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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

cocker spaniel

89 replies

lounear35 · 13/04/2015 14:23

Need advice...we have an 18 month old black working cocker bitch. She's perfect with us and most ppl but when annoyed or someone pokes her or bangs on her caged run she growls and jumps and looks like she would snap. She has never attacked anyone or has bitten. She does stay outside during the day in her run which is quite large. And she sleeps inside in a cage at night she is walked for an hr in the morning and for 3/4 miles each evening.
Has anyone experienced a cocker spaniel being snappy and cross.

OP posts:
Original poster
lounear35 · 13/04/2015 20:17

She isn't with me as I have 6 kids inside I care for some with special needs. Her run is 30 ft it takes up the whole side of drive and half of garden. I work four days a week when I don't care for kids pup is inside with me and even comes out in car with me to collect my own kids from school but not when kids are there

OP posts:
Koalafications · 13/04/2015 20:20

I think a working cocker needs a lot more exercise and stimulation than that.

Florin · 13/04/2015 20:20

Yes you are an evil dog owner, please stop being so cruel or find a home for her where she will be welcome as part of the family. My working cocker isn't happy if I nip upstairs to the loo and sits quietly by the stairs until I come back downstairs. She chooses to he constantly by my side, my husbands or my toddlers. I just don't believe the being hot thing, my dog was also outside outside when she was a puppy although the breeders spent all waking hours out there she never worries about being hot. If there seems to be an issue maybe you should talk to a vet about it.

SabrinnaOfDystopia · 13/04/2015 20:21

OP I have a working cocker. I can guarantee you he would be very unhappy outside all day in a run- no matter how big, or how many visitors. Cockers want to be with you like all the time. They are friendly, devoted and loyal, and love their humans. Mine whines at the bottom of the stairs for me if I pop up to make the beds. If I go out without him, he waits by the door for me and probably whines - and that's with another dog in the house for company.

Why can't you have her in the house with you in the day?

Buttholelane · 13/04/2015 20:21

Children should not be allowed to poke, tease, bang cages or in any other way torment dogs.

At best the dog will be stressed and upset, at worse it will attack its tormentor and quite likely generalise ALL children as evil then you have a big problem on your hands.

You need to find a way to protect her from badly behaved children and if you can't do that you should rehome her.

Original poster
lounear35 · 13/04/2015 20:22

So if I kept her with me constantly she wouldn't growl or bare teeth is that what u r saying. So obviously folks don't work or ever have to leave their dogs for any reason

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 13/04/2015 20:23

You need to get her out of the run and stop kids tormenting her. If you can't do that then consider rejoining or employing someone to help.

Arsenic · 13/04/2015 20:23

It is pretty cruel.

Original poster
lounear35 · 13/04/2015 20:23

Can I ask then those folks that work what do u do with your dog's all day

OP posts:
championnibbler · 13/04/2015 20:23

according to a vet and also a dog handler that i know, cocker spaniels are not suited to non-farm or rural homes.
they are working dogs and are happiest running around fields chasing birds all day.
they can also have a bit of a "jekyll and hyde" streak and can snap easily.

SabrinnaOfDystopia · 13/04/2015 20:23

xpost florin - Snap! Grin

Mines loves my husband and children - but it's me he follows around constantly. In fact, I can't move in the house without tripping over two dogs.

Wolfiefan · 13/04/2015 20:24

Rehoming. Not rejoining.

Buttholelane · 13/04/2015 20:26

If you kept her away from badly behaved evil/Ill disciplined/disrespectful children she would not be growling or baring teeth.

She is being tormented by kids and starting to react to children with aggression.

I often leave my dog in the day, she has never showed any aggression to anyone.
But then I protect my dog from harm, the only children she has ever met have showered her with love and played with her.

Florin · 13/04/2015 20:26

No I don't work that is why I got a dog now as they shouldn't be left for long periods. If I worked full days I would not have got a dog.
If we need to go out for more than a few hours without her which is rare we either get our wonderful dog walker in who takes her from 10-2 or she goes to stay with my parents for the day or weekend.

Original poster
lounear35 · 13/04/2015 20:26

It's not constant "tormenting" as you all call it. It's one or two children whose parents allow them to run wild and once children leave my back door they are the parents responsibility. Parents have been told about the dog and for children not to poke her or annoy her

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PippiLicious · 13/04/2015 20:27

We lost our wonderful dog a year ago. I used to take her to work with me (as did dh) and she was part of our family.

I would love to get another dog but I work, dh works and it just wouldn't be fair to get a puppy/young dog when we can't be there properly for it.

So we don't have a dog, much as I'd love to.

SingingHinnies · 13/04/2015 20:28

How is she a working cocker if she is not being worked? I have a rescue bull lurcher which was worked, hunt's things and would kill small animals if I let it off the leash, it's not a working bull lurcher as i am not working him. Lives in the house with me and the kids and it's best mates a yorkie, it frets and has seperation anxiety, l put it in boarding when i went on holiday and it had a meltdown, refused to eat and cried the whole time. I don't see the point of getting a dog and putting it in a caged run for hours and hours unless it is an actual working dog and getting plenty of exercise with social interaction. Unless you interact with it more, stop it getting teased and give it more exercise it will just get worse

Arsenic · 13/04/2015 20:28

Self-employed.

I didn't have a dog before that, precisely because leaving a dog alone is cruel.

Florin · 13/04/2015 20:30

singing they are working whether worked or not. They are a very different looking dog to a show cocker.

Wolfiefan · 13/04/2015 20:30

It's your dog so your responsibility. If kids are tormenting it on your property then that is your responsibility.
You can change the situation or face the consequences when she ends up snapping at someone.

Original poster
lounear35 · 13/04/2015 20:31

Three families I care for their children have dogs all locked up during the day which I think is wrong! Yes our pup is in a run yes she is annoyed by loud little kids who try to invade her space. Our pup is well cared for exercised well and according to our vet is so well nourished and cared for and in such good shape that he has asked to breed with her and his cocker

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Buttholelane · 13/04/2015 20:31

But you can see with your own eyes the damage that 'one or two kids' are doing!

You now have a dog that is so stressed out and scared of children that she is growling and baring teeth.
That's not good.
If you don't nip this in the bud it will get worse until you ultimately have a dog that needs to be put down because it will react viciously to every child it sees.

I don't understand your carefree attitude at all.
If a child behaved like this even once to my dog I would be absolutely fucking livid.

Taking aside the obvious, immense trauma to your dog it is dangerous for other children to allow this to continue as one day, if nothing changes, this dog will likely bite

OliviaBenson · 13/04/2015 20:33

The thing is OP, we're not talking about other dogs/owners behaviours (wrong as that may be). Your dog is unhappy- that's why she is expressing these behaviours and you need to address that. It's not a case of other people do worse than me so that makes it ok.

I think you need to walk more in the evening- it's really not long enough (even off lead) I think you need to also look at other arrangements in the day. Finally you really need to manage the children's behaviour as it's not fair on the dog.

Original poster
lounear35 · 13/04/2015 20:35

Working cockers are bit smaller than a show and are loads more lively which is great fun when you can let them run free and play. They are brill gun dogs and very protective of their families

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Wolfiefan · 13/04/2015 20:36

Some dogs might not be bothered about being left all day (I know your dog isn't). Some wouldn't mind kids banging on the run but YOURS does.
Stop making excuses. You have identified her behaviour as a potential problem. So deal with it.