Cocker Rage

[Swamp Beast]

Im looking to get a pup next spring and was thinking of a cocker or springador; will probably sleep in the front hall area which isnt huge so that was my choice opposed to a lab etc. Ive got a big garden with a good sized run (ex chicken run)so dog will live there during the day etc. Wife isnt keen on dogs so the smaller the better to keep her from moaning but I want it for a family pet and for rough shooting so cocker seems at 1st glance to tick the boxes. Ive not trained a gun dog before so will be a challenge and something I look forward to. Was doing someonline research online and have stumbled across "cocker rage". Ive a young child so obviously this didnt make good reading. I realise all dogs have the potential to go mad for no apparent reason but would like to hear of anyones experience with this or with any other breed. I had dogs all my days growing up which were thankfully no problem so am not new to dogs.

 

Thanks

Swamp Beast

[stuey]

Got an 18 month old cocker and a 10 week old son. The dog is so gentle with him. My wife takes the dog to the park with a neighbour who has an 18 month old son, again the dog is so gentle with the little lad.

 

I always though cocker rage was to do with the show breeds.

 

cheers

 

Stu

[Shropshire_Lad]

Hi, not had a cocker myself but a shooting partner has a working one. Without doubt the smartest, most inteligent, soft as a mop dog there is. My next may well be a cocker.

 

atvb Paul.

[Swamp Beast]

Got an 18 month old cocker and a 10 week old son. The dog is so gentle with him. My wife takes the dog to the park with a neighbour who has an 18 month old son, again the dog is so gentle with the little lad.

 

I always though cocker rage was to do with the show breeds.

 

cheers

 

Stu

 

Thanks Stu- glad to hear your dogs a good un.

[Blackbart]

Never heard of it until you mentioned it and never met a cocker that has had a nasty streak.The only gundog i have heard and seen go nuts for no reason is a lab(police shot it through letter box :blink: )

[WGD]

Cocker rage was evident in show stock.

[hamster123]

I have a five and a half month old cocker who for the most part is mad as a hatter,but with my 9 year old daughter he is great she lets him lick her face jump all over her etc he hasnt got a bad bone in him. i believe with a dog you get back what you put in and this little dog is a cracker.he is good pet and hopefully he will be a good working dog.

[stuey]

i believe with a dog you get back what you put in and this little dog is a cracker.he is good pet and hopefully he will be a good working dog.

 

Couldn't agree more mate.

[Swamp Beast]

Couldn't agree more mate.

 

Thanks for replies; what did you guys pay for your pups if you dont mind me asking? Pup prices seem to range from 350 to over 750. Id prefer to buy from a reputable breeder quite close to me but looks like I may need to travel when the time comes.

[fortune82]

I was always told rage was only in the show lines.

 

As for puppies I think some dogs are bred very hot ie for trialling. I have a dog that is 20 months old now, mad as a brush but so soft. He does have a lot of FTCH and FTW in his pedigree on both sides and has been a bit of a handful, probably down to my lack of experience.

 

When getting another cocker in future I would try to get a more "relaxed" dog!

[fluke2]

Ive kept cockers/springers/labs/golden retrievers for years and the only bad ones weve had were other peoples we got from rescue centres weve never had any of our own pups hurt or try to hurt anyone, a friend of mine has a springer that was so badly abused by two young kids 11/14 that it would attack anyone coming near it after six months the dog is now soft as clarts and doesnt bother anyone at all so its really down to you and your family and the way you train it.

[utectok]

I'm pretty new to it but my cocker is bred for field trials and all my mates say she is incredibly calm for a spaniel! I've had her a couple if weeks and as far as a gun dog she's great and she's shaping up as a lap dog too lol!

[matth12321]

cocker rage is caused by breading from closely related blood lines. The kennel club ruining dogs again.

 

matt

[Hayden]

I was warned by my vet about cocker rage, as we'd rehomed our cocker. He'd told me that it was mostly in the solid colour cockers that this rage occured (Ours is a solid black working cocker). I think it's due to the inbreeding to get the different colours that this occured.

 

Our vet said he didn't want to panic us, but that we should be aware of it, and if any nastyness was to occur, then go and see him.

 

Ours is as mad as a box of frogs, loves all kids/adults, so no problem there!

 

Cheers

 

Hayden

[al4x]

there were a few cases of it round me and with working dogs in sensible homes. Not heard of it for a long time though so can only assume it was bred out but pretty alarming when your cocker turns on family members.

[jasons gold]

I have two cockers (not my first gun dogs) , and i wouldn't recommend them for a first gun dog.

As regards to children i have a six year old, a two year old and a seven month old and have never had any issues, with regards to the dogs.

Never heard the one about it being more in the solid colour cockers before. They are quite rare sloid colours and i have a black one who has just produced a solid gold one

[mickanles]

mate of mines wife had a red cocker which came from a rehoming place, when she took it to the vets to have its nuts out the vet metioned rage syndrome and reccomended having the dog put to sleep, this dog was her best mate and she wouldent do it, six months later the cocker turned on and killed her old yorkshire terrier, just goes to show allways take on board what your vet tells you, she then had cocker put to sleep, allways a concern, gamble when rehoming when history is not known.

[TJ91]

never heard this before! :blink:

my dads cocker has recently been going abit moody and snapping at the 2 other dogs he has

i say snapping..i mean attacking to kill by the look on her face..

but she is no problem with any other dogs or any people, just the 2 dogs shes lived with all her life and never before had a problem with!

[t jack]

supposedly apparant in show blooded dogs and solid red dogs, out of all the cockers ive seen/met ive never heard of it or never spoken to someone who had experianced it, ive found them to be one of the quietest, inofensive breeds of gundogs :unsure:

[Swamp Beast]

I have two cockers (not my first gun dogs) , and i wouldn't recommend them for a first gun dog.

As regards to children i have a six year old, a two year old and a seven month old and have never had any issues, with regards to the dogs.

Never heard the one about it being more in the solid colour cockers before. They are quite rare sloid colours and i have a black one who has just produced a solid gold one

 

I have been told before to avoid as a 1st gun dog- is it just because they`re a bit hyper and easily bored if not consistently trained?

 

As I say wont be getting a pup till next year so a bit of time to decide.

 

Thanks for all the replies- much appreciated.

SB

[pegleg31]

i've got my first cocker,the first i've had and i'd hand on heart say he was easier and calmer than my lab.let the handbrake off and he's an absolute rocket.

 

as for price you can spend anywhere from 350/750.i know a top trialler who sells hs pups for £500 let me know when your ready and i'll see if he has any pups.don't let anyone tell you trialling lines are nuts

[rowey]

I've had one with Cocker rage. To be fair the dog was nuts but intermittently and that is very dangerous. It bit the vet at it first visit for its injection emptying its bowels and tail glands at the same time. He told me it was going to be a big problem and it was only 9/10 weeks old then.It was a black dog with a small white chest blaze. It was from working stock and bred by my boss from proven working stock.It was a freebie too so I was doubly gutted. Another vet told me never to breed with it. I'm a keeper so I've seen a few dogs but never one like this. It bit my daughter badly and totally unprovoked. At the time my missus was preggers so it had to go. A trainer mate took it and could do nothing with it so it was destroyed.Others from the same and previous litters are real stars as are the sire and dam so there you have it. Now don't get me wrong I love working cockers but I'll stick with springers.I'm only posting because some haven't heard of it.Don't let it put you off cockers but a pro trainer told me not to have one for a first dog.Hope this helps.

[WGD]

don't let anyone tell you trialling lines are nuts

 

Spot on pegleg, fast and hard hunting yes and some of them are on the edge most of time (it's the knowing which ones in a litter of 8 week olds they are that's the trick!) but people forget triallers look for trainability as a trait too.

[fortune82]

I was talking to the trainer I use about this today. He has trained cockers for trialing for over 20 years as well as specialising in general obedience / aggression in dogs. He was basically saying that when a cocker suffers from rage it glazes over and just goes mental. It is different from aggression caused by dominance etc.

 

As for not having a cocker as a first dog I anit so sure. I have a 20 month old cocker dog who is mad as a brush. It has been a bit of a slog but he is pretty much where I want him now. The main thing I had to learn and remember was I am boss and if he doesnt do as I say at any point then he is going to know all about it. Once this was in my head it was all pretty easy actually.

 

The only point I had problems with was running off and coming back ten minutes later. After a lot of thought and debate I got an e-collar which solved the problem in exactly 15 minutes.

[beltabout]

Cocker rage is real (idiopathic aggression)

This is most common in Blond Cockers and solid coloured cockers.

 

It is thought it may be linked to epilepsy, there is only one treatment for this behaviour and that is euthanasia due to the level of rage and the unpredictability.

 

emptying its bowels and tail glands at the same time.

This behaviour is usually linked to fear aggression, but the unpredictability sounds like the avalanche of rage or idiopathic aggression. As Rowey said in his post there may be no history of this in the line or in the rest of the litter it is one of those thing mother nature does every now and then.

Edited November 20, 2010 by beltabout