sophy Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 I was wondering if you could offer me some advice please? I have a 1 year old male cocker spaniel (gold). He's an absolute sweetie and has given us so much laughter and fun since we got him!! Over the last few months I think I have seen some resource guarding behaviour from him though - I am new to this term but have been doing some reading and he seems to fit the description..... Recently at the beach I put my towel down and sat there before going for a swim... he ran out and snapped at every dog that come to say hello, and remained guarding my things (sat on my towel as proud as punch!) when I went into the water! It's like he's protecting a perimeter around me. He's fine with other dogs when we're walking up the shore, only when we've stopped in one spot for a while/sat down????.. He has shown a few funny signs like this episode - at the park he snapped at a retriever puppy that came to say hello to me....I dont think he'd ever bite, he just makes a horrid grizzling noise, and lurching forward behaviour It's very out of character to be like this and I want to stop the problem before it gets out of hand. He's been to puppy classes and intermediate dog training and has no faults when it comes to sit, stay, drop etc.... Can anyone help me please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 just a few questions first ... - is he desexed - he obviously sees the need to protect you. What do you do when he exhibits this behaviour - how is his behaviour with other dogs/people in general - what were his parents like. Do any of his relatives have 'cocker rage" (i'm not a professional on this but the cocker spaniel people on here may be able to help you more on that) Sounds like a combination of adolescence and him becoming your leader and protector. Sounds like you need professional guidence from a behaviourist for this and a few lifestyle changes for starters. Have a look at this http://www.leerburg.com/groundwork.htm its informative, glean what you can. You dont have to run a boot camp but get the gist of what Ed has to say about becoming the dogs boss and getting the dog to allow you to be the decision maker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toohey Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 - what were his parents like. Do any of his relatives have 'cocker rage" This pup does NOT have cocker rage! He is merely doing his job, that is, protecting what he considers himself to be in charge of. He is just taking it a little further than needed is my guess He needs a firm hand and he needs to be told that his behaviour is not acceptable. A little ignoring and a decently growled NO probably would not go astray. He looks a beautifully bred chap. Have you spoken to his breeder about his behaviour? I wish my cocker would guard my towel and belongings at the beach. Mine would be swimming out to sea chasing seagulls in that situation ;) One of his self appointed jobs is to keep our local parklands free from those pesky swallows that circle around. He stations himself in swallow territory and will sit there, alert as you would not believe, and just waits. His current wait is about three months as there haven't been any turn up, but he still goes straight to his spot and waits, on full alert. Good luck with your boy. Have a read of the other thread here about the over protective cocker, there is some advice there that may help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 was not suggesting the dog had cocker rage. I know it is more common in golds and sometimes dog aggression can be misdiagnosed as it or vice versa. So just if it has been seen in the line NOT in this dog. Sorry should have made the question a little more detailed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 This is simple guarding - he has reached an age when he sees his function to protect you and your property. If you are swimming, it will be difficult to stop him protecting your belongings (oh, the bliss of being able to leave your wallet on the beach!!). My cockers would be in the water too, bugger the towel!! As far as protecting you from other dogs on walks - simply saying "no" should be enough - might have to do it a few times. Once he understands you don't want him to do that, he should stop. Just check that the pups he is chastising are not behaving rudely towards him - ie, jumping on him. If so, he is telling them to mind their manners. My cocker protects his car, and his property, and breaks up any squabbles between the other dogs. On one occasion, I went out, leaving a pregnant bitch, not due for 5 days, and not looking like whelping. Returned 2 hours later - no bitch, no cocker. She had dug a hole under a big wooden box under the house, and was whelping. He was sitting at the entrance of the hole, growling horridly at any dog stupid enough to come near. I was so happy, as the other bitches would have pinched the pups! They are a very devoted breed, particularly the boys, and like to take care of things for you - and take care of you. When mine was about 5 months old, he met my adult daughter for the first time. We had been out the night before, and he hadn't seen her. He was sitting on my bed, and she came into the bedroom. He rushed to the bottom of the bed, and growled at her. His rationale was that a stranger had invaded his territory, and threatened his person. My daugher was most impressed! I told him "no" and they are great friends now. His behaviour is definitely not related to "cocker rage" - this is just the normal behaviour of a loving and protective dog. You just need to make him understand he does not need to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceilidh Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Just normal protective behaviour that is maybe a bit over the top and needs to be checked somewhat. Cocker Rage? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there is no such thing. There is Rage, which can be present in cockers, springers etc. Rage is rare in cockers whereas, bad temperaments are more common (and I don't mean to imply that it is common for cockers to have bad temperaments, just that it is more common than rage). Rage is where the dog can be asleep and suddenly jump up biting for no reason, or can be calmly passing you by and suddenly turn nasty for no reason. It has been linked to epilepsy. Please, please, please, don't automatically assume if a cocker has a bad temperament that it has rage. Oh, and rage is not more likely to be found in a gold rather than a roan. Back to the op, you need to get your cocker under controll a bit more. Make sure you treat him as a dog, not a human. You love him for looking after you and your belongings but he needs to know what is excessive. A good trainer would be able to help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophy Posted July 14, 2006 Author Share Posted July 14, 2006 just a few questions first ...- is he desexed - he obviously sees the need to protect you. What do you do when he exhibits this behaviour - how is his behaviour with other dogs/people in general - what were his parents like. Do any of his relatives have 'cocker rage" (i'm not a professional on this but the cocker spaniel people on here may be able to help you more on that) Sounds like a combination of adolescence and him becoming your leader and protector. Sounds like you need professional guidence from a behaviourist for this and a few lifestyle changes for starters. Have a look at this http://www.leerburg.com/groundwork.htm its informative, glean what you can. You dont have to run a boot camp but get the gist of what Ed has to say about becoming the dogs boss and getting the dog to allow you to be the decision maker. Thanks for your reply! - Yes, we had him desexed in Jan 06. - I say 'no' firmly, I try to intervien, or distract him to something esle, or I get up or walk in the opp direction so he turns to leave the dog and follow me - he was very shy as a puppy - the singleton in the litter (his sister died) and not very good at playing with other dogs. This has got much better now since we've been making so much effort to socialise him with friends dogs or dogs at the park. His behaviour with people is very friendly, lots of wags and wants pats and stratches...with me he's a little more needy - sometimes using his paws for attention - I dont know what his parents were like. I did contact the breeder for advice..she told me his grandad was territorial...but not cocker rage. Thanks for the advice :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophy Posted July 14, 2006 Author Share Posted July 14, 2006 - what were his parents like. Do any of his relatives have 'cocker rage" This pup does NOT have cocker rage! He is merely doing his job, that is, protecting what he considers himself to be in charge of. He is just taking it a little further than needed is my guess He needs a firm hand and he needs to be told that his behaviour is not acceptable. A little ignoring and a decently growled NO probably would not go astray. He looks a beautifully bred chap. Have you spoken to his breeder about his behaviour? I wish my cocker would guard my towel and belongings at the beach. Mine would be swimming out to sea chasing seagulls in that situation One of his self appointed jobs is to keep our local parklands free from those pesky swallows that circle around. He stations himself in swallow territory and will sit there, alert as you would not believe, and just waits. His current wait is about three months as there haven't been any turn up, but he still goes straight to his spot and waits, on full alert. Good luck with your boy. Have a read of the other thread here about the over protective cocker, there is some advice there that may help. Thanks for your reply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophy Posted July 14, 2006 Author Share Posted July 14, 2006 This is simple guarding - he has reached an age when he sees his function to protect you and your property. If you are swimming, it will be difficult to stop him protecting your belongings (oh, the bliss of being able to leave your wallet on the beach!!). My cockers would be in the water too, bugger the towel!!As far as protecting you from other dogs on walks - simply saying "no" should be enough - might have to do it a few times. Once he understands you don't want him to do that, he should stop. Just check that the pups he is chastising are not behaving rudely towards him - ie, jumping on him. If so, he is telling them to mind their manners. My cocker protects his car, and his property, and breaks up any squabbles between the other dogs. On one occasion, I went out, leaving a pregnant bitch, not due for 5 days, and not looking like whelping. Returned 2 hours later - no bitch, no cocker. She had dug a hole under a big wooden box under the house, and was whelping. He was sitting at the entrance of the hole, growling horridly at any dog stupid enough to come near. I was so happy, as the other bitches would have pinched the pups! They are a very devoted breed, particularly the boys, and like to take care of things for you - and take care of you. When mine was about 5 months old, he met my adult daughter for the first time. We had been out the night before, and he hadn't seen her. He was sitting on my bed, and she came into the bedroom. He rushed to the bottom of the bed, and growled at her. His rationale was that a stranger had invaded his territory, and threatened his person. My daugher was most impressed! I told him "no" and they are great friends now. His behaviour is definitely not related to "cocker rage" - this is just the normal behaviour of a loving and protective dog. You just need to make him understand he does not need to do it. Thanks for your advice, I will let you know my progress! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toohey Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 (edited) Hi again Sophy, when I got my gold cocker pup he was my first ever dog, and I found the whole experience way more challenging than I could have imagined. I had the support of a wonderful breeder who I was able to contact at anytime with questions, and if I had not had that, I think I may have had many problems. I also took him to a private trainer for the first few months and together we laid the basis of a wonderful freindship. The main things I learn about my new pup were that I had to earn his respect, and firmly and consistently let him know who was in charge. I did that by way of basic obedience training, through which we learnt how to understand and communicate with each other, and with my breeder's advice I learnt to be firm and consistent and not take any crap from him. I used to worry that I if I got cross with him over something that he would not like me anymore Silly me. You have to set boundaries, you have to be consistent, and you have to constantly remind him that you are the boss and he will soon learn and accept that. I would encourage you to seek out your breeder again and ask for their advice. Breeders are there for their dogs and their new owners long after they have gone to their new homes. They know the breed, they know the issues you are likely to come up against, and they can tell you how to manage these issues. I would also encourage you to seek some professional assistance before the behaviours you are concerned about become worse. Please let us know how you get on. Edited July 14, 2006 by Toohey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 Good idea Toohey - the breeder should be your first port of call, Sophy, so maybe give him a ring. Unless you got the pup from a p/shop, in which case, don't expect too much assistance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceilidh Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Sophy, how are you going with your cocker? Have you contacted the breeder? I am sure they would be able to help you, they should know cockers well and if you take their advice you should have success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophy Posted July 25, 2006 Author Share Posted July 25, 2006 Thanks for the advice guys. I have spoken with the breeder and we had a good chat - she was really helpful and basically said what you guys said about being consistent... I have decided to see a behaviourist just so that the problem is sorted while he's still young. Will let you know how I get on...... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now