To re-home our dog

I would find and have a chat with a decent animal behaviourist. Also a rescue that specialises in his breed.I don’t realistically think you can keep him but hopefully they can help with the transition period.

He might be more relaxed in a quiet environment with just a single person or a couple, and as the only animal in the household.

And don’t beat yourself up about it. Ñ

I voted YABU because you've kept this animal in your home with your small children for this long! Really irresponsible and dangerous and I don't care how much of an animal lover you are 🙄 no-one is going to want to take on an unpredictable dog that bites, the dog needs to be put to sleep.

Who is going to want to take on your dog? You don’t want it because it bites and it’s been a family member of yours for a long time so presume you love it. No one is going to say when looking for a new dog “oh, you literally bite the hand that feeds you, absolutely what I’m looking for”. Sadly it will be put to sleep.

Can I ask why no one is suggesting muzzle and separate?
So muzzle in large family groups which might cause anxiety, and at other times try to give the dog some time with one family member to rest

How many warnings does this dog need to give you? He’s bitten you 6 months ago and your wife a year ago AND tonight’s issues- are you waiting for your children or you/ Dwife to be SERIOUSLY harmed so it’s an easier decision?

You need to do something asap and the kindest option may be pts because he may end up with a vile human wanting to ‘show him who’s boss’ or beat him for harming their kid/ family member.

Hard choice but you’re actually doing right by the dog and family.

What has the behaviourist advised, and your vet? How long have you all been working together to help your dog?

Get rid you can’t risk it.
Imagine your child being scarred for life or worse.

Btw, I’m also a huge animal lover (horse, cats and a dog),

Don’t feel guilty, put your family first.

Thank you. Honestly I despair at the answers to these posts when the majority of people respond “put him down” without even wanting to find out what’s causing him to behave like that.

You don’t mention any behaviourist work that you’ve done alongside medication so I don’t want assume one way or the other. I do have a reactive dog but have managed to keep her off the drugs with a fair amount of management. She hasn’t bitten but all reactive behaviour comes from fear. I wouldn’t leave her unsupervised with children (and when she is around them she mainly hides).

I think it’s probably right to have him rehomed. It’s possible your dog is overstimulated with other animals around and that he would fare better as the only dog. There are sanctuary rescues where dogs won’t be homed in a private home, and of course rescues can also rehome to an adult only home/experienced owner etc

I think it will take time and most likely the big rescues will not help, you’ve probably got more chance with either a breed specific or small rescue.

Good luck, I hope you can find him a home where he feels settled.

@RubyFlaxis spot on. There might well be a pain issue at the root of it. Speak to your vet and Spaniel Aid.

This dog has bitten his owners on more than one occasion though. Dog aggressive dogs are very common. Dogs are pack animals and no reason they should be friendly with dogs from another pack. It’s much rarer for a dog to go for its owners. OP says the dog needs to be sedated for vet visits and it takes several vets to safely handle him. I’m sure if the vet had a solution it would have been offered by now.

He is in pain! Classic reactions to pain. My first point of call would be the vet to see what is going on. Not fair to him to just put him down.

Leave a lead on him in the house so you can lead him out of rooms, out from under tables, off sofas etc so you don't need to grab his collar.

Use a command such as out/off etc as you do it and reward. Then he'll get used to just the command eventually and you won't need a lead.

Same with going to the vet. Reward for even just being in the doorway, you don't need an appointment - just an in and out trip building it up to being rewarded for sitting in reception, even better if he'll accept a treat from someone in a uniform.

I’m so sorry for what you are going through. It’s heartbreaking. I honestly think you should PTS. Your dog does not have a good quality of life. He needs to be medicated for anxiety and is still reactive and unpredictable. A dog that can’t relax even at home is suffering psychologically. There’s also the chance there is an undiagnosed physical problem. Even if you were able to rehome him these facts wouldn’t change. I think PTS would be a kindness and you should do it without guilt. You’ve given him six lovely years. Give him lots of last lovely cuddles and let him go.

Sounds to me a bit like a fear reactive resource guarder.
I have a fear reactive dog, she's 15 now and did all the things your dog is doing. We never medicated though as it doesn't help with the route cause of the issues, it just takes the edge off.
If you get some good training and management techniques in place your dog could improve.

Sometimes the police look for spaniels for sniffer training, but he may be too old

This is so difficult OP. I am a huge animal lover and a bleeding heart. It sounds like you r dog in living in a great environment where he is well taken care of. But he is dangerous and he could badly hurt one of your children.

i do think having him out to sleep is the kindest thing for him. He wont know. He can’t continue to live with you and any alternative is unlikely to be a good life for him. No rescue will take him, and it is unlikely anyone sensible will take in a reactive dog that has a history of biting.

I think having him put to sleep would be kinder than sending him out into an uncertain future (likely put to sleep any at after a few weeks or month of feeling lost and confused).

Was going to type exactly this.

Again sorry you and your dog are going through this.

where did you get him from? If a shelter you really need to speak to them about the match they made

As an immediate measure the dog has to be completely separated from the children. Not just supervised, no contact. Tomorrow.

Them look atvthe long term plan.

The first thing you need to do if you haven’t already is get him checked for pain at a vet. All the scenarios you are describing relate to him being moved or touched or someone coming in to his personal space. If he’s in pain it’s highly likely he will react this way. Dogs are excellent at hiding pain, and any behaviourist worth their salt will advise a thorough vet check as the very first step.
Then please contact a breed specific rescue such as Spaniel Aid. They take on many dogs with a bite history if they feel they know or can work with the cause, and often these causes are totally avoidable. For example; if this is pain related it may be solved with pain medication! If he’s resource guarding a space (the sofa, under the table, his toy) then this can be managed.
I understand why you don’t feel your home / family is the right environment for him, but PLEASE investigate the 2 suggestions above thoroughly before making any “permanent” decision as other posters have suggested.

I know someone who’s spaniel had rage syndrome and they had to have her put to sleep as essentially she was suffering as she was recovering from potential seizures when she bit.

Rage Syndrome Overview
Rage syndrome is widely regarded as a rare, serious, and genetically inherited neurological disorder that is a form of epilepsy, possibly related to abnormal electrical activity in the temporal lobe of the brain. The aggression it causes is distinct from typical behavioral aggression (like fear or territorial issues) because it has no apparent trigger.

I presume he has been thoroughly checked by a vet that there is no medical cause for his reactivity? Although, that might be difficult when he is so unhappy to visit the vet.

I also think euthanasia may be your only option. An adult only home, with no other animals, might work but there is no guarantee and once you give him away you will have no control over what happens to him next.

I think posters who are suggesting you see a behaviourist have probably never had to use one themselves, they are very expensive, it takes a long time to put a plan into action, there's no guarantee it will work and the whole family needs to buy in, play a part and be completely on board that means kids too, which just isn't practical. Tough decision, but I think you know what you have to do, you will never forgive yourself if he bites one of the kids and it will be too late. My sympathies OP.

Our dog came to us at the age of four. Was aggressive towards other dogs but otherwise lovely. She is about to have her thirteenth birthday and doesn’t take any notice of other dogs now. Our neighbour who works for a rehoming charity remarked that as she was aggressive towards other dogs when we got her she would have been put down. The worry is that by rehoming you are just passing on the problem. Perhaps an honest chat with your vet might help to find a solution.