14 Month Old Cocker Extremely Agressive

[indyalan]

First, I would like to thank everyone for putting their input and love of cockers and information in this forum. It has been so helpfull to us.

We have been experiencing problems with our 14month old Male Cocker Spaniel "Laddy".  We purchased him through what we thought was a reputable breeder in Noblesville. He is registered AKC but there is an exception on the certificate that reads Offspring of this dog not eligible for registration also we haven't had laddy neutered yet.
 
I have had 2 female cocker's which both lived to be 14 1/2 and had a lifetime of fun and companionship with. Just to give you a little background.
 
Laddy, from the start seemed to be a chewer of hands (but never furniture thank goodness)  and seemed to be quite fearless of everything from vacuum cleaners to just about everything around him. My wife and I thought  we just had a fearless boy.  Up until his first birthday we have had the usual "pee" accidents and a playful but yet fearless little guy. Never aggressive toward house guests or other dogs but things changed once his first birthday came around.
 
Laddy became very sexually aggressive and possessive of his toys to the point we thought we had a dog with a split personality. We returned home one night and laddie got ah old of a plastic bag and being that he has never been aggressive toward either of us, I reached down and tried to get it back from him, without warning he bit me very vviciously and  I though my finger was broken he also produced 2 gashes on my finger that didn't require stitches.
 
We moved on from the incident to find laddy more and more aggressive toward me and not my wife. I have read that this is called shy-sharpness.
 
We had another incident where he had toilet paper in his mouth and I tried to remove it. His tail was wagging and the next second he was showing his teeth and when I put my foot up to prevent an attack (not to kick him in anyway) he bit my tennis shoe to the point and with such vicious  force that he slightly punctured the shoe and my toe (drawing blood).
 
There have been further incidents where I would come home and he immediately growls at me and never my wife. His tail wags.....then next moment growl. So i distance myself and he calms down tries to play with me. But he is very possessive of toys and objects and even though he goes out to pee alot, he marks his territory someplace new in the house almost weekly.
 
My wife and I have provided a very loving home for him plenty of toys and exercise in the park he gets excellent medial care and only eats Science Diet. But, laddie produces bizarre tempermental changes. He can be a loving cocker one minute then the next a vicious dog.  
 
I have read that the shy-sharpness and posessive/sexual behavior is a product of poor breeding. We love laddy very much but we cannot live in limbo with a dog with such a split personality. Once he is neutered do you think this will help? If not, what do you think are our options? Everything we have read on the internet has indicated we got our baby boy from a bad breeder.
 
Thank you for your time and consideration,
 

[kookie]

I am so sorry about your troubles with Laddy. I can't provide an answer or cause for this extreme behaviour. I can only think of rage syndrome. We encountered this with a black cocker boy when I was very young.
I'm sure someone will be along shortly who may be able to shed some light.

Take care in the meantime,

   

[lizzy]

First I would like to say hello and welcome to COL ,

I'm sorry to hear your are experiencing problems with Laddy, I can only imagine how distressing it must be for you and your wife.

I'm not an expert with dog's that show aggression ( just a mum of 2 cocker's ) but I would say that I think you probably need some outside help with him. Quick!

He is at an age when dog's can show their authority ( especially males, but not always ) when they reach the teenage years, it normally starts around 8-9 ish months, what youv'e described does sound like an extreme version of this.

I would make an appointment with your vet, ask his for his help in the form of a behaviourist and talk to him about neutering, I would do this today.

It's possible this is a result of his breeding and his start in life, these are things that you will need to discuss with your vet.

Good luck and let us know how you get.


ps I'm sure that someone with more experience in this area will be along to give you more accurate info  

[*Jay*]

Have you had him checked over by a vet just to make sure there is nothing physically wrong with him? Chances are there won't be but any change in temperament should be checked out. Your vet should also be able to put you in touch with a reputable behaviourist who can help you.  When you are dealing with aggressive behaviour(esp where the dog is actually biting), it is always best to seek professional help .  If his problems are all hormonal based, then neutering may very well help but you will still have to use some behaviour modifications in conjuction with this.  Again, a behaviourist should be able to advise you further.

In the meantime, if you do need to take something from his mouth, try doing an exchange with him.  Maybe offer him a treat or a favourite toy - he should lose interest in what he's holding onto and give it up. When he does, give him his reward and praise him highly. That way it all ends up on a positive note and no blood is shed

 

[cbabe]

i'm guessing here - but does your wife feed him?

[Gilly]

Hi is Laddy an American Cocker? I would imagine that the reason it states offspring are not eligible for registration is what we would call a "restriction", it has nothing to do with the current problems you are experiencing, alot of breeders do it to stop people breeding at will and without thought and to protect their breeding lines  

Personally I would seek the advice of a behaviourist, someone who can come and see first hand what is happening. There maybe something you are doing inadvertedly that is triggering this behaviour    

[PennyB]

Adolescence can be a trying time for cockers (just like humans). I'd go with what others have said and find a very good behaviourist and work with them and be consistent throughout the whole family.

As Gilly says it can be certain aspects of our own behaviour (combined with confidence fuelled by hormones) that could inadvertently be triggering some of this.

[Jane S]

I would guess we are talking about an American Cocker here as Indyalan is in the US & would agree that professional help is needed now. In the UK, if there is no physical problem, vets will refer clients to a canine behaviourist but I'm not sure what the situation is in the US. I've not heard of the term "shy-sharpness" but it may be what we would call fear aggression, although this dog does not sound shy or fearful (but without observing Laddy, it's impossible to say). I don't know if this page might be useful as it contains links to trainers/behaviorist sites in the US.

Jane

 

[indyalan]

I would like to thank you all for your heart felt kindness and consideration. I am getting laddy neutered on monday and after his recovery, we are going to go to a behavior specialist. I am not giving up on this guy. He is my very best friend in the world.

Again, thank you for your help.

Alan Dhayer

[Gilly]

Thats the spirit   I think with that kind of attitude you can all work together and work through the problem    

[lizzy]

I'm so glad to hear this Alan!
Let us know how you get on.

[*Jay*]

Good for you  Keep us informed of his progress  

[Tidge]

Laddy is lucky to have you, with someone else, his behaviour could be so much worse.

Good luck and start the training as soon as he's fit enough, let us all know how he gets on