Hello and thank you in advance for any advise you can give me.
I have a 7 year old intact male English Springer Spaniel, Kepler. He has always been a wonderful dog. Very intelligent and has been well trained. He is very loving and usually very well behaived. He has always been an alpha dog, and I have struggled to remain "ahead" of him in the pack. Our life has changed a lot in the last 2 years. My ex husband was the one that had complete contol of him and he was usually the one to correct him. Now, we live with another dog, 6 year old male boxer..who is very much the beta. I have a roomate and he loves both her and her dog, Luca. Anyways, lately he is starting to act very aggresive towards me when I need to correct him for doing things I know he knows are a "no No" I think he is testing me to see where we sit...but yesterday he got loose. When I caught him, he went nuts on me...nearly took off my arm...I was luckily fast enough it get it away. It really scared me and has made me realize I have a possible serious issue if I dont address this correctly right away. I love Kepler very much and want us both to be happy together..PLEASE HELP! I have an appointment today with his vet to rule out anything medical.

ps. sorry for any typos...was in a hurry...

Sincerely....
Kepler's momma..

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear that things have gone awry with your boy.

It sounds like there is a lot going on in terms of changes in his life. I also wonder if your ex husband ever used physical correction with him, do you? That aside I think the best approach is to do what you are doing- first rule out any medical reason for the change in his behaviour with a thorough vet check. If he is clear then I'd see an behaviourist, one who has had lots of experience with canine aggression towards humans. Your vet may have some ideas on that score. Otherwise check out the APBC site for someone in your area. I'd be reluctant to give advice on something like this on a forum- there could be so many factors, and you need an expert eye, in situ, to get a proper assessment and behavioural programme.

Good luck and please let us know how you get on.

Jut got back from the vet with Kepler. He is free and clear of any medical problems. The vet seemed to agree with me that the behavior is reactive and he needs to learn that I am head of the pack. He gave me some great tips on how to handle the issues and we are going to begin working on basic comands again..He wants to see us back in two weeks to see how we are doing. So....this is very much a lesson for me as well. I have never been good at being the head...so we are both learning! Thanks for your responce...and yes, my ex was physical with him. I just cant be that way, not in my nature..and I have always believed there was a better way to handle it. I was also wondering if anyone on here has had their dog fixed this late in their life and if it was any help with the behavior. I was not against fixing him, that was my ex's idea and now I have a dog that has issues and I don't want to put him through surgery if it will not help now.

Thanks!

>The vet seemed to agree with me that the behavior is reactive and he needs to learn that I am head of the pack.

Your vet is wrong, and believing that a human being is pack leader is a terribly outdated way of thinking.  I don't expect your vet does take any training classes either!  My vet is great at being a vet, but he's not a breeder or a behaviourist, and I wouldn't take his advice on either topic.

However, we do have a couple of very good CD'ers that are in a better position to explain the way forward, and I do hope that one of them comes to your rescue.  :-)

I assume you're not in the UK as we don't use the term "fixing", but I will say that castrating your dog is not the answer.

I wouldn't presume to give behavioural advice as I only have my experience to draw upon but it does sound as if you and Kepler would benefit from 'bonding',  How long has he been separated from your ex?  It isn't about being pack leader or head of the family but I wonder how much of an active role you've had in Kepler's life before the split.  Did your ex do more of the walking, feeding and training?

There is absolutely no need to get physical but concentrate on reward based training instead.  As your vet says, work on the basic commands and reward Kepler every single time he does as he is asked.  Get used to carrying tiny tasty treats in every pocket, and by the back door, and if you can learn to say 'thank you' with a reward he'll soon realise that pleasing you has a pay off and that you can be relied upon for the good stuff :)

'Fixing' is an odd notion that somehow suggests he is broken and will be better after castration.  This isn't always the case and could make things worse so I'd advise you to hold off on making that decision.  In the meantime, would you like some book recommendations for training?

Hi,

I am glad Kepler is healthy.

I think the key to this may lie in your husband's handling of him. Your dog may have been quietly fuming for years but did not quite have the 'balls' to take your husband on. He has decided he's not going to take it from you too. A clever, assertive dog is often the one you cannot push around,because at some point they will come back at you and, as you have found out, it is intimidating. In sounds like your husband did not lead, he bullied, and dogs, like the rest of us, have a breaking point. The dog, especially a clever assertive dog, needs to trust and RESPECT the people he lives with. Fear can keep a dog in his place but once he decides he has had enough then the tables can turn- as you seem to have found out. However, please note that because I have not met you or your dog this is all supposition.

I'm sure your vet is well intentioned but he is not a qualified behaviourist. I would urge you to see an expert and yes, I would seriously think about castrating him, but see what your behaviourist thinks first. I agree, you do not wnat to put him through an operation right now, when he is behaving as he has done with you.

The behaviourist will take a full history, they will watch you and your dog in the home and see how you interact in a range of situations- only then will they come up with a prognosis and treatment programme- tailored to you. Please, at least try to talk to an expert.

I think you have some great insight into 'why' your dog is behaving like he is.  I wouldn't bother getting him 'fixed' as I don't think it would make a great deal of difference at his age.  I use the NILIF method with dominance issues and I have found it works everytime.  Also, have a leash on your dog at all times so you don't need to grab at his collar for anything.  This can make a dog quite re-active.  Instead, just take the end of the leash and walk away from the situation and the dog will need to follow.  Also, stop just 'feeding' your dog.  Make him work all day long for small portions of his dinner.  You will find it exhausts him mentally to work this way.  But I seriously think you need someone to come into your home as see the dogs behaviour in person and give advice on how to 'cope'.

Just wanted to add, that we or your vet may, by chance, come up with the right prognosis and programme. However, when a dog starts showing real aggression I would rather not rely on guesswork and advice by remote, because if it is the wrong advice you risk making the problem a whole lot worse.

Programmes like NILIF can work, but again they may not, and it may exacerbate the situation, as research by the person who invented this programme can show (Victoria Voith).

Please see an expert asap.

I don't have the depth of knowledge to advise you with your dogs recent problems but one thing I would say is don't castrate your dog. I have never understood why time & time again it's believed and pushed that it's going to alter (for the better) behavioural issues. I'm sure with the right help through training and establishing a good relationship things will change for the better, although not over night. Why if he has been OK for the last few years is castrating him going to make any difference now, would only do so for sound medical reasons. Good luck.

I agree with Lacy.  He's already had enough change, and is under a lot of stress to be reactnig the way he is; throwing in a massive hormonal change will not help.

It may also hinder - fortunately not too common but I've dealt with a couple of cases where aggression has been made a lot worse by castrating the dog because they are relying on the testosterone to give them confidence and cope better.

Incidentally, how thorough was your vet?  For a case like this I would be requestign full blood tests and a full thyroid panel to be certain nothing's going on, just a physical checkover is not enough (and even if the problem is physical, a vet may miss it - been through that with Soli when her problems were being made considerably worse by chiropractic issues that the vet couldn't pick up).

Castration may make things worse or may help - so much depends on what is considered to be the cause of the change in behaviour. At this stage I would keep an open mind on that score, but definitely agree that it is not something to do right away, but down the line, once there is some perspective on what is going on. All the more reason, in my view, to get a proper behavioural assessment.

Thanks Everyone! I knew I found a great support group for my problems with Kepler. He is doing okay, and I am researching and learning myself. He is a great dog overalll, and I want him to be happy. I would love some reading recommendations..
Also I am not going to castrate him at this time. I never thought it was a good idea this late into his life. Oh...and I'm in the states...we say fixing...lol....Anyways, THANK YOU. It helps to know there are caring people out there willing to listen and help!

Carol & Kepler

> I would love some reading recommendations..

Have a look at books by Patricia McConnell, a friend put me on to her and she's very good.   She's based in the states and has a website here

Oh and by the way I love Kepler's name, manly but with a touch of cute :)

Good luck Carol,

Try Jean Donaldson's 'Culture Clash'.

Let us know how you get on.