We have a neutered golden cocker spaniel who is 9 years old, he has been a loving dog and fantastic natured with my 4 children and cats, very submissive and put up with a fair bit of tormenting from my 4 year old over the years however in the last few days he has been showing aggression while on his bed - i reached under him to retrieve a toy my daughter had dropped under him (she was sat playing with her dolls next to his bed) and he bit my hand, then my 12 yr old daughter touched his head at the dinner table (he was underneath) and he bit her hand, but worse yet yesterday my 4yr old stroked his head (he was on his bed) and he bit her full on the face. Now the biting is not puncturing the skin but has been hard enough to leave a mark and obviously we are now in a serious situation. He has always been an anxious dog when we go out he destroys things (shoes, floors, coats etc) and also he is food aggressive so we have to avoid bones as he guards them by snarling but although he has snapped and barked warnings in the past he has NEVER bitten until now. We had our 18 yr old cat put down 2 weeks ago and that is the only change i can think of - he was close to the cat, but i need some suggestions of where we go from here please as obviously my children come before any dog much as we love him. Ive heard of cocker rage but unsure of what it is, im going to make a vet appointment but would like some idea of what could have caused his to react like this.. He is acting normal in every other way.

Definitely immediately make an appointment with your vet.  Ear infections and pain in the ears could be causing him to react like this, especially being a cocker - a breed which is somewhat prone to ear infections.  You need to get all physical causes ruled out before you can even think of anything behavioural...

First off, I would have put a stop to any child tormenting a dog.  Recipe for disaster.

This sounds more medical than behavioural, the growling isn't always aggression, it is the only way he can tell you anything.  A vet appointment is needed to find out what is troubling him.

As this is totally out of character I would have had him to the vet after the first episode when he went for you, dogs can be ill and hide it very well but feeling vulnerable they will retaliate in the only way they know how if they think they are under threat or actions by others may cause them more pain, there may be a physical cause or some imbalance in the blood that needs correcting.

Hope it is nothing serious, keep him away from the kids in the meantime and tell them he may be sick and needs to be left alone till the vet looks at him.

Having grown up with cockers and owned them as an adult I have only come across one incident of cocker rage and that was in my Mums last one, he was the only black one we had ever had and was always very possessive and protective which unfortunately my parents didn't nip in the bud,he was 6 yrs old before things really got going but the episodes were few and far between but by 5yrs later they were a daily occurance, he was seen and checked over by 4 different vets[my Mum moved during that time] and no metabolic cause found the subject of cocker rage was mentioned, Mum became very scared of him, she had been badly bitten and after one very bad day of having to keep him confined to the garage and place a board between her and him to get him to do anything she asked of him she took him back to the vet and they advised he was PTS as she lived alone with him and he may seriously injure her,she has never forgiven herself even though she knows she had no option, not many folk would have put up with him for as long as she did, he was such a great dog in the early years and so loving between episodes, had done very well at dog training classes much to the surprise of the trainer who didn't have much success with cockers and 2 others in the class didn't do as well.

Keep us posted on what the vet says.

Has he ever been told off for growling or snapped warnings? Sometimes dogs that TRY to warn their owners (and especially children who may not understand a warning and may ignore it) will have no other option but to bite if growls etc are punished/told off or totally ignored. (Like if you tell somebody not to touch you and they ignore it or tell YOU off for it, the next time you will most likely shout at them not to touch you, if that doesn't work either the time after that chances are you will try to hit their hand when it approaches you, as nothing else has worked.) The dog must be allowed to give a warning and the warning be listened to. So that is one point. However I agree with the others that this sounds more like there is something wrong with him -maybe an ear infection or infected tooth for instance, if being touched on his head bothers him. Or could his eyesight be failing? That could also cause unusual behaviour if he can no longer properly see the hand that comes near him.

One of my dogs recently did not want to be touched by the judge at a show, we couldn't understand why as he is so outgoing and happy and loves people. A few days after the show a lump appeared on his back, and soon it burst -it was an abscess. It had obviously been bothering him so he did not want to be touched, but we didn't see it underneath all the long fur initially.

Thanks i appreciate all your feedback - Appointment at the vet has been made for tomorrow at 5pm (earliest they can give me!) so in the meantime he is going to be very closley watched and in the kitchen away from the children. He isnt a very well trained dog im afraid - he is a chicken killer and an escapee at every opportunity he runs away (lucky we live in a rural area!) i have never been able to allow him off the lead - he is a bin raider and a destructive noisy howler when left alone - a typical cocker in every way! He ate a welly last week maybe he has tummy ache!? But like i said he is a soft natured boy with us normally so I can cope with everything he does because he is such a character - except for this! but if he is feeling poorly then i will find out whatever it is. I will keep you all informed!

Obviously a health check is the first call but as you say he has a history of growling and warning barks I would not say he has a particularly typical temperament for a cocker or describe it as "fantastic". 
A typical cocker will be very stoical with these things and generally put up with far more than is wise for them. 
The saving grace for him is he is more inclined to warn that react and when he does it has not been severe. 
Assuming his health is good it may be that his tolerance levels are simply dropping as he becomes a grumpy old man.  I doubt you will be able to change that now.  There is the danger of course that he will get worse and react with more vigour and you clearly have to saveguard your children first and foremost.   I think this all depends on your children really and how well you can train them to leave him alone except for when he seeks out their company. In addition it may be wise to put him away somewhere safe from them when he or they are eating and at all times when you, or another adult are not around to be alert to any situation developing.   If you think the is going to be feasable I doubt they will be at any more risk than any other child living with a dog.

Yes we always tell him off for growling.. :-( never thought of it in this way before... Oh dear? Its a very good point that you make regards the eyesight or the head area..could well be that...

> First off, I would have put a stop to any child tormenting a dog. 

It does not sound as though any of the children have tormented the dog.

You are right.. I guess "fantastic" is my rosytinted glasses as his owner but no... Not actually fantastic at all is he? Lol - also - i thought he was typical of a spaniel but then again .. he is the only one ive ever had! My 4year old daughter has adhd im afraid it is not an easy task to keep her away from him, she is a very lively strong willed girl and of course she has to be my priority here...i have a safety gate which i can seperate him from the rest of the house while she is not in preschool.

She doesnt torment him anymore - she used to as a toddler but she usually just likes to sit with him and play dolls next to his bed.

>It does not sound as though any of the children have tormented the dog.

You clearly missed this part of the first post "and put up with a fair bit of tormenting from my 4 year old over the years"

As it's of new onset then it definitely sounds medical; ears are definite possibility - spaniels are very prone to ear infections that can be extremely painful, and weekly checking should be a matter of routine during grooming. Dental problems could also be the cause. Also if he's actually swallowed pieces of the wellie, as opposed to just chewing it into pieces, then he could have a potential obstruction from the foreign body. What is his appetite like, and is he pooing as normal?

> You clearly missed this part of the first post "and put up with a fair bit of tormenting from my 4 year old over the years

Yes, I did :)  I was thinking more of the recent incidents.

> As it's of new onset

You clearly missed this bit "although he has snapped and barked warnings in the past " :-D

> You are right.. I guess "fantastic" is my rosytinted glasses as his owner but no... Not actually fantastic at all is he? Lol

:-D  He does not sound a bad lad, just needs a greater amount of supervision than he ought really :)

>You clearly missed this bit "although he has snapped and barked warnings in the past "

Nice try, but I was referring to the actual biting ("he has NEVER bitten until now"). :-)

Did you tell the vets about the welly incident? To me in view of his behaviour over the past few days I would want him checked out as an emergency,if he has got an obstruction in his gut that isn't cleared it may perforate/burst making him very ill very quickly and die.

There is an eye conditions in cockers called PRA[progressive retinal atrophy, DNA testing now available before breeding from dogs]where the dog starts going blind at a fairly young age, again in familiar surroundings this may not be obvious till advanced and hands touching him maybe without speaking to him are not seen so he reacts,get the vet to check his eyes.

Some of his behaviour mentioned in later posts is not typical to any cockers I have encountered, the chicken killing would really have worried me with young children around.

Keep us posted

I agree with Rhodach - 5pm tomorrow is not soon enough and I'd be impressing upon my vet the need for an emergency appointment today. 

Some of the behaviours you describe sound like they might be caused by pain and if all the biting incidents have happened since he ate a welington boot I'd look to that as a cause in the first instance.  It's probably not very helpful of me to say that I wouldn't have waited this long before seeking vet attention but unusual incidents must be taken seriously, not just for the heath and wellbeing of your dog but for your family safety too.

Has your boy been eating and drinking ok in the last few days?  Is he still going to the toilet with ease and have you noticed him passing any bits of wellington?  Incidentally how much did he eat?  Have you checked his mouth since he ate the boot?

Other options may well be ear infection, or reduced sight, and therefore unrelated to the welly eating but either way he's showing some distress and needs to be checked by a vet asap.  Do let us know how you get on, and I hope it's nothing serious :)

No I didnt mention the welly incident to the vet but I will do tomorrow.. his appetite is normal but he does have slimey looking stools at the moment. We foster rescue guineapigs and have 19 at the moment and he has never been agresive towards them (although granted I never give the the opportunity) he is very friendly with our 12 month old kitten who playfully pounces at him - he never snaps back at him and is very submissive. One other odd thing he has done (which may or may not be significant) he has always barked at the door if someone knocks but lately he barks at other sounds like an airoplane going over or a car driving past and he runs to the door as if hes confused it for someone there? He has also been digging all over the garden and dug up the pebbles all round the house - this is not like him either.

welly incident was co-incidence i think - he had bitten me before that - but will still get it checked yes. His teeth and gums look fine to me too...

First off, this does not sound like Cocker Rage, as there appear to be triggers- going near his bed (a place of safety for him and where he would go if he feels the need to be left alone); being touched on or near his head (this definitely needs thorough medical investigation ruling out eyesight issues, pain in the head or jaw, ear problems etc..).

You say historically he has been submissive- this might also have been avoidance behaviour. Generally you seem to describe a quite anxious dog, but this is just a guess. Since we are not in situ we cannot know and there may be something you are missing and have not told us.

You say he is food aggressive...just over bones or is he snarly and snappy around his food bowl too?

You also say he has been told off for growling. You realise that he was being told off for giving a warning, telling you that he was uncomfortable about something.

The killing of a chicken does sound unusual for a Cocker, but not impossible, so perhaps he is wired slightly differently from the breed standard ideal. Brian Plummer taught a pack of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels to hunt and kill rabbits, so while deeply buried, those instincts might still be there in some dogs. However, it is not what you expect.

Anyhow, back to your dog. I'd exclude any medical issues first but I'd also look at getting a good behavioural assessment and ways to reduce his anxiety and ensure he has a safe place in the house, where he can go and be guaranteed to be left alone. The fact that he has bitten three times needs to be heeded and for now I would suggest that you keep petting to a minimum, until you have a clearer idea what is going on. Similarly keep kids well away from his bed, his feeding area and obviously don't leave food lying around.

Missed the welly eating. Definitely a medical emergency.

Can I add tuppence?  I  have an almost 4 yr old daughter and an 11yr old cocker.  She started growling at my daughter about 2 yrs ago(just about toddler stage) as she was getting poked and prodded.  We had no solution to this other than separate them.  My old cocker will take so much but if my daughter starts cuddling her and touching her, Ruby will growl and at that point, I intervene by taking Ruby to her bed where she gets a treat(chewy or kong).  Her bed is in the back area of the kitchen and is separated with a babygate which my daughter is absolutely not allowed through(it's only the washing/drier and laundry area so no need for access).  This is my dogs sanctuary.
We have since found out that Ruby has Dementia.  She has forgotten quite a lot of manners/training and her name.

Also, my daughter is thoroughly informed constantly that Ruby is an old lady and is not to be bothered by children under any curcumstances.  I told her Ruby is like her gran.  It's OK if Ruby comes up for a snuggle but not to run up to her or shout/carry on.  She needs respect.  Now, If Ruby growls, my daughter looks at me sneakily as she knows she is going to get into bother for pestering the old girl!

Best of luck.  I hope you get to the bottom of whatever is bothering your old fella.

>One other odd thing he has done (which may or may not be significant) he has always barked at the door if someone knocks but lately he barks at other sounds like an airoplane going over or a car driving past and he runs to the door as if hes confused it for someone there? He has also been digging all over the garden and dug up the pebbles all round the house - this is not like him either.

It does sound like there might be something wrong with his ears - an ear infection which is affecting his hearing as well... ?  Could just be he's going a bit deaf now he's getting older. 

As dogs get older, and their faculties get worse (sight, hearing - perhaps smell, who knows), it is easier for them to be taken by surprise because they don't get warning of things coming - can't see or hear them long in advance, as they used to be able to.  They can then react defensively when surprised.  So it could just be ageing.  Or could be an infection.  Hope you get some answers at the vet.

Thanks - I think this is what we are going to have to go - our dog (by the way I didnt say his name - he is Clifford (Whiffy) ! Currently he has had three beds - a beanbag in the lounge, a mat on the stairways (so he can see through the front door!) and a bed in the kitchen ( also he sqeezes into the cat basket!) I think we will reduce it down to the one bed in the kitcehn with a childgate across so he has a place to hide if he needs it. I think he needs this anyway as getting older is bound to make him cranky. His health has been very good so far.

> First off, I would have put a stop to any child tormenting a dog. 
> It does not sound as though any of the children have tormented the dog.

I hasten to point out part of the very first post before you shoot me down in flames

and put up with a fair bit of tormenting from my 4 year old

I won't allow children to torment my dogs.  They are not able to read dog talk.

Poor Clifford, he sounds like he is losing his hearing for one reason or another.

You do realise that you were a whisker away from this being a front page story?

Please take this VERY seriously and do not let your child and dog interact unsupervised no matter how strong willed she is.

A final point, because your dog is inhibiting his bites- (your child was bitten in the face but this did not penetrate the skin, although it left marks), my guess, although it is a guess, is that he is warning you all off, it is not a wild, out of control bite. From now on, to be safe you really need to watch his body language and give him lots of space. Please do ensure he is seen by the vet and a behaviourist asap (UKRCB or APBC member).

I would also be worried regarding an eye problem with this dog.  You may need to see a specialist to check this side of things out.

Just an update on this - The vet has checked Clifford over and says he is physically fine, no ear or teeth problems and his eyes are fine. He is a little over weight but thats all. She suggested they could do blood tests but that it wouldnt really be nessecarily related to the behaviour and suggested in her words that it was "grumpy old man syndrome"! Well he has been fine since - we have given him a quieter place to sleep and moved his bed out of the lounge where my daughter plays - I have ordered a crate - not to beging crate training but to give him a secluded bed and a place where he can go to retreat properley should he want to - Ill make sure my daughter knows if he is in there then to leave him alone. Not sure if I am going to insist on blood tests if they wont reveal anything that could be relevant or not? His stomach was fine no sign of welly either - his poo normal and appetite fine... have also ordered a DAP refill ... but worse case scenario my mum has offered to have him if he gets grumpy again...

Ach, well done you!  Hehe, old man syndrome! I love it.

Thing is, you are not silly and are doing everything I would do/have done.  I think you'll be fine.

I think I would still have opted for the bloods as some metabolic problems won't be picked up on physical examination.

To be sure his eyes and ears are fine he needs speciallist testing unless you vet does that sort of testing routinely.

I would still be very wary.

Well the one thing it might be wise to rule out is thyroid issues- hypothyroid. However, I think your vet could be right and your dog has simply reached a kind of breaking point having put up with things he perhaps found deeply unpleasant, exacerbated perhaps by age and being told off for growling.

The only concern I have that once dogs have bitten they may be more likely to do it again with perhaps less provocation. I really think your children should not be left alone with him, simply because children being children they are likely to forget they cannot pull him around and he may go again, but harder.

I think your supervision is necessary to ensure no accidents. Yes moving his bed to a safe place etc.. is all good as well as areas where he can go but children cannot.

An awful lot of vets aren't aware of the behavioural effects that metabolic problems can have, particularly thyroid  - one of my vets outright denies it can have any behavioural effect at all!

Also, how thorough was the checkover?  There could be pain that's been missed - I've had one vet (a joint specialist, no less) check over a dog and diagnose a 'tiny touch of arthritis in one hip'; her entire pelvis was tilted and twisted, along with several misaligned vertebrae.  Her chiropractor picked it up and sorted it out.  She's picked up a lot of stuff in my dogs actually, and she's been spot on every time - the last one was that River's hips are very bad, very little evidence of it unless you are looking for it, runs fine, plays etc but after a very thorough manipulation from the vet we know she has pain very deep in the joints, especially the left and she's being x-rayed next week.  And a third - my little dog who had 'some pain' on his back, again the chiro said it was a lot worse than that and x-rays confirmed two collapsed discs and chronic, severe spondylosis.

I'm not trying to frighten you, just trying to illustrate how things can be missed without a thorough exam.  A less scary one is Opi - she started getting snappy with dogs, quite aggressive on one occasion, ever-so-slightly 'off' generally and it turned out to be low-level chronic arthritic pain which at the point of diagnosis, she wasn't reacting to at all during manipulation - we only realised because she went on painkillers for an injury and it totally transformed her.

Nikita,

Yes I'm with you on all of this. So many vets just go for the old clunky thyroid testing too- all it takes is for the levels to be slightly off and there can be behavioural effects.

My neutered female cocker spaniel started this behaviour when she was 1 year old. The French vet (dog bought in England, we live in France) carried out blood tests but nothing was wrong. He referred us to a dog behaviourist who diagnosed thyroid problems in the dog, even though thyroid levels were normal. She prescribed a high dose of Levothyrox. When we forgot to give the dog the pill (morning and evening), the aggressive behaviour and bad temper returned the very next day. I know the Levothyrox was helping. We now never forget the pill because the dog reminds us to give us the treat twice a day.  Please ask the vet about this. It is a French diagnosis and it works!

Do dog behaviourists in France prescribe drugs then?

Unless the behaviourist was also a vet? Still, couldn't happen here.

Unless a full thyroid test is done, not just the basic the results will often appear within the normal range.  Low normal can be underactive for some breeds/dogs.

Yes, she is a certified vet from Maisons Alfort specializing in animal psychology. she consults in Paris 75012 - at least she did 9 years ago, my dog is now 10

Here is the prescription Levoythrox 150 (yg? microgrammes?) - 1 and a half pills in the morning and 1 pill in the evening. This I understand is a large dosage but I was told animals do not metabolize the molecule as efficiently as humans. I had to buy the pills for years at the chemists' then some animal medication laboratory came up with the same molecule specifically for animals and the vet started selling to me direct, it was twice the price. So I found a chemist who honoured the old prescription.

One last thing! I'm sorry so many postings. The animal behaviourist based her hypothyroid diagnosis on a) the coat of the cocker spaniel had become rather curly after being speyed recently b) she was overweight. I must repeat that the blood tests showed that thyroid levels were normal.   My dog continues overweight but no more signs of cocker spaniel rage. She was bought from a breeder in Essex and is of the Cardamine lineage.

> but no more signs of cocker spaniel rage.

This does not sound like cocker rage at all and perhaps you should remove the reference to lines as it could come up on a Google search which would not be fair really. 
A curly coat will generally follow a spey.  So does clipping rather than hand stripping which many people will start to do after a spey when the coat becomes more problematic.  Having said that, if the treatment is working I don't see why you would not carry on.  There are serious downsides to over treating for thyroid deficiencies but you have had many years of trouble free living with your cocker that you might not have had otherwise so really not worth worrying about.

>the coat of the cocker spaniel had become rather curly after being speyed recently b) she was overweight.

Both of those conditions are common after spaying without being related to any medical condition at all.

I know little about medicine, but if speying leads to changes in coat and overweight, is this not on account of hormones, and are hormones issues not related to thyroid, and cd not overactive or underactive thyroid lead to aggressive behaviour? I would be interested in your take on this. However, as you point out, the levothyrox did have an effect on the cocker spaniel rage of my 12 month old dog - so the money spent on the dog behaviourist was well worth it. 
The dog from one day to the next had changed from being a lovely companion to a snarling, angry dog, baring her teeth, for no reason that the vet could find. For me this was cocker spaniel rage - but this term is not known in France.  We spent an hour and a half with the dog behaviourist answering a questionnaire, and her diagnosis - whether usual or not usual - was that the dog could be treated with this molecule and it worked.

>but if speying leads to changes in coat and overweight, is this not on account of hormones, and are hormones issues not related to thyroid

Oh, yes the thyroid produces hormones and controls how sensitive the body is to other hormones but by spaying you have removed those hormones anyway and not all spayed bitches become bad tempered, far from it.

> For me this was cocker spaniel rage

One of the defining features of cocker rage is that it is incurable.

It does appear to be true that neutered animals have a higher risk of hypothyroid than entire ones.

http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf
Quote: * triples the risk of hypothyroidism

> Quote: * triples the risk of hypothyroidism

I don't think any study should be able to say something like that without also stating at the same time what that risk actually is :)
But, yes, it could well be the cause I was merely pointing out that these changes happen post spay anyway.

> Here is the prescription Levoythrox 150 (yg? microgrammes?) - 1 and a half pills in the morning and 1 pill in the evening. This I understand is a large dosage but I was told animals do not metabolize the molecule as efficiently as humans.

150mcg is not a particularly huge dose, it sounds about right for a cocker actually.  It's a large dose in humans terms though, yes - they do have MUCH larger doses than us on account of the nature of their metabolism, but not because they aren't as efficient.  Quite the opposite I think!  My boy gets T3, 300mcg daily - that dose would in all likelihood kill a human (I'm on 50mcg a day for comparison) but it's just at the lower end of the dose range for a dog.

Also thyroid hormones are different to sexual hormones so no, it's not a natural progression that a neutered animal will get hypothyroidism.  I've had 12 dogs now, all of them neutered at various ages, and only 4 of them have gone on to be hypothyroid - 3 of those dobermanns, a breed prone to the disease.  It's had nothing to do with being neutered.

Nikita, Interesting.

The Merck Vet manual (assuming the one I accessed online is the most up to date version) makes a number of interesting assertions about canine thyroid conditions one of which is that speyed btiches appear to have a higher risk of developing hypothyroidism than do intact bitches. However, there is no source for this listed, that I can see.

The other point is that, in their view, hypothyroidism is over diagnosed and that thyroid treatment can help improve a range of conditions even when the dog presents with normal thyroid levels!!!??? I think you and I would agree that this is a circular argument and simply shows that many of the tests, even now, are not sensitive or detailed enough?

Have a read and let us have your thoughts because I know this is something you know a lot about. http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/40602.htm