dog attacking me

[lindawaghorne]

Hi
I hope someone can enlighten me to why my dog is reacting the way he is.
My dog cisco is nearly 4 years old, he is a springer X cocker spaniel and has been neutered.
Last weekend while I was grooming him he attacked me drawing blood, his attack was bad with no warning and carried on for 4 bites.
on the following day he did the same again when he thought i was going to clip his claws, i was not i was doing my other dogs.
Cisco has also started taking things like the telephone, brings them to me wagging his tail as if he wants to give it to me but if i try to take it away he will attack me again, if i do get him to drop he then is so pleased and wants a lot of fuss.
Cisco acts very scared and confused when he is doing this as if he is afraid i will hurt him.He has also started barking at the slightest sound.
I have had Cisco since he was 2months old.
I have taken him to the vet who wanted to put him to sleep, i refused.
any idea if he is trying to be alpha or if it is fear aggression, either way what should i do.
Linda

[KOPsarah]

hi linda, thanks for your post, I was just wondering if I could get a little bit more information. Do you practice everyday alpha training with your dog such as walking through doorways first, feeding your dog last and only giving it attention when you initiate it? Has your dog previously shown any signs of dominance or aggression such as growling, nipping, barking or refusing to move off couches etc? And finally how does cisco get along with the other dogs?

[lindawaghorne]

Hi
thanks for your reply and questions.
Cisco gets on well with other dogs but has recently shown aggression to children when on a walk, again he looked frightened.
I have not done any alpha training with him as I do not know if this would make him worse.
Cisco does not show aggression when i tell him to get off the furniture etc.
He used to show aggression by pinching things and not giving them back he would attack if i tried to take it, but i trained him out of it by giving him a treat and telling him he was a good boy when he gave it to me. now when i do this he just look's scared stiff and attacks.
I am confused by the way he looks scared.
also he has become so attached to me i cant go anywhere in the house without him following me, its like he would get inside my skin if he could.

[kjd]

This is weird, Linda. It certainly sounds like a medical problem. Can you talk with another vet? Putting him down is an easy solution -- for the vet. But it is not a diagnosis and you should have one before making such an extreme choice. I suspect some kind of neurological problem, but you need a vet who is willing to do the work to find out what is wrong.

I hope you can find and correct Cisco's problem.

[LetsPlay]

Hi there,

vets that recommend putting a dog down because of a behavioral issue really annoy me.
Most problems can be solved.
I agree with "kjd" to get another opinion from a different vet.
If this problem has just suddenly started it could very well be a medical issue.

Apart from that has anything else in his environment changed? Has your or your families behavior changed, the food, the exercise, toys?
Anything you can think of?

Thanks
John

[lindawaghorne]

Hi All
Thankyou for you replies
I have taken Cisco to another vet as suggested, he has had blood tests which came back clear, the vet said as I suspected that Cisco is suffering from fear aggression, he is very frightened of everything which we can not understand why this has suddenly happened as nothing in the houshold has changed at all, he has been refered to a behaviorist and we are now waiting for the appointment.
Linda

[KOPsarah]

Hi Linda,
I am glad to hear you had better luck with the second veterinarian. While you are waiting for the appointment I would suggest whenever possible ignore his inappropriate behavior. If he is aggressive or fearful don't show anger or sympathy just all move into the next room so you are effectively giving him a time out but without moving him which could make him more fearful. This is important because it shows the dog that the behavior is inappropriate but also that you are calm trustworthy leaders. At all times when your dog responds well in a situation give him lots of warm gentle praise. Also you can try interacting with your dog at his level, as this makes you less imposing.

Hope this helps and good luck with your behaviorist I'm sure you and your dog will soon be doing much better. Let us know how you get on.