Positive Petzine2 year oldmale cocker spaniel
Hi,
We have recently adopted a 2 year old cocker spaniel as the previous owner was moving house and could not care for him any longer.
He has been with us for 5 weeks and things are not going so well. He is well behaved at home with my self and my partner. But when meeting new people he is becoming more growly and snarly and barks - what seems to be aggresively. I am no too scared to take visitors near him,let alone pat him. He also will growl when we pass people in the street (mainly males).. By partners Dad tried to pat him and he lunged at him and barked growled.
When we pass other dogs we becomes quite hysterical and then whines and sniffs for a few minutes afterwards whilst we continue to walk.
I am not coping very well with his behaviour - and i am terrified he will attack someone..
From your experience is there hope for my dog?
We have had a few private lessons with a trainer (positive reinforcement) but it so far hasn;t really helped with his aggression -it seems to be getting worse. By the way- the previous owner denies he was ever aggressive and was good with visitors and children.
Any advice will be much appreciated!
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re: 2 year oldmale cocker spaniel
This is exactly the sort of dog who ends up in my summer school, and yes there is hope.
Controlled set-ups are key to success. If you can find someone who has experience with things like the "Look at That Game" (from Leslie McDevitt's "Control Unleashed" book), or Constructional Aggression Treatment you should see progress pretty quickly.
Medication can sometimes be useful to get a head-start, it is worth speaking with a veterinary behaviourist who will be able to check for any medical problems and advise on whether or not medication is appropriate.