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I own a 11yr old Golden Cocker Spaniel (Rainbow) and in the last year or so her behaviour has undergone a change, Since the arrival of my neice whos now a toddler. Everytime she comes around the Rainbow growls at her so we have to send Rainbow downstairs, there is no other choice- we are scared incase the dog bites bites.Rainbows behaviour with young children has never been good.So we can rarely put the dog & the kid together. In the last week, the kid has been around more and we have put Rainbow outside, Rainbow is very drawn to us so she never likes being outside without the door being open or anyone else getting attention.We look after her well, feed, walk,& always in good company.
The other week we put her in the backyard for only 20min & in those short minutes she dug big holes in the garden.then we punished her by leaving her out for a longer period of time she still kept on digging.Then today we came home & the garden was dug up again she was hiding in the bush i pulled her out and rubbed her noise in the dirt.She started Growling & showing her teeth then she tried to bite me & tore a bit of my shirt, if i didnt react that quick she would have bitten me,she really did give me a great shock.Her behaviour has drastically changed to the point that we cant recognise our own dog. Iv herd of Bad behavioural PROBLEMS WITH GOLDEN COCKER SPANIEL'S? IS THAT TRUE??OR is there such a thing as RAGE SYNDROME?? WE havent dne anything wrong concoiusly.Shes mainly always in the house & she sleeps in the house too so she shouldnt have reason to worry.She always dug up door mats & no that we have taken the door mates away her behavour has worsened. Its really worrying us because we are both fearing each other.We want our cocker spaniel to return to the way it was. We want to know how to punish her without getting physical, because we gave her on the bum and we saw no diffence in behaviour .We dont know if the problem is The child,no door mates, or her own phychi??? To All of us the garden & the neice are of great importance & the dog is really becoming a problematic pest. We want to get to the source of the problem so we dont have to seperate the dog from the family, at the moment we just dont know how to.Should we get a behavoural expert to come around??the only thing we are worried about is the price ($550) for 3 hours.If we could avoid it that would be great. please can anyone help with anything...URGENTLY!!!!!!!!!!
regards Iva

The first thing that you have to do is get your dog to a very good vet, and have a very thorough check done. Temperamental changes are often caused by something physical. At her age, there are a million things that could be wrong and she may show no other signs. A sprained back, hip problems, some sort of infection.. She really needs to go to a vet first and foremost.

If they can really find nothing wrong, then you must get the behaviourist. I know that it's expensive but believe me it's worth it. I have been working with a behaviourist on my aggressive dog for about a month and he's almost a different dog, the change is amazing.

You said if you had not reacted fast enough, the dog would have bitten you. That's impossible. An out of shape, geriatric dog has a reaction time and accuracy faster than an olympic athlete. If the dog wanted to bite, she would have bitten, period. She gave you a warning, and it's good that you are taking that warning seriously.

Rubbing her nose in the dirt is bound to make things worse. Did you catch her in the act of digging? If not, then you can't punish her for it at all. If you did, the worst you should do is say no and bring her inside. She's probably digging because she's bored and frustrated that some new little kid came along and now all of a sudden she's been banished to the yard. She's been part of the family for 11 years and has been demoted to the position of outdoor dog. She's bound to be a little cranky....

You definitely need to go to the behaviourist if the vet says that she's healthy. And when your niece is over keep the dog in the house but either on leash with someone out of the child's reach, or in another part of the house. At least in her older years she won't start to feel replaced by this child and she may be less frustrated because at least she gets to stay where she belongs..

I don't mean any of this to sound harsh, by the way, this is just how it would seem from her point of view..

>>I own a 11yr old Golden Cocker Spaniel (Rainbow) and in the last year or so her behaviour has undergone a change, Since the arrival of my neice whos now a toddler. Everytime she comes around the Rainbow growls at her so we have to send Rainbow downstairs, there is no other choice- we are scared incase the dog bites bites.Rainbows behaviour with young children has never been good.So we can rarely put the dog & the kid together. In the last week, the kid has been around more and we have put Rainbow outside, Rainbow is very drawn to us so she never likes being outside without the door being open or anyone else getting attention.We look after her well, feed, walk,& always in good company.
>> The other week we put her in the backyard for only 20min & in those short minutes she dug big holes in the garden.then we punished her by leaving her out for a longer period of time she still kept on digging.Then today we came home & the garden was dug up again she was hiding in the bush i pulled her out and rubbed her noise in the dirt.She started Growling & showing her teeth then she tried to bite me & tore a bit of my shirt, if i didnt react that quick she would have bitten me,she really did give me a great shock.Her behaviour has drastically changed to the point that we cant recognise our own dog. Iv herd of Bad behavioural PROBLEMS WITH GOLDEN COCKER SPANIEL'S? IS THAT TRUE??OR is there such a thing as RAGE SYNDROME?? WE havent dne anything wrong concoiusly.Shes mainly always in the house & she sleeps in the house too so she shouldnt have reason to worry.She always dug up door mats & no that we have taken the door mates away her behavour has worsened. Its really worrying us because we are both fearing each other.We want our cocker spaniel to return to the way it was. We want to know how to punish her without getting physical, because we gave her on the bum and we saw no diffence in behaviour .We dont know if the problem is The child,no door mates, or her own phychi??? To All of us the garden & the neice are of great importance & the dog is really becoming a problematic pest. We want to get to the source of the problem so we dont have to seperate the dog from the family, at the moment we just dont know how to.Should we get a behavoural expert to come around??the only thing we are worried about is the price ($550) for 3 hours.If we could avoid it that would be great. please can anyone help with anything...URGENTLY!!!!!!!!!!
>>regards Iva

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The hitting on the bum and shoving the dog's nose in the dirt must stop. You are forcing her to fight back. She's an old dog, surely not comfortable, and should not be around the child since they clearly are not safe together.

This fee doesn't sound right on the behaviorist. Ask your veterinarian to help you find a veterinary behavior specialist, which is a veterinarian who is board-certified in the specialty of behavior. You will probably go to the office rather than the specialist coming to the house. The dog needs a thorough exam from your own veterinarian FIRST, though. If she turns out to have an ear infection or torn knee ligament or be going blind with a painful eye condition or have arthritis, that needs to be under control and her free of pain before taking her to the specialist, or you're wasting money.

Meanwhile, keep her in a safe area where you will not feel tempted to punish her. And keep her totally separated from the child. No more punishment. It will make things worse.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

I agree about having the vet check, could be some physical discomfort/pain that is creating confusion for your dog. Also, some dogs get a sort of alzhsimers (sp?).

That said, I am almost in tears, because I feel that your dog is being unfairly punished & isolated & having her world turned upside down after having 11 years, just because of the human baby.

Sure, no dog should be aggressive towards anyone, adult or child, but at her age, this is totally new to her & she probably wasnt' properly adjusted.

Maybe it isn't too late & the behaviorist will help.

Am not implying that you will 'get rid' of your dog, but in case that is considered, do contact a purebred Cocker Spanial rescue ORGANIZATION, please. If you feel that you have to further isolate this dog (or worse), you owe it to her, to help find the best home for her to live her senior years in peace.

Her behavior is her way of communicating to you that she is really having a hard time, & you cant' blame her. Its a sad (too common) situation. Best wishes to all,

do make sure that the vet runs a full thyroid panel, including a TgAA.

You might find a trainer at the apdt website -- www.apdt.com. Be sure to talk with them first -- you want one that won't use aggressive methods (which breeds more aggression). Find one that is comfortable with dogs having your problem, and doesn't use a choke collar, prong collar, or electric collar.

And be sure that you are feeding a food that contains no corn, no sorghum, and no by-products.