Hi,

Hopefully someone can help or suggest/advise. I have a four year old cocker bitch, which we have had since 8 weeks old. I would say she is a slightly nervous dog, but in general extremely well behaved. However we would be nervous when out walking etc, that somebody approaches without experience of dogs. We have two children, who are now aged 15 and 12. There have been a few minor incidences where the dog has snapped at children in the past. In all cases the situations have been where a young person addressed the dog in the wrong way, either surprised the dog or the environment was stressful for an animal with lots of people around etc (not making excuses here). I always felt that there was an issue with the dog and my youngest in terms of senority...i.e. the dog probably not respecting my youngest. I would have raised the dog well, in terms of walking on the lead and general behaviour. She is certainly not spoilt in any way or given any indication that she has a higher status than any family member, particularly around meal times, sitting on the couch etc. We had an incident at the weekend where the dog was moving from one car to another. My youngest leaned in to the fetch the dog from the booth of one car, with her hand to grab her collar. The dog obviously did not like this and bit. She has a bad cut on one finger. My daughter would be affectionate with the dog and treat her very well.

I am shocked and worried now as to what to do. I don't like the fact that the dog reacted in this way. It was obviously a stressful situation for her, and she wanted to stand her ground, she would never have done that with me, but definitely because it was my youngest. I'd say she felt well within her rights to snap. Can something be done about this behaviour? Can this be trained out of the dog? I am worried that this behaviour now stays given the dogs maturity and I cant have the stress or worry that this wont happen again and indeed much worse? Am I over reacting? Did I do something wrong when raring the dog? I have to say she is very protectful of the family and a great watchdog, very affectionate and cant get enough of patting etc. She would be very quiet and fun loving when out on walks and her interaction with other dogs, but this is a worry.

I would have grown up with dogs, cockers also and labradors and never ever had this type of worry, they were always so peaceful and loving especially with family members. Any advice is very much appreciated.

Sorry I forgot to mention this dog is IKC registered pure-bred. I saw the mother beforehand, very friendly and she was bred by a good breeder, who specialised in showdogs etc. I thought the spaniel would be the best choice as a family dog, small breed.

First things first, you need to keep the dog (and children) safe.  That means not putting her in any situations where she feels the need to snap or bite.  If she is not comfortable about being handled by your youngest, then your youngest needs to stop handling her - simple as.  Perhaps not permanently, but certainly temporarily, while you work on this.

She is clearly not happy about young people so again, temporarily at least, do not allow them to approach her.  This is not as hard as it sounds!  Don't offer an explanation, don't apologise and try to placate them, use an authoritative tone and simply say 'no' if one asks to stroke her and walk away.  You are her advocate, you need to keep her safe.  If they persist, tell them 'do not stroke my dog' and continue walking away.

Next: this is not dominance (no such thing), this is not her standing her ground.  This is a dog who is feeling threatened, whose warnings have not been heeded (and there will have been warnings, dogs do not bite out of the blue unless there is something medically wrong with them and as you've described this happening in a predictable set of circumstances, then that is unlikely) and so who has felt she needs to move up a level on the ladder of aggression and bite.  Her age is irrelevant - teach her that she is not going to be put in a position she cannot cope with, and begin building positive associations with her triggers and she will not bite.

I suggest you get professional help on this - a decent behaviourist (using positive methods, who does not talk about pack leadership and so on) will be able to show you the body language you'll need to know in order to recognise when your dog is not happy, so you can diffuse the situation and prevent another bite from occurring.

Also, start teaching yourself about counterconditioning (altering the association of kids=fear to kids=great stuff), desensitisation (gradual exposure to kids at a level she can cope with, which means beginning from a distance and not allowing your youngest to do anything she is not comfortable with) and trigger stacking (the cumulative effect of exposure to her triggers).  A good behaviourist will guide you through all of these but do read up on them yourself, and really get to grips with them.  Ditto body language.

Facebook Replies:

Stephanie Presdee says: The dog had the right to react.Do some collar touches , use a clicker or a marker word as you touch , and always reward for the positive good behaviour..learn about trigger stacking, look up Spoon theory for dogs http://yourdogsfriend.org/spoon-theory-and-funny-dog-gifs/

It’s Only Funny Until Your Dog Runs Out of Spoons  yourdogsfriend.org
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Jayne Stark says: I am no expert but the dog probably did not realise what was happening and if she grabbed from behind then the dog would react. I would keep an eye and make sure that you as a family do the usual things to make sure that the dog knows her place in the pecking order of the family. Ask your vet for some advice
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Patsy Stone says: You are not over reacting a dog that knows its place in the pack (lower) and has been bred from parents with good temperaments should not act in this way !!
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Lisa Stewart Phillips says: ^^^^^ Rubbish. You do realise pack belief in dogs is outdated and disproven, right?

The 'pack theory' has been proven to be inaccurate, but the behaviour you are seeing is still totally unacceptable. This type of fearful aggression can have several causes, but in all cases, your dog is trying to say, "I don't like this - please get out of my way!" the only way she can.

To address a problem like this, you have to look at several things. The root cause may be one or more of them.

Firstly, look at her breeding. Do you know any of her relatives? Did you meet the mother and father? Over-reactiveness to stimuli is an inherited fault. Some dogs are born that way, although many breeders and trainers have their heads in the sand about it! If the breeder keeps his/her dogs in a very controlled environment all the time e.g. the same kennel block, away from the hustle and bustle of the home and they experience a very consistent routine (or such strong handling that they are completely 'shut down' as far as humans go and exhibit exteremly appeasing behaviour all the time) then he / she has absolutely no way of telling if his / her dogs have an unstable disposition for the family home because this is never tested.

This underlying trait can be exacerbated by lack of socialisation and exposure to situations as a youngster. Look up the stages of puppy development and the 'fear periods'. If a puppy encounters something before around 12-15 weeks old, they generally approach it without fear, but there can be 1 or more 'phases' during puppyhood where they suddenly go quite spooky and fearful....and then grow out of it!

Another thing to check is health. Is your dog in pain? Toothache, back pain and other joint pain can mean a dog doesn't limp or seem in pain, but there is a constant low level of stress all the time, so it takes less to push her over her tolerance threshold (look at a book called The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson) Every dog has a different tolerance threshold (like people!) and some dogs are born with high ones and some with lower ones.

Think about what you are feeding her and how you are feeding. A lot of dog food is just too high in protein and can really exacerbate any reactive traits that are already there. I've got working spaniels and they will do a full day's work (not a trial - a full day!) on 19% at the start of the season and a maximum of 21%. Also, if you feed some raw, meaty bones, or stuff a portion of food in a kong or other device, she will have to concentrate on eating her food and this in itself can help reduce stress levels as she is engaging the 'thinking' bit of her brain.

Also think about how you react to her as a family. Are you all consistent? Does she know when she is going to be stroked; what she can expect praise for; when it is appropriate to demand attention etc? Dogs do appreciate clear messages from their humans through tone of voice and body language. A naturally reactive dog, or a dog that is already under stress for any reason, can easily become panicky and confused. Imagine if someone was speaking to you in a different language and each time you tried to explain that you didn't understand, they just shook you and shouted the same thing - but louder. Not many people are calm enough to keep up the process until they figured it out; most would begin to panic and eventually respond with physical force or just run as far away as possible

Hope that helps!

The 'pack theory' has been proven to be inaccurate,

Well according to Bristol Unis' esteemed Dr Rachel Casey it is, there is a film peer review of Dr Caseys competance, see link

http://bit.ly/1WvVGmu
.

I may be way off in this but could this be 'cocker rage'?    I have to admit going there from reading the subject.   However, I read she wasn't the most outgoing of puppies, and when a retiring dog gets pushed too far, this temperament can go to 'fear biting' and this for me, is perhaps the worst situation because a fear-biter is unpredictable.   Yes if your child grabbed her collar from behind, it might have caused shock but to then bite?  Hum.  Not good.

I would get her checked by a vet in case there is some obvious medical problem going on but now you know she's likely to react like this in stressful, to her, situation, you really have to put in place, prevention/avoidance, if possible.

Is her breeder still around?  Is she the kind of breeder who would try to work through this with you rather than reacting with a 'nothing to do with me/mine' attitude?    I do believe that a good breeder would be concerned enough to help you so in that, I'd be contacting them as well as the vet re a medical issue.

Add - 
"Think about what you are feeding her and how you are feeding. A lot of dog food is just too high in protein and can really exacerbate any reactive traits that are already there. I've got working spaniels and they will do a full day's work (not a trial - a full day!) on 19% at the start of the season and a maximum of 21%. Also, if you feed some raw, meaty bones, or stuff a portion of food in a kong or other device, she will have to concentrate on eating her food and this in itself can help reduce stress levels as she is engaging the 'thinking' bit of her brain."

I have to totally agree with this comment.........

https://sites.google.com/site/puppyalert/jake

I read about Cocker rage before buying my own Cocker and felt it had been researched and mainly a small number of Cockers affected mainly golds/reds.
I have just been reading up again re rage and read the article about "Jake". I posted the link above it may help the OP?

Is her eyesight ok? I was just wondering if she has something like PRA on the way, she may be finding she doesn't see an approaching person or hand and is surprised and frightened by it, causing her to snap.

The quality of food fed tends to have more effect than the protein level.  Heavily processed foods with a lot of cheap ingredients/fillers or additives can cause problems.  Raw feeding can provide a very high protein level, yet many dogs are considerably calmer once they are put on it.

I don't believe this is cocker rage - true rage is defined by totally unpredictable, sudden aggression, from a dog who does not appear to be aware of what he/she is doing.  This dog has clear triggers - children, and this one particular child - and there are clear events leading to the bite (being handled by a child the dog does not feel comfortable being handled with, in a confined space, and in a very close way by taking the dog's collar).

I would say she is a slightly nervous dog,

Everything is here in this sentence ............ definitely not Cocker rage, nothing like........ but fear, fear, leads to aggression, avoidance, nervousness and submission, she'll will use any and all of these.

Dogs know that children are children they are not looked upon in the same way as an adult, so will not be deemed with the same respect unless there is a very special bond.

There is no way of knowing 4 years on, whether this is a genetic temperament issue that is just part of the dogs character, (it may well be) or an issue caused in the way she has been raised with your children and socialised. Cockers should be bomb proof, many are not due to their rearing, it is impossible to pinpoint at the age of 4 years now the reasons why? For now......it is her........

What you do know is that you have a dog with a moulded character now, which can be nervous and snappy, when provoked, (it may not take much to do that) I suggest getting books which will help you pinpoint a dogs body language, it will be of great help to you here.

You can only make life easier for all of you, by accepting she cannot be spooked, cannot have anyone but her adult owner move her, must never be touched when sleeping or have anyone moving too fast or jumping in front or behind her. She needs reassurance from you at all times of what is happening and what is expected of her.

You cannot shout at her or have raised voices, (not saying you do, but just pointing it out. )

If you keep within these rules and remember she is a dog with 'special needs', due to a nervous disposition, you'll all get along just fine and live happily together.

Personally, I would deflect this nervousness into some fun and games, whistle training, playing with balls and dummies, there are plenty of games for her to play with you all, give her something to think about and enjoy. (I know she is not a Working Cocker, but Show Cockers still enjoy doing these things too)

I hope that things will get better,

Lots of people speculate a dog has 'rage syndrome'? It is incredibly rare, I 've only ever seen one possible case. As Nikita says, the key is a lack of pattern in triggers. The dog under discussion here has a nervy makeup or has learned that biting is a strategy that works. You've had great advice here but I'd think about getting a behaviourist in. Look on the ABTC site for someone in your area.

I've heard the diagnosis all over the place and I have yet to see a case of it.  I've even known a huskyXmalamute be diagnosed with it!  He was close to unpredictable, but not quite there (he'd had his warnings punished to almost nothing), but he was stressed out of his mind all day, every day.  No rage there, just a bad environment.

noticed the  comment about protein levels in a dogs diet. for interest meat in a raw food diet averages around 21% per 100grams and some completes are well above that %. its easy to think a raw diet because its meat contains nearly all protein when in fact a balanced raw diet of meat bones and offal , not getting into the do you veg or don't you :) is often lower and obviously doesn't contain all the additives that are in completes of one sort or another but does contain everything a dog needs . to the op  think there are some very useful ideas being  made here from very experienced people in training dogs especially ones with difficult behaviour. hopefully you will be able to find someone to help yo while keeping your children and your dog  safe

Just remember you have to take into account the moisture content to get a direct comparison between protein levels of kibble and wet/raw foods. Raw meat IS high in protein but looks less than dry, that is because of the high moisture content in the raw and low moisture in the kibble.

Sorry I disagree with that even if u do those comparisons raw comes out lower

But they have to be compared on a like for like basis...

yep even then :) but we will have to disagree on that one

There are different forms of protein, good and bad.

Suejaw yes, leather boots are high in protein.

One of mine thinks that the woodwork is full of nutrients lol

I'm not sure this counts as a 'peer review' unless Dr. Casey is semi-literate too. This short film is just a very cowardly and very unpleasant attack on a number of individuals who were completing some academic research that necessiated as uniform a sample as possible to test the hypothesis.

I haven't read the full, published (and therefore peer-reviewed) paper by Casey et.al. but I do know that it is not the only research that shows the 'pack theory' is inaccurate. Most current research and unpublished views, based on observation, suggest that the hierarchy amongst dogs living together is much more fluid than suggested in the theory of a rigid hierarchy or pack.

Individual dogs are shown to place higher values on some things e.g. food, toys, getting the most comfy place in the house, etc., than others; which means that they would challenge (or refuse to give up, if challenged) for some 'possessions' or positions, but not for others. All dogs, as mammals, will respond to stimuli and therefore try to avoid situations that result in physical pain, so most dogs can be trained by being physically punished for choosing the wrong course of action.

Some mentally and physically robust dogs do fine under this sort of regime, but many others end up fearful and respond by counter-aggression or offering more and more extreme appeasing gestures, such as rolling over or avoiding all eye contact. In extereme cases, the dog can just mentally 'shut down'....or learn that the safest way of keeping humans away is to attack first and attack hard.

Thank you for drawing my atention to Dr. Casey's paper though. I will download the actual published paper and make my own mind up.