We had to put our dog down due to 'Springer Rage.' Have you ever heard of this?

My husband and I just had to have our 3 yr old English Springer Spaniel put to sleep. This was one of the hardest things that we have ever had to do, but for the safely of our grandchildren and other family members it was necessary.



Our dog was purchased at 8 weeks old and was a loved member of our family. As a young puppy he displayed a fear of the dark that we could not comprehend. I have never had a dog that was afraid of the dark. He also would aggressively attack the vacuum cleaner and my mop. This I thought was due to puppy play.



When he was 6 months old we had him neutered. He was our pet and we did not plan to breed him. As he got older he started to become a problem for dog groomers and required muzzling. He also required muzzling when at the vets for treatment.



We were concerned about his object guarding, therefore toys, bones etc. were taken away and we hired a professional trainer to help us take him out of the alpha dog position.



Our dog did not improve. Whenever something was bothering or disturbing to him his eyes would become dilated, no visible brown only black pupil. Last week he bit my 6 yr old grandson who was feeding him a dog biscuit. (Something the child always has done). He nipped his forefinger and thumb, but did lunge for him growling. The next day he bit my son-in-law who reached down to take hold of his collar, again something he has done in the past. Again the dog lunged and growled while attacking. My son-in-law received a more aggressive serious bit, fortunately no stitches were required. My husband and I decided that we would take the dog to our vet Monday morning for assessment. We determined that we would either need to put our dog to sleep or have him assessed for more intensive training. My sister came to visit me on Sunday she was going to accompany me to the vets as my moral support should I need to have the dog put down. My sister gave our dog a biscuit with peanut butter and then was going to let him lick the peanut butter off her finger. My dog who has always loved my sister lunged, growing and bit her fingers while trying to drag her under the dining room table. He would not let go until my husband grabbed his collar, twisted and lifted him up to break the bite. My sister said that during his bite his eyes were completely dilated. My sister required stitches. I did not ask our vet for an assessment, I had the dog put to sleep. Our vet said he appeared to have something called Springer Rage and it is a genetic problem. Have you ever heard of Springer Rage? I do not regret putting the dog down, I believe it was the only responsible thing we could do. However it does not make it any easier. I want another dog, but will not purchase a Springer again even though We have had several without problems who were good gentle loving pets. This experience has made me fearful of the breed.



Georgette