Biting in Cocker spaniel

Question
QUESTION: Advice on what to do?
I had a golden male cocker spaniel ,Miracle which I had to leave in india when my family moved to ireland as Ireland has a 6 months quarantine fr pets.Miracle was a fearful puppy and didn't like to meet any strangers or dogs. By the time he was about 8-9 months we started coming across instances when he growled at my 2 kids aged 14 & 7 then. In fact he bit them on some instances . No explicable real reason,just a mood swing...a bit like Dr Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. One minute he is fine and next he starts growling. Usually if I ws around & we figured he was jealous of my attention to them.
Because the instances wld arise often, we got a dog trainer for a few sessions..followed his advice on breaking alpha pack mentality...changed our handling of him and also got Miracle neutered.
Unfortunately, we had to leave India by the time miracle was 1 1/2 yrs old and we found a new home for him...a young couple with a golden retriever (as we did not want to leave Miracle with anyone who had children and anyone who did not know how to handle dogs).They were wonderful ...and handled Miracle really well..and he got along very well with their female retriever.They too had instances when Miracle would sulk..have mood swings and growl at their maid or not allow anyone to put on his winter coat or bathe him. They made sure they muzzled him before doing any such thing and gave him his space. Yet in 1 yr plus that they have had him, they had two instances when he bit the maid once and the second one was a freak one ,as he went to the lady of the house affectionately and as she patted him,he went for her hand and bit it quite badly.Usually whenever he has done this, he is extremely apologetic and behaves really sorrowfully as if he never meant to do this and it was some sort of an uncontrollable reaction to something.
Unfortunatley, the couple now have to move to the US for a short period. they are leaving their retriever with their parents,but because of Miracle's aggression proneness their aged parents cannot keep him.
So, they and me are once again looking for a new home for miracle. we found him two homes this last week...1) a  single working lady who was ready to keep him despite his idiosyncrasies but he bit her twice in the one day that he spent in her house ( one her fault as she tried to clean his paw , which he doesnt allow anyone to do & the other we dont know why was as she opend his leash after bringing him home from a walk).2) A family with 2 grown up kids that has 2 german sheperds and a Lhasa apso .  The dogs are kept very well but not allowed in main house quarters..loved and petted yet not molly coddled ..(probably like how we & the other couple had done.)
In one day, he bit the guard who tried to come near him, the driver who was going to retrieve something from the same room as Miracle and their daughter who came home from school ,so he went to meet her and then suddenly growled and bit her.
What do we do? we love him dearly. we believe that in the last 3 yrs of his life , he has had instances of biting which are never aggressively going out to anyone..in fact he is always scared and has bitten to prevent someone from coming near him. BUT the last week has seen him bite 6 times . Is it because he is really scared now?Will any training or medication help him as we dont know what to do? He is a playful, affectionate 3 yrs old dog and not a mad snarling biting dog. he need handling & someone who can understand him....but we cant seem to find him a new home. What can we do? PLs advice..pls help.




ANSWER: Miracle has been bumped around more than a little and your "few sessions" of training needed to be followed up with consistent "non-acceptance" of ANY aggressive behavior.
This past week alone he's been dumped in 3 different homes and everyone just expected him to "fit in" without understanding this has to be addressed with a LOT of training.
So my answer is YES...he can be trained but it's going to take an experienced owner who understands the problem and is willing to put in the time.  Which, I have to say, no one has done.  Everyone involved has failed Miracle.

I suggest you contact dog trainers - your vets - rescue groups -anyone you know in the "dog world" and explain Miracle needs strong, consistent training and find out where this can be accomplished.  Miracle seems to have fear-based aggression
and there's no point dumping him on someone who's not totally equipped to deal with it.  Can it be changed?
Absolutely yes!
Delores

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you Delores. i agree with your answer that with our blind love both me & the second owners failed Miracle, in that sense. we gave in to him & he slept on my bed as well as on the bed of the second owners.
My question now is;
1)Do his instances of going to a person to be patted & then suddenly biting which are so diferent from other cases where he is possesive about his own body & doesnt allow easy handling, also relate to Fear Aggression OR does he have a combination of fear & Dominant agression?
2) He is 3 yrs old now & was neutered at bout 1 1/2 yrs of age. Then we had only sporadic incidents, we were told by the vet that these wld die down after neutering. In his case, there hasn't been much improvement(neither a deterioration untill just the last few weeks)so will training help him at this age/stage?
3)I've read about Cocker rage syndrome  & other genetic problems with solid colour male cockers.Could it be possible he has some medical condition that cld be treated with medication? Becasue hsi behaviour really is a Dr jekyll & Mr. Hyde. One minute he is absolutely lovable and the next for a moment he just loses it.

As the couple is leaving India in a few weeks & I reside in Ireland,do you think I should take a chance of bringing him here & putting him through quarantine & then moving him onto training once released.How do you think a dog like him would take to public quarantine facilities?
regds,
sangita



ANSWER: Absolutely NOT.  Do not quarantine him.  That would be disastrous.  It would ruin him completely.  I really never understood this cruel quarantine thing..totally unnecessary
and I understand even England has ceased doing it.  I'd love to say yes..do it...but I can't.

To answer your questions - it's probably a combination that began as fear and "evolved" since everyone around him was accepting it.  What people don't get is that cockers ARE very dominant dogs and not cuddly toys.
As far as the "cocker rage" theory - I totally believe that comes from people who don't understand the breed at all.
It's nonsense and a poor excuse for lack of intelligent training and letting a puppy problem evolve into something serious.  As with children - love is not enough.  Dogs need exercise - discipline - and then affection.  They need to understand their position in the pack and they only have one way of learning that - their human pack leaders.

I'm hoping you can find a trainer or someone qualified to take him - train him - and have him return to his family when they return and be the lovely dog he's capable of being.  I truly believe there's almost no dog that can't be rehabilitated.

You need to find the local "Cesar Milan" (The Dog Whisperer) and let Miracle become what he's supposed to be - and wants to be.  He's never been properly trained and been bumped from home to home and now he's a problem.
Not his fault.  Owner's fault.  All the owners.  And guess who's going to pay?  

I truly feel sorry for your dilemma, Sangita.  I know you love this boy.  But I feel sorrier for Miracle.

Please make some calls to vets and trainers and see if they have some recommendations for rehabilitating him.
It's really your only option unless...unless...you find a truly experienced dog owner who completely understands his issues and knows how to re-train him.  As I said before, this absolutely can be done.

I'm kind of shocked at the 2nd owner's attitude - "we're leaving - he's an issue - and you're supposed to handle it from Ireland".  A dog is a committment.
Delores

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Delores..(and England still has 6 mths quarantine).
Also,in all fairness, the 2nd owner (Mekhna)is as concerned. She is trying all options back in india & i am doing whatever best I can do from ireland.We stay in touch at all times, as we know that we two are the doting mothers & no one understands our love for Miracle except each other.
It's just that the situation has developed in a way we never anticipated.She loves him & is as heartbroken, confused & helpless as I am.
Finding an owner willing to work with him , seems at the moment like looking for a needle in a  haystack. We have identified a trainer & Mekhna will go & see him tommorrow.(But  trainers in India do not inspire much confidence and basically aim at a commercial fleecing strategy at the end of which neither owner nor dog is satisfied. )
Hopefully this trainer is unlike others and we can convince him to give Miracle a home till such time Mekhna returns or if he is totally rehabilitated,the we can find a new home for him.(Miracle is outstandingly good looking and people often beg us to let them have him without realising that temperamentally he can be quite a challenge)
1) Do you think we would be able to find a experienced owner willing to take him in USA?
Mekhna could then bring him in to USA with her.
(Her husband has a travelling job and her worry is that with Miracle's problems she would not be able to leave him in any boarding kennel when they travel for fear of him biting soemone. Incidentally there are no real Bite laws in India but USA , I believe can be quite strict & can even order dog to be put down.)
3) What is the average time that you think would be required for Miracle to be rehabilitated?
Thnak you so much for all your help Delores! You have helped give me direction and most importantly HOPE ! regds, Sangita.  

Answer
Sangita, unlike India there ARE fabulous trainers in the U.S.   Where is it they're going to be?
Honestly, I think this is the best option, especially if dog training in India is as you describe.  In America it's quite different.  I can assure you of this since even I desperately needed an excellent trainer when I rescued
our now 3 year old and he had SEVERE possession-aggression.
Now he's an excellent and sweet dog.  But I won't kid you - it took the trainer and ME working on him and never letting up.  He was considered unadoptable and today people compliment me on how well behaved he is.

Anyway, there are dog training "associations" in the US and we can find a first-class trainer for Miracle AND there are many places where they take the dogs - keep them and train.

Then they train you :)

Sangita, feel free to write me directly at DeeBeck7765@aol.com and let's figure this out.  This is doable and probably the best answer.
Delores