How To Stop a Cocker Spaniel Growling
If you have just gained ownership of a beautiful Cocker Spaniel, you are probably wondering just what may lie ahead for you. There are many tricks you may want to teach your puppy but first, you want to make sure that you are dealing with any obedience issues that you may be facing with your new furry friend.
Growling is something that comes natural to dogs and it is okay for them to do once in a while when it is directed at the right thing. Growling at your or anyone in the family is not acceptable – at any time, no matter how cute it may seem at first. If you allow your Cocker Spaniel to continue growling at you, it will get out of hand and it is just a matter of time before that happens.
As soon as your Cocker Spaniel growls at you – make sure that you are correcting him with the “no” command. Do not let an incident happen without correcting it. You also want to make sure that you are taking a close look as to why it is that your dog may be growling. Does he seem in pain? Does he growl at the slightest thing? There could be something medically going wrong which would cause him to growl extra. Make sure that you are discussing your dog’s behavior with your vet to see if they can’t rule out what the problem may be.
If the growling of your Cocker Spaniel is nothing more than a training or behavioral issue, you will want to make sure that you are correcting the situation fast. The longer your dog is allowed to believe that it is okay for him to growl at you, the harder it will be to get him to break that habit.
Take a look at how your dog views you and your family. Does your dog seem to think that he is the leader, the alpha? If so, you need to quickly correct that. To do this, make sure that when you are walking your Cocker Spaniel on a leash that he is never allowed to walk in front of you. Your dog needs to either be beside you or behind you a little. When the dog is in the front of the pack, he takes position of the leader. Do not allow your dog to sleep in bed with you. You are not equals in the pack and until the growling is under control, he needs to know that.
Another trick is to make sure that your dog is being fed after the family, not before or during. The dog should wait for his feeding for when everyone else is done. By doing such simple tricks, your Cocker Spaniel will know where his place is and the growling should calm down a good bit within just a matter of a couple of days. Therefore, the sooner you get started addressing the issue of your Cocker Spaniel growling at you – the better.