Cocker Specific Discussion > Behaviour & Training

Attacking and being attacked

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Dessie:
Hi Viv

Sorry to hear that William is still getting attacked.  

Sebastian was only attacked once when he was a puppy by a Jack Russell and from that moment he is very wary of them and goes on the defensive as soon as he seems one  >:(  Its funny though as it isn't every Jack Russell just some that obviously remind him of that one !!  

If another dog has a go at him, Sebastian will have a go back and it doesn't matter how big they are !!  He also stands up for the other two.  

On another occassion we were at a Dog Show had taken the dogs out for a wee etc and came across this Border Collie that had blue eyes.  It flew for my friends dogs out of the blue and Sebastian was quite keen to defend his friends.  All the dogs were on a lead apart from this Border Collie.  A week or two later we were out walking along the coat and we came across this dog - Sebastian flew for it which I was quite shocked by - but it turned out to be the same Border Collie !!!  He had remembered it from weeks gone by.  

I think William is being on the defensive side attack rather than be attacked.  With your guidance I'm sure you will get this problem sorted.  Just practice your recalls and look to see what dogs are coming your way.  Try and keep him interested in you which I know is easier said than done but this is how we've over come the Jack Russell problem.  

HTH

Dessie                    

Shirley:
Hi Viv
It must be awful for you, worrying every time you go for a walk.  Morgan has never been in a fight, as such.  Although he has been set upon four times and each time it was a Jack Russell (sorry to anyone who has one, but every one I've met has had an chip on it's shoulder).
These have only been brief, as he's been on the lead every time and I've managed to scare the agressive dogs away.  Morgan has never growled or bitten back.  Sometimes I think he's a bit too trusting - he went up to a rotweiller (sp?) off lead the other day and it's hackles went up.  I don't want to put him off greeting other dogs but it is scary  :-.
I had an Old English Sheepdog when I was growing up and he was great with people, wouldn't hurt a fly - but he couldn't pass another dog without trying to fight with it.  I know how worrying it can be.
Have you had a chance to find out if William has the same problem as Jimmy had?  I really hope you manage to solve Williams problem.  I'm sure you will, as he's obviously not naturally aggressive, it seems to be a reaction to certain situations he finds himself in.
Good luck  ;)                    

viv:
Thanks to everyone for there advise,

I am hoping this is just a temporary thing and that he is just "finding he's feet".  Yesterdays walk was fine, down on the beach, loads of dogs, me walking backwards and forwards dodging other dogs :-... tho saying that the one's Will's met he had no problem with...thank the Lord!
I did distract him a lot with an empty plastic bottle...which he loves...and it worked quiet well.

I do find that Will's is the one who flies over to the other dog and i think i really need to get his attention back on to me... which i managed yesterday.

Oh baby steps :)
Viv                    

montsmum:
Viv, your post has reassured me that my Monty is not the only one with this problem!
He is almost 5, and started the defensive/aggression thing with male dogs a few months ago. We used to assume it was purely defensive behaviour, but it's got worse recently...he is more the aggressor and it's getting embarrassing!
At home, and with people, he is a sweet dog who is not at all aggressive. I walk him on a lead as he can get excitable and easily distracted off it, and was once hit by a car.
He went to dog training when younger, with little 'success', e.g. he thought it was Christmas and his birthday when they threw toys at him...(he was supposed to ignore them!), so I don't know if training re aggression would work...however, as his coat already makes him resemble a womble, I'm reluctant to risk the side effects of castration!                    

PennyB:
A good trainer can help identify what the problem might be—I know mine often works on this sort of thing (he has a number of his own dogs at the centre I go to and uses them as distractors or to establish a problem with other dogs). Training is not just about sit, stay etc., its also about dealing with unwanted behaviours in a relatively 'safe' environment. You'll often find that its usually the owners that need the training. Cockers can be hard work to train as they are so stubborn so giving up on early training can sometimes cause problems further on. In Ruby's 1st puppy class she was labelled as a 'b***y spaniel, which was very unhelpful as basically all she was doing was being a typical 'busy' spaniel. I took her to another trainer who was brilliant with her and anything he asked her to do she did (in the 1st 5 minutes she proved the 1st trainer who hadn't the foggiest idea about cockers, very wrong). In the early days Ruby had pyoderma aorund her mouth and its soreness made her very grumpy if you touched that area. As time went on she remembered the pain even though it was no longer there and so began to snap at me every time I looked at her mouth, but the trainer helped us overcome this problem.

Have you also thought of TTouch (http://www3.sympatico.ca/tilleyfarm/HomePage.html). A good friend of mine who is now a practitioner in training swears by it.

Not every problem is solvable with the above but worth pursuing.

If you have insurance I know some insurers allow you to be able to see a behaviourist.                    

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