[ SHOWGSD-L ] Fw: Rage Syndrome
- From: "Kathy Partch" <jokaysedona@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 7 Sep 2010 10:41:32 -0700
I got this interesting info from my trainer: Kathy Partch
Academy Four Paws
Cheryl Miller
Cornville, Arizona
International Association of Canine Professionals 1624
AKC-CGC Evaluator
www.academy4paws.org
www.academy4paws.com
?Rage Syndrome? is an old term, essentially a misnomer that should be dropped
from the behavior vocabulary. Rage implies a violent, emotional reaction.
While this may apply to sudden outbursts of violence in people, it really
doesn?t help us determine why a similar incident occurred in dogs. The records
of many dogs previously diagnosed with ?Springer Rage Syndrome? were reviewed,
and various forms of aggression were actually displayed. As part of my own
behavior practice, I frequently evaluate dogs with so-called ?Rage Syndrome?.
So far, all of these dogs have been diagnosed with another form of aggression,
including dominance aggression, fear-related aggression, resource guarding, and
territorial behaviors. Dominance aggression was the most common diagnosis,
when current diagnostic criteria were applied.
Ilana Riesner DVM, formally of Cornell?s behavior clinic, did most of the
groundbreaking research on ?Springer rage.? Most of these springers actually
showed a severe form of dominance aggression. A careful behavioral history
revealed that the ?unprovoked? attacks typically occurred in social situations,
even though the owners were unable to predict when an attack would occur. One
of the unique features of springers with this form of dominance aggression is
the lack of warning before the aggression. The ?glazed look? noted by owners
is actually a very intense stare and dilated pupils. This is caused by
sympathetic nervous stimulation, part of the fight or flight response. Whereas
most dominant dogs gradually escalate the level of threat in social situations,
moving from a stare, to growl, to lip curl, to snap and finally to bite,
springers seem to move from stare to full-blown attack, skipping the
intermediate stages. These dogs lacked impulse control and over-reacted in
situations they perceived as threatening. Pedigree research showed that the
most severe cases in springer spaniels could be traced back to a common
bloodline. Cornell was very fortunate to be located in the geographic location
to work with large numbers of these dogs, with the cooperation of breeders and
owners.
Many of the dogs studied by Dr. Reisner had abnormally low amounts of serotonin
metabolites in their urine and cerebral spinal fluid. This suggested that the
dominance aggression was associated with abnormally low levels of serotonin in
the brain. This corresponded with findings in violent mental patients and
prison inmates. Serotonin is one of the neurotransmitters, brain chemicals,
that has a calming effect. In most mammals, it seems to decrease the amount of
aggression associated with dominance. While it doesn?t necessarily change the
social status of an animal, higher serotonin levels decrease the likelihood
aggressive displays will be used to maintain that social position. Based on
these findings, medications that increase serotonin levels were used to treat
dominance aggression in dogs. About 50% of the dominant aggressive dogs
respond to these drugs, with a decrease in aggressive displays. The drugs
don?t solve the problem, but they can make it safer and easier for owners to
use behavior modification techniques to change the dog?s social status in the
home. This indicates that dominance aggression may, at least in some
individuals, result from a brain abnormality on the chemical level.
Unfortunately, there is no commercial test to check serotonin levels in dogs.
Once a behavioral history indicates an individual dog may be a candidate for
drug therapy, a 6 week therapeutic trial is usually recommended to see if they
fall in the 50% who seem to have this chemical abnormality. Prozac is the drug
most commonly used and has the most success. Clomicalm, a veterinary form of
clomipramine used to treat separation anxiety in dogs, also affects the
serotonin system. A recent study, however, failed to show a reduction of
aggressive displays when used in dominance aggression.
When treating any dominant aggressive dog, the prognosis depends on several
factors:
1. Age of onset of aggression ? The younger the dog at the time of the
initial aggression, the poorer the prognosis. Most dominance aggression begins
around the age of behavioral maturity, 1-2 years of age. I have seen some dogs
that already showed severe signs before 6 months of age. On the other hand,
I?ve seen some owners who don?t seek help until the dog is approaching middle
age, although the initial warning signs were present much earlier.
2. Duration of aggression ? Since there is a learned component in any form
of aggressive behavior, it makes sense that the longer the aggression has been
going on, the harder it will be to convince the dog the household rules have
changed. Like any habit, owner behaviors that lead to aggression are also
harder to change.
3. Severity of the aggression ? Dogs who display lower levels of
aggressive behavior, such as growls, lip curls, and inhibited snaps, will be
much easier to treat than dogs who explode with violent attacks. The severity
of the displays is a stronger predicting factor for successful treatment than
the frequency. There is certainly less owner motivation for attempting
treatment when the attacks result in severe injury, even when they are very
infrequent.
4. Predictability of the aggression ? If owners can predict which
situations are most likely to result in aggression, such as guarding objects or
a favored resting place, then measures can be taken to prevent those
situations. In addition, safe training sessions can be set up to teach
alternative behaviors. If an owner, even with the help of an experienced
behaviorist, cannot predict the aggression, it will be far more difficult to
treat.
5. Owner / family profile ? This determines the owners? motivation to
treat the dog. Some owners will not be able to successfully treat some
aggressive dogs, even if there is a treatment program that may be successful.
Dominance aggression seems to arise from three different family
profiles. Some dogs seem to become dominant by default, because no one else in
the family took the leadership role. These are the easiest to treat, as the
owners simply need to be educated and shown what to do. Other situations
result from a mismatch in personalities?an assertive dog with a permissive
owner. These can also be treated, but owners may become uncomfortable with the
necessary lifestyle changes required to live with the dog. Finally, there are
those individual dogs that are genetically extremely assertive. They would
probably be difficult for any but the most experienced dog trainers. These
dogs are the most difficult to treat, as they resist losing the role of top dog
and constantly test the owners throughout life.
Children add another factor to the equation. An adult can make an informed
decision to treat an aggressive dog, potentially placing themselves at risk of
injury. A child cannot. Children are more likely to be injured, as they often
do things inadvertently that may challenge an aggressive dog, even something as
simple as eye contact. The face and neck are the most common locations for
bites, as the child?s size places them at head level with the dog. As a
veterinarian and a behaviorist, I would never argue against euthanizing an
aggressive dog if there were children in the household. Our first
responsibility has to be the safety of those children.
The form of aggression commonly called ?rage syndrome? can be seen in any
breed, but has been documented most frequently in English springer spaniels and
English cocker spaniels. This term simply describes the presentation of the
aggressive behavior and does not tell us anything about the underlying cause.
Most of these dogs have been diagnosed with dominance aggression, but that is
not always the case.
Unfortunately, dominance aggression is probably most commonly found in show
lines. It makes sense, when you think about it, as a successful show dog must
be confident and assertive to deal with all the stresses of the show ring.
We?ve selected for this personality. Show people instinctively handle these
dogs, maintaining leadership without squelching that spark that catches the
judge?s eye. Trouble occurs when offspring from these lines go into homes with
owners who don?t know how to handle these assertive personalities. Most
breeders are great at carefully placing the most assertive puppies into homes
with the right type of owner, providing lots of great advice and guidance to
prevent problems from developing.
Assertive personalities exist along a continuum. At some point in the breeding
program, an individual may be produced that lies at the extreme, the ?rage
dog?. It is vitally important that breeders recognize those dogs whose
personalities lie closer to the extreme, and eliminate them from the breeding
program. This is probably what happened in English springer spaniels. An
extreme individual was retained in the breeding program, producing even more
extreme offspring, and ?Springer Rage? was born. It can happen in any breed
and any bloodline if breeders are not vigilant. Springer breeders have worked
very hard to try to eliminate this trait within their breed and are to be
commended.
There is another form of aggression, called mental lapse aggression, that has
been previously described as ?rage syndrome?. Dr. Bonnie Beaver, at Texas A&M,
first described this type of aggression. The cause is unknown, but the EEG
brain wave pattern resembles that of a wild animal. It is probably not a
seizure disorder, as these dogs do not respond to anticonvulsants. These dogs
display sudden, violent aggression. It can start at any age, but usually
occurs in young adults, and becomes progressively worse. A careful behavioral
history shows absolutely no pattern of predictability. There is no known
treatment, except euthanasia. It is probably very rare, but can be very
difficult to distinguish from a severe case of dominance aggression. In the
long run, it probably isn?t that critical to make the distinction, since
euthanasia is the safest course in either event.
Seizures can also cause unprovoked aggressive episodes, but the EEG generally
shows seizure spikes, a different pattern from mental lapse aggression. When
seizures are the suspected cause of aggression, the veterinarian should do the
typical medical evaluation for any other type of seizure. These dogs often do
very well on anticonvulsants. Owners must be prepared to deal with the
necessary monitoring, as well as the risks involved with owning a dog who shows
aggression during a seizure. Otherwise, they are handled just like any other
seizuring dog.
Depending on how you break it down, there are probably 20 different forms of
aggression in the dog. Multiple forms within the same individual may all
interact together to produce a single biting episode. Without understanding
all these factors, it is extremely difficult to successfully treat an
aggressive dog. ?Rage Syndrome? has been applied to many types of aggression,
primarily dominance aggression, mental lapse aggression, and seizure-related
aggression. This term needs to be dropped from our vocabulary when discussing
causes, prognosis, and treatment of aggressive dogs.
On a final note, aggressive dogs should be evaluated by someone with the
expertise and experience to make an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment
plan. Unfortunately, anyone can hang out a shingle and call themselves a
?behaviorist?, whether or not they have the credentials. It makes it difficult
for people needing help to weed out the good behaviorists from the bad ones.
The best source of help are board certified veterinary behaviorists, a PhD
behaviorist who can work with a regular veterinarian, or someone who has
studied extensively under a certified behaviorist. When in doubt, start with
your regular veterinarian, who can start ruling out medical causes for
aggression and help direct you to qualified experts.
Addendum:
We are currently changing how we look at dominance aggression and social status
in the dog. Social status is very fluid, changing with the situation and
individuals involved. Dominance is a relative term, not a description of a
dog?s personality. It cannot exist within a vacuum. It requires interaction
between at least two individuals for social status to even come into play.
While a dog might be described as having an assertive or confident personality,
dominance should be reserved for describing individual social interactions. A
dog may be the dominant individual in one circumstance and the subordinant
individual in another circumstance. The term ?dominance aggression? is
gradually being replaced with ?status-related aggression?. Some behaviorists
recommend dropping the entire dominant / submissive paradigm. I happen to
disagree, since that negates the fact that social status does exist among dogs
and can come into play during aggressive interactions. However, I agree that
?dominance? has developed a very negative connotation among the dog training
literature. Too much emphasis has been placed on ?dominating? and controlling
our dogs. We no longer recommend using the ?alpha roll? as a form of
discipline.
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