Hello

Our puppy Bailey is now 7 months old and over the last couple of months has started showing aggressive behaviour to my partner. I know he's in his adolescent stage and my partner is the dominant figure in our home - is this a power struggle or something else? Strange thing is that the growling only ever occurs in the evenings - during the day he is friendly and confident.
When he growls he often walks away - removing himself from the situation. If we tell him off it only gets worse and trying to put him in the submissive position makes things much worse and he's even tried to bite when we've done this - although he wags his tail. It's all very confusing and I'd love some advice on how we should handle this before it escalates any more.

Thank You!

try looking at this web page i found it might help
People And Dogs Society - Biting/growling in puppies

__________________

Keep Dreaming Smudge! HAHAHA

yeah sounds like it could be a power stuggle to me,
i would get your partner to feed him, walk him, play with him and do some training with him.
stop him getting on the chairs if thats what you mean by [ if we tell him off ].

__________________
Stryder the Utonagan


www.carolscaninecare.co.uk

http://www.nuadalseurope.co.uk/

Thank you - the growling definitely stems from aggression rather than in play. My partner is with him most of the time and so does the majority of walking, playing and feeding. I don't know if this is part of the problem.
He's not allowed on any furniture by 'telling him off' I mean when he actually growls and we tell him 'no'.

ok what food are you feeding ?

What colour is he?

Were his parents health tested i.e. eyes ?

__________________

Thats a good point I was put off getting a cocker beacause of the problems with the solid colour ones.

The food thing too - my puppy trainner has told me to feed my 7 month sheltie Junior Food now as the puppy food is making him too bouncy and hyperavtice, since changing the food he is a lot calmer.

yeah apparently the ones that are all ruby are the worst, and are known for this type of behaviour my dad had a ruby cocker bitch and she had to be put down because of mental issues, even though he took her to puppy classes and gave her a low energy diet it was very sad but she couldn't be tamed, and with him having little kids running about it was for the best

__________________

Keep Dreaming Smudge! HAHAHA

We're feeding him James Welbeloved. Literally switched from puppy to junior a week ago.

His parents were both golden but as he's growing he is a golden red if that makes sense?

No didn't get parents healthchecked but did meet and seemed fine with a lovely temprament.

__________________

Some cockers suffer with rage syndrome an odd personality defect so to speak where they become grumpy old men and will show agression towards people and other dogs . A good breeder will not have bred pups if this was apparent in either the mom or dad but as for grandparents it could have skipped a generation . It is more common in solid coulours and less in the roan shades , You need to get this sorted soon as it could become a problem to you or other people . We see a cocker in our park the owners have to keep him on a long lead and walk the outskirts of the park so he doesnt come into contact with other dogs or people , he barks agressivly the whole time . You may need to look to see if you are inadvertantly giving him signals that he is boss , a dog that thinks he is charge will often be difficult and a dog that doesnt want to be in charge but feels he has to if your not leading in his eyes will be all over the place . See how much attention you give him eye contact ect the best way to remove any leadership issues is to ignore him . When you enter a room he is in ignor him for at least 5 mins or untill he is calm then give him a fuss when you are ready this could be in the morning when you get up, or even if you have popped upstairs it does work i know cos we,ve just done it with our labs , removing there status in thier minds makes them more compliant and listen more . if on the other hand it is rage syndrome then you may need expert help from a reputable behaviouist who is familliar with the breed and the condition .
Andrea

__________________

Wow that's a worry! Thanks for the advice.

We have tried hard to let him know his status in the pack - my partner is quite a strict disciplinarian and I think that, as the growling is always directed at him, he might be a little too hard on Bailey and has perhaps made him nervous. He doesn't show this behaviour with anyone else and is generally a loving outgoing dog which makes me think it's something specific about their relationship.

Could having him neutered potentially help?

Many Thanks for all ideas people! xxx

__________________