Snapping

Hi, all.

Teena is a 4-year-old spayed ESS. She came to us at 14 mo. with a Ch
and some fear-aggression behaviour, directed towards some other dogs and
(mostly) 50-something men. We have worked very hard with her over the
years. She is now trained through CDX (we won't trial her because I
don't ever want to take a risk on her being offended by the stand-for-
exam with a 50-year-old male judge) and is a very fine house dog and
pet, if a bit of a barky nut at times. I believe that most of her
interesting behaviour comes from 1) being attacked by an older bitch in
the breeder's household when she was a 8-week-old pup and 2) a general
lack of socialization outside the breeder's home.

She is a very high-drive, sometimes pushy dog, but she and I have built
a strong relationship, using the Obedience training as a tool.

Last night, she was lying on the floor while I brushed her out. I
didn't feel any mats or knots in her coat, but she started curling her
lip. I shifted her into a different position and started brushing an
ear. She turned and snapped at the air near the hand with the brush.

I glared at her and said, "Don't you EVER do that again!" and switched
to brushing another part of her. Later, I felt her over and couldn't
find any obvious reason that she might have been uncomfortable.

So. What to do now? She usually puts up with any kind of grooming with
a sigh and a shrug. I don't like being snapped at, but I don't want to
shut down any early warning signs. How would you go at this? I'm
thinking of having the vet check her over for any discomfort I may have
missed. At the same time, I'm worried that she will decide that she has
control over whether or not I choose to brush her and when.

I don't want this escalating...

Ideas?

Kate
--
and Teena, the ESS
and Storm, the FCR

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004, KWBrown wrote:

I shifted her into a different position and started brushing
an ear. She turned and snapped at the air near the hand with
the brush.

could she have an ear infection?

--
shelly (perfectly foul wench) and elliott and harriet
http://home.bluemarble.net/~scouvrette

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004, KWBrown wrote:

I shifted her into a different position and started brushing
an ear. She turned and snapped at the air near the hand with
the brush.

could she have an ear infection?

--
shelly (perfectly foul wench) and elliott and harriet
http://home.bluemarble.net/~scouvrette

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004, KWBrown wrote:

I shifted her into a different position and started brushing
an ear. She turned and snapped at the air near the hand with
the brush.

could she have an ear infection?

--
shelly (perfectly foul wench) and elliott and harriet
http://home.bluemarble.net/~scouvrette

shelly wrote in
arble.net:

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004, KWBrown wrote:

I shifted her into a different position and started brushing
an ear. She turned and snapped at the air near the hand with
the brush.

could she have an ear infection?


It's certainly worth checking. She's had yeasty ears before, but I
recognize the smell and treat for it when it happens.

Definitely worth the vet check.

shelly wrote in
arble.net:

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004, KWBrown wrote:

I shifted her into a different position and started brushing
an ear. She turned and snapped at the air near the hand with
the brush.

could she have an ear infection?


It's certainly worth checking. She's had yeasty ears before, but I
recognize the smell and treat for it when it happens.

Definitely worth the vet check.

shelly wrote in
arble.net:

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004, KWBrown wrote:

I shifted her into a different position and started brushing
an ear. She turned and snapped at the air near the hand with
the brush.

could she have an ear infection?


It's certainly worth checking. She's had yeasty ears before, but I
recognize the smell and treat for it when it happens.

Definitely worth the vet check.

Handsome Jack Morrison wrote in
:

The behavior you're describing *might* be the first expression of a
behavior known as Rage Syndrome, or idiopathic aggression.

Rage came to mind and is what worries me most. At the same time, I know
other behavioural issues are often mis-diagnosed as this, and that
Springer Rage is truly rare. I have a call in to the breeder and would
love to tap some ESS expertise. Mindy, are you out there?

I'd have her checked out by your vet, just in case there is a physical
explanation of some kind, but I don't think he or she will find any.

Have booked the appointment. I agree with you, but this is an important
step in eliminating other possibilities.

I really don't
have a very good feeling about it, considering the way it happened.

Kate, you can cross your fingers and just hope that it was an isolated
incident (I'll even cross mine, too!).

They're crossed, and I don't have a very good feeling about this,
either. My heart sank when it happened.

Would you continue grooming the dog? Stay away from ears? Take her
warning signals seriously? If I can't brush her regularly, I'm going to
have to cut her down, which would be a crime. Still, I guess cut down
is better than put down.

I have asked the children to give her a wide berth and lay off patting
her, in case she is in some kind of pain.

Kate

Handsome Jack Morrison wrote in
:

The behavior you're describing *might* be the first expression of a
behavior known as Rage Syndrome, or idiopathic aggression.

Rage came to mind and is what worries me most. At the same time, I know
other behavioural issues are often mis-diagnosed as this, and that
Springer Rage is truly rare. I have a call in to the breeder and would
love to tap some ESS expertise. Mindy, are you out there?

I'd have her checked out by your vet, just in case there is a physical
explanation of some kind, but I don't think he or she will find any.

Have booked the appointment. I agree with you, but this is an important
step in eliminating other possibilities.

I really don't
have a very good feeling about it, considering the way it happened.

Kate, you can cross your fingers and just hope that it was an isolated
incident (I'll even cross mine, too!).

They're crossed, and I don't have a very good feeling about this,
either. My heart sank when it happened.

Would you continue grooming the dog? Stay away from ears? Take her
warning signals seriously? If I can't brush her regularly, I'm going to
have to cut her down, which would be a crime. Still, I guess cut down
is better than put down.

I have asked the children to give her a wide berth and lay off patting
her, in case she is in some kind of pain.

Kate

Handsome Jack Morrison wrote in
:

The behavior you're describing *might* be the first expression of a
behavior known as Rage Syndrome, or idiopathic aggression.

Rage came to mind and is what worries me most. At the same time, I know
other behavioural issues are often mis-diagnosed as this, and that
Springer Rage is truly rare. I have a call in to the breeder and would
love to tap some ESS expertise. Mindy, are you out there?

I'd have her checked out by your vet, just in case there is a physical
explanation of some kind, but I don't think he or she will find any.

Have booked the appointment. I agree with you, but this is an important
step in eliminating other possibilities.

I really don't
have a very good feeling about it, considering the way it happened.

Kate, you can cross your fingers and just hope that it was an isolated
incident (I'll even cross mine, too!).

They're crossed, and I don't have a very good feeling about this,
either. My heart sank when it happened.

Would you continue grooming the dog? Stay away from ears? Take her
warning signals seriously? If I can't brush her regularly, I'm going to
have to cut her down, which would be a crime. Still, I guess cut down
is better than put down.

I have asked the children to give her a wide berth and lay off patting
her, in case she is in some kind of pain.

Kate