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Original poster

ILs have just taken on two rescue Springer Spaniels, one of which has bitten twice in his first week ...

25 replies

sheeplikessleep · 25/11/2009 13:30

Firstly, I don't have any pets myself, but thought I would post here to hopefully find others 'in the know' and a bit of objective advice!

Background- ILs are in their early 60s, retired on health grounds and have 1 under-exercised border collie and 8 cats. They like their pets to be 'seen and not heard' and we were surprised and a bit gobsmacked they've taken on two rescue Springer Spaniels. They aren't into exercising their border collie (2 x 10-15 minute walks a day) and get annoyed when he jumps up / wants to be played with.

Anyhow, one of their Spaniels has bitten twice in his first week of being there. My SIL has visited, saying they're gorgeous dogs, blaming the biting on her mother, saying she was getting worked up that they are so energetic. BUT, I'm worried about christmas, as we're staying for 3 nights. DS is just over 2 and very active himself. I've said to DH I don't want this dog in same room as my son.

Am I over-reacting? Can Spaniels be aggressive? I know very little about dogs but am concerned this will happen again.

Any advice appreciated - thanks for reading

OP posts:
Original poster
sheeplikessleep · 25/11/2009 13:32

My son , I mean our DS

OP posts:
minimu · 25/11/2009 13:37

Nope you are not overeacting in my opinion. It sounds like trouble waiting to happen. Three underexercised, active, intelligent dogs in one house!

If you stay at Christmas how do you fancy a couple of hours walk to calm the dogs down. It would walk off your Christmas lunch. Then the dogs would crash out while you are there with you DS.

I don't mean to sound awkward but I just cannot understand the reason for having a dog if you don't enjoy walking or exercise. That is what 98% of dogs do. Stick to the cats if you want a companion.

Lets hope your ILs will realise what they will have to do to keep calm in their house before you get there for Xmas.

Original poster
sheeplikessleep · 25/11/2009 13:49

Thanks minimu - I hope so too, good idea about taking them for a walk. I don't want to put fear of dogs in our ds, but I really don't want him playing with his toys/charging around with the dogs there.

Why they didn't get an old lazy dog is beyond me.

Thanks for posting.

OP posts:
bronze · 25/11/2009 13:50

Poor dogs

NO you're not being unreasonable at all. Problem is in situations like these the dog gets the blame when in fact I get snappy when stuck in the house all day too

Original poster
sheeplikessleep · 25/11/2009 13:55

Just feels like I'm not going to be able to relax properly.
Is it normal for spaniels to bite?

OP posts:
MollieO · 25/11/2009 13:57

More knowledgable people will be along to advise but in the meantime I'd say that springers need a lot of exercise and if they don't get that they can be extremely hard work. They really need two good long walks every day and it sounds to me like they won't be getting that at your parents.

Didn't your parents have advice from the rescue centre on the amount of exercise they need. They are lovely dogs but rather daft ime.

Original poster
sheeplikessleep · 25/11/2009 14:00

To be honest, I've not spoken to my MIL for fear of me saying what I think.

OP posts:
bedlambeast · 25/11/2009 16:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

smartmars · 25/11/2009 20:50

Seconding what others have said, very active breed requiring lots of physical exercise as well as company and stimulation. Not knowing circumstances of bite makes it difficult to say if it was 'normal' behaviour; biting is a normal behaviour for all dogs in some situations. SS's can be possesive; perhaps it was over a toy, chew or other 'valuable' item? Try to find out details, if you can bear it.

smartmars · 25/11/2009 20:52

Seconding what others have said, very active breed requiring lots of physical exercise as well as company and stimulation. Not knowing circumstances of bite makes it difficult to say if it was 'normal' behaviour; biting is a normal behaviour for all dogs in some situations. SS's can be possesive; perhaps it was over a toy, chew or other 'valuable' item? Try to find out details, if you can bear it.

Original poster
sheeplikessleep · 25/11/2009 21:25

thanks for posting - appreciated.

OP posts:
Morosky · 25/11/2009 21:30

We have a springer and know quite a few people with springers, I can say ( as much as you can) that ours would never bite. Dd grew up with our springer and would often pull him, about , jump on him, colour him in and dress him up and he would just let her.

However he is walked for a few hours a day an is almost constantly interacted with as dp is at home.

They are very clever dogs who need commitment an effort from you.

When I went back to work a few years ago and the dog went through a phase of being on his own in the day he did become destructive although never aggressive. They are very sociable dogs IMO.

Vallhala · 25/11/2009 23:07

Springers are IME no more likely to bite than any other breed or cross but, as the others have said, that these are a working breed who require a lot of mental stimulation and physical exercise your in-laws are doing themselves no favours and the dogs no kindness by not providing it and it CAN lead to trouble in any dog.

Given the history, I'd say ensure that your lad is not left unsupervised with the dogs (I'm sure you won't anyway), and that you are vigilant to prevent him racing around them, so possibly treading on a paw and so on.

I agree that the rescue sounds awful, btw (though I hate to be rude, but we don't know what your PIL told them about walking their other dog, to be fair). Sometimes rescue can't do anything with what appears to be a good home but take the adopter's worrd for it, they can't put CCTV i the house after all!

If I were in your shoes I' talk to the PIL, find out more and yes, certainly go on that family walk.

Vallhala · 25/11/2009 23:08

PS WHO has one of the Spaniels bitten? And why, what led up to it?

Original poster
sheeplikessleep · 26/11/2009 09:46

He bit my MIL and FIL (once each), I've heard it 3rd hand as my SIL told my DH. In the same breath, she said they're lovely affectionate dogs, but that my in-laws were getting stressed they were jumping around and being noisy and were shouting at them for this reason.

Thankyou for all your advice and information. TBH I'm a bit dog wary myself, so it makes me want to make sure my ds plays in a different room as them for the duration. BUT, DH thinks it'll be because the dogs are being told off for behaving as they would naturally, but that we should exercise caution. Sad for everyone involved really, including the dogs.

OP posts:
wannaBe · 26/11/2009 10:12

is it possible the dog was just playing and had its mouth open and caught one of them with a tooth while jumping around? It does sound as if your ILs don't know an awful lot about dogs and aren't very tolerant of what is essentially normal dog behavior.

Springers are lovely dogs but they need a lot of exercise and stimulation.

I would be inclined to take them for a long walk while you're there to show your ILs just what good them having a long walk can do in terms of calming them down.

ShinyAndNew · 26/11/2009 10:22

training tip of the week from a highly recommended trainer, local to me.

I think you need to talk to your mil and fil. These dogs aren't being given the attention they need.

smartmars · 26/11/2009 12:44

Fear is by far the biggest cause of aggresion and reason for biting; they are new to the home, we don't know their history and they were being shouted at by strange adults (strange unknown, not strange weird!). I might have been tempted too, in the dogs' shoes (paws)...

DarrellRivers · 26/11/2009 12:52

We had cocker spaniels when we were growing up.
Our first cocker would never have bitten us, but I think she bit a few strangers on walks if we were arguing en famille, ie she would blame the innocent person walking past for our family row.
I think she also bit one of my sister's friends when she was much older and grumpier
She was slightly inbred , uncle/niece I think, and when I think back, I'm amazed she managed to die of old age , these days she would have been re-homed or put down I'm sure
We loved her loads, and walked her loads, but although I like spaniels, I wouldn't be tempted to get one with a young family
Those rescue dogs need walking, goodness, all dogs need walking

Northernlurker · 26/11/2009 13:06

I'm dismayed your pil are surprised that the dogs are jumping around. Springer spaniel - there's a clue in the name!!

I echo everybody else - these are great dogs but they need space and interested owners. My grandmother (in her eighties!) walked her equally elderly spaniel twice a day come what may. She had other people come occasionally to take her out as well and she talked to the dog all the time. My granparents always had springers and nobody got bitten - not me, my sister, cousins or my children. I urge you to talk to your pil about whether it is right for them to keep these lovely dogs. It sounds very cruel to me.

Whereabouts in the country are you? My neighbour lost one of her springers this year - might, might be interested?

solongpumpkin · 26/11/2009 13:14

i remember we got a rescue springer when i was young. it was beautifully behaved in the rescue centre but back home it would suddenly 'turn' for no reason and become aggressive and try to bite. After acouple of weeks my parents took it back only to find we were the 3rd people to return him but only the 1st to admit why. i think he was put down as they thought he may have some type of schizophrenia and would not be a suitable pet.

I have a spaniel and they tend ot make great family pets in general but not always the case, as you have found. my ds is also 2 and my sil has a rescue dog who has also bitten acouple of people and 'gone for' others. i don't even want them in the same house. its not worth the risk. personally i would think about staying over at xmas if the dog will be there. 2 is old enough to open doors. Keeping them separate for 3 days will be difficult.

Original poster
sheeplikessleep · 26/11/2009 14:40

northernlurker - to be honest, i don't have the greatest relationship or history with my ils. i know anything i say would fall on deaf ears. if it was anyone else, i would have said something before getting the dogs before they got them. i am known for saying what i think, but i've learnt, with them, it's pointless.

solongpumpkin - your post worries me. i've spoken to dh about it all, who says that we will keep them apart, but that it'll be his parents not the dog(s)as to why one of them has bitten. my ds can only just open doors (although our doors do have quite difficult to open handles, and he might be quicker at ils house), so between the two of us, we should be able to make sure they are separate. trouble is, that makes me feel guilty, as no doubt the in-laws will want to be with their grandson, so the dogs won't get much company for 3 days

dh knows i'm worrying about this. agh!!!

OP posts:
Morosky · 26/11/2009 18:07

I was also going to ask where you are, we mey be able to take in a rescue springer. Ours would love the company and dp is at home all day so he can do long walks an attention.

Original poster
sheeplikessleep · 27/11/2009 13:04

thanks northernlurker and morosky for your kind offers. i'll bear those in mind, it's very generous of you.

OP posts:
Morosky · 27/11/2009 18:56

If not there is an organisation that specialises in rehoming springers. I will ask dp

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