Puppy ‘nipped’ at child visitor

[Margaritawithlime]

God I’m in bits. Any advice would be welcome.
We have a nearly one year old cocker. She’s normally lovely and very well socialised around children - we have two aged 5 and 8. Always in the mix and super friendly.
We have taken time to train and really felt like we had done a decent job of starting life off together you know?
Anyway this eve one of our daughters friends was over as we are babysitting for a half hour and our dog ‘went for’ her out of the blue.
DDog was nestling on the couch alongside my son and me. Daughter and friend just playing alongside and friend leant over to stroke her. She’d been in the house for 45 mins and has been around the dog since she was a tiny puppy as she lives across the road from us so not the first time she’d met doggy and previously all interactions have been fine. It was so unexpected. The dog wasn’t in her crate or in the kitchen which is where she goes for space. She aggressively growled and nipped but didn’t damage skin just scared everyone. What on earth do we do?!
Yes she could be unwell. She is tired for sure after a very energetic day. But it was so unexpected. How do i guarantee she won’t go for my kids?
god I hate this.

It might be worth getting her checked over by the vet. My cocker went for me once and it was so unlike him I made an appointment immediately. Poor chap was suffering from pancreatitis and was in a lot of pain.

They are usually good natured dogs but your puppy is still young, I think mine was still a bit of an idiot until he was about 18 months.

Thank you I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there.
Shes golden for the PP who asked. Definitely crating her when children visit. We are in the middle of an extension so fingers crossed in a few months she will have her very own wing to reside in and won’t be bothered at all by younger visitors. My children will always have friends around but I have to make sure they’re safe. I’ll do everything I can and appreciate pervious helpful advice.

My guess is that she was tired and wanted to be left alone. Did the child lunge to stroke as that can catch dogs unaware and get their guard up. I have a cocker pup and id be devastated if she nipped, hopefully it was just a one off for you

She is an idiot but such a lovely good natured idiot it’s broken my heart honestly. The daft thing. Totally taking it as our problem not hers. I want her to be calm and happy and want everyone to be safe

I wouldn’t have said so at all but honestly it all happened so fast.

with every dog we've ever had, they are more likely to be defensive when they are close to the children of the family. So, snoozing on the couch next to your DS and someone gets too close..... potential issue. Until my DC were a bit older, I simply could not let Dog off the lead if they were with me on a walk. Without them - she was friendly, tail wagging, chatting to everyone. With them she'd bark and snap at anyone who got within 10 ft of us. So I had to be extra alert and keep her on lead.

Having said that, I've always found dogs remarkably alert to the difference between a child being a bit thoughtless and an adult. Possibly because she's a puppy that was a problem?

I'd check in wit the vet but I think that encouraging everyone to understand that the dog shouldn't be suddenly approached while half asleep/snuggling with her "family" is sensible.

I agree don’t allow her back on the couch after this.

Too late to help but cockers are the bitiest puppies out there- our 2 year old (who has only eased off in the last few months) used to pick up a teddy whenever he felt like biting but from seeing how he did it I would never leave him with a child. He also resource guards the couch and chair in the sitting room so we don’t have him in there when we sit in as a whole family (youngest is 9) and he’s in when the kids are playing chasing or football as he gets over excited. Wwhen visiting kids are over we have him on the lead or in another room or outside if they’re in) He’s only playing but I’ve seen him in action with my 16 yo so would never let him on his own with younger ones. Saying that the growling is odd so yes could be sore or something. Hope it all works out op.
Edited to add I’m giving a bad impression here, he is a gem of a dog and so happy all the time and just wanders about the house with his tail wagging, utterly relaxed. He sits next to me as I work and is so chilled

https://www.doglistener.co.uk/cocker_rage-shtml

Are you familiar with the usual dog behaviours for an uncomfortable dog? Another pp mentioned them, but generally whale eye, lip licking, yawning, sometimes a paw up - there are lots of tells. Generally what did you do if your dog growled as a young puppy?

I'd do as the others: vet, behaviourist if you're not familiar with what to look for, off the sofas (and beds) and crate while you have visitors.

This. All our dogs were nippy when puppies. Visiting children were warned as were the parents. It was never an issue.

Get her checked by a vet, maybe book some sessions with a behaviourist.
I would wonder if you’ve missed some body language signs that she’s been showing - it’s easily done - so I’d probably have a look for some videos about dog body language (tiktok is quite good for this if you’re on it).

I’ve had cockers before and find that they’re very susceptible to resource guarding - if I had to guess I’d suggest that a non-family child approaching a settled dog next to her family is a red flag to a bull, but as such should be relatively easy to prevent in the future.

Yes familiar with dog body language - whale eye yawning lip licking but obvs we missed something. We will get her to the vet and rule out pain then work on the rest. I’ve moved her comfy bed in from another room and she’s happily in that now instead of the sofa

This wasn’t rage.

Rage continues - the dog doesn’t stop if it’s told off, or called away or shoved off. It keeps going. It literally won’t stop.

This dog stopped. It wasn’t rage. It wasn’t aggression. It wasn’t dangerous. It was a dog saying ‘leave me alone.’

Please don’t toss ‘cocker rage’ around when you’ve never seen a cocker with it. It does dogs that actually have it no favours and it scares people like the OP into thinking there’s a serious issue with her dog - when there clearly isn’t.

If the dog is left alone in the future it’ll be fine.

Yes familiar with dog body language - whale eye yawning lip licking but obvs we missed something.

In a scenario where the dog wants to be left alone, you may be looking for something as subtle as a micro freeze or (less subtle) a slight head turn away.

Thank you. I am sure it was something more subtle and we just missed it. On us completely. We need to be better

I have a 7 year old spaniel. Every so often, quite frequently in fact, we have to clamp down on the training because he gets too big for his boots. For example he must only be invited on the sofa, must be fed last, last through the front door etc. spaniels can be a bit possessive so perhaps your spaniel was being possessive of you. It is scary but your spaniel needs to know in no uncertain terms who is boss. In the meantime, you may want a vet check, but if it were me it would be some intensive training to put him/her in their place and if that means crating when you have a young visitor then that's that.

My son was 12 at the time and took our then 3 year old Lhasa Apso for a walk. She barks a lot if anyone comes on our drive, to door etc. Anyway two older boys walking behind DS and started making nasty comments about him and laughing. DS walked off at next path but they followed him. Then started throwing bits of twigs at him and laughing. He turned around and told them to leave him alone. Our placid dog showed her teeth to these boys, and growled at them and then lunged towards them growing. They turned and left. We've never seen our dog growl at anyone before or since. I wouldn't have thought she had it in her but she was protective of my son. Maybe your dog was resource guarding you.

The pup was the pack leader and establishing dominance.

If this happens again, quickly growl back and either slap your hand on the couch or stamp your foot on the ground, LOUDLY AND WITH FORCE. Look straight in the animals eyes.

Some people may find the idea people of growling at dogs funny but I'm being serious, a child or adult could be bitten and this is how to stop it.

This dog is testing boundaries, and needs to be made safe especially round children so this body language makes the animal aware of their place at the back of the pack and you and the kids will be fine.

Timing is key, it's the way dogs communicate with each other, in a language they understand.

Refreshing to read that you're willing to work to find out why it happened, read far too many stories on here where a dog has nipped and the owner has used it as an excuse to rehome.
Cockers are amazing dogs, we have a few and one pup used to nip when our food was around, she wasn't bothered about her own food she even lets the cat eat hers! We resorted to crating her at tea time and there's been no issue since

Our cocker got a bit snappy and over sensitive when she had her first season (and for a while after - apparently hormones can go on for 9 weeks after season). She’s never ever shown any sign of it again (spayed after first season). Could this be it?

I don’t get everyone here saying oohh you can’t touch a dog that you know and play with all the time when it isn’t coming for you for attention? It’s a dog. You literally get a dog to have a little pal to play with not some unexplored bomb you can’t look at the wrong way. People plonk themselves down on the sofa and pat their dogs all the time without the dogs going for them? I mean obviously vocally signal you’re going to touch them like ‘hey Fido!’ And then touch. But unless the kid just poked it and startled it then no it shouldn’t be going for her.

Gosh we have a 3 year old cockapoo girl - this would be my worst fear! We have a baby DS who I watch like a hawk around her just incase

Balloonhearts · Today 20:16

How old is the puppy? Puppies nip, that's what they do, they're babies.

So if this is the case, I would suggest the only way to keep the children safe is to muzzle the dog when children are there.

Of course I am assuming that everyone’s priority is the same as the OP’s - the safety of the children.

Is she allowed to growl, or is she told off for it? X