problem with my dog

[u_say_go]

I have a 2 year old Cocker Spaniel that is wearing out his welcome in my home. Last night he bit my 9 year old daughter on the hand and drew blood, not severe, but enough to make me question whether or not to keep this animal. Over the last 6 months he has nipped/bitten/scratched a young child on 5 seperate occasions, and growled and nipped at my wife a few times.

After doing some digging online, I come to find out we bought him from a known "puppy mill". The complaints on this breeder are endless; claiming her dogs are overbred, inbred, not socialized, not taken care of, sickly, aggresive, etc etc.
I have had dogs most of my adult life and I'm pretty confident in my ability to train a dog to be a loving family member, but this dog is different. He's friendly one minute, then aggresive and "naughty" the next. He is not neutered, not sure if that would even help at this point.

I can't afford the risk of him biting or scratching one of my children or one of their friends, and really doing some damage.
What would you do?

[HITMAN]

Call the "Dog Whisperer".

[michelle]

Have you tried a professional dog trainer? Perhaps socializing the dog with other dogs would calm him down (and socialize with other people as well).

How do you handle the situation after he bites or growls? Are you aggressive to him or yell? Because of his background, he may not be used to friendly people and is more on attack mode then anything else. Does he have room to run around? Having plenty of room to exercise and release energy would be good. Or even getting him a companion to learn how to be gentle. Take him to a shelter or even a dog park to see what kind of dogs he likes.

I know with a cat, after neutering will call them down. Not sure if it is the same with a dog or not.

[2006wrxtr]

yeah call Ceasar...

[u_say_go]

he has spent time with other dogs and has done well. he is exposed to a number of different people almost everyday, this is one of my main concerns- it's only a matter of time before he bites someone other than my family. he has a large fenced yard to play in and spends a lot of time outside playing catch with me or one of the kids. when he growls, I hold his face and tell him to be nice. when he bites, I swat him on the ass and remove him from the situation. and before someone says "that's not nice", I dont care. When he bit my 2 year old, he's lucky he made it thru the day.
99% of the time he's a really good dog and very loving. There are just times when he is unpredictable and I'm affraid he's going to mess someone up.

[Car Guy]

Chopping off his nutz should calm him down a little, sounds like he has a lot of
'energy' to release and all of a sudden snapping at people because of it.....

[mynameismike65]

I would honestly if your considering training of some kind, talk to Mark at the Feed Bag Pet Supply in Grafton. He does alot of training and has a ton of knowledge. He isnt your average trainer as he uses a positive reinforcment teqniques (sp) as apposed to "scare tactics" that people such as Cesar Milan use. Its too bad these puppy mills exist......it really fvcking pisses me off at how someone can treat an animal like that. I put those puppy mill people on the same level as those who pray on innocent kids and women....it disgusts me that someone can be so cruel to innocent/defenseless animals. Not to sound like an ass but next time dig a little deeper into where your getting your dog. Hope everything works out for you.

[u_say_go]

Not to sound like an ass but next time dig a little deeper into where your getting your dog. Hope everything works out for you.

we were referred to this breeder who bought a dog from her with no problems. I seriously think the dog is inbred or overbred, causing it to naturally be aggresive. I'll contact Mark and ask him what he thinks.

oh yeah, dont ever buy a dog from Patricia Rockstroh at Black Knight Arabians in Fort Atkinson. :flipoff2:

[Prince Valiant]

There is a reason that cocker spaniels bite more people in the US than dogs like Pit bulls, Rott's, etc...fortunately their small enough that it's not often serious, though bites to the face certainly can be; any bite to a kid of course can be traumatizing.

Is he food protective? Toy protective? Spot protective? All these are completely unacceptable with any dog, and even more so in households with children.

Kids of course are even slower to recognize the warning signs given off by dogs before they lash out...the subtle body language/postures and small growls when they think they are asserting their dominance/protecting their stuff.

Hence the need to have a dog accept that nothing is under their control...and can be taken at will by anyone in the household.

First thing I'd do of course is make sure that you supervise the children around the dog...and perhaps in the meantime, keep the dog away while random neighbor kids play. You can introduce kids to the dog, but make sure the kids don't do things like reach/hug/etc...have the kids stand and let the dog approach them. Make sure the kids avoid direct eye contact too...as it's threatening to a dog. Let the dog sniff, walk around, etc...and if your dog does well, let the kid gently pet his/her back.

But if they are protective of food/toy/areas then it's important for you to gain control. A dog trainer can show you how to make your dog more accepting/IE submissive with regards to this and is what I'd recommend you doing.

Myself, say with food, I'll simply make the dog sit, stay, then allow them to eat...this says that YOU control when the dog eats of course. I'll also sometimes begin to stand in the way of the food and crowd the dog out as they're eating...if they growl or protest, pull them away (with a leash if need be) make them sit...and when they do so without protest, then allow them to eat. Repeat until you can just begin to crowd them out and they easily move away and sit to the side.

Same with toys...I'll come and take the toy when they are playing with it. If they protest, I'll take it and place it in front of me. The dog must sit and stay...and preferably lose interest in the toy before I give it back. Once the dog accepts that I control when he/she gets to play with they toy, generally it's easy to get the dog to respond to the kid the same way.

Thing about small dogs are, we tend to accept what is actually dominant and aggressive behavior out of them, because they are small. A large dog doing the same thing will be seen as dangerous and we'd be more apt to do something to nip the behavior at the bud...whereas small dogs, we tolerate more until it escalates to where you are now.

Thing is, your dog may accept YOU doing the above already...but not accepting of it of your kids or wife. He/she might see themselves as "second" in the family hierarchy....which the dog shouldn't be...it should always be last. Again, a good dog trainer can help you and your family sort through these issues. A good dog should allow anyone and everyone to basically do as they please to them...and be submissive to everyone, neighbors kids included.

But act now...as these are CLEAR warning signs of worsening behavior.

[Sprayaway Fox]

1fast86gt just got one from there. He got a cocker spaniel also. His was skittish as hell. you talk to loud and it would run away or any noise. I guess its better now. Ya just gotta take your time and if its growling try giving it a dogtreat to pick it up for a while or something to that means. Guess it worked for him.

[u_say_go]

I hope he has good luck with his. From all the reports I've read today on that breeder, she deserves to be put out of business.
This is my 3rd cocker spaniel, I've trained them all the same and this one must have a chemical imbalance or some schit....super sweet one day, a mental case the next.
All the training in the world wont calm my fears of him biting again. I've got a 2 yr old girl to think about too...he better hope he doesnt bite that one! :mad:
thanks for the tips ya'll.

[Voodoo Chick]

Personally, I think the dog ought to be given to someone without children. I think, (strictly my opinion, please take no offense) that the well-being of the kids has to be priority 1. If he's biting kids, he has to go. You can get a nice little new dog for your family, but if he messes someone up, it could really cost you a lot. Best luck to you.

[u_say_go]

my wife and I agree that he has to go. It's just not worth the risk anymore. I've been saying for a while now "one more bite and he's gone", and I never have the balls to to it.
If anyone knows of a good home for him, pm me. I'm not giving him away for free, there would be a small "adoption fee", not because I'm trying to sell him, but because I want to know that the person giving him a new home actually has a couple extra bucks to care for him.

[lordairgtar]

Is your pooch neutered? That might address some of the aggression issues.

[WickedSix]

ur more compassionate than me one bite and he'd of been in a sack sinking in lake michigan. Sad to say I think some dogs like some human are just rejects, no amount of rehabiliation is gonna fix bad wiring in the brain. Imo time to put it down and get a mutt, seems the best dogs I've ever come across were mixed breeds

[Prince Valiant]

If this was anytime but right now, I could take him as a foster and find a home...however, with the wedding in two weeks and subsequent honeymoon, I can't swing it. IF for some reason he's still around in two weeks, I'll foster him (if you've got a friend that'll take him for two weeks, just put him there in the interim...we'll find him a good home without children after addressing his issues)

[Yooformula]

screw that shit, if he bites he is out.

[73Dustr]

screw that shit, if he bites he is out.

I agree. If he is biting young kids, I think it's just a bad accident waiting to happen.

[u_say_go]

i guess i just needed to hear from someone on the outside. i feel the same way as some of you, he's just gotta go.

[michelle]

I wish I could take him. ):

[HY35F2T]

pfffh if a dog ever bit my kid(dont have any)drive 50 miles away and there you go your knew home hwy164.lol

[07ROUSHSTG3]

time for a dirt nap.

a biting dog is a ticking time bomb. yeah when he bites you or someone that you know, it is no big deal. wait until he bites the kid of that neighbor down the street that you pissed off one time. can't take the chance.

[u_say_go]

we decided that the dog is going to the HUmane Society or a Cocker Spaniel rescue. SO, if you know anyone (without kids) who wants to adopt a cute dog with a screw loose, let me know.
He's a good dog 95% of the time, I just can't take the chance again with him.

[Windsors 03 Cobra]

Sorry to hear of this misfortune.
My dog and child bite each other so it works out ok.
If either of them bites another kid I'm gonna be screwed.

[Irish]

Dude, if the family dog bit my kid without being provoked, it would be fertilizer for my lawn, bottom line.

[07ROUSHSTG3]

Dude, if the family dog bit my kid without being provoked, it would be fertilizer for my lawn, bottom line.

:thumbsup agreed

we just went through this with our neighbor. their german shorthair nipped me a couple times and got my wife also. i get along great with them and they are cool people, but i simply walked over knocked on the door and told them what happened. i told them that the dog should be put down before he does it again. i also told them that no matter how good of friends we were that if he bit my wife or god forbid my daughter i would have no problem doing what was best for my family. they totally understood and a couple days later the dog was worm food.

just not worth the chance, and the fun of owning a dog is lost once you have to worry about it biting.

[michelle]

This thread upsets me. ):

[Syclone0044]

I agree it sucks. I watch the Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan - I never miss a show and I anxiously look forward to watching new episodes. I hardly watch any TV but this show is the real deal and the best show on TV IMO, no bullshit. Cesar's work is SO impressive, he's truly a master of understanding animal instincts (he calls it "Dog Psychology"). My own 12 year old dog is way better behaved since I started watching this show ~3 years ago.

Anyways what I learned from the Dog Whisperer is that no dog is beyond saving. If you had seen how viscous some of the dogs on the show were and how he was able to control them, you'd know what I mean.

But these things don't happen overnight, it takes understanding, patience and commitment.

[RanJer]

They had that Cesar Milan guy on the radio this morning on 94.5... you shoulda called and asked him what to do... Doh!

[lordairgtar]

I really hate clowns, RanJer. Your av is just plain psycho.

[michelle]

They had that Cesar Milan guy on the radio this morning on 94.5... you shoulda called and asked him what to do... Doh!

I heard that on the radio, but I was on my way to school so I wasn't going to be able to post it.

[CobraSnake]

post up a pic of the dog. How old is he?? Me and my wife were looking for a dog lately.

Mark

[u_say_go]

pm sent