Coming to terms with a people reactive dog

[dogblues]

I have a 15 month old cocker spaniel that I've come to realise over the last couple of weeks is reactive to people. It crept up on my slowly after he was neutered (biggest regret of my life, I thought he'd be ok as no anxious behaviour beforehand but now I realise he was showing some anxious behaviour and I just didn't realise it).

He has snarled at a couple of people when they've petted him outside the house. Fine. I can make sure no-one pets him. He barks at men on walks. Again. I can handle that. But he goes ballistic at male visitors. And last week he growled at my son. He's not bitten anyone yet, but I think that's where it's going if I don't take measures to stop it.

So I'm seeing an accredited behaviourist and have a plan. Some of it I'm fine with. No off lead. Desensitisation on walks. Even muzzle training I can cope with.

But now the children can never be alone with him without me there. (they are 7 and 4). Today he barked uncontrollably at my Dad who visits every week to look after my kids so now I don't think I can leave him in the house with my parents without me there. And he knows my Dad, so this is entirely new and unpredictable behaviour, clearly he's just getting worse.

And I guess this will have to be forever. I just don't know if I can do this.

Has anyone managed to successfully rehabilitate a people reactive dog so that the dog (and the owners) could lead a fairly normal life? Or do I just have to accept that he'll never get better and all I can do is avoid his triggers? Which will involve constant and exhausting vigilance on my part for the next ten years or however long he lives.

A vet will put a dog to sleep without it having bitten anyone.

We ‘inherited’ dh nans dog. It was 8 and not a pleasant dog at all. Reactive, snappy and would have bitten given a chance. We had it here about 24 hours and had to go to the vet the next day who agreed with us and PTS . All the rescues we had called couldn’t help as said they were full And no other relatives were able to help so there was no choice. If you do decide on that course of action there will be a vet somewhere who will help

@dogblues Thank you, ours is a happy (bigger) dog and does both of those things, so I think I need to have a bit of a think.

Signs of anxiety or nervousness in young dogs..

1. Excessive lip licking
2. Lots of head turning to face away from people (note, this is often the very first sign a dog does not want your face in theirs)
3. Excessive yawning
4. Relunctance to approach new or novel objects
5. Reactions to stressful or exicting scenarios, including maybe appearing to be over excited or over boisterous
6. Barking and growling at noises or strange sights
7. Excessive 'freezing' where his body and head won't move at all for fractions of a second in response to something happening
8. Panting without good cause
9. Destructive behaviour, such as chewing furniture, bedding or shoes
10. Issues with toilet training
11. Pacing
12. Shaking (like they are trying to 'shake of' the stess)
13. Tail tucking or belly exposure when meeting new people/dogs
14. Pulling away from new people or dogs OR leaning towards them in a bold, upright body position (as if to scare them off)
15. Hunkering down when meeting new people or dogs
16. Displacement behaviours such as suddenly finding it interesting to sniff a blade of grass or scaratch themsleves when presented with new people or dogs

These are not hard and fast, you won't see them all and many can also be caused by something else (e.g. yawning is not exclusive to nervousness). But if you see a few of them more often than you think is 'usual' you may want to look more closely for how well s/he is coping with new or stressful experiences.

I agree with this and have also worked in the same capacity. I'm so sorry that your family dog has these problems OP.

You're probably right to look at behavioural interventions first OP but I have had improvement with my reactive cocker spaniel with meds - fluoxetine (tried behavioural programs first which also helped but not enough).

I have an adult only household however and will not allow him to be around children. No major incidents in 2.5 years now, since starting meds, but the possibility is always on my mind and there is so much planning and forethought that goes into working out general life around him, it's not easy.

If visitors come to the house I meet them with him outside and we all go for a very quick walk (literally like 10 paces, turn around, and back again) and then come into the house together and he is perfectly behaved then. I think for some dogs it can be that sense of somebody entering a space that they are already occupying that makes them react, and you can bypass that by meeting outside.

I would speak to spaniel aid

Ultimately he’s probably also picking up on your anxiety (mine does this it’s not a dig)
and this won’t be helping.

if are are meeting his stimulation & exercise needs and he has a fulfilled lifestyle but he’s still anxious there is something else going on.

It’ll be a really hard slog to resolve and it maybe not ever be fully resolved so I personally because you have young dc would consider Rehoming if the vet check rules out pain etc

I know it's not a popular view on here, but I believe it is kinder to PTS in this scenario than to surrender to a shelter - the dog will go through all the trauma of losing its family and being in the unfamiliar surroundings, and will probably end up being PTS anyway, as impossible to re-home. It is better not to put it through that.

If you were an adult-only household, I'd give it more time but, with young kids, I don't think you can take the risk. Sorry - I know it's absolutely heartbreaking and you have done nothing wrong - it's just terrible luck.

When the dog barks at your son, he's showing signs of dominance and the next time he barks at your son or any child or adult, stamp your foot and do it LOUDLY.

Then growl at the dog.

I know it may sound wierd but thats the language your dog understands. I am definatly not accusing you here but please don't laugh immediatly after doing this because this will undo your hard work, (I know some idiots who would find this funny, and it does more harm than good).

You need to protect your kids so you communicate that you are the pack leader to the dog, the dog nèeds to find his place in the pack and that is behind you and the kids.

Hoping this will prevent any harm to you, your kids or anyone else.

Op I would say just stop breathe and take a minute.

You are seeing a behaviourist - you have only just acknowledged the situation so it is early days.

Give the plan time (obviously putting in lots of management in the short term) eg stair gates in door etc which I am sure your behaviourist has set up and discussed.

Context is so important and a dog growling at a child really needs to have the full context as to why it happened. Your behaviourist needs to be involved in this. Growling may never lead to bites (rarely does tbh if action is taken at the growling stage). A dog bite is usually fast and silent.

I could draw the conclusion from your post that your dog has been in many situations where he could have bitten and he has not done so.

Dogs can really be helped and the biggest area of improvement is usually in the home.

Outsiders may always be an issue but as you say this can be managed.

None of us on the forum can advise. Pts and rehome advice etc are just peoples uneducated guesses.

Speak to your behaviourist and discuss all your concerns and discuss what are the likely outcomes of the plan.

Any big decision needs to be made with professionals so your vet and the behaviourist. Hopefully your behaviourist is a clinical behaviourist and they can help discuss with the vet the option of medication, health etc

Obviously I am not in the situation and have no idea if this is general fear or mega behavioural issues noone does on this thread.

I empathise with you but dont let this thread affect your decisions use the professionals to help you do that.

Many anxious dogs are able to live in situations they did find hard with some behavioural plans and some adjustment in place.

....... and posts like this OP are exactly why you should hide the thread and phone up your behaviourist for reassurance and advice

I think you need to consider your children's safety and put them first here. It's impossible to keep the dog away from the children 24-7 and even when you are supervising them the dog can and will still snap- look at other cases of parents supervising their children and the dog still snapping and biting, even maiming the children.

If the dog was in a rescue they certainly would not allow anyone with small children to adopt it. Think about that for a moment.

You need to have a long, hard think about what is more important to you. The dog or the children. The risk is too great. A dog is for life until it becomes a risk to the family especially children.

What sort of exercise and stimulation does the dog receive? To be honest, if he was mine he'd be kennelled and worked, but I have others for company. Dogs need clear structure and boundaries. Try spaniel aid and spaniel Uk, but don't rule out PTS. Better a dead dog than a dog so unhappy and stressed it is driven to the point of biting.

Thank you @IngGenius , I will take your advice.

Bloody hell.

There's so much wrong with this post that I don't know where to start 😬

Op- does the dogs aggressive behaviour concern or scare you with your children? Or do you not mind much?

Not true in my years of training many rescue dogs in new homes. They can and do go on to live happy lives. It’s very usual for breed specific rescues to take on dogs that have bitten if they feel a different home would improve safety (and it often does). Dogs are hugely adaptable especially younger dogs. Elderly or ill that’s different. But some dogs are just in the wrong home. No fault of anyone.

My own rescue adapted to her new home with ease and lived another 16 years!

No. Wrong. Try again with some science and understanding of how dogs learn.

Not a family dog. He has to go, if any of you are to be able to relax in your own home and feel secure about your child's safety.

I would agree with all of this. I would add one thing. If you’re up for the challenge then that is great - your vet and qualified behaviourist are the people who can help you make positive change for your dog. However , if in your heart of hearts, you don’t think it is a challenge you can or want to take on then that is truly ok to say this to your vet and behaviourist too. They will help you either way with next steps. All the best.

I’ve seen this personally too. My friend took on a very reactive collie that has struggled in a working dog environment. She worked with a behaviourist and her vet and gave her dog plenty of time and it had been a huge success. As you say, a breed specific rescue would be a good option if this was the route determined to be the right one.

OP is ignoring any questions in regards to her children's safety unsurprisingly.

I wish you all the luck with him. I just want to say that we had a jack Russel from a pup and her behaviour became worse and worse. It turns out she was a long legged Jack who came from a dumpy Jack mother. She got stuck in the birth canal and was delivered by c section. From this she was starved of oxygen and gave her a degree of brain damage. She lived for 16 years and bought a lot of joy but it was an untrainable trait we just had to manage. It was hard work!

Your dcs' safety is the most important thing here, and obviously that of any visiting children.
Some breeds of dogs, including cocker spaniels, are more prone than others to spontaneous rage. It's isn't 100% what causes it, but some believe its a chemical imbalance in the brain. Anti convulsion medical has been known to help, as has anti depressant or anti anxiety medication. If it is spontaneous rage, some cocker lines are more prone than others, particularly with solid coloured lines, but ask your breeder about temperament testing through his line.
See if there are any tells before an outburst, such as drooling.
I don't think you did wrong in neutering, I understand from research that about 12-18 months is a tricky time for some male dogs with hormones etc. Once the dog is 3 - 4yo the hormones will start to have settled.

*anti convulsion medication. Just reading through my typos!

How does your dog walk on the lead?

Does he walk nicely to heel and listens? Does he stay focused on you?