The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

So Cooper has always had some agression issues but he has been doing a lot better for a long time and today as he was eating some paper and I proceeded to remove it from his mouth as I always do with no problem, but for some reason he snapped and bit my middle finger from top to bottom and I mean it is a deep gash. I was so shocked and angry, I snapped back and hit him and then put him in a settle mode, he finally calmed down b/c he licked and I put him in his cage for the night. I know the hitting wasn't a good thing but I was caught off guard. I'm not sure what to do. I will admit I've been laxed in my regular daily training (sit, stay, come, down, drop it) but he was doing so well. I'm thinking about taking him to some more training classes and letting him sleep in his cage more often at night, no more sofa cuddling and I just have to puh myself to have more daily training sessions but I don't know how to handle these agression spurts. Help anyone please, I'm really sad about it. My parent's cocker and my brother's german shepherd are the sweetest things ever and I just want my dog to be like that too.

Aggression is best dealt with by consulting a behaviorist or a trainer specializing in aggression. It sounds like you've worked hard to keep it under control, but sometimes a professional can give a little bit of extra help that can make a world of difference.

I definitely think that sleeping in the crate is a good idea, and that you limit sofa cuddle time. Dr. Sophia Yin has a poster on her website called "Learn To Earn" that's worth looking at. It's a Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF) program that teaches your dog that YOU control access to all good things, including food, toys, affection, etc. Another book that is very good is Ruff Love by Susan Garrett - it expands on the whole premise of NILIF and walks through a very specific program.

If Cooper is only aggressive when you're trying to take things away from him, think about getting a copy of Mine! by Jean Donaldson, which deals with resource guarding. It could be helpful, depending on when Cooper tends to have issues.

Good luck - working with an aggressive dog can be very stressful, but success can be achieved in many cases.

These are greta tips!!!! Thanks! I will check out the "Mine" book for sure. The sofa is off limits forever I think. It seems like right when the he gets sofa rights back something out of the norm happens.