Very cute. We have a cocker(was 2 in Feb) and a yellow lab(2 this week) and cats. The cocker has issues. She has bit the cats, she does not like to be touched or disturbed while she's sleeping and if anyone gets near her, she growls and bites. Don't know what we're going to do about this problem, she can be a sweet dog.
surgtech56 wrote: Very cute. We have a cocker(was 2 in Feb) and a yellow lab(2 this week) and cats. The cocker has issues. She has bit the cats, she does not like to be touched or disturbed while she's sleeping and if anyone gets near her, she growls and bites. Don't know what we're going to do about this problem, she can be a sweet dog.
A lot of poorly bred cockers have serious temperament issues. I've done cocker spaniel rescue for well over 12 years. In the breed standard, it states, "above all, the temperament should be merry." Unfortunately you get people breeding for financial gain, and they either don't care, or just don't know enough about genetics - and really shouldn't be breeding.
I would suggest a vet check her out first to see if there are any physical reasons for her behavior. I have heard of a dysfunctional thyroid causing some behavioral issues. Whether it's true or not, I don't know, but I have heard references to it several times.
If there is no physical reason for it, it could just be the result of poor breeding. I've seen more of that than I care to. And if it's genetic, I don't believe it can be fixed. I've seen quite a few people over the years who dealt with personal trainers to the tune of thousands of dollars, and in the end, the dog just wasn't safe to adopt out. I've always been careful and my goal was to place sound dogs into good homes. I never wanted to be responsible for a dog ripping some kid's face off.
Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.
Awwww, you didn't need to sit in that chair anyway, did you? Those two have such beautiful chenille-like coats! I'll bet people just come up and ask to pet them, don't they?
Judy & Bud (Judy usually the one talking here)
2004 Pleasure-Way Excel TD
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