Springer spaniel rage!!?

Question

I have a lovely spaniel...family pet..purchased him from a proper breeder.
I was speaking to someone who mentioned they were a nice breed apart from those with springer rage.
Has anyone heard of this?
Having kids in the house i am a bit concerned.
He is 2 now and has always been fantastic with kids.

Answer 1

Rage Syndrome is considered an old fashioned tem now, but in the 1970's it was a problem in red cocker spaniels.
A dog with rage syndrome is a liability. They go 'distant', then can turn savage in an instant. The triggers include stress, change of environment, a new person, sudden noises or movements; basically the dog seems to get upset and lose it.
Once they are in the grip of an attack they are beyond reason.
Then they calm down and its as if nothing happened.

If your dog had this syndrome you would know by now, so please relax!

http://www.cockerspanielrage.org.uk/

Answer 2

Prior to my 10 month old ESS I raised a Cocker Spaniel, both of these dogs have been/were pleasant. At one time the ESS was believed to go into a rage of course this has proven to be a misnomer. It should be dropped from the behavioral factors of a "Spaniel." What may have caused the "rage" outbreak is the hyperness of the breed itself. Ever notice hoe a Wolf paces back and forth in a cage? When you have any animal that is not receiving enough exercise the animal finds other outlets for this penned up energy. I would say as long as your dog is getting enough DAILY exercise erase the thought from your mind. My ESS is not a hunting dog, but I put him through some of the hunting tactics used in hunting and he loves it. Heres a quick one have your children play hide and seek w/ him. Have one of them run and hide and have him go find the child. Great fun!!! If you have anymore concerns please email me if you'd like,

Answer 3

Springer spaniels dont suffer with springer rage,i've never even heard of someone saying they do.I think that person who told you this has got mixed up with the cocker spaniel that can suffer with rage syndrome,however its very rare and its normaly in whole coloured dogs ie an entire black cocker.I think alot of people who say there cocker has rage syndrome are in fact assuming they do,dogs can suffer simlar charecteristics to those of rage syndrome if they are not trained.Also rage syndrome starts mostly in adolecence.Dont worry you have a beautiful family pet who certainly doesn't suffer with rage syndrome.

Answer 4

I have also heard of this, I believe its an inherited factor, you could ask the breeder if the mother had any behaviour probs. I am more then certain you are aware how energetic this breed can be, 2 x 1 hour walks a day should be enuff to keep your dog mentally happy! Or a very big garden where it can run up and down till it has had enough.

Answer 5

I really don't know much about Springer Spaniel, since I raise Shih Tzu's but my brother owned a Springer. That dog was the best dog I ever ran across. He was smart , gentle , and the most loving dog. I wouldn't worry to much on this person telling you about Spaniel Rage , what ever that is, You have a very good dog there.

Answer 6

Our family has had 6 spaniels over the years and the only problem we ever had was when our cocker took a real dislike to a neighbour's child, we were told that the boy had hit him with a chain and the dog never forgot or forgave!

Answer 7

This goes back to genetic line breeding when dam and sire are to closely related this one of the downfalls. I have not seen it so much in springer as I have in cocker spaniel they become very aggressive and almost a one man dog. Keep an eye on your dog and by all means keep your kids away from your dog when you are feeding it. Dogs instincts kick in to be agressive when it comes to food. Feed it a lone. I have a border colie that is very content and peaceful until it comes to food and other dogs that come around and certain people. I have no children

Answer 8

Spaniels are working dogs, so they need to be obedience trained, and well exercised. If they don't have anything to do they get bored and boredom leads to agression and/or destructive behaviour (chewing the furniture etc.). If you have socialized and trained him and keep him walked and give him time, not leaving him alone all day or tied outside, this shouldn't be a problem.
Sounds like you've done a good job so far with your dog.

Answer 9

Funny you mentioned spaniels. I do home boarding and have boarded a few spaniels in my day, mostly cockers but man...yuu are right. They are either unfriendly to both people and other dogs or are hyper active, jumping on you all the time or tearing around the house and bouncing of walls. Then again, this is true of many small dogs - silkies, jack russels, and even schnauzers and the mix breeds. And they all have big noisy barks. Which leads me to my next question for Yahoo Question....

Answer 10

Its an inheirited disease called hyperthyroidism. Springers are susceptable to this and the symptoms are, increased thirst, weight loss, nervousness, increased bowel movement, muscular weakness, increased appetite and intolerance to heat. It also causes some extreme mood swings. Diagnosis of this disease isnt easy, especially in undesexed females because they need to be tested in the six weeks following a heat. Desexed females and males need to be as healthy as possible before testing. Medicating isnt easy or cheap. If your dog is healthy then dont worry, my parents bred springer spaniels and we only came across this once in the thirty years they bred for. If he was purchased from a proper breeder then dont worry, the parents probably would have been screened for this sort of thing. There is always someone who says something positive then follows it with a negative.