We have just got a rescue cocker spaniel, he is lovely in every way, however he is aggressive with toys and chews and will growl and snap at us even if we just look at him, could anyone please advise how to correct this behavior, thanks.
Reply from Pauline (Web Owner)
First of all, congratulations on rescuing a Cocker Spaniel - I hope you'll have many years of happiness together!
It can be very difficult to offer advice on dog aggression when you don't know the dog or family concerned, or their circumstances, but I'm going to give it a try.
I'm assuming your rescue dog is an adult and not a puppy and that you don't have any of his history from the rescue center. If you've not checked, I recommend you speak to them because the more information you have, the more you will understand about your dog's behavior.
If he's not yet bitten, you might like to try one or two exercises, however, if he has bitten you I recommend you call in a professional canine behaviorist.
If your dog is snapping and growling at you when you are around his toys, for now, I recommend you remove all of them and hide them - (when he's not around, for safety) - never try to take them from his mouth!
Because he's a rescue dog, I recommend you assume he's had no training whatsoever and take him through his obedience training paces. Start over again as if he's a puppy and make him 'work' for everything.
You can find all the basics of puppy training here.
Take him through each one until he responds immediately, without hesitation and reward him when he gets it right.
When he's responding to you obediently, particularly to the 'Leave It' and 'Drop It' commands, you can begin to introduce some toys and games.
However, there are some basic rules to play, as follows:
Comments for Rescue Cocker Spaniel Aggressive With Toys
|
||
|
||
Enjoyed this page? Click 'Like'!
If you enjoyed this page, please click on the 'Like' button below and tell your friends about us. Thank you.