What to do with our Cocker Spaniel, Ebony?

Question

We have a 3 yo Cocker Spaniel who we bought privately when she was 9 wks. My daughter had been terrified of dogs, so we bought a smallish one from puppy to help overcome her fear. But at 9 wks we took the dog (Ebony) to show n tell at school. It snapped at one of the children. We have 7 children and constantly have children coming and going. While Ebony is great with our children and us, any strangers, especially young children she can bark vigorously at. She can go up to them, be all nice, then all of a sudden can turn and bite with a very angry growl. She has done this to about 3 or 4 visitors, all unprevoked. We were going to take her to the RSPCA & kids were upset so we had her desexed hoping this will help. B4,she has stayed at a boarding kennel twice, when we've been away & they thought she was a beautiful dog! So are we doing something wrong I thought. But I still feel nervous when we have visitors, especially kids, so she goes in the laundry, which is unfair. Undecided

Answer 1

This is the main reason I suggest mature dogs verses puppies. Between six and 8 months you would have an idea of a dogs personality where as the little ones have not come into their selves yet.

Be sure to have a crate for her and when visitors come put her in the crate. It is not unfair to separate them but with her being in a closed room you may be upsetting her more. There are people in her house and she can not see them to get adjusted to them.

Answer 2

At 9 weeks that puppy was very much a puppy and too young to be brought into such a loud, crowded area. At that age, the puppy may have been scared. However, that does not excuse or account for her current behavior. Moreover, many people have the misconception that spaying/neutering a dog will change their temperment or settle them down; that's not the case. It's great for their long term health but their personality remains the same.

First of all, get yourself a private trainer. Dropping her at the RSPCA is just a way to get rid of the problem and not responsible- especially if you do not tel them why, which many people do. A private trainer can help you deal with these problems. I would also recommend a visit to the vets just to make sure there is no underlying health problem; it does not sound like it but that's a good place to start. Please keep in mind that if the personal trainer cannot solve the problem, you need to be sure what her trigger is. If it is children, she needs to go somewhere without children. If there is no trigger and it is just random rage, than talk to your trainer and veterinarian about what they recommend.

Answer 3

VAgirl's answer is right on --

I have a female cocker spaniel who is 2 years old now. It is very much a cocker trait to be overly protective and apprehensive of strangers. I think they are especially protective of children, and I am sure this is the case with your dog -- especially with seven children. She thinks she has to be in charge and take care of them all.

I started mine in a training school at at pet store when she was about 1 1/2 and it has helped a lot. I wish I had started when she was a puppy. They stress the need for her to be put in situations where she will meet many new people -- the goal was for her to meet at least 100 new people during the 8 week course. She had to learn and practice different situations over and over. Have new people approach her unexpectedly, approach you or your kids when she is with them, but always in an environment where you will easily have control of her (e.g. on a leash, etc.). If the situation of a new person coming right up to her becomes familiar, she might get better in those situations, even when you are not directly controling her.

I think cockers are very intelligent because she had no problem at all learning sit, lay down, stay, even tricks like roll over. She is much better in public, but still has a strong tendency to bark at anyone new when someone comes to "her home". Yelling at her, or putting her in another room does not help, and it just makes her worse. The training has helped because she recognizes commands, and when she starts barking I just say stay calm and tell her to sit, lay down, stay -- and then she is in a frame of mind to meet someone new. After that she loves to be a clown and show off to everyone what tricks she can do.

Answer 4

Cocker spaniels are statistically the #1 biter of children.
You need help in coping with this behavior. Obviously Ebony needs to be kept away from visiting children.

Obedience training would be a great place to start.
Ask your vet for recommendations.

Contact cocker spaniel rescue for help as well. Maybe you can find Ebony a more suitable home, and get a breed more suited to massive amounts of kids. In the long run, that would be better for the dog, your family, and your visitors.

And BTW, plan on spaying or neutering your dog as soon as it is old enough, whether or not it exhibits any agressive behavior.

Answer 5

If this happened with my dog, I would keep it away from strangers (especially children). If she ever bites one you're looking at a very expensive situation.
I don't think I would get rid of her because you obviously love her and trust her not to bite family members. There is nothing wrong with putting her in the laundry room, let her have her space if she feels nervous around other people. Make her a nice comfy private place that she can go to when strangers are around and she'll be o.k. with that.

Answer 6

First-Cockers are known for being dog aggressive and can be snippy with those outside the family. Second, knowing this tendency, it is vital to properlly socialize your dog! You need to expose her to new situations and new people. Slowly at first or you will make her worse. Start walking her at off hours in a park with lots of activity (off hours so she has fewer people to deal with at first). Move up to taking her into town, letting her see that being well behaved has perks-like more time aroudn her folks.

Also, be prepared for the possibility that at this stage you may not be able to do much to "fix" this. She may never like new people. Knowing her issues, you should be very careful with her meeting new people. Never leave her alone with someone new and never let your children introduce her to new people (she may feel she is protecting them and it could be a reason for the nips she has given).

When you say the keenel thought well of her-was she aggressive with them? If she was not, then she may be acting aggressive as a protection issue with your family. She may see herself as being in charge of the children and her goal is to keep anyone who could hurt them at a distance. When they are neat other kids (running jumping yelling like kids do) she may feel a threat or feed off the excitement and bite.

Before putting her down, I would seek the advise of a trainer. Let them work with you. Try to determine if she aggressive vs. protective. And you are doing the right thing by addressing the issue-a dog that bites can be a true problem, better to work on it now rather than wait till someone needs stitches. Best of luck!

Answer 7

well, that's why cocker spaniels are the #1 biters in the country. you can either keep her away from children or find her a new home without kids.

when you buy a cocker you need to get it from a very responsible breeder who has screened out unstable temperaments and fear biting from their lines. go ask a dog groomer what breed they hate the most and they will probably say "cocker spaniels!" (or chow chows). i think they are really cute but they are emotional wrecks!

Answer 8

It may be that children are too much for her to deal with. Contact Cocker Rescue and see if they can help you find a home for her without children.

Answer 9

If you've got that many kids, it means that a lot of friends come over and you have a HUGE liability issue if Ebony bites one of them!

You either need to keep her in a crate when kids are around, put a muzzle on her, get rid of her or put her down. I know your kids love her, so I would try the crate or muzzle, but you've got to get rid of the liability issue!

Answer 10

You picked a small dog but that small dog came with a reputation for being aggressive. Contact your vet and see if they can refer you to a behavioral specialist. Good luck