through. Now if he has something in his mouth he just refuses to give up, all I have to do is slip my finger in his mouth and yelp and he drops fast - so is his training not to put his teeth on flesh

If your vet has advised a behaviorist then your insurance should cough up. If not a one to one session will set you back from £80 upwards, but should cover follow up, written recommendations and telephone support. Good thing is cockers are quick learners and once you get to the bottom of why this happens in certain circumstances it should be easy trained out of him

philng

Thanks for that-Given me some hope that we can sort it but when he does bite it is quite viscious. I will contact the recommended behaviourist.