http://www.essfta.org/Health_Research/aggression.htm Rage Syndrome article, do a Google for many other articles. Short of it, Rage is less common now as it seems they ID'd the bloodlines and have worked hard to reduce it. Most cases of supposed Rage these days are just dogs without strong human leadership that try to put the human in his/her place and get labeled as a "Rage" dog.

I would recommend arming yourself with knowledge of Rage, read as many different articles as you can, speak with a Rage-knowledgeable vet, that way you can better recognize what may be Rage and what may simply be the dog thinking it's higher than you in the heirarchy. Read Leerburg's articles on Groundwork, read about NILIF, be a good, respectable leader and DEFEND your older, smaller papillon from this bullying teenager. Teach the ESS that this will not be tolerated and be firm. Find your dog's threshold level of correction (the level where the correction actually makes an impact) and stick to that level, raising in intensity according to infraction. Enforce calm interactions, step in before the tail dragging starts such as when the ESS starts to get physical. Correct him off and make both dogs relax and maintain a command within view of each other (such as a down), if that's not possible with the puppy then crate your ESS and give your pap the command. That reinforces in the dogs' eyes that you are in charge, in control, you will keep everyone safe and everyone must interact on your terms, plus it will help teach your pup some self control.

Do not leave them together unsupervised, even for a second, and don't let them spend too much time together. Have more one-on-one time with you and your pup, work on your bond, do obedience training, play games and exercise, reinforce to him that you rule, he does not. If feeding time or chew-toy time becomes an issue, feed both dogs in separate rooms so they cannot see or molest each other and do not give either dog a toy or chewie if they're in a position to bother each other. If this behavior is allowed to continue, at best your pap will have a very sad, paranoid life, and at worst your pap will be dead.

Edit: If he will be trained for OB and agility, spend most of your time working and playing with him! That way, only a minimal amount of time is spent with the pap and he will be (or should be) tuckered out when he's with the pap, thus less inclined to be a bully.
Edit again: As he is only 8 weeks, he is probably just displaying puppy rambunctiousness, so be gentle. Again, spend more time with him. In fact, you may want to keep him and the pap completely separated or only together for a bare minimum. Yes, too early for ecollars, prongs, etc. Everything should be motivational and set up on prevention rather than correction. You need to keep his drive and motivation up for agility and OB and you don't want to overcorrect him now. If you must have them together, allow them to interact only when the pup is tired and not rough. As soon as your pap starts to protest, take your pup outside and play with him. Make sure he doesn't bond with the other dog more than with you.


ED's Comments added in;

This issue of RAGE SYNDROM on this up is unfounded. This pup does not have rage syndrom. It has prey drive. It is being alarmist to think this pup has rage.

Would prefer to hear, he came full of life, head held high.

It is these "normal" type of corrections, that builds resentment, and leads to rage syndrome. Learning how to correct and remain safe is the issue.

You forgot about puncturing the spinal sheath or worst breaking that poor little tail.

 Quote:

It is these "normal" type of corrections, that builds resentment, and leads to rage syndrome. Learning how to correct and remain safe is the issue.

Simple. Don't beat the beans out of your dog when correcting. Correct with the minimum of force required to get your point across. To do anything else will bring "rage" in any breed. I think true Rage is a genetic abnormality. What we see these days are more likely people with spaniels who overcorrect their dogs and they end up fear biting to defend themselves or people who haven't a clue that they need to maintain clear leadership or even how to do it.

Rage is less reacting over a correction than suddenly going all-out apes*** at a dishwasher or at someone just for walking by the dog, seemingly oblivious to any outside stimuli, then after the attack, back to normal and happy. That's just from what I gather about reading experiences from people who think their dog might have rage. They describe a perfectly normal dominant dog and a human who tries to correct the dog even though he's subordinate to the dog. Then I've read about the true symptoms of Rage- those are the dogs that suddenly flip a switch and go ballistic for no reason at all, more like a brain disorder than anything else. Then again, I'm only going by the info out there and people don't even understand exactly what it's from, but I can see a few cases of Rage happening in the past and now everyone who has a dog that growls or snaps gets labeled with it as well even though it's just simple lifestyle and leadership issues.

And yes, I would be worried about that ESS docking the poor pap's tail! <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

My spitz (like a Pom, only 2x size) had his fluffy tail used
as floss by our GSD pup until it nearly disappeared. She grew out of it, his tail is again fluffy.

If the PAP isn't complaining, it might not be as big a deal as it seems. The ESS needs to play to learn how to inhibit it's bite. They're pack mates, and both boys, they're gonna tumble for points and honor for no other reason than they can, and it feels good to do so. As long as nobody's yelping or drawing blood, it will sound worse than it is.
Just my $.02
Enjoy This Day!

There is an important issue that always needs to be addressed when considering the education of a dog, breed familiarity! In the past, this where a lot of owners got frustrated/confused when attempting to educate their dogs. Most of the information on educating a dog was coming from the Seeing Eye People, and they weren’t exactly tipping their hat, so to speak. So we unfortunate dog lovers tried to manage with what tidbits that were thrown our way. But it became painfully obvious that what worked for a Lab, did not work for a Shiba Inu!

More specific to the thread, my question to Diana and Holly, and I know they are well intentioned, how many English Springer Spaniels have you trained and to what level?
How many English Springer Spaniels have you witnessed being given up for adoption because of this behavior? How many court cases have you been asked to sit on, to help defend a English Springer Spaniel for this behavior? How many times have you encountered Rage Syndrome in a English Springer Spaniel and how did you correct it?

Scott, as I said I was going by research, and my whole point to my posts was that overcorrecting can mess up most dogs, aggression is not well understood by laypeople or beginning (even many intermediate) dog people, and in a breed where a genetic disorder has cropped up around severe, vicious aggression, people who do not understand the condition fully may be quick to lop any sign of aggression into the category of Rage Syndrome.

If I didn't already suggest it though I think I might have, the ESS owner should bring her ESS into a vet who is savvy with behavior, Rage Syndrome, mental defects, or knows of a facility such as a university that would be better versed on the subject to advise the owner. It's poorly understood, some vets apparently think it's a seizure-type issue whereas I've read about one vet who said it was originally described in cockers but the term, not the condition jumped to springers, so with all the misinformation floating around I really believe the OP should take her dog to the best source- a vet or university better aware of the subject and able to differentiate "normal" aggression/dominance and "Rage."

I have not trained ESSs. I have been around a few very well trained ones who received their share of fair positive training as well as discipline to get to where they were. I know lots of people dump dogs at shelters thinking it's a severe problem when really most cases are owner issues. Finally, yes, I am not qualified to give total advice on this subject. Honestly, I don't think anyone is unless s/he is a vet/researcher well versed in behavior who has access to all the research concerning Rage and who can see examples of the dog's supposed "rage" and say "that's dominance behavior" or "I think something is definitely wrong, probably Rage." Again, my post was simply to help the owner see that this is not a clear cut issue, that no one here can really say one way or the other, that she should take the next step and see a true qualified individual. If it really is more common than current research dictates, all the more reason for the OP to bring her dog in to help aid ongoing research.

Edit: http://www.essfta.org/Health_Research/aggression.htm Great article on rage. Not even the experts seem to agree on what it is. There is nothing wrong with me, who has never trained an ESS, posting the info already out there on Rage so the OP can read all sides, including yours, and make an informed decision. With something so insidious as this, we should be working together to educate on all possibilities rather than bickering about "no it's this, no it's that."

I would hope that the Vet would refer their client to an experienced dog trainer. A dog trainer that has successfully proven themselves, to be able to resolve these types of behavior problems over and over again. Most Vets would be the first ones to admit that they do not have the knowledge, or the time to assist in severe behavior problems. They would profess that good referrals, are good business!

Of course, Scott. We all know many vets are not behaviorally inclined. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> However, a vet can test a dog medically and even though there doesn't seem to be a clear cut test for Rage (at least not according to what I'm reading, maybe there is), he could still do the rounds and maybe, with his connections in the field, will know of a place to go that's proficient in dealing with canine mental disorders such as seizures, epilepsy, and Rage. If all checks out (may need to find second and third opinions in a very suspect case), then it is indeed off to the behaviorist to train the owner. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />