Page 5 | Cocker Spaniel bit my husband

DurhamDurham · 29/12/2024 17:53

Care of dog- husband takes over all his care. Walking and feeding

Well that's only going to work if the husband wants to do that. The dog has bitten the husband, he's worried about being bit again, worried about his child being bit so may be unwilling to do what you're suggesting.

FeegleFrenzy · 29/12/2024 18:45

Undisclosedlocation · 29/12/2024 17:12

Any trainer worth their salt will now instigate a very careful counter conditioning programme to change how the dog views someone taking their collar.
The aim in behaviour work is NEVER to avoid something entirely. It is to work in tiny increments to help the dog learn to accept previous triggers. That’s not to say we want the dog grabbed but to reduce the risks we have to tackle the source of the problem by desensitising the dog to it

Sure, there needs to be a positive reward doesn’t there in order to get the dog to accept something they’re not initially keen on.

Friend of mine has a spaniel like this and if dog is under something growling then a treat might be offered to get the dog half out and in a better frame of mind with a view to then being able to get the dog by the collar (if necessary) all the while watching body language and other signs and responding appropriately. Doesn’t sound like the dh did any of this. From what I’ve seen it’s a long process.

i know my friends trainer has mentioned about sometimes being able to grab the dog is necessary….ie if dog was about to run into the road they need to be able to grab it to prevent it being killed without being bitten. But I guess building up to this is a very measured process.

bakewellbride · 29/12/2024 19:15

Cocker spaniels need 2 hours of exercise a day so you think he 'already has an hour' as if that's a lot but in fact that's only half of what he needs. You really should've researched this before you got him but it's done now and you can start afresh asap.

bakewellbride · 29/12/2024 19:16

Also to add the dog needs rehoming due to the age of the child.

carly2803 · 29/12/2024 20:35

Lottie231 · 29/12/2024 15:48

Thank you so much everybody for your replies. I am overwhelmed by the responses and I really appreciate your time, even if you have criticised me- I will take your comments on board. I will absolutely not have my boy put to sleep. He has done so much for us over the years and helped me through the darkest of times. I do agree with what people have said about warning signs, he has only ever bitten or reacted when we reach for his collar- so we will stop this straight away and I will make sure my husband does too. I’m going to increase his exercise (he already has an hour a day but he is super energetic!), and stimulation/training. I’ve already taken him for a vet check, but I’m also going to contact a behaviourist and do everything I can for him. My dog has not shown and signs of aggression at all to myself or my son, but I would clearly never leave them unattended together. My husband is also on board with giving him a chance. I can’t bear the thought of him being somewhere else and looking for me. Wish me luck!

sorry op you are a fool

my children have grabbed my dogs collar before now - supervised - and been told not too
dogs had no issues with collars unlike yours and would not snap

clearly you value your dog slightly more than your kid!
The dog would be put to sleep by the end of the week latest

babyproblems · 01/01/2025 19:11

Lottie231 · 29/12/2024 15:48

Thank you so much everybody for your replies. I am overwhelmed by the responses and I really appreciate your time, even if you have criticised me- I will take your comments on board. I will absolutely not have my boy put to sleep. He has done so much for us over the years and helped me through the darkest of times. I do agree with what people have said about warning signs, he has only ever bitten or reacted when we reach for his collar- so we will stop this straight away and I will make sure my husband does too. I’m going to increase his exercise (he already has an hour a day but he is super energetic!), and stimulation/training. I’ve already taken him for a vet check, but I’m also going to contact a behaviourist and do everything I can for him. My dog has not shown and signs of aggression at all to myself or my son, but I would clearly never leave them unattended together. My husband is also on board with giving him a chance. I can’t bear the thought of him being somewhere else and looking for me. Wish me luck!

Good luck. I would say an hour for a cocker isn’t enough! Ours would do double that up until about aged 10 and enjoyed long walks right up until he had a stroke about 15. Best of luck. A behaviouralist was absolutely life changing for us… went from a terrible awful stressful handful to a wonderfully relaxed, secure dog. x

SerafinasGoose · 01/01/2025 19:43

Snowballsarelush · 29/12/2024 16:49

'wish me luck' No, what I wish is you'd give your head a wobble and put your kids safety first.

Seriously, this is why kids are getting attacked by dogs in their own homes. Parents aren't willing to actually put their own kids first and keep them safe.

Some people just shouldn't have dogs.

Seconded. It should be illegal to have a reactive dog with a history of biting in a house with a small child.

Totally irresponsible.

Joystir59 · 02/01/2025 00:04

Lottie231 · 28/12/2024 21:17

We’ve got a cocker spaniel who we’ve had for four years.

He’s been aggressive a few times over the years. Mainly when he’s poorly (e.g had an ear infection) and hides in a bush in the garden or under the bed. When we try to coax him out to come inside and go to bed he has lashed out & growled when we reach towards his collar, sometimes biting.

Recently he’s gotten worse and has taken a particular dislike to my husband. He’s always been a bit excited/bonkers and jumped up on people when they’ve come in the house (we have tried and failed to train this out of him). Anyway, one day he was particularly excited and he was jumping up on my mum and my husband told him to get down, he reached for his collar to pull him down and my dog just flipped. Really attacked my husband and drew blood from his wrist.

Now every time my husband goes near the dog he seems unsure. My husband really wants to re-home him (we have a 2 year old). He says it’s only a matter of time before he bites my son. I feel in an impossible position because I love him. We are having rows over it. Has anybody been in a similar position?

I don't think it's fair to re-home him, I think euthanasia would be the kindest and most responsible thing to do.

Joystir59 · 02/01/2025 00:13

SErunner · 28/12/2024 22:26

Gosh the number of people on this thread jumping to PTS has really shocked me. There have been clear triggers each time he's bitten from what you've written, it doesn't sound like they have come out of the blue. Echo a pp you shouldn't ever reach into where a dog is trying to hide to pull them out - even the most mild mannered could react badly to this depending on why they are hiding. He's become fearful of you handling his collar which has probably provoked the subsequent reaction.

I would do some research and get a good behaviourist in - there are a lot of terrible ones so you really do need to do some proper digging into it otherwise you can end up thinking that option has failed when in fact the person was just useless.

Other actions to take:

use stair gates as needed to segment your home so that your child is never with the dog unless you are present and the situation is very well controlled
when you do have the dog in with you as a family have a lead on him and consider use of a muzzle, constant monitoring of the situation and ensure energy levels calm
invest time in basic training on a daily basis
have the dog on a lead every single time someone comes to the door so you have control of the situation without using his collar, or restrict access to the door when people are coming in
train your child to leave the dog alone and respect his space. No interaction unless you say so and are controlling it.

We have two dogs, one of whom has bitten me a few times and both of them have fought each other on rare occasions due to resource guarding (food, perhaps once a year). We have had input from an excellent behaviourist on a few occasions over the years. We now have a child but manage this safely and easily with some of the above strategies plus others. We had the dogs for 8 years before our child arrived - I wasn't going to rehome or PTS when we could take steps to ensure they still had a good life but our child was safe at all times. It's perfectly manageable if you create the right environment and put thought and effort into it, and lots of it soon becomes second nature.

You are bonkers. Keeping a reactive stressed and dangerous dog requiring all these measures and monitoring is not normal for you the family or the dog. Putting a dog to sleep for ingrained aggression is kind and compassionate. Having a dog as a family pet is supposed to be a life enhancing experience for everyone.

luckylavender · 02/01/2025 11:01

I can't believe I'm reading this. Protect your toddler.

PowerTulle · 02/01/2025 14:35

If you’re willing to put the effort in for the next 10 years, consistently and in all situations then good luck OP. It’s a big ask for your family.
But be aware that more exercise will give you a much fitter dog who will require even more of your time. A high drive dog will never ever tire. What you need is training, stimulation and to actually teach it to have an off switch. Many working cockers don’t have this and need to be actually taught to stop and switch off and be left alone.

SErunner · 02/01/2025 14:42

Pardon me @Joystir59, I'm not remotely bonkers, rather a sensible and responsible person taking sensible precautions to prevent a perfectly healthy and loving dog being put to sleep unnecessarily. They are not remotely stressed, aggressive or dangerous, with the few incidents which have occurred being very rare over the course of a decade and with clear triggers each time, but you can't take any chances with small children, so we don't. We don't have to employ all of the strategies I suggested to the OP anymore, but those were where we started when our daughter first came along to ensure her safety.

We coexist very happily - they have loving, fulfilled and safe lives, as does our child. Our household and lives remain enriched by having them and our daughter adores them. Please take your judgement elsewhere and perhaps educate yourself regarding the realities of responsible dog ownership.