hi - i am new to the forum :-) and have read about the cocker rage etc..( which i don't think he has) but i wonder if you can give us some guidance please. My husband and i have adopted a 3.5year old black cocker spaniel  ( history we know , kept in a cage and prodded by children so we are told ).When the foster mum went to get him in November he was very nasty when it came to swapping him from one cage to another but after that he has mixed with her dogs fine and been ok with her as well. He came to us 3 weeks ago and is a lovely little man ( not giving up on him we know its early days ) the thing is he is possessive if that's the right word with my husband. When he is at work he comes to me , for affection , feeding etc no snarls whatsoever as soon as hubby comes through the door and i call him or go to stroke he snarls at me. We are currently sitting side by side each other at night on the sofa to show him that this is ok and he isn't allowed up on the bed ( he sleeps on his bed fine ), he lets men go near him and other females just not me ????? He is booked for castration in 2 weeks as part of the adoption process and i have to say he gets on perfectly fine with our other old dog and has no issues when hubby strokes her. we have had rescue dogs before and know its a time thing but just wanted some general advice or tips if any many thanks :-)

I wonder if this is resource guarding which spaniels, especially cockers it seems, are rather prone too. You may well need some help and guidance on this as not handling it correctly can make things worse.
Does the rescue/foster have any advice and do they have behaviourists you could use? Has he had a clean bill of health from a vet as sometimes pain or discomfort can make dogs behave strangely. Your vet could also refer you to a behaviourist and if you have insurance they may pay on a vet referral.

Hi

I was looking up rage as I'd never heard of it until I read your post, I found it asked about on another form and thought this might help you regarding rage.

https://positively.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=23520

This is not Cocker rage but very much sounds like resource guarding and unfortunately is one of the main reasons why adult Cockers tend to get rehomed. You will possibly need help from a qualified behaviourist to understand how best to support him as delaying treatment could mean he may go too far and is the guarding becomes irreparable. I have always found that resource guarding always gets progressively worse unless a strong process for change is put into place. Without seeing him in action, it is difficult to ascertain his guarding "type" but from your brief description he may be either location guarding or object guarding (your husband being the object ). Guarding is not always as simple as it may seem as the severity or incidence may be related to who is approaching.It may be that a woman can approach the bed or sleeping place but not a man, an adult but not a child.  It is not always tied to the object being guarded, but more to the relationship or lack of it of the person approaching the resource.
Sometimes this behaviour manifests when we try to handle or stroke the dog. As with every form of guarding, make every interaction with him a positive experience. This is a simple process you can start immediately. Firstly, gauge how far you can approach him before any aggressive reaction occurs. Initially, keep to this distance and as you pass throw him a really high value treat, praising him at the same time. Make sure you do not praise or treat him if there is growling or any show of aggression.Gradually decrease the distance over a period of time; do not rush the exercise, if he starts to react you must go back a few steps and start all over again. Change your angle of approach and also change the person who is approaching. Always try not to approach head-on try to come in at an angle from the side, give lots of verbal praise for a calm and passive reaction from the dog.
It will take weeks, rather than days to sort this issue out. Please do not give up on him, cockers are amazing little dogs, and with lots of love and support I am sure he will overcome this issue.

I agree with darwinawards, this is not rage.

There are two things going on here:  a new dog, trying to adapt to a new environment after living in a very poor one and unsure as yet what the "house rules" are.  Secondly, resource guarding: he is not yet sure what is "his" and what (that he values, e.g. your husband) may be taken from him at any moment (possibly by the prodding children and/or their mother).  Certainly consult a behaviourist (one who uses kindly methods only, and certainly not one who talks about the dog wanting to dominate the humans - this was an old and potentially harmful idea, now debunked).

In the meanwhile, get hold of a book called "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson (various copies available online), which you may find very useful.

Cockers are very sensitive dogs, and respond very well to praise properly applied; they are intelligent and eager to please when they understand what is wanted (and when they are not so fizzy with eagerness that they can't actually think); and they are very very loving.