Aggressive Springer...HELP PLEASE.

Hi everyone, im new to this forum as i was recommended by a friend, as she said i would get lots of FREINDLY advice (unlike some forums i have been on)

Basically my prob is my 2 year old Springer Poppy. We got her as a pup and is normally well behaved, a little excitable sometimes, but a lovely dog.

In july we went away and had to put her in kennels, since then she has become aggressive. She has gone to bite my neighbour 3/4 times, growled at my 5 year old son and at another neighbour.

I really dont know what to do, i am afraid for my sons safety.

People may say that i am over reacting, but my son is the most important person in my life and i will do anything to protect him, if that means getting rid of the dog, as much as we love her, then so be it.

I am afraid that she will eventually go to bit my son, as she has done it to my neighbour, who she is VERY familiar with, so its not just cos the neighbour is a stranger, cos my neighbour is also my friend and we are close, so the dog sees alot of her.


PLEASE HELP, IS THE ONLY SOLUTION TO GET RID OF THE DOG OR CAN I DO SOMETHING TO STOP HER BEING THIS WAY, OR IS IT JUST TIME BEFORE SHE DOES GO TO BIT MY SON?

THANKS ESH

I would suggest you get someone in to asses her in her envioronment. Have a look at the ADPT or APBC websites - you should be able to find someone local to yourself.

I would be very wary about giving out advice over the net without having seen the dog - especially with such a worrying behaviour problem.

Have you had her completely vet checked....sometimes if it is a sudden change it could be because she is in pain...

Did the kennel staff say anything about her behaviour whilst she was with you?

Good luck.

The kennel staff said that she was fine, but my neighbour (who has worked in the kennel environment for years) has said that poppy only seems to go to bite her when she goes for her collar, for example, putting her lead on etc, my neighbour has never done this in an aggressive manner but said it could possibly have happened to her at the kennels and that is why she is acting this way...but on the other hand it does not explain her growling at my son.
I have not took her to the vets, but will phone in the morning after my son is in school.

I understand that this is a sensitive issue, and any advice will be taken on board but I will be seeing a vet too. Just wanted to get some opinions tbh.
thanx

I would recommend seeing a behaviourist after you've been to the vet to check for anything physical that could be causing the aggression. Peter Neville from COAPE (in Dogs Today magazine) seems to be pretty good. Here's a link to his website. Click on practice and then on the link to take you to behaviourists in your area.

Let us know how you get on.

A Springer is an active working dog that needs to be trained and excercised - have you done any training with the dog yourself? How much exercise does he get? Why is your neighbour handling the dog? Does she walk the dog? I`m a bit confused - sorry about all the questions.

yes, she gets regular excercise, she loves her runs and her swims.
Yes we trainer der when we first got her, as i said she is well behaved (except for this problem)
My neighbour comes round quite often, we walk our dogs together.
Sorry but cant see why you are confused, as i explained this earlier that she comes round alot. The one time i was seeing to my son, putting his coat on, my neighbour said that she would put her collar on for me so we could get going.That is when it happens, for example.

I get the feeling she had problems at the kennels, maybe she got loose and they had to catch her, or handled by some one scared of such a young excitable dog. How often do you put her in kennels? Get your vet to give her a check as well.

This was actually the first tiem i put her in kennels. It was a family friend who owned them, so we thought she was in good hands. its is only since the problem that my neighbour who workd in another kennels, has told me that the kennels i put poppy in has a bad rep with other kennel owners. Whichi i did not know at the time, i just assumed it would be okay cos they were family friends.

Thanks for everyones advice too, am going to the vets this weeks, so will gget smoe advice from him too.

If it's mainly happening when she has her lead/collar put on, maybe she has a neck problem?

Hope you get some help for her - I know what hard work (but gorgeous dogs) springers are.

Because it seems to be the neighbour that she`s worried about or objecting to - you said she`d gone for the same person 4 times? Could it be that she`s objecting to other people handling her?