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Tuesday: 9-10 PM ET: Open Dog Chat - Pet Loss
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Posted by Hai Le on March 02, 2002 at 07:30:26:
Hello,
I am a relatively new American Cocker Spaniel owner.
Approx. 6 mos ago, I adopted Rascal, a 5-year-old cocker. Rascal is a one-owner dog, and is generally very well-mannered and -behaved.
Yesterday, I adopted another cocker, Lincoln, approx. 7-year-old, from a rescue group. Lincoln, according to his rescuer, had been either neglected and/or abused. After being rescued, Lincoln apparently had to share his foster/rescue mom with another 20 or so cockers.
Issues, in no particular order:
1. Lincoln seems very needy, and "attacks" both his and Rascal's food. I suspect this has to do with him having to "compete" in his former environment(s). What I have done is to feed/walk one first, then the other.
2. Lincoln seems very jittery, and always wants to be close to me. This is most likely separation anxiety, and I have not found a way to deal with this.
3. Lincoln is crated when I have to leave the house. Each time he is in the crate, he would first bark incessantly. What I have done is to let him bark, and that seems to help. He would stop after a while.
4. Lincoln attempts to mount/"hump" Rascal. There is no apparent pattern to when he does this. I am assuming this has to do with jealousy/dominance, and have tried to separate them when this happens.
5. Lincoln goes after the trash, and is very indiscriminate about what trash he eats. Again, I have not found a way to cure this.
In general, every time he is "bad," I would grab Lincoln by the loose skin on his neck, make sure there is eye contact, give a stern (not hard) shake, and say "Bad Lincoln." I also make sure both Lincoln and Rascal are in my presence whenever Lincoln is out of the crate.
Any insight/possible corrective measure/affirmation is welcome, and sincerely appreciated.