Cocker Rage Syndrome: Fact or Fiction?

What I meant PP was that the BT ,if one of those affected would approach in a normal friendly mannerfor attention,and on getting it would experience a complete Jekyll@Hyde mood change and attack,sometimes a warning rumble,sometimes not.Invariably after the event the dog would be confused and extremely apologetic..for instance seeking shelter under a table and shivering .Very odd neurilogical problem,and a very dangerous one too.
 
E_T, a cocker loosing the plot is one thing, a B_T doing it would be an entirely different matter.

Every B_T which I've ever known (and that's very few) have always been placid, easy going, and if anything, a bit dim.

With this "Rage" as it's been described, is it a case of a dog being entirely normal, and then for no apparent reason, or provocation, it goes ballistic? With Cockers, I've just thought that they were bad mannered and badly behaved and miserable little *****, in the main.

I read somewhere on this thread that tail chasing is a form of epilepsy, am I right? With sheepdogs I've always thought that it was from a wound up dog with nothing to occupy its mind. My MIL has had 3 that do it, but stop as soon as they're shouted at, which I wouldn't think points to a seizure of any sort. Perhaps I'm wrong. Don't know!

Alec.
 
Have to agree with you Alec .... and I have one!!


Golden Cocker, now 11, but has always been an opinionated, dominant, aggressive little sh** right from a pup!


He's show line bred and a beautiful little dog - vets often used to comment that I should breed from him :eek: I never would have even considered it as his temprement is pretty bloody awful to be honest

Very possesive, as others have noted, particularly food aggressive and territorial. Never had an issue with other dogs .... just don't think he likes people much :o He's very much my dog and has little regard for anyone else really

We saw a behaviour specialist when he was a pup, but to be honest, no amount of training over the years has really changed him

Now the rage I think is different (behaviouralist warned me to watch out for this) Mine has never shown this and there's always something that has pi**ed him off to trigger the aggression rather than just flipping out for no apparent reason


I've just had to manage him over the years. He's extremely good to recall so just ensure I put him on a lead if we encounter kids when out walking and he's shut away when I have my niece and nephew. I would NEVER leave the kids alone with him as I just can't trust him. Sounds ridiculous, but I just make sure visitors don't pi** him off!! I had to muzzle the little sod last night to get a tick off of him :o

He is what he is though and unfortunately sometimes you can't change temprement. Don't think I'd have another though :)
 
Alex it was East Kent who said tail chasing was also a sympton of epilepsy that is not to say tail chasing dosnt have other causes as in boredom, much like self mutilation.
 
Aru said:
It exists and it is related to a gene.In both the cocker lines and scarily enough in Bernese mountain dogs as well.
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Blumming heck - that is scary
scared.gif
. Cujo
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It is scary ,indeed,tail chasers ,or spinners,are often too interested in their tails even at six weeks old.Any of mine even looks round when sat ..and it is almighty shock time,noise/water anything. Some spinners,and I have had this about three times now,can be normal to five months or so..and suddenly flip out.On all these occasions I have woken to the thud thud sound of it repeatedly spinning and hitting the kennel walls ,no vet treatment works really,mentally they are gone..and PTS is kindest..and quickly too.Even if out in a paddock they will go to a corner and start spinning.
It is`nt THAT common,buit I have had these for over forty years now,so have seen lots in this one breed.
The "rage" bit is often with a tail chaser..rather than an out of it`s head spinner..the concerning thing is that in the rescue kennel situation mostly they are normal,charming and typically dense;it manifests itself once in a home for a period like 10 days,and if they sense the new people are soft.Trouble is that so many basically very kind rescuers are not "leaders" ..and a rescue dog with all the insecurity baggage definitely yearns for a leader to respect. So so many with these dogs will say "but I love him so much" after the little sod has told them to bog off and bitten them,if only they could realise that my own stand-offish approach when meeting a new dog is exactly what the dog wants.
They are a dense bred,but not so dense as to "dis" a softy.For instance all of mine behave disgustingly with my husband..but are more or less perfect with me.No violence is involved here I must add,they just never try it on with me.I often say I would hate to be him with these Asbo`s around.
Dogs are great levellers are`nt they? One of my friends ,who did obedience comps with his bull terrier,wanted to "play" with my highly trained Malinois..result?Kev gave him the finger! So,I worked him and told him to EXPECT respect and ORDER the dog to work..result,he had fun.
That`s the real problem..training the owners! However rage and spinning are neurologicl ,no doubt about it.
Hmm..I`ll shut up now!!:D
 
The 'rage' is nothing like a bolshy, opiniated or generally aggressive dog. My aunts dog was daft as a brush, extremely well trained, you really couldn't wish for a nicer dog until he flipped. It was as if a switch had been turned on, I was 16 at the time and will never forget the look on this dogs face as it flew at my aunt. All she did was move to get out of her chair, she was nowhere near the dog. As I said in my previous post, she was lucky, she managed to get her arms up to her face. She is still badly scarred. We managed to pin the dog down, pick him up by the scruff and chuck him in the utility room. The vet came to put him down and he was right as rain by then, his usual bouncy self, which made it very difficult for us all.
 
MrsElle said:
She is still badly scarred. We managed to pin the dog down, pick him up by the scruff and chuck him in the utility room. The vet came to put him down and he was right as rain by then, his usual bouncy self, which made it very difficult for us all.
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That's absolutely heartbreaking.

Sounds like the general consensus is that Rage is possibly over-used as a term, but not "myth" as the woman in my shop would like to believe.
 
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