Can four yr. old cockerspaniels have mental disorders?

Answers:
Any dog could have a mental disorder.

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Any age dog could have mental disoreders.
HAve your dog evulated by a trainer or someone qualified in behavioral training or modification.

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yep! sure can, any age, any breed, any owner..oh, you mean the dog, sorry :-) My sister had a cocker spaniel, I gave it to her for Christmas one year. That was the nuttiest dog I have EVER met. NEVER could potty train him and when they left the apt for even an hour to go grocery shopping he went bezerk! It was so sad to see him get all worked up when the keys jingled or the leash came out. He did not want to go with, did not want to stay home by himself. I'm pretty sure he is the reason she won't own a dog to this day and it's been over 20 years!!

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Yes - but please add more specific details. If the dog has just suddenly had a personality change at 4, it may have some cause like pain, a brain tumour, or having been traumatiized. If it has always seemed not right, that may be that dog's personality, unfortunately. When I worked for vets, we had quite a few people put down badly bred Buff Cockers for biting - usually children.

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There are a mind-boggling number of mental disorders. It's amazing how many things can go wrong. The book describing mental disorders (DSM IV) is three inches thick. Dogs have brains, too, which means that things can go wrong for them, too. Your vet may have something to say about your cocker spaniel, or he may recommend an animal behavior specialist.

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Cockers do have a higher incidence of neurological problems like epilepsy, narcolepsy, as well as spinal disease.