So, Aaron has a 4 year old Cocker Spaniel who has, to put it nicely, issues. He got her when she was 7 months old, and she already had some major socialization issues. Her previous owners kept her crated all day, even when they were in the house. She would go berserk because they were ignoring her, and I think it led to some mistreatment. They also trained her to go nuts and bark her head off when the doorbell rings or there is a knock at the door. So she goes into a barking frenzy at like ever little noise We're making some progress on that by using a squirt bottle every time she goes nuts.

The real problem she has stems from the poor socialization. She is HORRIBLE with other dogs, and as a result Aaron never worked with her much. She gets snippy whenever we have puppy play dates with my friends, and guards resources (including Aaron). She will launch out at the other dogs, even if they are only in her general vicinity and not actually trying to play with her. It happens multiple times a day here in the house because Ghost wants to play with her and just doesn't get that she doesn't want to play back. I have a video of her guarding while I was playing frisbee this afternoon. She is a good retriever, but gets really growly when we try to get the ball of frisbee to throw again. The last couple days she's actually snarled and snapped at me, and I've about had it. Do any of you have any tips for helping her out? She really can be a sweet dog, she just has so many issues it's hard for me to warm up to her. I feel like the mean step mother

Video is set to private!

Does Aaron do training with her?

Shoot, it's fixed now . Thanks. And with the guarding with balls and such, Aaron keeps saying that's her way of playing. Is she playing when she bites my hand off? Mostly he just makes excuses for her behavior and only corrects it when I get on him about it.

Just thought I'd share the link to another thread that has some similar issues and training advice that might help you.

Concerning Behaviors in a 3 month old husky pup

blueeyedghost wrote:

Shoot, it's fixed now . Thanks. And with the guarding with balls and such, Aaron keeps saying that's her way of playing. Is she playing when she bites my hand off? Mostly he just makes excuses for her behavior and only corrects it when I get on him about it.

As you probably know, it's the consistency that's going to be the main issue. As much as you try to help her, if he's not doing it - she won't learn. Or she'll only listen when you're there. People compliment my dogs on their behavior, but alot of it is hubby and I being on the same page. We talked about how we would raise our dogs before even adopting them. If an issue comes up, we decide on our tactic - sometimes compromising on a solution. We show a united front to the dogs. It's funny - they do constantly look at Daddy if Mommy says no, just like kids. Of if I tell Frosti to sit before our walk, she'll look at Daddy ("Do I haaaaave to???") and he'll just stare her down until she sits (usually pretty quickly).

Val and Hollywood (I feel like I'm living out Top Gun calling you that... ),
Thanks so much for the advice and the link to the thread. I read through all of it, and then had a lengthy chat with Aaron. We are more on the same page, and I think we're going to work NILIF with Lulu. We've been doing it with Ghost since shortly after we got her, and it's worked well on a lot of her puppy traits. In addition to the guarding and aggressiveness with other dogs, Lulu has significant submission issues and pees whenever anyone touches her who doesn't know how to do it properly. We also can't put her leash on her without her peeing all over the place, so we have to do that outside. Thankfully she is obedient and has good recall. I truly hope NILIF can give her some confidence.

Ideally I'd like to have her enrolled with Ghost when we sign her up for intermediate obedience, but I'm worried that her aggressiveness issues will get her kicked out of class. We've talked about it some, and I may have Aaron convinced to go with some private training. She really can be a sweet dog, and I really want to be on better terms with her, but it's difficult when she lunges at me or pees on the floor (or wipes her nasty eye boogers all over me). Thanks again, and hopefully we can make some progress with Lulu.

I know this is not helpful in training Lulu at all... But, a few months ago as I was trying to find out why and if the Husky is ranked high on the most dangerous dogs list, I came across numerous reports that rank the English Cocker Spaniel as the number one most agressive breed. I think they fail to get on the "Dangerous" dog list because their agression rarely leads to fatalities.

I've known some mean little Cockers in my day! But, like every dog, with proper training they can be a nice little dog.

Good luck!

Lisa,
I saw a similar list about Huskies not too long ago and was kind of surprised that they were #4 for fatal bites. After dealing with Lulu's antics for some time now, I am not surprised AT ALL that they're listed as the #1 most aggressive dog. We had her on the little hiking path with us yesterday, and she was barking and lunging at passing bikers and rollerbladers. Those walking generally didn't set her off though. Again, Aaron just makes excuses that she's defending herself or protecting him. That will go over real well when she bites someone other than one of us (which she hasn't done, but I'm getting a little nervous around her anymore). I had a neighbor who's Chihuahua/poodle mix was biting a bunch of people (myself included), and I was the one who called the city. I know the process and I'll feel kind of bad if Lulu winds up on the receiving end of that...

Meredith, that's great news about being on the same page!

OFF TOPIC (but a pet peeve ) : Regarding the husky biting, the stats are overblown for the media's sake. This misconception has lead to huskies being on the dangerous dog list for insurance companies. There were 21 deaths between 1982 and 2010 (almost 30 years) attributed to huskies (http://www.dogsbite.org/bite-study-deaths-maimings.htm), versus 859 for pitbulls.

I think we all know that people misidentify what type of dog they have. We saw a lady with an AKK last night that she said was a Shiba mix. Most people report a "Husky-type" dog. Vet Med today lumps all the dogs into a "Husky type" category. Vet Med Today there was 1 fatality attributed to a husky in 2010.