# My little man is breaking my heart with his aggression



## HannahBee (17 d ago)

Hi all, thank you for letting me join. 

I have a 2 year old cockapoo who I have been advised multiple times to put to sleep. He is incredibly aggressive and will have me backed into a corner daily and will be lunging and biting anything in sight (although he seems to redirect his bites and hasn't bitten me for a few months). I've spent thousands on having some of the best trainers see him, to be told he's a dangerous dog. I know his triggers and can generally avoid them and when he's lovely, he's the most intelligent, loving dog I've ever met which is making my next decision so so so much harder. He is making me ill from the constant fear of living with him but I sit and cry to the point I can't eat for days if I think about saying goodbye. 

Does anyone have any experience here? Is there a group that I can join that would be interested in seeing if they can work with him more than I can? I don't want to give him to a rescue as I agree, he is dangerous. And a life in kennels will only make him worse but he and I can't go on like this. He's jumping and biting door handles with so much force that it must be hurting him when he's raging and it's breaking my heart to see him like it 3-5 times per day.

Please be kind, I've tried my best.

Thank you


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

What are the circumstances of his aggression? Is it resource guarding? Have you seen an APBC behaviourist? What have the trainers said about him and what are his triggers?


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## barrycrane3232 (10 d ago)

HannahBee said:


> Hi all, thank you for letting me join. I have a 2 year old cockapoo who I have been advised multiple times to put to sleep. He is incredibly aggressive and will have me backed into a corner daily and will be lunging and biting anything in sight (although he seems to redirect his bites and hasn't bitten me for a few months). I've spent thousands on having some of the best trainers see him, to be told he's a dangerous dog. I know his triggers and can generally avoid them and when he's lovely, he's the most intelligent, loving dog I've ever met which is making my next decision so so so much harder. He is making me ill from the constant fear of living with him but I sit and cry to the point I can't eat for days if I think about saying goodbye. Does anyone have any experience here? Is there a group that I can join that would be interested in seeing if they can work with him more than I can? I don't want to give him to a rescue as I agree, he is dangerous. And a life in kennels will only make him worse but he and I can't go on like this. He's jumping and biting door handles with so much force that it must be hurting him when he's raging and it's breaking my heart to see him like it 3-5 times per day. Please be kind, I've tried my best. Thank you


 Hi i have a four year old simalar issues Mine does not jump and bite door handles but he gets agrresive with food mainily He does not want to eat his dinner and he wants something else We have both been biten by him not lately He can be very lovable and nice but life also can be stressful you can see he tries to take control it is not a day to day life anyone wants it is draining and stressful if he does not want his food he will growling and snapping at me like a verbal fight He has a loving home and a great life so have no idea why he does this i feel the same as the other poster not really in my head to do anything with him just trying to figure it out on a day to day basics i do not think any of us with dogs like this is something we signed up for but also i think most of us do not want to give up i guess we got to find some way that will work for both dog and owner i do not think it will ever be perfect not with these type of dogs but maybe we can find away to make it easier on both and less stressful


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## Evelyn (Jul 30, 2019)

HannahBee said:


> Hi all, thank you for letting me join.
> 
> I have a 2 year old cockapoo who I have been advised multiple times to put to sleep. He is incredibly aggressive and will have me backed into a corner daily and will be lunging and biting anything in sight (although he seems to redirect his bites and hasn't bitten me for a few months). I've spent thousands on having some of the best trainers see him, to be told he's a dangerous dog. I know his triggers and can generally avoid them and when he's lovely, he's the most intelligent, loving dog I've ever met which is making my next decision so so so much harder. He is making me ill from the constant fear of living with him but I sit and cry to the point I can't eat for days if I think about saying goodbye.
> 
> ...


Have you asked your vet for something like prozac for dogs?


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## barrycrane3232 (10 d ago)

Evelyn said:


> Have you asked your vet for something like prozac for dogs?


no we have dicussed it his behavior but i do not want to medicate him as he will be like not himself like i mean not the happy go lucky dog he normally is . we were discusting changes to be made , he really had aggressive at meals his meals and few other things we decided to takes some of his privileges away until he settles down . i am looking it trying a few things to change in the house to see if that works there is no sure fire way when you have a dog like him . as a dog owner i never expected this i expected just a puppy and something loveable what we got is a crap load of work . i envy people on walks with thier dogs when i have to deal with this on a day to day bacis . so plan now change so things up in the house things he is used to having food related


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## barrycrane3232 (10 d ago)

Evelyn i did look into prozac i did some google searches . do you know if you get it in ontario not sure where you are from i heard it was expensive in ontario Canada wonder if there is any where if i needed to get it other then the vet . because every thing adds up does anyone know what the side effects and how does it make the dog feel


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## Evelyn (Jul 30, 2019)

I live in the US, so I don't know the situation in Canada, sorry. I don't know if you have Costco there, but I get my dog's prescriptions there and it's a little less money than at the vet. People here also give their dog CBD chews to help them relax. 

I understand your intention in taking away his privileges, but please know that your dog won't connect those actions. If you are taking away things that trigger his outbursts, that's a good idea. I really hope you can find a way to resolve this. I'm sure it's awful for your family and the dog.


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

I agree with Evelyn that taking away privileges is not likely to sort the problem unless they are the situations causing the aggression. I took on Molly because her previous owners could not cope with her aggression and she is pretty much a totally reformed character so maybe if you describe the situation the aggression develops in I might be able to suggest something.

Incidentally health problems can cause aggression and certainly in my girls case she has a whole lots of pain issues and is more likely to be grumpy if she is sore or feeling unwell.


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## barrycrane3232 (10 d ago)

2ndhandgal helllo yes his aggression comes from food such as bones meals and he does have a senstive stomach so yesterday might have been one of his off days . Like today he is just fine gave me no issue at all . It is also sometimes like when i put his food down he starts to growl and bark at me letting me know not what he wants . he was a sick puppy and we give him a good home no kids just two adults he is not agressive at all with other dogs he is actually shy with other dogs he does not show this behavoir to strangers or any one esle only us and only at certtain times . Yes i agree he may not have been feeling well could be anything of a number of things but it does no make it any easier causes alot of stress in the house . i am just thankful today things are calm


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

That sounds like resource guarding to me which is relatively common in Cockapoo’s. when they have something high value it feels important to them and if people try to take it off them it can lead to them feeling more and more insecure and feeling the need to defend it.

I suspect that then causes issues with a bowl of food the dog does not want at that time as they do not fully trust you and do not want to lose the resource.

It is something you can work on but needs a change of approach and only taking things from them if they are fully happy about it. So if they have a bone, leave them alone but also throw some high value treats to them so they see you as less of a threat.


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## barrycrane3232 (10 d ago)

yeah taking the bones away he might not get them back he is being so bad with them 
he now will not even go out to pee for walks all he is doing guarding the bone 
so looks like they have to go to get some sort of normal life back in the house he has been growling and carriny on


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## Evelyn (Jul 30, 2019)

This sounds like extreme resource guarding. Please know that this is an instinctive survival behavior, not "aggression" per se. If bones are a trigger, yes it's good to remove them. But try to "trade" the bones for something else, like a piece of cheese, otherwise you are reinforcing your dog's image of you as a threat to his food and survival.


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## barrycrane3232 (10 d ago)

Another day he was good all day except the routine is we normally go out for a morning walk today he would not budge he was by his bone down stairs and he was just guarding it not leaving it . After about and hour he finally went out with me . The rest of the day was normal he was laying under me desk chair for quite awhile . Then came to dinner time he ate dinner we gave him we went out for a walk with him . Coming back he normally gets a bone We had one last one in the freezer so i gave it to him . He wanted me to play with him before supper that was about 5 pm he was great having fun . I laid on the floor he laid on his bed beside me eating his bone . He was making sounds like he was enjoying it . Sometimes he brings the bone and drops it between my legs i do not touch it or do anything because he will bite if you try to touch the bone . So all of a sudden he got into the mood again i did not go near the bone was laying on the floor did not move at all . He started barking in his high pitched bark that he was pissed off at me for something yet i did nothing . Now brings me to 10 pm tonight i went down the hall on the first floor to go to the bathroom i had to pass the basement stairs . Soon as i passes the basement stairs he started the barking again . I was no where near him it does become nerver racking for me . He came upstairs about 10 mins later i told him to lay down becasue i just had enough and he needed to lay down which he did . So we finished the last bone once he is done with them i am going to trade it with these hard treats he really likes . The bones have to go . I do not want anything that he can hang on to and guard . And i think we all need a break in the house specally the pet owners . He is going to bug me for them but at this point i cannot give in because right now things are way out of control we need some normal back


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

In all honesty he sounds incredibly stressed by the bones so yes definitely get rid of them and only give things that he will eat quickly. If he does have something you want to take back then you need to back right off and try calling him away for a game in the garden, a walk, some cheese from the fridge, anything which is not directly in his face putting pressure on him that you are trying to take his precious thing from him. 

There is an excellent book called "mine" by Jean Donaldson - the main thing to remember is dogs who are guarding do not want to be aggressive, they are just trying to defend the item they feel is very precious and the barking and growling is to tell us to leave them alone.


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## Puffin (4 mo ago)

Hi Hannah and welcome, what a difficult situation .
When did the aggressive behaviour start
what are his triggers
when does he bite door handles, is it randomly ,is he trying to get to someone or something .
Hannah are you in the UK. I agree with 2handgal , what you need is not a trainer but a member of the APBC








Welcome to the APBC - APBC


The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors: Excellence in Animal Behaviour & Welfare The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC) is a network of friendly and professional practitioners who work alongside the vet-led team with a variety of species including dogs, cats, horses, small...




www.apbc.org.uk




They will observe your dog and yourself to assess the cause of the behaviour and find ways to change it . 

It sounds as though this behaviour could be related to fear aggression which has got out of hand or resource guarding which again has escalated into an extreme form of aggression.


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