Cocker Spaniel

[Mungler]

Okay, so we have had Bessy for about 5 or 6 months now. She is about 1.5 years old (we got her when she was about 1 year old).

 

She comes from working stock and the previous owner had her kennelled at the bottom of his garden with 4 other dogs (each in their separate enclosure, but side by side) for her first year of life. I think she was exercised during the day but would have spent a large amount of time in her kennel.

 

She has been very good at home and very good round the kids. She was nervous when we got her and this appears to be getting worse (or rather her nerves are not subsiding as we had hoped).

 

For example, if we let her out in the back garden she will go no further than 10 feet from the back door squeeze out whatever needs to be squeezed out and then run back in. Most other dogs would have a good mill round the garden and a sniff but not her.

 

If she is left in the garden for say 5 minutes she will charge and jump up at the back door and any of the other ground floor doors / windows in an attempt to get back in.

 

Yesterday the missus let her out in the garden and she was unwilling to go, and so hopped out of the back door and then hopped back in straight away. It was clear she needed to go but didn't want to leave the house. Anyways, 10 mins later there's a big pile of poo on the lounge floor and a dog hunched down low hiding (knowing she was in trouble).

 

Having regard to the fact that she was kennelled and not house trained when we got her, her house training is on the whole very good and in doors episodes are only about once a month - they seem to coincide with her not getting the full attention of my missus.

 

Anyhows, today she went to the vets for the final set of her jabs. The first time she went to the vets she was fine but a little nervous, the second time, more so, the third time she bit the vet and today she went mental - she bit all 3 vets and pooped everywhere. The vets have recommended a dog shrink as they are concerned that her nervous disposition could be a problem in the long run around children.

 

When she is with us indoors she is fine and she is very good with the children, particularly our youngest - they now have a bond because at 2 years old he feeds her stuff she shouldn't have and they wander around the house together like a double act.

 

Outdoors she is also fine. She is very nervous of other dogs but this appeared to be getting better each time she went out and socialised. Her nerves would manifest by charging at other dogs (playfully) but other dogs would take it as an attack and she has been nipped twice. The result is that she will stand off from other dogs until she receives an invitation to play, but she has stopped charging in.

 

I don't know what to do about the vets - each time she has gone they have jabbed her with something and she probably just associates it as an unpleasant place - it's not like each time she has gone she has had a lovely time and got a bone.

 

Thoughts and suggestions please.

[new to the flock]

Mungler,

 

You actually came very close to hitting the solution on the head. Start by having her out to the vets once a or twice a week and have them give her 2 or 3 treats and a quick pet. Once she is comfortable with that have her up on the table for the treats and a pet. She needs to find the vet office a place of comfort and friendly hands not just needles and pokes and prods. You Vet should be more than willing to help solve the problem as they helped create it.

 

As for the not wanting to go out side, it is almost sounding like a seperation anxiaty problem. personnally I think I would get a good quality dog stake.....the cork screw type with a swivel on them. Set it up with however much cable your garden can comfortably handle and start putting her out. The first week only for a couple of minutes and then increasing the time she is out on her own. This in my opinion should help her adjust and build her confidance.

 

Drop Mad Springer and Jeff B each a pm and see what they have to say.

 

NTTF

[Mungler]

Ta very for that.

 

She is nervy and anxious round new people and new situations but I think this is only a natural consequence of being re-homed.

 

There was a little aggression when we first got her, but that was because she wanted to dominate the kids. She found her place and that's all hunky dorey now.

 

There is deffo a separation anxiety there. I think that is a consequence of the kennels.

 

When she's outside on a walk or shoot, she's fine.

[eshielsgundogs]

Some dogs just take longer to develop. One of ours would get outside, but once she was about 50 yds away she would belt back to the house. Over time and a slow introduction to different things she over came this, and you cannot stop her now. The advice about the vets is good. I would also feed her outside and leave the back door open, it's just a thought.

 

Ian

[WGD]

Good luck mate, the only thing I would also be mindful of is not rewarding nervous or fearful behaviour - if you or Missus M keep giving her attention by trying to reassure her if she is nervous she will most likely take this as a reward. Conversely don't give her a hard time for her behaviour, just ignore it. Show her you're not fearful and she'll take the lead from you.

 

For example, the first time my current pup went to the vets she wouldn't go from the waiting room to the surgery (she was 18 weeks when I got her and not well socialised) so I dropped the lead, left her, and walked into the surgery. I had a chat with the vet, gave her a small amount of encouragement when she started to come towards me and she came in of her own accord. Same with walking on lead next to road, she was a nightmare - jumping about on the end of the lead like a salmon whenever a car went past. Ignore her, keep walking confidently - few months down the line and a bus can hurtle past a few feet from us and she doesn't flinch.

 

An example on the other end of the scale is our lab; she was fine with fireworks until she was about three. Then she got a fright when one went off unexpectedly from the next door garden. The wife gave it "you're ok, good girl, you're fine" stroke, stroke, cuddle cuddle whenever the dog got upset. The dog's has got progressively worse and now at seven years old she is a dribbling wreck when there's fireworks going off.

 

As I say, good luck

[al4x]

I can imagine it must be a concern what i will say is there do seem to be a number of cockers I've heard of that have turned nasty probably through nerves rather than malice. Though in a couple of cases have turned on members of their own household, this is a difficult one to deal with and in both cases it was nasty enough for the owners not to want to take the chance of it happening again. With the anxiety I hate to disagree with NTTF but staking her outside will either kill or cure my feelings is if the dog really dislikes being separated it will go nuts. The good thing is she is fine by the sounds of it when out being worked so thats a plus point. Obviously one option is to get a second dog that in theory she should bond with and that may cure it but does mean having two. As for the vets treats etc are a good idea along with going more often but also you may need to resort to muzzling in the meantime although by the sounds of it this may be a condition of you being allowed to go into the vets again

If you do decide to take up the animal behaviourist option I do know one near Bishops Stortford who is pretty good and I believe takes dogs in and works on them who i can put you in touch with if you want to go down that route.

[lurcherboy]

Don't let the missus mollycoddle her it will keep the cycle going.

 

Mad Springer

 

 

 

 

LB