Hello,

Relatively new here. We've got 3 dogs - two cocker spaniels and a lab. The eldest is a bitch, 11 years old; not overly fond of other dogs when she has her ball, but generally well behaved.

The second cocker, male, is 7 years old and the lab nearly 2, both have been pretty well tempered dogs (postman aside...!). The lab is a crated at night. They're all taken out every day, the cockers are very energetic still. The male cocker has always been a little on the anxious side. Once ate a stone at the beach because he was afraid of the sea (which the bitch was bouncing in at the time). He had an operation to remove the stone, but it was touch and go for a while, but he has recovered well.

The 11 year old has been spayed and the 7 year old castrated. The lab has not been.

They're all generally lovely dogs, pretty well trained (the cockers aren't great on the lead - far too much excitement, like most other cockers I've seen! -  while the lab is a gentle soul, a little nervy around other people until he gets to know them, but shows no aggressive behaivour whatsoever, and loves playing with other dogs at the field when he gets to know them, especially other labs). They've always barked when people approach the house (and the postman no doubt thinks that the cacophony of noise makes them sound rather aggressive). And they'll be quite loud when people come in, but quickly calm down and are then very friendly.

When we first introduced the lab, in the early days, the others took zero notice. Over time, the 7 year old started to tell him off - a little pinning here and there, but generally shouting at him, although they'd play when they were out.

A short while ago, the male cocker started attacking the lab. At first, it was seemed a one off (and was around food), but it suddenly escalated over the past few days. He bit the lab's leg, drawing blood; then the next day attacked again, going for the same leg. He mounts him and tries to dominate him, the lab then defends himself and it leads to an almighty scuffle. We've separated the dogs now, and have organised for a behavioural therapist. If we walked away when they fought, it was soon over, so the trigger most likely isn't food. For the last 24 hours, they've not been allowed in the same room together and I've got another crate from the garage and put it in the kitchen for the cocker (he was crated when young, and often could be found going into the lab's crate).

There's obviously lots of concern. We're giving lots of attention separately to each dog, very calmly instructing them (and they generally do what they're told - onto their beds, or staying put in the room when we move to the other dog). The lab has never instigated a fight yet is now very wary when he hears the cocker in the other room. The cocker senses the lab around and gets very agitated (though his tail is wagging as ever). The cocker shows no other signs of aggression at all - of course, not to us (I understand there's a big difference between aggression towards other dogs and aggression towards humans, so I'm not concerned there), also not to the bitch or, from what I've seen, towards any other dog. It's almost as if he really does not like the lab, almost to a mortal enemy level! But joking aside, the concern is very much that he's attacking the same leg. When they had their first couple of fights, they didn't daw blood, though they did scuff each other up a bit.

The behaivoural therapist isn't able to come for a few weeks, and we're on holiday for a week of that so the dogs are in their usual kennels - who have been informed to keep them in separate kennels and walk them separately.

It seems a real shame that the cocker feels very upset and agitated by this all. It's too early to be thinking about rehoming, we're hoping that first separation and then behaivoural therapy for the cocker/both will allow a return to a happy, if somewhat manic, home. Anyone else come across this problem? It seems a little too aggressive to be simply pack mentality (although the cocker has, for a while, been prone to telling off the lab, but not fighting like this - it's very full on, almost impossible to pull them apart. In the early days, he did tell him off a lot, occassionally pinning him down and barking in his ear, but never fighting like this). Of course, the instinct was to yell at them to stop initially, or to pull them apart, but that's (perhaps obviously) not working.
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Interestingly, the 11 year old went through a bit of a growling stage, telling off the other two, and it transpired she had a bit of pain with her teeth which was resolved, improving her temperament greatly.

Finally, the male cocker has always been VERY aware of the weather - he can sense storms, and the hot weather recently has perhaps caused a bit of overheating (the house is a good cool temperature, but given he's a deep brown colour, and the bitch is black, they both pant a little when it's muggy like this). So it's plausible that the combination of all of this has lead to some overheated situations. The main concern is that the cocker has bit deep and drawn blood, though it's difficult to be sure how deep he meant it to be; and that he's now pretty much attacking on sight (if we allowed him, but like I say, they're now separated and will remain so until advice and investigation is forthcoming).

Firstly you have a young male whose testosterone levels are raised as he is reaching full sexual maturity. 

This is enough reason for many other males to view him as a threat and upstart that needs putting in his place.

Your 7 year old cocker has enjoyed alpha male status up to now, but because he is not entire he is not as high ranking in doggy circles as an entire male, so he is trying to keep the upper hand.

Generally the ultimate boss in canine circles would be the alpha bitch, but she will not generally interfere between squabbles of the boys.

Reducing the labs rank by castration may help, but would in my view3 be a last resort, as there are more negatives than positives health wise castrating males, especially larger breeds.

Dogs do not live in packs, they can happily exist alone or in social groups.

The term "Alpha" comes from seriously flawed & now defunct studies on captive wolves living in manmade groups confined to enclosed parks. Even the originator of the term no longer uses it & having studied real natural wolf packs realises this. As well as there are 60,000 years of domestication between wolves & dogs

Dogs do not need to dominate each other, you do not have an entire bitch so there are no conflicts over breeding.

You have a young entire dog testing his boundaries & an smaller neutered older dog no doubt set in his ways.

It isnt possible to get a full picture without seeing the dogs & the body language involved. As you are awaiting a behavioural visit, I would advise caution & supervision until this has made. The internet is not the place to try to diagnose physical or behavioural problems.

A full vet check for the cocker can rule out or in health related problems(especially this dogs sight).

Do you exercise your dogs only by walking or do you do some form of activity or training ? Brain games are a good way of combining training with interaction play with your dogs, especially the youngest.

Dogs may not have packs in the way animals in the wild do, but they certainly have hierarchy within the home. Some like to have and keep a higher status, and a maturing youngster may be seen as a threat, no mater how you wish to term their coexistence,.

Thank you for the replies so far; fairly much as we've also defined (though it can be difficult keeping them apart, they're somewhat used to following us around as a little group!).

The 7 year old is less interested in ball/frisbee games - while the other two fairly much live for them. He does like to carry around shoes and steal the toys of the others! I'll have a think about trying to get him engaged with something.

I suppose the broader question is whether this is ultimately a big cause for concern - how the cocker is going for the wounded leg, and seems to want to a constant rematch?

Is your Lab fully sound on the leg which is being attacked? Since this is a new behaviour in your male Cocker, it could be worth having the leg fully investigated as dogs can pick up on strange new scents (such as may be caused by health problems). If there is something amiss it may be triggering the attacks. 

A leg, and consistently the same leg, seems an odd target for a "normal" attack.

Yes, it was checked out yesterday - it was infected from the bites, but nothing else amiss. It could well be simply an easy target - head height for the cocker.

It's new behaivour to go at each other like this, but he has been telling him off for a while. The lab has only just started fighting back really, giving as good as he gets but without the biting.

> but they certainly have hierarchy within the home.

It's anything but certain.  In 13 years of having a multi-dog household, 4 dogs and upwards (usually 7-9), I've only ever had one top dog and no other discernable hierarchy.  Since she died no-one has taken her place.  They're more like housemates than a pack.

That said; a young male maturing can indeed cause problems in some households, and I find cockers can be grumpy sods at times.  But, I'd not rule out other causes, such as joint pain (he is more than middle aged at 7) or even adhesions from the operation to remove the stone.  Or this could be his anxious side reaching a tipping point.  Or it could be that now the lab has had enough, the cocker is not impressed with not being feared without question!

But, my inclination would be to get the cocker checked out as a first step, and start some joint support if you haven't already, to rule that side of things out as a factor.