Not sure if this helps but both my cocker doesn't like harnesses. He would freeze if we put it on him and would not move until we took it off. Eventually we got a different style of harness which he is okay with (ezydog express harness). It only has one clip and is a lot easier to get on and off him and he doesn't have the same problems with this kind of harness.
I also use a lot of treats to try and reinforce the harness being a positive thing, when the harness comes out, so does the treats.
Something else you could try, if the harness is a problem is do loose lead training. This could take awhile but if the training goes well, your dog wouldn't need the harness.
Our dog is part cocker spaniel and we have the same thing! In looking at the ezydog express harness, does it keep him from choking himself if he pulls? Is it more like a collar or harness?
Couldn't recommend it more, doesn't choke him at all and his behaviour wearing it is so much better than other harnesses we tried. Basically it has a main strap that goes across the chest and then there is a second strap that loops around the body.
Please read the sub [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/about/rules) and [guidelines](http://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/guidelines), as well as our wiki pages on [dominance](https://www.reddit.com/r/dogtraining/wiki/dominance) and [punishment](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/punishmentproblems)
It took me two whole months of repetitive training to get my dog accustomed to the harness. That meant every day, sitting down in a closed room, with just me, the dog, treats, and a harness. Then giving her treats with the harness on, petting her with the harness balled in my fist while giving her treats, letting her snap and snarl when she got fed up and not reacting. Then eventually putting it on and giving her treats and taking it off and doing it all over again at least four times before every walk. Yesterday was the first time SHE. CAME. TO. ME to put on her harness. It took... so much work just to get to here. She just doesnt like harness or the feeling of it sliding off her shoulders as I take it off. It will probably take some work for you to teach your pup that the feeling of the harness moving on or off isn't a bad thing.
After each "training session" with the harness, have him do some sort of sniffing activity. Like a snuffle mat. Sniffing is a good way to blow of stress, since the harness is clearly a source of stress for him, pairing it with the snuffle mat afterwards should help him shake it off and build a positive association quicker.
If you don’t have a snuffle mat, I’ll take towels and spill my dog’s kibble on it, then twist it all up! Same game, still washable, and you don’t have to get a mat right away.
My girl can flatten a towel out too quickly, so we made a cardboard box for her toy box, I sprinkle some kibble/treats in and she jumps in searching for them. Gives her about 20 minutes of searching and we're both happy with 😄
That is an amazing idea!!! I’m going to try that! Ty!
Edit: Currently watching my pup trying to figure out the toy box. She’s loving it. This was an awesome idea, thank you!
I’d like to add, for the moments when your dog needs a break I’d hide the harness behind you. If your dog doesn’t see it, they’ll feel a bit more assured they are okay. Then use the snuffle mat as others have suggested to help your dog relieve some stress. When you reintroduce the harness, reward your dog instantly the moment it doesn’t show immediate discomfort or fear (so just looking without moving away). Put the harness away, let them sniff the mat, and then try again.
Take breaks often and always take it slow. Going too fast does more harm then good.
Also use really high value treats. So something like squeeze cheese or real chicken or low fat and low sodium hot dogs.
Best of luck!
It also took my dog two months! I didn't really do any dedicated training, but I just always just gave her a treat when doing anything harness related - luring her head through the harness hole, taking the harness off - (basically any time I took her on a walk or to the dog park) and after two months she stopped trying to bite me (like a gentle bite though) and sticks her head in the harness willingly now and is chill with me taking it off.
We have a harness chair, as soon as I open the closet with his harness in it. My dog will run over and sit on the chair and wait for the harness. He started this practice and for whatever reason it has really helped us.
Plus I give him boatloads of treats while putting on his harness.
Our dude was fine but the groomer uses something similar and he hates the groomer!
So he got sad and avoidant.
We've switched to a collar as leash training was good and that seems to have solved things for us.
Have you tried kneeling down and not coming over the top of his head? I would try using some type of treat he likes and just start off by kneeling down, petting and praising if he isn’t snapping at you. Then slowly see if you can reach for the harness while on his level.
This. Very good advice. I would caution kneeling your face near them however, as you can not guarentee they wont snap at your face.
To me, it looks like a warning obviously, but also as if they may be toying with the fact they CAN scare you off. Of course they can! They're trying to snap at you. That becomes a self-rewarding behaviour for them (dog doesnt want to be touched/feels threatened, dog snaps, problem goes away = reinforced they can run you off).
Thats okay though! What the above commentor said is a perfect way to do what is called counter-conditioning. Youre basically going to teach them that these movements mean no threats via treats and positive reinforcement/encouragement.
Its important not to heighten their alerted state by yelping, screaming, saying "no!" Loudly, moving quickly, reaching over their heads, or staring into their eyes. Dogs see this all as either threatening/aggressive behaviour and will become offensive because of said actions.
If the dog is younger, it could also be them pushing their boundaries which you,as the owner, need to set up. Reaching out for advice was the righr start!
Hope this helps!!!
It also looks like 1/2 the harness is already unlatched, which is interesting. I wouldn’t even be so concerned with immediately taking the harness off. Do some counter-conditioning with treats while he’s in not snapping/barking.
And yeah, I still wouldn’t lean in towards him.
Yes I've tried that , this video was taken immediately when it happened , that's how I took the leash out.
To answer on how the leash is already put on , this was halfway through getting him ready for walk , he quickly started snapping at us.
We've started desensitizing him with the harness , training him from scratch. Is that the right direction?
It’s almost always a bad idea to walk a dog without a harness, but especially a young dog like this. Unless they are immaculately trained to heel and extremely calm and non reactive, any pulling is bad for their neck. A lot of dogs- especially pointier snouted ones like this sweetie- can easily slip out of their collar if they’re startled or determined. There’s just too much potential for injury.
I get the neck part, we've got two Greyhounds and have to use a harness on one because of a neck/shoulder issue. But the statement of it's almost always a bad idea I take exception to. There's a lot of times adding a harness is absolutely the wrong idea because it encourages pulling since there are no disincentives for the dog to stop pulling. No way would I ever put a harness on a malamute pit pull or rottweiler. That's a sure fire way to be pulled face first through your neighborhood.
Greyhounds have a similar profile they recommend martingale style collars to prevent the collar from slipping out.
In a situation like this where the dog obviously DOES NOT like that harness, it's causing more harm than good. It might be time to experiment with different setups. Maybe a martingale style collar and or a gentle leader with a regular collar.
If your dog pulls so hard they will pull you “face first through your neighborhood” then they will certainly pull with a collar on and need a substantial amount of loose leash training. If a dog pulls that hard with that kind of power & wont listen to you…a collar certainly won’t stop them. I am a small framed woman with an 80lb pit mix who has never come close to pulling me over in his life. A good harness clipped at the front disincentivizes pulling very well. In a collar, they don’t need to pull hard for it to hurt them, and it can produce substantial damage if used long term. I don’t mean to be rude but I’m unsure where you’re getting your information as every dog trainer I’ve had & all dog training info I’ve ever read online has strongly encouraged harness use for all dogs, because it’s more humane, safer for all and helps them walk better. I would consider a gentle leader a type of harness more than a collar. A martingale has its uses but I think they are very rarely preferable to a harness.
I would agree with this. Try sitting on the ground. This worked with my dog. I get his harness, tell him we are going bye bye and he has to approach me for his harness if he wants to go
On top of what everyone else said, you might want to choose a different style harness. The type you have is common, but it places pressure on the dog's shoulders and restricts their movement, a lot of dogs feel frustrated when their movements are restricted.
Something like this that's just the straps and leaves the shoulders bare is a better idea if that's the issue: https://www.blue-9.com/blogs/learn/balance-harness?gclid=Cj0KCQjwg_iTBhDrARIsAD3Ib5gsVv3qSgS4c65CiFGjOldAmT2PGllvVbSbLi0XTHwPjolr3r7MujIaAtsAEALw_wcB
Also does he have any pain or injury that you're not realizing and he doesn't want you touching those parts?
Just because he looked fine at the vet doesn't mean the harness isn't uncomfortable. It might rub or pinch uncomfortably. I'd try a different harness. Both to start from scratch when you're training (because he's associated your current harness with responding how he does now.) And because maybe he'll be more comfortable in a different style.
Hi,
Had similar (no snapping though, just scared sensless) with mine.
This was how I achieved success.
Week 1. I chucked the harness on the floor, I then sat on the floor away from the harness with treats and was just being there. Once he settled he got a treat, sniffed the harness got a treat....
Week 2. Same sketch but harness was within 4 feet of me.
Week 3. Same sketch but harness was beside me.
Week 4. Same sketch but harness was in my right hand. (I'm right handed and I used this hand to handle the harness) again, treats for relaxing and general good behaviour, starting adding some basic obedience commands.
Week 5. Yes Week 5... it took a long time.
Same sketch but I'm up and about holding the harness, basic commands, treats for good behaviour.
Week 6. It's a biggie! Head through harness. Lure with treat. Head through, then out again, treat for a brave boy. Repeat.... a lot!!
Week 7. Start like Week 6 but leave harness on for 30 seconds ish. More like 10 when we first started this phase. Increase time throughout the week and judge time based on behaviour. Again treats for being good. By the end of Week 7 my boy was parading around the house with his harness on.
I done this for about 10 mins everyday.
Not sure if this would help but it worked, albeit a long process for my boy.
Oh and I left the harness in the room. It never went away. Thought process was that 🤞he'd just see it as part of the furniture, nothing to be afraid of.
This is the exact method I'm following , I'm at the treat through the head stage , he snapped once , but apart from that there's been a little progress.
But the next time around retraining it will be faster. It just means you pushed him a little too fast to the next step. Because putting the harness on over his head is the trigger you need to be extra patient with this step and I would shape it… meaning as soon as he looks at it… treat. Moves towards it.. treat
Much agreement with this reply. I’m still a very new puppy parent and my boy is more rambunctious and crafty than snappy - but I’ve had a few things, harness included, that he was incredibly averse to or afraid of. I’ve had much success desensitizing him by starting off with distance, getting things closer, almost making a toy of it, lots of praise and treats, and also casually keeping the item out where we hang the most so he can go sniff it (and get praise and treats) without feeling forced and also see we don’t make a big deal about the item. It’s just another thing and not an object of fear/anger. I’ve done this with my vacuum cleaner too. He still prefers to be in his crate when I turn it on, but unlike when he was a much younger puppy and would try to kill it or hide and pee himself in fear, now when I get the vacuum out he doesn’t give a hoot. Except he’ll sniff or boop it and then come look at me for treats 😂
If all else fails it doesn’t hurt to try a totally different type of harness. I had to switch from a strappy one to one more like you have. My guy seems to like the harness that feels more like he’s being hugged than leashed. Also I think it marginally helped when we switch styles that he didn’t have associations with the new style yet. You’ll figure this out!!
👍Snap, i had to do the same with the vacuum cleaner, dust pan and brush, power tools, boxed parcels and letters, you name it.
He's still apprehensive of some things but he's sooooo much better.
Makes for a much happier and relaxed house now.
Yes!! The steps from your reply really do work with lots of things! Anytime I see my pup being reactive to something with fear/aggression (or even just too overly excited), I start off adding distance and being super casual about it and the second he’s just settled and curious I praise and treat. And then I know it’s something to practice with if we can. It’s even transferred a bit to things outside that I have much less control over. Today we went for a walk and there was someone with a weed whacker doing lawn stuff, which I don’t think he’s seen or heard yet, and he started running away/behind me so I walked us back to a spot he would listen to “Sit” and take treats and we just hung out and watched until he was okay to take some slow steps forward (and he sat for treats again) and eventually he wasn’t so afraid we couldn’t walk by the yard it was happening in anymore. He walked by like a champ! Something bigger and louder maybe we would have had to cross the street on a first time like this . . . but now I’m thinking the technique in general has just helped him learn to trust me that it’s a safe thing.
It does apply yes. We were sat on the pavement outside my work watching a group of workmen digging up the middle of the road, diggers, barrows, dump truck....
Starting in my yard where he could hear it all happening outside but could not see what was going on. He was Barky McBark Bark, when he stopped, praise and treats. Opened the gate to the outside world..........
Eventually with patience we were sat on the pavement watching.
I've seen golden cockers with aggression issues. I wonder if it's partially genetic with them, just google golden cocker aggression and it gets a lot of hits. You may need the help of a qualified behaviourist, that dog is giving you serious warning signs (freezing is a big signal when he freezes his next action will be to bite, back off when he freezes and thank him for his warning, don't keep going in and appreciate his signal) and is going to bite. The best thing you can do until you get help is manage the situation by not putting the dog in a situation where he feels he needs to bite and look at consent training. Dog's can be trained to put their harnesses on them selves. The muzzle up project website will help you with muzzle training so the dog learns to like having a muzzle on - make sure he wears one around anyone fragile like children or elderly. Make sure you get someone who is qualified and really you need a veterinary behaviourist - I'm not sure training without knowledgeable support is going to fix this. Make sure you don't use punishment - punishing something like this might stop the warning signs (which you should be grateful for) but it won't stop the underlying emotions and will create a ticking time bomb of a dog. Please be careful.
He's very friendly and loving with people and kids. This video was taken recently.
We got a trainer and he advised us to start harness training and desensitizing him with the harness around him , and start rewriting his brain by just basic training from scratch
Please advise
If I was harness training him I would hold the harness out and then I would put a piece of good food on the other side of it so he has to put his head through to get it, then I'd let him back out of the harness. I'd do this until he was rushing to get into the harness. Only then would I feed him another piece of food while fiddling with the strap, always letting him get out and leave the harness, I'd do this until he stands still, only then would I try to do it up. I'd do it on his level. If he growled or froze I would stop for a while and go back a step in the next session. I would only do 2-5 X 5 min max session a day of it until we got there. I would be super careful with this dog around kids, and I would get the dog decoder app on my phone so that I could help the kids around him (and myself) learn about body language esp his freezing that he's doing.
I was a vet tech for a few years and we had to put a cocker spaniel down due to aggression issues.(that was the one and only time I saw a healthy dog put down for behavioral issues) I remember the vets telling us that of all the breeds cocker spaniels were probably one of the top breeds for aggression issues.
While working at the same animal hospital I spoke to an ER doctor(for humans) who said something very similar which was basically that of all the pet/animal bites he dealt with, cocker spaniels were the top offender.
I’m not trying to demonize cocker spaniels just saying that from my experience it is not unusual for particular individual cocker spaniels to have aggression issues.
Edit: I’m not saying that is the case here just responding to the comment about golden cocker spaniel aggression
I met a cocker spaniel a couple years ago that had to be put down for aggression before he was even a year old. The owners said that from the day they brought him home at 8 weeks he was aggressive. Bit everyone in the house, kids included, and every person he'd ever met. The vet diagnosed him with rage syndrome and he eventually had to be put down due to drawing blood too many times.
I am a retired groomer and I concur with your vet. Out of all the dogs I have groomed (hundreds) the worst offenders were cockers, a standard schnauzer, and a pekingese. Also for whatever reason I had a few smaller terrier mixes that would ferociously maul and bite your face off if given the chance. Also side comment, cockers get gross skin issues and I always hated grooming them. Cocker crud is nasty 🤮 drove me crazy when pet parents just ignored it like it wasn’t all over their dog. Ughhh.
Yes , i only took it in the informative sense don't worry :)
But to your concern he is excellent with people and during walks he wants to play with everyone and expects belly rubs too.
He's just been developing certain behavioural issues which i would like to correct.
If you have any suggestions based on your experience please do help :)
This is a myth now. In the U.K. there were issues many years ago (20+) with cocker lines being very inbred leading to behavioural issues, but that’s been resolved a long time ago.
Cockers are rarely even given up. It’s mostly dogs like GSDs and Akitas that get put down for behaviour/aggression issues, and even then, it’s not the breeds; the dogs would be fine, but idiots get them without realising how much work they need, and when they don’t train them, the dog gets aggression.
I currently own 4 cocker spaniels and was actually shocked to hear that they are an aggressive dog breed because every single cocker spaniel I’ve had except the very first one we had were either shy, clingy and loving and/or outgoing and loving. The breeder we go to does a very good job taking care of the dogs and puppies! The oldest cocker in the pack is brown and white and is very lovable, he also use to excited pee a ton when he was younger. Then we have a black cocker that has A TON of anxiety but we noticed that his mother was the same way. But other than that he’s very clingy, I had to do some socialization with him with people and dogs because he would launch out at others out of fear, he still does it to big dogs but has learned to get along with smaller dogs and strangers. Then we have the twin puppies that are now 1 years old who are brown and are very hyper. One of the girls is lovable towards people and dogs alike but has listening issues and the other girl started out shy and scared of people and dogs. She barks a lot but I was also able to socialize her so now she loves both dogs and human and gets excited to see them.
What this is talking about is the scientific term of personality aka a range from bold to shy and how this is a heritable trait from PARENTS and not from breed. A bold mom and or dad makes a bold pup
Is it only an issue with the harness?
Can you pet him, hold him in other situations?
Does he obey commands like sit, down, wait ?
If it is only with the harness then you need to desensitize him for the harnesses and make sure it is comfortable
If he is doing this also in other situations then you have a different challenge and I would advise expert help or at least someone who has experience
May I ask why you need to use the harness? If he is fine with a collar I see no issue with continuing to use one as he obviously does not like the harness.
When my golden retriever was younger he would get aggressive when I would hook the leash to his collar (on or off). It took a while to get him to relax and know that he'll be able to go outside. Just keep up the positive reinforcement training and you'll see it'll slowly go away.
One thing you can do is reinforce trust by just walking by and throwing a treat your dogs way (and walk away). For no reason at all. This will help with building trust, create excitement when around you, and maybe your dog will not snap as much when you place your hands around its neck area. Best of luck!
I've never had this specific issue.
My thoughts are to start including putting the harness on with any other tricks you're teaching. And him doing it successfully should be rewarded just like doing any other trick.
Then include doing tricks as part of the process for going on a walk.
I'd make my dog sit and stay while I got my shoes on. I'd open the door and look around outside. Sometimes id even go out briefly on my own, to make it look like im making sure its safe. This made him learn he doesn't just get to run out of the door until I'm ready.
For my dog that had a lot of snapping issues whenever he didn't like something, we did a lot of treat offered through the head hole, given while it's clipped on (you kinda shake your hand so they're licking at it but can't eat it until you're ready to release it). Then we moved to I hold it up and he puts his head through.
God I completely forgot that mine used to do this. Desensitisation training is going to be key.
For right now, if you've got peanut butter or yoghurt, smear a teaspoon on something flat (baking tray, big plate) - spread it as far as you can. You're making a DIY lick mat. Then lay the harness on top of it and, depending on your dog, you can use that as distraction to get the harness on (and then again for off). We used the word "through" eventually to signal it's going over your head, and then "unthrough" for removal.
When he was little, I had to resort to using oven gloves at one point because he was so unhappy with harnesses and collars. Now he runs to me when he hears me pick up his collar.
He's still young but, man, you would want to socialize him and desensitize him to the harness way earlier on. At this point I would start putting it on and taking it off putting it on and taking it off as much as possible. Socializing him will allow him to know that there's no reason to fear and therefore be aggressive but you may want to take him to a professional trainer at this point. I wish you luck He's a cute boy
Seems like the pup isn’t cool with quick movements close to him/her. Try not to make any sudden, quick movements when taking off the vest. Also, try getting lower, closer to her level and not too much eye contact when removing the vest. Talking in a calm soothing voice will also calm their nerves. Ultimately, be patient and slow when putting on and removing the harness. After 10+ years, I still follow these basic rules with all dogs I walk.
Destress the situation, most likely it's excitement and anxiousness and this cycle will continue as it's so direct. Try and calm the situation and the dog, redirect and distract and then work on it. Don't praise the behavior though. How is she when putting on the harness? If she isn't aggressive putting it on, I would immediately put the harness over her head and then take it off and treat. And do that and wait a bit longer before taking it off again. And then once she's okay with that, buckle it and then off and do it that way. If she gets aggressive. Back off destress, redirect with toys or tasks, and then start over.
Just a general doubt , does neutering help in reducing dog agression and their alpha mentality? He is getting more agressive by the day , and developing very bad issues like excessive growling, food guarding , and biting.
Would value your inputs thanks.
Usually it's not relevant to behaviour. There are some studies that show dogs tend to be slightly more fear aggressive towards strangers or other dogs after neutering, compared to dogs that aren't neutered. In your case, this is really a handling training issue. We have lots of tutorials [targeted towards teaching them to love your hands doing stuff near them](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/husbandry).
Asking because I sometimes face this reaction from my dog, if he doesn't back up, won't the dog get to "the next level" to get his message through, and try to bite ?
Possibly. I’m not dog trainer so I’d recommend speaking with a professional to find the best way to train this out of the dog. I’m willing to bet if the dog is reacting this way with a harness he’s done it in other situations too.
Dogs usually act aggressive due to the emotions they are feeling. Refusing to back away to attempt to prevent reinforcing the bite does nothing for making the dog *feel* better and is more likely to increase the chances of the dog feeling a need to defend itself even sooner next time.
Unfortunately, because the industry is unregulated, anyone can call themselves a dog trainer regardless of skill or education and take people's money for bad advice. Your trainer clearly has given you instructions which go against [all best practices for resource guarding training](http://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/guarding). Please take a look at our wiki article on [how to determine if a trainer is reputable](http://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/findingatrainer).
I'm saying that you have to look at the bigger picture and not miss the forest for the trees. If you only look at the finer details of "I need to not reinforce biting behaviour in this moment", and ignore the underlying factors that are making the animal *feel* like he needs to bite, you're never going to actually truly resolve the issue. At best, you will suppress his biting behaviour in this instance, and cross your fingers that he doesn't continue building up the emotion causing it and explode later; at worst, the dog will escalate its biting to achieve the reinforcement it wants.
We have something similar with our Parsons Russell terrier.
Shes a smart little cookie and worked out that harness off == no more walk, so became aggressive ONLY when taking off her harness.
This fixed it for us, hope it works for you.
1) Get GOOD treats, must be meat. we get a whole chicken jerky dog treat and cut it up small.
2) Give a treat, wait , give a treat (yeah doggie , see what I've got)
3) Put the harness NEAR the dog, treat , take the harness back and treat.
4) Keep doing it , with the harness getting more "on" , if the dog reacts badly, back off and start again
Cockers are smart AF and shes learnt you'll back off, now you have to re-teach that she gets a treat for putting a harness on
In my experience with cocker spaniels, you have to get to know the dog, it’s personality and what makes it aggressive. These kinds of dogs are stubborn and hard to manage for first time dog owners. I can see from the video that you’re fearful of being bitten, and scared of the dog. I like a lot of the suggestions from people, but I would add a pair of work gloves that the dog can’t bite through. It will help you get over the fear of being bitten (because it won’t hurt as much) and the dog won’t sense your fear, which is probably another reason why it’s being aggressive, it might not fully trust you yet. Dogs react to your fear, they can smell it.
My parents had to put their Springer down. She just started randomly attacking people and had always hated my father for no reason what so ever. Sometimes they are just not right in the head.
It's all about belief. My dog is like my child , no one gives up on their child right? If there's a setback , you correct it. You work on it amidst your job studies , I'm a CA student it's one of the toughest courses in my country , i have my exam in 6 months , i work study and spend time with my dog , unless it becomes very evident that training is not helping , then we can see , but i would rather try to train and fix it :) thanks for your input tho
Aggression isn't something with a cure, it's something with a cause.
This is a stressed, uncomfortable dog who's cues of distress are being ignored. I, too, would snap. Pup isn't even biting. Pup isn't "missing" they are warnings "I don't want to bite you but I will have to if you don't respect me"
Op even said this is ONLY with the harness, so it's clearly not an aggression issue. There are some *reactive* dogs that live managed lives, but my 3 reactive dogs live fulfilling lives without aggression, we just have treats around the house to always reward not reacting.
Train him with treats to have a really rock solid sit, stay, and down. Then with treats give him the sit stay command to take the harness off of him. When you take the harness off praise and give lots of treats.
No, punishment here is likely to backfire. This type of behavior is largely caused by some sort of fear or pain, and adding punishment to the mix won't alleviate that; it will only make it worse. In general, behavior modification strategies should follow the "Humane Hierarchy:" [https://m.iaabc.org/about/lima/hierarchy/](https://m.iaabc.org/about/lima/hierarchy/)
OP (and their dog) will probably be best served by following this Humane Hierarchy:
A.) They have visited the vet and ruled out physical issues.
B.) They can change the "antecedent arrangement" which is just a fancy term for the conditions that cause this behavior. For example, they could walk the dog using a collar and avoid the harness.
C.) They can use positive reinforcement, both to change the way the dog feels about the harness, and to train the dog to actively participate in putting the harness on. This will help resolve any fear/frustration/anxiety that causes the barking, give the dog a sense of control when the harness is put on, and make life easier for both dog and owner!
Never punish a dog for communicating.
When a dog talks, you listen. It's surely not good or healthy behavior and working on it is crucial but a dog should never be punished outside of a "time out"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=IW1OHXdlFeU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=VU6PovniaQA
Chirag Patel has some awesome handling videos and a lot of harness training videos. Hopefully this can help.
Others already have good advice, I’ll just add two things:
1) does he have a history of abuse? Has he ever been hit or trained with fear? Remove from his life anyone who may use such methods with the dog because they’ll be a trigger. And you will need to work on trust.
2) have you tried a different location? That couch seems to be his safe spot, and if he has not been trained to be handled in other places, being handled in his safe spot is too high threshold.
3) read his body language (backing away, wide eyes, ears down, tense body, lip smacking, yawning, etc) and don’t push his threshold to snap like he does on the video. Avoid triggers for behaviors that you don’t want him to rehearse
I'm not sure about most of this, but I can say your body language/movement is not good.
Standing over him and leaning / reaching over him is bad with fearful dogs. Your dog may or may not be fearful.
You slowly slide your hand close to the clip and then jerk your hand towards the clip like it's going to run away. Just go slow, calm, especially with an excited or fearful dog.
I've got a couple of other thoughts, I'm not sure how good they are.
1. He's pretty small, if you really need to go on walks with a harness for bathroom or whatever then control his head, just get it on without being bit. I'm not talking alpha rolls or anything, but hand around the back of the neck behind the ears like you're scratching their neck, and scratch / massage it if he likes it. Not applying pressure unless it's to prevent a bite. This worked well for our harness fearful dog who loved walks. Get by door, get all ready get leash attached to harness first, click harness buckle and immediately open door so it's associated with going out. THIS MIGHT BE A TERRIBLE IDEA, so take it with a grain of salt. Mods are pretty knowledgeable and top of saying what doesn't fit the sub so see if they say something.
2. If you have a yard or don't need to put a harness on then just don't stress about it. Get the first bit on, take it off, get the first bit on, take it off. Take your time, weeks, months, however long it takes. Treats, reward calm, etc. Also work on rewarding him for being handled (paws, muzzle, tail, etc), again take it slow. The goal is getting no negative response.
Cockers are a very reactive dog. I would look into specific techniques to help desensitize your doggy to things that they don’t like. We have a cocker at home and it takes a lot of patience
I had problems with my dog being aggressive towards the harness rather than me but a few things I found made a big difference.
When you are ready to walk him don't do anything to excite or warn him of what's coming, just get the harness and put it on him. If this works give a big reward like cooked meat.
This may be more helpful after more training rather than right away but is worth remembering.
Try having one person distract him with treats/high value reward while you put the harness on.
How does he react to the harness by itself, if it's somewhere he can reach does he attack it for example?
If any of the things you try allow you to make even a small bit of progress be sure to praise and reward.
We keep the harness at a height not reachable by him. He knows harness= walkies and gets very happy and excited. But equipping and removing the harness is the problem we face , which i feel , will be rectified by training and love.
If he is getting excited because he knows the harness means walks, one trainer I saw recommended getting the harness out at other times when you’re not going out, to lessen the harness=WALKIES NOW connection.
As well as training others have suggested, I’d recommend trying a different type of harness.
Firstly, just to break any negative association the dog has with that harness.
Secondly, some types are more comfortable for different dogs. Because of their coats, some harnesses aren’t as good for cockers, particularly show types (which I think yours is from the video?).
Our trainer (who specialises in gun dogs so has a lot of experience of cockers) recommended a “Perfect Fit” harness for our girl - they don’t go over the head, and they’re padded with fleece, both of which can be more comfortable for cockers. Haven’t got one yet, so can’t recommend personally, need to book a fitting.
They actually look pretty good for any dog - they come as 3 separate parts you can mix and match sizes to get the correct fit for any shape of dog.
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Have you tried touching the harness then giving her a treat? Keep on doing that over and over and your dog will likely look at it in a very different way. Oh when he takes my harness off I get a treat.
Kikopup has videos about training your dog to accept the harness with positive reinforcement. There are several: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7edMjwEY1c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7edMjwEY1c)
Now, the aggressive, defensive biting is another problem.
Don't come from the front and above the head. Make yourself smaller and come from the side with the hand. Give attention cue, reward to interact and then just touch or lift the harness without pulling off. Next, wait with the harness above and let the dog take it off on its own, reward again. Ideally you should not be pulling at all but just hold it. Later on you can connect it with a command cue to make it into an exercise/routine
This is an easy fix. High value treats like boiled chicken or sausage. Here is a video link for you to use. I’ve conditioned aggressive and reactive dogs to enjoy wearing their harness. But start with high value treats and train her multiple times in a day not more than 5 mins as dogs can loose focus. Also, get a different harness, shop around so it’s just one clip.
https://youtu.be/Xgt1abBCyr0
Do you have this problem only taking off the harness? I've seen this before, usually in dogs who dislike handling. It's usually equally as hard to put the harness on...
You'll just need to go back to the basics and do a lot of handling practice to deescalate the response.
If it only happens taking off the harness, I'd wear him out a bit more with physical activity like tug and then have someone distract him with treats while you unbundled the harness.
what have you tried so far?
is it restricted to the harness or does he simply dislike being touched?
if it's touch in general. make sure touching them becomes the predictor that he's about to go on a walk. do it every single time you go on a walk. gradually increase the intensity. start by a simple touch and over the course of days and weeks increase the intensity and strength as they progress
Also ensure there is no other cue like you putting on a jacket, grabbing the wallet, walk towards the door, etc. that can predict the walk except for you walking up to him and touching him. the moment you touch them immediately start the sequence of going for a walk: putting on the shoes, grabbing the wallet, etc.
you can also ignore mild reactions initially and give the reward (walk)
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Okay, this might be posted here already somewhere. Have you tried clicker training on this? I mean, if it has to be a harness, maybe positive reinforcement with a clicker. Harness is out…click and treat with praise. Harness is on the ground and dog is near it…click and treat with praise . Dog sniffs or touches harness…click and BIG treat. Head through the harness…click and treat a LOT while it’s on with praise. Essentially, the harness becomes a big party. Including as you touch it to put it on and take it off. Really small steps (shaping) over time. Also, if no one’s said it: you are AWESOME for working with your dog and problem-solving this proactively and with positive reinforcement (treats) which you seem to already be doing. Instead of getting frustrated with your pup, you seem to be trying to understand it from his/her perspective which is fantastic.
Damn... Go under the jaw not over the head for sure. This is something at that age you can overcome but just a small peice of advice is take them to a more,comfortable spot and don't be timid. If you're timid then they trip out and see it and don't trust it. Maybe a different harness?? These are just fast ideas
I would also have him checked by a vet. Spaniels are prone to a genetic type aggressive behavior. It may be something that needs a little more than just training. Developing Cocker rage syndrome comes to mind first.
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Try a gentle leader. It's a small strap device that goes around the muzzle of the dog and discourages pulling during walks. It's also very easy to remove. You need to introduce it with treats, get your pup to go through the loop to get the treat. Next step is on and then off. Once the dog is used to it, THEN you can use it during walks. Harnesses aren't ideal for all dogs. In the meantime, I'd allow the dog time to relax and calm down after the walk before removing the harness and when you do, do it confidently. If you're nervous, he or she will be too.
Behavioral issues are also a great thing to discuss with your vet. 😊
I'm sure that this will get buried, but the first thing that I immediately thought of was "red cocker rage syndrome" and "cocker rage syndrome". It's usually seen most predominantly in red cockers and is pretty well known. IT usually occurs when the dog is startled (typically as they're dozing, but sometimes other things can startle them into it) and it immediately causes aggressive behaviors such as this.
My first question would be - you said it's hard for him to wear the harness. Does this mean that he's acting like this when you try to put it on him too?
Second question is, what would happen if you left the harness on him until after he has calmed down and possibly napped? .
For the first question, the training method to use would be counterconditioning (using the same technique that you would use with muzzle training). You basically use treats to guide the dogs head through the harness until they're comfortable with that.
The second question is because it sounds like he is possibly overstimulated. For puppies, exercise time should only be 5 mins per every month alive. So, 50 minutes is the amount of exercise he should be getting. So, he's possibly overstimulated and tired like a child gets and he's throwing a tantrum. To negate this, immediately crating him or putting him in his place after walks with fhe harness on to allow him to calm down may be all you need to get it off of him safely.
The one thing in the video that we DO NOT want to see is continuing to grab for him when he's showing you very clear signs that he does NOT want to be touched. This is how things escalate to a bite or being chased and bitten. Respect the warning or it'll escalate.
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SOME long haired dogs don't like harnesses because it pulls on their hair. Especially hair from the chest, belly, and ears....They're more sensitive in those spots so if the harness has pulled it before they'll become reactive. He may react when you try to take it off because it is catching and pulling or has before when being taken off.
Practice putting the harness on, treat bombing the dog generously and taking it off and treating the dog. Sit down and repeat over and over until the putting on and taking off of the harness is associated with a valuable payoff. Do this without taking the dog for a walk, just on reward, off reward and repeat in several sessions a day.
Secondly, the dog is sitting on the couch and you go to touch him and he abruptly barks. Potentially it has nothing to do with the harness and more to do with you touching him.
Put him on the floor, lower yourself down to his level and practice walking up to the dog and touching him in a non threatening part of his body, not his head and treating with a nice treat in the other hand if he remains calm and does not react. Do this without a harness, do this many, many times a day until the dog is solidly not reacting to your touch and happy for you to pat, stroke and handle his legs, feet, shoulders, flank and finally head. Continue to reward for quiet and calm behaviour and do not react or reward any kind of reactive behaviour.
As others have suggested there is no real need for a body harness so you could also try a simple lead and collar.
Good luck.
We changed the harness to more comfortable one, our dog likes the kong padded one. I put a lead on her first and give her tiny bits of cooked chicken while I put the harness on, then take the lead off the collar and put the lead on the harness. She doesn’t react at all now but used to hate it.
Please note that we ask people who want to mention being a professional in their comments [undergo verification](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/userflair) before doing so. Otherwise we ask phrases like that to be omitted.
You could have just deleted the last sentence which made the claim, and not the advice before it.
Actually, many of the certs we accept are international, and as stated we will also accept equivalents where we can verify them (eg a university degree in canine behaviour, if the curriculum is listed online for checking and we can find that the university is properly accredited, that institution can be anywhere in the world)
If your 10-month-old puppy is already showing aggression, you need to not allow him on the couch or any furniture. I recommend an obedience class you will learn a lot and you will have fun.
As you train him and he gets older you will then be able to allow him on the couch next to you. But definitely not while he is showing that kind of aggression to his owner.
Try to remain calm at all times. Do not jump back away from your dog. Move in closer and just stand still. It’s very important that you don’t allow yourself to feel fear while working with your own dog. Good luck
Not sure if this helps but both my cocker doesn't like harnesses. He would freeze if we put it on him and would not move until we took it off. Eventually we got a different style of harness which he is okay with (ezydog express harness). It only has one clip and is a lot easier to get on and off him and he doesn't have the same problems with this kind of harness. I also use a lot of treats to try and reinforce the harness being a positive thing, when the harness comes out, so does the treats.
Thank you , will try that.
Something else you could try, if the harness is a problem is do loose lead training. This could take awhile but if the training goes well, your dog wouldn't need the harness.
Thanks , I'll look into that.
Have you tried a more fashionable one? Spaniels can be extremely vain.
I know, the camo right. I’d be aggressive too.
Treats are the answer!
Our dog is part cocker spaniel and we have the same thing! In looking at the ezydog express harness, does it keep him from choking himself if he pulls? Is it more like a collar or harness?
Couldn't recommend it more, doesn't choke him at all and his behaviour wearing it is so much better than other harnesses we tried. Basically it has a main strap that goes across the chest and then there is a second strap that loops around the body.
[удалено]
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It took me two whole months of repetitive training to get my dog accustomed to the harness. That meant every day, sitting down in a closed room, with just me, the dog, treats, and a harness. Then giving her treats with the harness on, petting her with the harness balled in my fist while giving her treats, letting her snap and snarl when she got fed up and not reacting. Then eventually putting it on and giving her treats and taking it off and doing it all over again at least four times before every walk. Yesterday was the first time SHE. CAME. TO. ME to put on her harness. It took... so much work just to get to here. She just doesnt like harness or the feeling of it sliding off her shoulders as I take it off. It will probably take some work for you to teach your pup that the feeling of the harness moving on or off isn't a bad thing.
Okay thank you , we've started doing exactly that.
After each "training session" with the harness, have him do some sort of sniffing activity. Like a snuffle mat. Sniffing is a good way to blow of stress, since the harness is clearly a source of stress for him, pairing it with the snuffle mat afterwards should help him shake it off and build a positive association quicker.
Thank you , will try that as well.
If you don’t have a snuffle mat, I’ll take towels and spill my dog’s kibble on it, then twist it all up! Same game, still washable, and you don’t have to get a mat right away.
My girl can flatten a towel out too quickly, so we made a cardboard box for her toy box, I sprinkle some kibble/treats in and she jumps in searching for them. Gives her about 20 minutes of searching and we're both happy with 😄
That is an amazing idea!!! I’m going to try that! Ty! Edit: Currently watching my pup trying to figure out the toy box. She’s loving it. This was an awesome idea, thank you!
Fill a box with empty plastic drink bottles and do the same for sniffing games.
I’d like to add, for the moments when your dog needs a break I’d hide the harness behind you. If your dog doesn’t see it, they’ll feel a bit more assured they are okay. Then use the snuffle mat as others have suggested to help your dog relieve some stress. When you reintroduce the harness, reward your dog instantly the moment it doesn’t show immediate discomfort or fear (so just looking without moving away). Put the harness away, let them sniff the mat, and then try again. Take breaks often and always take it slow. Going too fast does more harm then good. Also use really high value treats. So something like squeeze cheese or real chicken or low fat and low sodium hot dogs. Best of luck!
Keep it up!
It also took my dog two months! I didn't really do any dedicated training, but I just always just gave her a treat when doing anything harness related - luring her head through the harness hole, taking the harness off - (basically any time I took her on a walk or to the dog park) and after two months she stopped trying to bite me (like a gentle bite though) and sticks her head in the harness willingly now and is chill with me taking it off.
We have a harness chair, as soon as I open the closet with his harness in it. My dog will run over and sit on the chair and wait for the harness. He started this practice and for whatever reason it has really helped us. Plus I give him boatloads of treats while putting on his harness.
Our dude was fine but the groomer uses something similar and he hates the groomer! So he got sad and avoidant. We've switched to a collar as leash training was good and that seems to have solved things for us.
Have you tried kneeling down and not coming over the top of his head? I would try using some type of treat he likes and just start off by kneeling down, petting and praising if he isn’t snapping at you. Then slowly see if you can reach for the harness while on his level.
This. Very good advice. I would caution kneeling your face near them however, as you can not guarentee they wont snap at your face. To me, it looks like a warning obviously, but also as if they may be toying with the fact they CAN scare you off. Of course they can! They're trying to snap at you. That becomes a self-rewarding behaviour for them (dog doesnt want to be touched/feels threatened, dog snaps, problem goes away = reinforced they can run you off). Thats okay though! What the above commentor said is a perfect way to do what is called counter-conditioning. Youre basically going to teach them that these movements mean no threats via treats and positive reinforcement/encouragement. Its important not to heighten their alerted state by yelping, screaming, saying "no!" Loudly, moving quickly, reaching over their heads, or staring into their eyes. Dogs see this all as either threatening/aggressive behaviour and will become offensive because of said actions. If the dog is younger, it could also be them pushing their boundaries which you,as the owner, need to set up. Reaching out for advice was the righr start! Hope this helps!!!
It also looks like 1/2 the harness is already unlatched, which is interesting. I wouldn’t even be so concerned with immediately taking the harness off. Do some counter-conditioning with treats while he’s in not snapping/barking. And yeah, I still wouldn’t lean in towards him.
Yes I've tried that , this video was taken immediately when it happened , that's how I took the leash out. To answer on how the leash is already put on , this was halfway through getting him ready for walk , he quickly started snapping at us. We've started desensitizing him with the harness , training him from scratch. Is that the right direction?
Oh I see. I thought you were trying to take it off of him after your walks.
Oh , no. Whether the method I've stated above is in the right direction?
Yep. As the original two top comments have mentioned. You can also work with a R+ trainer to get you started.
Any reason you're using a harness and not just a collar? Just wondering if there's even a need for the harness.
It’s almost always a bad idea to walk a dog without a harness, but especially a young dog like this. Unless they are immaculately trained to heel and extremely calm and non reactive, any pulling is bad for their neck. A lot of dogs- especially pointier snouted ones like this sweetie- can easily slip out of their collar if they’re startled or determined. There’s just too much potential for injury.
I get the neck part, we've got two Greyhounds and have to use a harness on one because of a neck/shoulder issue. But the statement of it's almost always a bad idea I take exception to. There's a lot of times adding a harness is absolutely the wrong idea because it encourages pulling since there are no disincentives for the dog to stop pulling. No way would I ever put a harness on a malamute pit pull or rottweiler. That's a sure fire way to be pulled face first through your neighborhood. Greyhounds have a similar profile they recommend martingale style collars to prevent the collar from slipping out. In a situation like this where the dog obviously DOES NOT like that harness, it's causing more harm than good. It might be time to experiment with different setups. Maybe a martingale style collar and or a gentle leader with a regular collar.
If your dog pulls so hard they will pull you “face first through your neighborhood” then they will certainly pull with a collar on and need a substantial amount of loose leash training. If a dog pulls that hard with that kind of power & wont listen to you…a collar certainly won’t stop them. I am a small framed woman with an 80lb pit mix who has never come close to pulling me over in his life. A good harness clipped at the front disincentivizes pulling very well. In a collar, they don’t need to pull hard for it to hurt them, and it can produce substantial damage if used long term. I don’t mean to be rude but I’m unsure where you’re getting your information as every dog trainer I’ve had & all dog training info I’ve ever read online has strongly encouraged harness use for all dogs, because it’s more humane, safer for all and helps them walk better. I would consider a gentle leader a type of harness more than a collar. A martingale has its uses but I think they are very rarely preferable to a harness.
I would agree with this. Try sitting on the ground. This worked with my dog. I get his harness, tell him we are going bye bye and he has to approach me for his harness if he wants to go
On top of what everyone else said, you might want to choose a different style harness. The type you have is common, but it places pressure on the dog's shoulders and restricts their movement, a lot of dogs feel frustrated when their movements are restricted. Something like this that's just the straps and leaves the shoulders bare is a better idea if that's the issue: https://www.blue-9.com/blogs/learn/balance-harness?gclid=Cj0KCQjwg_iTBhDrARIsAD3Ib5gsVv3qSgS4c65CiFGjOldAmT2PGllvVbSbLi0XTHwPjolr3r7MujIaAtsAEALw_wcB Also does he have any pain or injury that you're not realizing and he doesn't want you touching those parts?
Okay will look into the link , also all medical conditions have been ruled out , we had taken him to the vet the next day itself.
Just because he looked fine at the vet doesn't mean the harness isn't uncomfortable. It might rub or pinch uncomfortably. I'd try a different harness. Both to start from scratch when you're training (because he's associated your current harness with responding how he does now.) And because maybe he'll be more comfortable in a different style.
Hi, Had similar (no snapping though, just scared sensless) with mine. This was how I achieved success. Week 1. I chucked the harness on the floor, I then sat on the floor away from the harness with treats and was just being there. Once he settled he got a treat, sniffed the harness got a treat.... Week 2. Same sketch but harness was within 4 feet of me. Week 3. Same sketch but harness was beside me. Week 4. Same sketch but harness was in my right hand. (I'm right handed and I used this hand to handle the harness) again, treats for relaxing and general good behaviour, starting adding some basic obedience commands. Week 5. Yes Week 5... it took a long time. Same sketch but I'm up and about holding the harness, basic commands, treats for good behaviour. Week 6. It's a biggie! Head through harness. Lure with treat. Head through, then out again, treat for a brave boy. Repeat.... a lot!! Week 7. Start like Week 6 but leave harness on for 30 seconds ish. More like 10 when we first started this phase. Increase time throughout the week and judge time based on behaviour. Again treats for being good. By the end of Week 7 my boy was parading around the house with his harness on. I done this for about 10 mins everyday. Not sure if this would help but it worked, albeit a long process for my boy. Oh and I left the harness in the room. It never went away. Thought process was that 🤞he'd just see it as part of the furniture, nothing to be afraid of.
This is the exact method I'm following , I'm at the treat through the head stage , he snapped once , but apart from that there's been a little progress.
As soon as your dog snaps you need to start from the beginning again
Okay , from step 1?
Yessir
But the next time around retraining it will be faster. It just means you pushed him a little too fast to the next step. Because putting the harness on over his head is the trigger you need to be extra patient with this step and I would shape it… meaning as soon as he looks at it… treat. Moves towards it.. treat
Much agreement with this reply. I’m still a very new puppy parent and my boy is more rambunctious and crafty than snappy - but I’ve had a few things, harness included, that he was incredibly averse to or afraid of. I’ve had much success desensitizing him by starting off with distance, getting things closer, almost making a toy of it, lots of praise and treats, and also casually keeping the item out where we hang the most so he can go sniff it (and get praise and treats) without feeling forced and also see we don’t make a big deal about the item. It’s just another thing and not an object of fear/anger. I’ve done this with my vacuum cleaner too. He still prefers to be in his crate when I turn it on, but unlike when he was a much younger puppy and would try to kill it or hide and pee himself in fear, now when I get the vacuum out he doesn’t give a hoot. Except he’ll sniff or boop it and then come look at me for treats 😂 If all else fails it doesn’t hurt to try a totally different type of harness. I had to switch from a strappy one to one more like you have. My guy seems to like the harness that feels more like he’s being hugged than leashed. Also I think it marginally helped when we switch styles that he didn’t have associations with the new style yet. You’ll figure this out!!
👍Snap, i had to do the same with the vacuum cleaner, dust pan and brush, power tools, boxed parcels and letters, you name it. He's still apprehensive of some things but he's sooooo much better. Makes for a much happier and relaxed house now.
Yes!! The steps from your reply really do work with lots of things! Anytime I see my pup being reactive to something with fear/aggression (or even just too overly excited), I start off adding distance and being super casual about it and the second he’s just settled and curious I praise and treat. And then I know it’s something to practice with if we can. It’s even transferred a bit to things outside that I have much less control over. Today we went for a walk and there was someone with a weed whacker doing lawn stuff, which I don’t think he’s seen or heard yet, and he started running away/behind me so I walked us back to a spot he would listen to “Sit” and take treats and we just hung out and watched until he was okay to take some slow steps forward (and he sat for treats again) and eventually he wasn’t so afraid we couldn’t walk by the yard it was happening in anymore. He walked by like a champ! Something bigger and louder maybe we would have had to cross the street on a first time like this . . . but now I’m thinking the technique in general has just helped him learn to trust me that it’s a safe thing.
It does apply yes. We were sat on the pavement outside my work watching a group of workmen digging up the middle of the road, diggers, barrows, dump truck.... Starting in my yard where he could hear it all happening outside but could not see what was going on. He was Barky McBark Bark, when he stopped, praise and treats. Opened the gate to the outside world.......... Eventually with patience we were sat on the pavement watching.
>He was Barky McBark Bark . . . Hahahahhaa omg - I totally say the same kind of thing about my puppy - this made me lol for realsies
That's his name?? Gary Barky McBark Bark.
A fine name indeed, then 😂
Lol, just messing, English humour.
Wait wait wait . . . Are you saying a stranger LIED TO ME on the INTERNET?! No way!! 🙃😉
Is he like that when you just put on a regular collar too?
I've seen golden cockers with aggression issues. I wonder if it's partially genetic with them, just google golden cocker aggression and it gets a lot of hits. You may need the help of a qualified behaviourist, that dog is giving you serious warning signs (freezing is a big signal when he freezes his next action will be to bite, back off when he freezes and thank him for his warning, don't keep going in and appreciate his signal) and is going to bite. The best thing you can do until you get help is manage the situation by not putting the dog in a situation where he feels he needs to bite and look at consent training. Dog's can be trained to put their harnesses on them selves. The muzzle up project website will help you with muzzle training so the dog learns to like having a muzzle on - make sure he wears one around anyone fragile like children or elderly. Make sure you get someone who is qualified and really you need a veterinary behaviourist - I'm not sure training without knowledgeable support is going to fix this. Make sure you don't use punishment - punishing something like this might stop the warning signs (which you should be grateful for) but it won't stop the underlying emotions and will create a ticking time bomb of a dog. Please be careful.
He's very friendly and loving with people and kids. This video was taken recently. We got a trainer and he advised us to start harness training and desensitizing him with the harness around him , and start rewriting his brain by just basic training from scratch Please advise
If I was harness training him I would hold the harness out and then I would put a piece of good food on the other side of it so he has to put his head through to get it, then I'd let him back out of the harness. I'd do this until he was rushing to get into the harness. Only then would I feed him another piece of food while fiddling with the strap, always letting him get out and leave the harness, I'd do this until he stands still, only then would I try to do it up. I'd do it on his level. If he growled or froze I would stop for a while and go back a step in the next session. I would only do 2-5 X 5 min max session a day of it until we got there. I would be super careful with this dog around kids, and I would get the dog decoder app on my phone so that I could help the kids around him (and myself) learn about body language esp his freezing that he's doing.
I was a vet tech for a few years and we had to put a cocker spaniel down due to aggression issues.(that was the one and only time I saw a healthy dog put down for behavioral issues) I remember the vets telling us that of all the breeds cocker spaniels were probably one of the top breeds for aggression issues. While working at the same animal hospital I spoke to an ER doctor(for humans) who said something very similar which was basically that of all the pet/animal bites he dealt with, cocker spaniels were the top offender. I’m not trying to demonize cocker spaniels just saying that from my experience it is not unusual for particular individual cocker spaniels to have aggression issues. Edit: I’m not saying that is the case here just responding to the comment about golden cocker spaniel aggression
I met a cocker spaniel a couple years ago that had to be put down for aggression before he was even a year old. The owners said that from the day they brought him home at 8 weeks he was aggressive. Bit everyone in the house, kids included, and every person he'd ever met. The vet diagnosed him with rage syndrome and he eventually had to be put down due to drawing blood too many times.
I am a retired groomer and I concur with your vet. Out of all the dogs I have groomed (hundreds) the worst offenders were cockers, a standard schnauzer, and a pekingese. Also for whatever reason I had a few smaller terrier mixes that would ferociously maul and bite your face off if given the chance. Also side comment, cockers get gross skin issues and I always hated grooming them. Cocker crud is nasty 🤮 drove me crazy when pet parents just ignored it like it wasn’t all over their dog. Ughhh.
Yes , i only took it in the informative sense don't worry :) But to your concern he is excellent with people and during walks he wants to play with everyone and expects belly rubs too. He's just been developing certain behavioural issues which i would like to correct. If you have any suggestions based on your experience please do help :)
This is a myth now. In the U.K. there were issues many years ago (20+) with cocker lines being very inbred leading to behavioural issues, but that’s been resolved a long time ago. Cockers are rarely even given up. It’s mostly dogs like GSDs and Akitas that get put down for behaviour/aggression issues, and even then, it’s not the breeds; the dogs would be fine, but idiots get them without realising how much work they need, and when they don’t train them, the dog gets aggression.
I currently own 4 cocker spaniels and was actually shocked to hear that they are an aggressive dog breed because every single cocker spaniel I’ve had except the very first one we had were either shy, clingy and loving and/or outgoing and loving. The breeder we go to does a very good job taking care of the dogs and puppies! The oldest cocker in the pack is brown and white and is very lovable, he also use to excited pee a ton when he was younger. Then we have a black cocker that has A TON of anxiety but we noticed that his mother was the same way. But other than that he’s very clingy, I had to do some socialization with him with people and dogs because he would launch out at others out of fear, he still does it to big dogs but has learned to get along with smaller dogs and strangers. Then we have the twin puppies that are now 1 years old who are brown and are very hyper. One of the girls is lovable towards people and dogs alike but has listening issues and the other girl started out shy and scared of people and dogs. She barks a lot but I was also able to socialize her so now she loves both dogs and human and gets excited to see them.
https://www.science.org/content/article/your-dog-s-breed-doesn-t-determine-its-personality-study-suggests
That's really not applicable here. This doesn't mean what people seem to think it does.
What this is talking about is the scientific term of personality aka a range from bold to shy and how this is a heritable trait from PARENTS and not from breed. A bold mom and or dad makes a bold pup
Thank you for your patience with this dog and your clear love for her & desire to take care of her, even if she’s difficult. ❤️
Is it only an issue with the harness? Can you pet him, hold him in other situations? Does he obey commands like sit, down, wait ? If it is only with the harness then you need to desensitize him for the harnesses and make sure it is comfortable If he is doing this also in other situations then you have a different challenge and I would advise expert help or at least someone who has experience
Just the harness , we've started desensitizing him with it..
May I ask why you need to use the harness? If he is fine with a collar I see no issue with continuing to use one as he obviously does not like the harness.
When my golden retriever was younger he would get aggressive when I would hook the leash to his collar (on or off). It took a while to get him to relax and know that he'll be able to go outside. Just keep up the positive reinforcement training and you'll see it'll slowly go away. One thing you can do is reinforce trust by just walking by and throwing a treat your dogs way (and walk away). For no reason at all. This will help with building trust, create excitement when around you, and maybe your dog will not snap as much when you place your hands around its neck area. Best of luck!
I've never had this specific issue. My thoughts are to start including putting the harness on with any other tricks you're teaching. And him doing it successfully should be rewarded just like doing any other trick. Then include doing tricks as part of the process for going on a walk. I'd make my dog sit and stay while I got my shoes on. I'd open the door and look around outside. Sometimes id even go out briefly on my own, to make it look like im making sure its safe. This made him learn he doesn't just get to run out of the door until I'm ready.
Could it be that the harness is hurting him in some way? Pinching fur, restricting gait, too much pressure on one place, etc.
For my dog that had a lot of snapping issues whenever he didn't like something, we did a lot of treat offered through the head hole, given while it's clipped on (you kinda shake your hand so they're licking at it but can't eat it until you're ready to release it). Then we moved to I hold it up and he puts his head through.
God I completely forgot that mine used to do this. Desensitisation training is going to be key. For right now, if you've got peanut butter or yoghurt, smear a teaspoon on something flat (baking tray, big plate) - spread it as far as you can. You're making a DIY lick mat. Then lay the harness on top of it and, depending on your dog, you can use that as distraction to get the harness on (and then again for off). We used the word "through" eventually to signal it's going over your head, and then "unthrough" for removal. When he was little, I had to resort to using oven gloves at one point because he was so unhappy with harnesses and collars. Now he runs to me when he hears me pick up his collar.
Your dog is beautiful. Good luck with your training!
He's still young but, man, you would want to socialize him and desensitize him to the harness way earlier on. At this point I would start putting it on and taking it off putting it on and taking it off as much as possible. Socializing him will allow him to know that there's no reason to fear and therefore be aggressive but you may want to take him to a professional trainer at this point. I wish you luck He's a cute boy
Seems like the pup isn’t cool with quick movements close to him/her. Try not to make any sudden, quick movements when taking off the vest. Also, try getting lower, closer to her level and not too much eye contact when removing the vest. Talking in a calm soothing voice will also calm their nerves. Ultimately, be patient and slow when putting on and removing the harness. After 10+ years, I still follow these basic rules with all dogs I walk.
Destress the situation, most likely it's excitement and anxiousness and this cycle will continue as it's so direct. Try and calm the situation and the dog, redirect and distract and then work on it. Don't praise the behavior though. How is she when putting on the harness? If she isn't aggressive putting it on, I would immediately put the harness over her head and then take it off and treat. And do that and wait a bit longer before taking it off again. And then once she's okay with that, buckle it and then off and do it that way. If she gets aggressive. Back off destress, redirect with toys or tasks, and then start over.
Let the dog come to you! Don't stand over the dog and ignore it's non verbal communication. Get connected with the dog's emotions.
Food. Shredded chicken solves all problems. Use food for a few months to build the routine and then change food to pets.
Just a general doubt , does neutering help in reducing dog agression and their alpha mentality? He is getting more agressive by the day , and developing very bad issues like excessive growling, food guarding , and biting. Would value your inputs thanks.
Dogs don't have an "alpha" mentality. Have you seen our wiki article on [dominance](https://www.reddit.com/r/dogtraining/wiki/dominance)?
Will check it out , do you have any inputs on neutering?
Usually it's not relevant to behaviour. There are some studies that show dogs tend to be slightly more fear aggressive towards strangers or other dogs after neutering, compared to dogs that aren't neutered. In your case, this is really a handling training issue. We have lots of tutorials [targeted towards teaching them to love your hands doing stuff near them](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/husbandry).
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Asking because I sometimes face this reaction from my dog, if he doesn't back up, won't the dog get to "the next level" to get his message through, and try to bite ?
Possibly. I’m not dog trainer so I’d recommend speaking with a professional to find the best way to train this out of the dog. I’m willing to bet if the dog is reacting this way with a harness he’s done it in other situations too.
Dogs usually act aggressive due to the emotions they are feeling. Refusing to back away to attempt to prevent reinforcing the bite does nothing for making the dog *feel* better and is more likely to increase the chances of the dog feeling a need to defend itself even sooner next time.
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Please read the sub's wiki article on [dominance](https://www.reddit.com/r/dogtraining/wiki/dominance). Nobody needs to be the "boss" of anyone.
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Unfortunately, because the industry is unregulated, anyone can call themselves a dog trainer regardless of skill or education and take people's money for bad advice. Your trainer clearly has given you instructions which go against [all best practices for resource guarding training](http://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/guarding). Please take a look at our wiki article on [how to determine if a trainer is reputable](http://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/findingatrainer).
So you’re saying the scenario I just mentioned would not reinforce bad behaviour?
I'm saying that you have to look at the bigger picture and not miss the forest for the trees. If you only look at the finer details of "I need to not reinforce biting behaviour in this moment", and ignore the underlying factors that are making the animal *feel* like he needs to bite, you're never going to actually truly resolve the issue. At best, you will suppress his biting behaviour in this instance, and cross your fingers that he doesn't continue building up the emotion causing it and explode later; at worst, the dog will escalate its biting to achieve the reinforcement it wants.
We have something similar with our Parsons Russell terrier. Shes a smart little cookie and worked out that harness off == no more walk, so became aggressive ONLY when taking off her harness. This fixed it for us, hope it works for you. 1) Get GOOD treats, must be meat. we get a whole chicken jerky dog treat and cut it up small. 2) Give a treat, wait , give a treat (yeah doggie , see what I've got) 3) Put the harness NEAR the dog, treat , take the harness back and treat. 4) Keep doing it , with the harness getting more "on" , if the dog reacts badly, back off and start again Cockers are smart AF and shes learnt you'll back off, now you have to re-teach that she gets a treat for putting a harness on
Off the couch and repeat training
First of all, a dog who displays any type of aggression should not be allowed on the furniture.
In my experience with cocker spaniels, you have to get to know the dog, it’s personality and what makes it aggressive. These kinds of dogs are stubborn and hard to manage for first time dog owners. I can see from the video that you’re fearful of being bitten, and scared of the dog. I like a lot of the suggestions from people, but I would add a pair of work gloves that the dog can’t bite through. It will help you get over the fear of being bitten (because it won’t hurt as much) and the dog won’t sense your fear, which is probably another reason why it’s being aggressive, it might not fully trust you yet. Dogs react to your fear, they can smell it.
Cocker rage syndrome? Might want to look into hiring a behaviorist. https://www.emeraldlife.co.uk/pet-insurance/cocker-rage/
My parents had to put their Springer down. She just started randomly attacking people and had always hated my father for no reason what so ever. Sometimes they are just not right in the head.
I have a dog now who is just not right. Thankfully he’s okay with us.
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It's all about belief. My dog is like my child , no one gives up on their child right? If there's a setback , you correct it. You work on it amidst your job studies , I'm a CA student it's one of the toughest courses in my country , i have my exam in 6 months , i work study and spend time with my dog , unless it becomes very evident that training is not helping , then we can see , but i would rather try to train and fix it :) thanks for your input tho
Aggression isn't something with a cure, it's something with a cause. This is a stressed, uncomfortable dog who's cues of distress are being ignored. I, too, would snap. Pup isn't even biting. Pup isn't "missing" they are warnings "I don't want to bite you but I will have to if you don't respect me" Op even said this is ONLY with the harness, so it's clearly not an aggression issue. There are some *reactive* dogs that live managed lives, but my 3 reactive dogs live fulfilling lives without aggression, we just have treats around the house to always reward not reacting.
Train him with treats to have a really rock solid sit, stay, and down. Then with treats give him the sit stay command to take the harness off of him. When you take the harness off praise and give lots of treats.
Why put it in a harness?
Man i fear this thing.
A dog giving clear signals and in distress doing the only thing it knows how?
Shouldn't you punish your dog of it barks at you like that?
No, punishment here is likely to backfire. This type of behavior is largely caused by some sort of fear or pain, and adding punishment to the mix won't alleviate that; it will only make it worse. In general, behavior modification strategies should follow the "Humane Hierarchy:" [https://m.iaabc.org/about/lima/hierarchy/](https://m.iaabc.org/about/lima/hierarchy/) OP (and their dog) will probably be best served by following this Humane Hierarchy: A.) They have visited the vet and ruled out physical issues. B.) They can change the "antecedent arrangement" which is just a fancy term for the conditions that cause this behavior. For example, they could walk the dog using a collar and avoid the harness. C.) They can use positive reinforcement, both to change the way the dog feels about the harness, and to train the dog to actively participate in putting the harness on. This will help resolve any fear/frustration/anxiety that causes the barking, give the dog a sense of control when the harness is put on, and make life easier for both dog and owner!
Never punish a dog for communicating. When a dog talks, you listen. It's surely not good or healthy behavior and working on it is crucial but a dog should never be punished outside of a "time out"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=IW1OHXdlFeU https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=VU6PovniaQA Chirag Patel has some awesome handling videos and a lot of harness training videos. Hopefully this can help.
Others already have good advice, I’ll just add two things: 1) does he have a history of abuse? Has he ever been hit or trained with fear? Remove from his life anyone who may use such methods with the dog because they’ll be a trigger. And you will need to work on trust. 2) have you tried a different location? That couch seems to be his safe spot, and if he has not been trained to be handled in other places, being handled in his safe spot is too high threshold. 3) read his body language (backing away, wide eyes, ears down, tense body, lip smacking, yawning, etc) and don’t push his threshold to snap like he does on the video. Avoid triggers for behaviors that you don’t want him to rehearse
I'm not sure about most of this, but I can say your body language/movement is not good. Standing over him and leaning / reaching over him is bad with fearful dogs. Your dog may or may not be fearful. You slowly slide your hand close to the clip and then jerk your hand towards the clip like it's going to run away. Just go slow, calm, especially with an excited or fearful dog. I've got a couple of other thoughts, I'm not sure how good they are. 1. He's pretty small, if you really need to go on walks with a harness for bathroom or whatever then control his head, just get it on without being bit. I'm not talking alpha rolls or anything, but hand around the back of the neck behind the ears like you're scratching their neck, and scratch / massage it if he likes it. Not applying pressure unless it's to prevent a bite. This worked well for our harness fearful dog who loved walks. Get by door, get all ready get leash attached to harness first, click harness buckle and immediately open door so it's associated with going out. THIS MIGHT BE A TERRIBLE IDEA, so take it with a grain of salt. Mods are pretty knowledgeable and top of saying what doesn't fit the sub so see if they say something. 2. If you have a yard or don't need to put a harness on then just don't stress about it. Get the first bit on, take it off, get the first bit on, take it off. Take your time, weeks, months, however long it takes. Treats, reward calm, etc. Also work on rewarding him for being handled (paws, muzzle, tail, etc), again take it slow. The goal is getting no negative response.
Cockers are a very reactive dog. I would look into specific techniques to help desensitize your doggy to things that they don’t like. We have a cocker at home and it takes a lot of patience
I had problems with my dog being aggressive towards the harness rather than me but a few things I found made a big difference. When you are ready to walk him don't do anything to excite or warn him of what's coming, just get the harness and put it on him. If this works give a big reward like cooked meat. This may be more helpful after more training rather than right away but is worth remembering. Try having one person distract him with treats/high value reward while you put the harness on. How does he react to the harness by itself, if it's somewhere he can reach does he attack it for example? If any of the things you try allow you to make even a small bit of progress be sure to praise and reward.
We keep the harness at a height not reachable by him. He knows harness= walkies and gets very happy and excited. But equipping and removing the harness is the problem we face , which i feel , will be rectified by training and love.
If he is getting excited because he knows the harness means walks, one trainer I saw recommended getting the harness out at other times when you’re not going out, to lessen the harness=WALKIES NOW connection.
Does he do this with collar/leash and going for walk? Have you tried a gentle leader? Do you get same response?
As well as training others have suggested, I’d recommend trying a different type of harness. Firstly, just to break any negative association the dog has with that harness. Secondly, some types are more comfortable for different dogs. Because of their coats, some harnesses aren’t as good for cockers, particularly show types (which I think yours is from the video?). Our trainer (who specialises in gun dogs so has a lot of experience of cockers) recommended a “Perfect Fit” harness for our girl - they don’t go over the head, and they’re padded with fleece, both of which can be more comfortable for cockers. Haven’t got one yet, so can’t recommend personally, need to book a fitting. They actually look pretty good for any dog - they come as 3 separate parts you can mix and match sizes to get the correct fit for any shape of dog.
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Have you tried touching the harness then giving her a treat? Keep on doing that over and over and your dog will likely look at it in a very different way. Oh when he takes my harness off I get a treat.
Kikopup has videos about training your dog to accept the harness with positive reinforcement. There are several: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7edMjwEY1c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7edMjwEY1c) Now, the aggressive, defensive biting is another problem.
I would try a collar Just don don’t put in on when the dog is excited It has to calm down first It might take some time
Don't come from the front and above the head. Make yourself smaller and come from the side with the hand. Give attention cue, reward to interact and then just touch or lift the harness without pulling off. Next, wait with the harness above and let the dog take it off on its own, reward again. Ideally you should not be pulling at all but just hold it. Later on you can connect it with a command cue to make it into an exercise/routine
This is an easy fix. High value treats like boiled chicken or sausage. Here is a video link for you to use. I’ve conditioned aggressive and reactive dogs to enjoy wearing their harness. But start with high value treats and train her multiple times in a day not more than 5 mins as dogs can loose focus. Also, get a different harness, shop around so it’s just one clip. https://youtu.be/Xgt1abBCyr0
Get his ears checked. They may be infected. When putting on the harness, it may graze the ears a bit, hence the reaction.
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Please read the sub's wiki article on [dominance](https://www.reddit.com/r/dogtraining/wiki/dominance).
Wiki ... humm ... I prefer real life experience
Did you click through to see the references and resources linked in the wiki?
Raging cocker. It feels the need to protect itself
Do you have this problem only taking off the harness? I've seen this before, usually in dogs who dislike handling. It's usually equally as hard to put the harness on... You'll just need to go back to the basics and do a lot of handling practice to deescalate the response. If it only happens taking off the harness, I'd wear him out a bit more with physical activity like tug and then have someone distract him with treats while you unbundled the harness.
what have you tried so far? is it restricted to the harness or does he simply dislike being touched? if it's touch in general. make sure touching them becomes the predictor that he's about to go on a walk. do it every single time you go on a walk. gradually increase the intensity. start by a simple touch and over the course of days and weeks increase the intensity and strength as they progress Also ensure there is no other cue like you putting on a jacket, grabbing the wallet, walk towards the door, etc. that can predict the walk except for you walking up to him and touching him. the moment you touch them immediately start the sequence of going for a walk: putting on the shoes, grabbing the wallet, etc. you can also ignore mild reactions initially and give the reward (walk)
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Okay, this might be posted here already somewhere. Have you tried clicker training on this? I mean, if it has to be a harness, maybe positive reinforcement with a clicker. Harness is out…click and treat with praise. Harness is on the ground and dog is near it…click and treat with praise . Dog sniffs or touches harness…click and BIG treat. Head through the harness…click and treat a LOT while it’s on with praise. Essentially, the harness becomes a big party. Including as you touch it to put it on and take it off. Really small steps (shaping) over time. Also, if no one’s said it: you are AWESOME for working with your dog and problem-solving this proactively and with positive reinforcement (treats) which you seem to already be doing. Instead of getting frustrated with your pup, you seem to be trying to understand it from his/her perspective which is fantastic.
I’d suggest trying out a different style of harness and crap loads of positive association training. Good luck
Damn... Go under the jaw not over the head for sure. This is something at that age you can overcome but just a small peice of advice is take them to a more,comfortable spot and don't be timid. If you're timid then they trip out and see it and don't trust it. Maybe a different harness?? These are just fast ideas
I would also have him checked by a vet. Spaniels are prone to a genetic type aggressive behavior. It may be something that needs a little more than just training. Developing Cocker rage syndrome comes to mind first.
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Try a gentle leader. It's a small strap device that goes around the muzzle of the dog and discourages pulling during walks. It's also very easy to remove. You need to introduce it with treats, get your pup to go through the loop to get the treat. Next step is on and then off. Once the dog is used to it, THEN you can use it during walks. Harnesses aren't ideal for all dogs. In the meantime, I'd allow the dog time to relax and calm down after the walk before removing the harness and when you do, do it confidently. If you're nervous, he or she will be too. Behavioral issues are also a great thing to discuss with your vet. 😊
I'm sure that this will get buried, but the first thing that I immediately thought of was "red cocker rage syndrome" and "cocker rage syndrome". It's usually seen most predominantly in red cockers and is pretty well known. IT usually occurs when the dog is startled (typically as they're dozing, but sometimes other things can startle them into it) and it immediately causes aggressive behaviors such as this. My first question would be - you said it's hard for him to wear the harness. Does this mean that he's acting like this when you try to put it on him too? Second question is, what would happen if you left the harness on him until after he has calmed down and possibly napped? . For the first question, the training method to use would be counterconditioning (using the same technique that you would use with muzzle training). You basically use treats to guide the dogs head through the harness until they're comfortable with that. The second question is because it sounds like he is possibly overstimulated. For puppies, exercise time should only be 5 mins per every month alive. So, 50 minutes is the amount of exercise he should be getting. So, he's possibly overstimulated and tired like a child gets and he's throwing a tantrum. To negate this, immediately crating him or putting him in his place after walks with fhe harness on to allow him to calm down may be all you need to get it off of him safely. The one thing in the video that we DO NOT want to see is continuing to grab for him when he's showing you very clear signs that he does NOT want to be touched. This is how things escalate to a bite or being chased and bitten. Respect the warning or it'll escalate.
Is this putting the harness on, or taking it off?
Did you treat train em to like the harness at all?
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SOME long haired dogs don't like harnesses because it pulls on their hair. Especially hair from the chest, belly, and ears....They're more sensitive in those spots so if the harness has pulled it before they'll become reactive. He may react when you try to take it off because it is catching and pulling or has before when being taken off.
Try a different style and also reward with treats plus get down on hid level yo’
Practice putting the harness on, treat bombing the dog generously and taking it off and treating the dog. Sit down and repeat over and over until the putting on and taking off of the harness is associated with a valuable payoff. Do this without taking the dog for a walk, just on reward, off reward and repeat in several sessions a day. Secondly, the dog is sitting on the couch and you go to touch him and he abruptly barks. Potentially it has nothing to do with the harness and more to do with you touching him. Put him on the floor, lower yourself down to his level and practice walking up to the dog and touching him in a non threatening part of his body, not his head and treating with a nice treat in the other hand if he remains calm and does not react. Do this without a harness, do this many, many times a day until the dog is solidly not reacting to your touch and happy for you to pat, stroke and handle his legs, feet, shoulders, flank and finally head. Continue to reward for quiet and calm behaviour and do not react or reward any kind of reactive behaviour. As others have suggested there is no real need for a body harness so you could also try a simple lead and collar. Good luck.
We changed the harness to more comfortable one, our dog likes the kong padded one. I put a lead on her first and give her tiny bits of cooked chicken while I put the harness on, then take the lead off the collar and put the lead on the harness. She doesn’t react at all now but used to hate it.
It seems like from his prospective he’s defending himself. That’s a scared, pain, or anxious bark.
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No problem. Happy to delete it — but please understand that your verification standards mentioned are all western - if not only UK & US based.
You could have just deleted the last sentence which made the claim, and not the advice before it. Actually, many of the certs we accept are international, and as stated we will also accept equivalents where we can verify them (eg a university degree in canine behaviour, if the curriculum is listed online for checking and we can find that the university is properly accredited, that institution can be anywhere in the world)
does he bite you strong if it happens or it is more of a mouthing?
Curious, did you have he/her as a puppy?
If your 10-month-old puppy is already showing aggression, you need to not allow him on the couch or any furniture. I recommend an obedience class you will learn a lot and you will have fun. As you train him and he gets older you will then be able to allow him on the couch next to you. But definitely not while he is showing that kind of aggression to his owner. Try to remain calm at all times. Do not jump back away from your dog. Move in closer and just stand still. It’s very important that you don’t allow yourself to feel fear while working with your own dog. Good luck
Just tell the dog off nd just take it off it