Badly behaved houseguest coming to stay!

[heelers n cockers]

We have Fudge coming to stay from tomorrow morning till tuesday morning, and apparently he has turned into the 'evil Cocker from Hell!'  
for those that dont know, Fudge was the dog that made my mind up in getting a Cocker, when we looked after him for three weeks in december, thats why we got Freddy  
we knew Fudge had a food guarding issue (we managed it to some extent by making sure that no food or dishes were left lying around, and that both Mindy & Fudge were NOT allowed to cadge or be given scraps, and that he was fed away from everyone) we also found out that he had severe separation anxiety and 'car guarding issues' we left him in the kitchen for one night and he shredded a bagful of books that my hubby was going to give his mate!   and chewed the bottom of the hall door! i ended sleeping downstairs for the first week to try and settle him! we even tried to crate train him but he wasnt having any of it, so in the end he slept on the floor by the bed!   this is also how we found out that he will NOT let you back in the car, as we had to take him EVERYWHERE with us, otherwise we wouldnt have had a house to come back to! we had to go to town so we made sure that it wasnt too warm and that we parked under shade with a breeze and with the windows open (hubby went to get a sandwich   and i was only 15 mins max) anyway i came back and hubby said 'do you know what hes just done? hes only tried to attack me as i tried to get in the car!' all he had done was asked Fudge to 'get off' the drivers seat and Fudge had gone ballistic, teeth bared, hackles up, rolling eyes and foaming at the mouth!   my hubby had to hoik him up by the collar/scruff to get him out of the front seat and put him in the back! i thought he was exaggerating until he did it to me on the passenger side and hubby had to grab him from the drivers side! (you could have safely left any valuables in your car with Fudge and nobody would be able to break in and steal them-he would have your hand off!  ) but again we managed this and when he leapt into the passenger side, i would calmly open the door, say 'Fudge out!' take hold of his collar and put him in the back, where he would proceed to grumble because he was in the back!
but we managed all these little niggles and he was getting better, until we gave him back to the B.I.L and his wife, now apparently he is really bad with his food guarding and he will not let anyone within ten feet of his food dish (they put the food down, run fast, and shut the garage door until he has finished!) he also has 'temper tantrums' growling, snarling and snapping if they tell him to stop doing something like drop something or get off something   he has also 'had a go' at the B.I.Ls wife when she was walking him, he snarled and grabbed her and then when she went home and tried to take him out of the car, he really flew at her and tried to bite her so she had to slam the boot lid in his face, and then he was barking and growling until the B.I.L came back from work!
he also steals food non stop! he can open the fridge and he helps himself! whole chicken, complete with bones, huge frozen shepherds pie, a pound of lard, full tub of butter (including packaging) two pounds of bacon, a beef joint, a lamb joint, lamb chops, 4 pints of milk, a full bag of raw taties, carrots, broccoli, and more!  
theyve nearly had him to the vets twice to be PTS! and theyve rung Cocker Rescue-who wont take him cos hes bitten etc
so guess whos now very worried about looking after him? all the aggression is directed towards the wife more than B.I.L and my hubby and his mate are down in canterbury from tomorrow decorating his mates sons new house! so i am left looking after Fudge! i am not looking forward to it!

[Nicola]

My doG    It sounds like Fudge has some pretty serious issues. I think he really needs a qualified and experienced behaviourist to assess him and give advice as this is pretty serious and dangerous behaviour, particularly towards your BIL's wife 

And this is the dog that persuaded you to get a cocker?!    You clearly enjoy a challenge then 

[heelers n cockers]

he was a very lovely and affectionate dog when we looked after him in december! they were only minor problems then and we managed them, and there was always somebody in, so he had constant human contact (not only that but Mindy kept him in check! he is scared of her!  )both B.I.L and his wife work and Fudge was either shut in the kitchen or garage or left to run around the garden!   now, however he is shut in the garage constantly, he is NOT allowed in the house, what so ever! which will not help him at all!   if he starts to get stroppy or aggressive with me (or Freddy for that matter), i will put him in the dog run we have in the back garden! i DONT want to do that but if it comes down to it i will do that.
it doesnt help that he is a puppy farmed dog 'allegedly' from N*T***W (thats what the B.I.L told me anyway-i shall have to find out!) and until he was six months old he was owned by a 'little old lady' (she was about 85 yr old) who kept him in her kitchen! he didnt go for walks, or was even socialised and she would take his food away when she thought he had had enough (the reason for his food guarding!  )  she paid £600.00 for him WITHOUT KC reg papers! and the B.I.L paid £300 for him!

[spanielcrazy]

Sounds like a crate is going to be a big help here.

I would definately crate him in the car or use a seat belt harness so he has to stay in his own spot and you stay safe.

Can he be crated to eat or to stay alone if you have to go out?

[Cob-Web]

Poor Fudge - he sounds like a really stressed out little doggy 

I hope you manage him over the weekend - sadly, I don't really think you will have long enough to make a huge difference in his behaviour; has he been seen by a cocker-experienced behaviourist at all ? I am hearing of more and more cockers that are developing behavioural problems such as this 

[Jan/Billy]

What a very very sad thread , poor Fudge  

By the sounds of his breeding & lack of socialisation as a pup, it's not surprising this is how he has developed. Poor little lad.

Well done you for offering to help him, although i agree with others in that a decent recommended experienced behaviourist is definately what is needed here asap. I doubt the issues can be completely resolved but it can't be much fun for owner or dog at the moment.I'm sure improvements can be made.

how sad  

[LouiseAS]

I took on a dog with issues due to poor socialisation and handling, we don't know where he originated from so could be genetic.  I can relate to the car guarding issue because Jakey had this for a long time.  The only car he could travel in was OH's Audi estate because he could be shut in the boot behind the dog guard and I couldn't take him in my Classic Mini uintil recently.

Jakey's behaviour was just down to lack of socialisation and trust plus he also needed discipline.

Sounds like Fudge does need professional help.  Would they be prepared to pay a behaviourist?

Do you know how they discipline him because this was Jakey's issue he'd not had much but you have to do it gently because he is capable of biting.  If you shout at him and show negative body language that triggers his fear aggression.

Poor Fudge he can't be enjoying life   

[PennyB]

Do you know how they discipline him because this was Jakey's issue he'd not had much but you have to do it gently because he is capable of biting.  If you shout at him and show negative body language that triggers his fear aggression.

Not only that if he's been poorly managed when he began these issues and they were quite minor then that could've exacerbated the problem. Sometimes owners don't deal with them when they begin either until one day the problem is huge.

For your own info Jean Donaldson's 'Mine' is a very interesting book on the subject (as is her book 'Culture Clash) but it sounds like the dog (and owners) need professional help

The best you can do this weekend is manage him. To be honest if he were my dog I would never let anyone else have him for a weekend (I'd rather cancel whatever it was I was doing)

[Alpha]

I wish you the very best of luck, what a crying shame that he has been allowed to get like this, fancy being locked in a garage all day and night.
I hope someone can help sort him out as he must be desperately unhappy poor lad.
I can't imagine how upsetting this must be for all concerned but I hope the outcome is a good one.

[Jan/Billy]

The best you can do this weekend is manage him. To be honest if he were my dog I would never let anyone else have him for a weekend (I'd rather cancel whatever it was I was doing)

That's exactly what I was thinking too Penny. Billy has a couple of issues that are minuscule compared to fudge, but I only ever let my dad look after him & even then it's only if it's a must.

[PennyB]

What about using a houseline for him as am concerned some of this may be setting up a cycle of aggression that could be handled better --- am thinking that he may have been 'grabbed/manhandled' far too often in circumstances that will make him stand his ground even more (possibly by people who are quite angry with him). Some of his aggression could be he's fearful if aggression is met with aggression, plus also I wonder how many times things have been grabbed back off him in a hurried manner thus making him want the item even more. In some dogs some owners ignore the warning signs and not listen to what the dog is telling them so some situations may escalate where if managed properly could've been better.

With a houseline he can be taken out of situations a lot easier so diffusing certain problems and at the same time using commands.

[cdpops]

Hi  Gosh it sounds like you are going to have your hands well and truly full. Fudge sounds quite similar to how Charlie was, only more extreme in his reactions. They need to get him some help.
 The way we resolved the car issue in the short term was by only letting him sit in the footwell of the car, in the back, and we used a slightly longer lead that we left dangling slighlty out of the door, so we could get hold of lead first. We also used to muzzle him. I am pleased to say that he now travels without the muzzle in either a dog bag or the boot without any issue at all as long as he cant see out of a window. He gets over excited if he can when we are moving, if you so much as touch him in these circumstances he loses the plot totally.
Good luck for the weekend.

[heelers n cockers]

well he is here...and so far he has raised his teeth and grumbled at both mindy and freddy,   and all they did was to say 'hello' to him nicely! so i let them all in the garden just for a little wander up and down, he is still on his lead as i dont feel comfortable letting him off just yet, not only that i have some sort of control if he does go for one of them! he was also very wary of myself at first (personally i believe it is because of BILs wife) until he realised who i was then he jumped up for a cuddle! (i was very careful!) he IS a very stressed dog he is puffing and panting and wanting to go out the front door!  

i believe his 'discipline' is shouting/yelling and/or slapping,   as when i said 'AH AH' for growling at mindy i felt a low growl that was directed at me, so i quickly said 'fudge sit' and held his lead taut and went 'sshhh' instead, thank goodness he has been trained to sit! i also believe it is the wife who does most of the telling off, as that would explain the aggression towards her.  

we are the only ones who will look after him! wifes daughter used to (they have a black worker called guiness!   and he is lovely-we're supposed to be looking after both guiness and fudge in september!) but i dont think they can handle him anymore! i dont think the kennels will take him either!

i am also at a loss as to how i am going to arrange 'walkies' fudge CANNOT be left on his own, it would be total destruction!   he will NOT settle in fred/mindys crate the only other option is to leave him in the garden or dog run while i take fred n minds out but i dont want to do that, as that seems like BIL/wife putting him the garage! i dont know how fred and fudge will get on if i take them out for a walk together either! (i wish i had a muzzle that fitted him-but then that might make him more aggressive-i just cant win )

i dont think that wife believes in behaviorists to be totally honest with you! and i dont think they are that way inclined to pay for advice!

i have thought about using a longer lead for him when he is in the house, that way i can get his attention and not have to shout at him-i believe this is what causes his aggression problems!  

at the moment he has calmed down somewhat but if i move he gets up ready to go! my two are sleeping but freddy is a bit 'put out' that fudge wont play!

i forgot to mention that he is a two year old and neutered too! oh and he has fleas!  

[cdpops]

OMG I am sorry I know they are related to you, but they so should not have this dog, he sounds very frightened to me, have you tried a clicker with him, he may respond to this and you can work at a distance and "throw" rewards so he is comfortable. I know this sounds really really stupid but we also used our feet alot to touch Charlie he was very fearful of hands but not feet hands hit feet don't (well I bloody hope not)
The poor man must be really uncomfortable if he has fleas too!

[heelers n cockers]

What about using a houseline for him as am concerned some of this may be setting up a cycle of aggression that could be handled better --- am thinking that he may have been 'grabbed/manhandled' far too often in circumstances that will make him stand his ground even more (possibly by people who are quite angry with him). Some of his aggression could be he's fearful if aggression is met with aggression, plus also I wonder how many times things have been grabbed back off him in a hurried manner thus making him want the item even more. In some dogs some owners ignore the warning signs and not listen to what the dog is telling them so some situations may escalate where if managed properly could've been better.

With a houseline he can be taken out of situations a lot easier so diffusing certain problems and at the same time using commands.

yes i have been thinking about a houseline for him! i am certainly NOT going to grab or shout at him-i intend staying away from the bitey end as much as possible! i do believe that if he has anything he shouldnt have that he has just been grabbed and told off!   with freddy i have (inadvertantly) taught him to 'spit it out' and last night he had found one of ashleys erasers, i said 'fred...what have you got? spit it out and let me see!' to which he immediately spat it on the floor!   followed by lots of praise for being a good boy!