My sister came this morning with Bailey her cocker. He is about 18 months now and a softy although a bit hyper until he's calmed down. He is show line and red colour. I'm not really sure why my sister got a dog. I've mentioned in other posts she has always been and still is scared of dogs !!! ??? She is doing very well with him though. I think she got lucky picking him. His recall is very good with very little training and he has the basics like sit, lie down. She has a couple of problems though which I've tried to help with but which I've had no experience of. He isn't keen on going for a walk although this has improved. Its mainly if she sets off from home he doesn't want to go. She runs (mystery to me why ) and i think she hoped he would run with her. If she goes in the car first though he's happy to walk. The other problem is a bit more of a problem for her. First thing in a morning he doesn't want to go for a walk and stays in his crate. He will sometimes growl at her when she tries to get him out. It's not every time and I think tempting him out with a toy has helped. Her main concern now and something I know nothing about is Cocker Rage !!! She met a walker yesterday who told her his red cocker developed it at 18 months and had to be put down !!!! She is now worrying incase Bailey develops it. : From what I've just read about cocker rage and from what she told me it sounded more like his dog was resource guarding which the articles I read suggested is quite common in cockers. ??? Possibly why she has trouble getting him out of his crate. ??? When I googled cocker rage it doesn't seem to be common or specific to cockers. I just wondered if any of you know if it's common or have heard of or experienced it (hopefully not). Also is resource guarding common in cockers because she won't be able to deal with that either. :
Re: Cocker Rage Yes I have heard of Spaniel Rage, a friend had a dog who suffered. I have a feeling that she said it afflicted the solid coloured dogs more than the bi coloured. The dog was not put down. Please remember I am only reporting what I was told some years ago. I don't know how common it is. What IS common (sadly) is people who like to spread alarm with horror stories about what problems you are going to have with your dog/car/mobile phone etc.
Re: Cocker Rage Hi Jen We had a black cocker which was diagnosed with cocker rage. It appears in some (not all!) soid colour show cockers. It turns a happy, playful, friendly dog into a growling, snarling, vicious monster in seconds without provocation or warning. I don't think we realised what it was when ours was a puppy and it did get worse as he got older and more mature. From what you say it doesn't look like this dog has it - cockers are quite vocal and like to guard things. They can be a bit cranky! Ours would never go out in the rain. Sadly I have heard of quite a few people who couldn't keep their cocker rage dogs and had them put to sleep - it was actually recommended to us by a vet . I think if we had children we couldn't have kept him but he lived to the fairly decent age of 11 and cancer got him in the end. He did settle down a bit in his old age. Hope this helps.
Re: Cocker Rage Thank you Clare. That's really helpful. I don't think Bailey has it either but the idea has been put in my sisters head so she is now worrying. : Did you use any medication ? When I looked it up the articles I found said anti convulsion drugs can help some dogs. How often did it effect your dog ?
Re: Cocker Rage Hi Jen I don't know about drugs - we never used any. Someone told me that Bach Rescue Remedy in the drinking water would help but I tried it for a while with no improvement. It affected our dog less often as he got older but when he was a couple of years old or so he was a nightmare. I think though we just got used to reading the signs - when he was about to have an episode he would freeze - just go really still - and we knew we had to back off. I also could never pick him up or touch him unless he wanted to be touched. Generally it makes life with a dog very difficult - trips to the groomer and the vets are fraught and we couldn't take him anywhere where people, especially kids, might want to fuss him - he was a beautiful dog. I had to be careful where I walked him and where I let him off the lead although he was ridiculously easy to train- he always came back, sat, lay down and knew all the names of his toys. On the positive side, true cocker rage is really rare. A lot of cockers 'growl' but don't really mean it - they just have a lot to say! They do steal and guard stuff - ours was always obsessed with socks! Good luck with trying to get the dog to run - ours was the laziest dog I've ever had!
Re: Cocker Rage As others have said cocker rage is a sudden and aggressive type of behaviour. I think it was initially seen more in red/golden cockers too! It doesn't sound like your sister's dog has cocker rage but I think she may end up with behaviour issues if she doesn't seek advice sooner rather than later. There are many cocker spaniels in rescue due to aggression and behaviour issues. It sounds like he has picked up her anxiety and is trying to call the shots. Not wanting to go for a walk and not coming out of his crate when asked is odd behaviour! Most dogs would be desperate to be let out and have chance to have a run. I would seriously encourage her to get the dog checked by a vet too to make sure there is no pain anywhere. Hope this helps.
Re: Cocker Rage Thank you all for your advice I will pass it on and thank you Claire for sharing your experience it must've been very difficult at times. :-\ From what I've read it does sound very like a seizure in that the dog seems unaware I was wondering if there where signs you could learn to spot. Bailey's behaviour at the groomers I think would suggest he hasn't got it. They have to wake him up to move him !!!! He falls asleep while they clip !!!! :
Re: Cocker Rage I used to have terrible problems getting Charlie to leave the house for a walk. Happy as Larry once he was out though. Even now, he still decides to sit under the kitchen table, or in his crate, when it's walkie time. I've had to pretend to leave without him to get him to move. He loves his walks, nags for them, then sits under the kitchen table when I want to put his collar on. He's just a bit bonkers, I reckon. Or suspects I might take advantage of him having his collar on to clean his ears...
Re: Cocker Rage I'd never heard of 'cocker rage' and am really surprised. Must have been lucky with my blue roan cocker as she was the easiest dog I've owned. Re not wanting to come out of the crate, Molly isn't crated but is awful to get up in the morning,especially if I want to go out before 7a.m. I have to lure her off the sofa! (Once out she's full of beans). I wonder if some dogs just aren't early risers and maybe this spaniel is one.
Re: Cocker Rage My cocker can't get to me quick enough in the morning. When she was crated we had to let her out ASAP as she wagged her tail so much against the side I was worried she would damage it! Chloe
Re: Cocker Rage I don't have any experience with spaniels of any sort but I do agree that she should deal with the resource guarding, as it is likely to get worse if she let's it continue. I found the clicker to be invaluable for this. Does your sister use the clicker? For me it was a matter of gradually approaching Simba when he had something he was likely to guard and C & T for a "no response". So you start with your hand quite a ways away and gradually move closer until the dog accepts your hand close enough to touch the object. Use high value treats at first. This worked really well for me, so it might be helpful for your sister and the crate issue.
