On Oct 29, 1:03*am, "www.GymRatZ.co.uk" discount-fitness-
wrote:
Mike wrote:
He lives in the kitchen and just bides his time for when he is left
alone.

I expect you'll find the kitchen (and everything in it) is, in his mind
"his". Sounds like he is very submissive and allows people to wonder
through "his" domain without conflict but has never been challenged over
who actually "owns" the space.

A bin is put in front of the fridge door when the family remembers,
but with forgetful teenagers in the house plan B fails.

I feel it is no use shouting at the well fed dog, hours after the
event.

I suspect the other failing that many owners fail to consider is "breed"
in respect to what the animal has been bred to do.

to quote a few lines from on-line sources..

They were originally designed as a hunting companion for flushing and
retrieving game.
The English Cocker Spaniel is an active, yet compact sporting dog.
Cocker Spaniel is designed to energetically cover ground and penetrate
dense cover.
English Cocker Spaniels can live in any environment, provided they have
daily exercise.
Brisk walks, fetching or field work can keep an English Cocker Spaniel
in excellent shape.

So basically you have a sports dog that wants and needs to be challenged
*physically and mentally every day. Not a 10 minute walk around the
block *or allowed to do it's own thing in the garden, a breed that needs
to be retreiving balls and sticks, running around for an hour every day,
performing it's inherrent fundamental requirements as a breed.

Sounds like the dog isn't getting enough (or any) daily exercise, or if
he is it's nowhere near physically or mentally challenging enough.
He's not able to do what he (as a breed) _needs_ to do so is doing it
when it's clear he has no other option.

Perhaps a (small) dog bought for the kids who are now too busy to carry
out all their promises to exercise the dog daily?

I have a feeling we may be barking up the wrong tree (ha, got *one in at
last) with the "pecking order" direction of thought and what this poor
dog needs is a bloody good long, hard run for an hour a day to keep him
content.

Dogs fundamental needs in order of priority are..
EXERCISE (very minimum of 40 minutes hard exercise per day)
DISCIPLINE (Dog kept in lowest position of group)
Affection (when dog is submissive ONLY)

I know I keep referring back to the brilliant "Cesar Milan a.k.a. "The
Dog Whisperer" but I wish he had been around 30 years ago instead of
"Walkies" Barbra Woodhouse.

Remember... "Sporting Dog bred to actively flush out and retreive"
People mistakenly think "small dog won't require much exercise" but all
dogs regardless of size need a minimum 40 minutes brisk exercise 7 days
a week, 365 days a year.
Walking (or running) the dog is also another place where the dog
actively has his place in the pack reinforced and the pack leaders (all
familly members) actively *"lead" the pack !

That's as much as I have learnt and put into practice with my own beasts
*with dramatic behavourial changes from a very dominant and
dog-aggressive 14 yr old GreatDane/Greyhound dog and an 8 yr old
"wannabe boss" yappy, growly chihoua/fruitbat mix bitch.
Hence my admiriation for Cesar Milan and his TV show as even after 10
years of raging savage uncontrolabillity with the big dog and incessant
yapping with the small dog I have been able to make unbellievable
changes to both dogs in less than 12 months by simple pack rules
previously outlined.

Hope it helps your freind. But I Still think and expect it's a boredom
thing and no sufficient daily emergy release.

Cheers
Pete

If you need more dominance, one way is to eat from the dog's bowl
before giving the food to him/her. You can do this by putting a human
biscuit on a spoon on top of the meat, and let doggy watch you eat it
first.


NT