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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

cocker spaniel

89 replies

lounear35 · 13/04/2015 14:23

Need advice...we have an 18 month old black working cocker bitch. She's perfect with us and most ppl but when annoyed or someone pokes her or bangs on her caged run she growls and jumps and looks like she would snap. She has never attacked anyone or has bitten. She does stay outside during the day in her run which is quite large. And she sleeps inside in a cage at night she is walked for an hr in the morning and for 3/4 miles each evening.
Has anyone experienced a cocker spaniel being snappy and cross.

OP posts:
EsmetheWitch · 13/04/2015 20:36

I waited 17 years before getting my dog because I couldn't dedicate the time she needs before that. I longed for a dog for all those years but it would have been selfish and irresponsible of me to get a dog any sooner.

SingingHinnies · 13/04/2015 20:36

Florin thanks, i was confused with saying it was working, i expected op to say it was hunting or something, i assumed a working dog was one getting worked.

Buttholelane · 13/04/2015 20:36

Are you for real?
You can't be surely.

When you first posted, I did wonder how anyone could say their dog growled when poked or had their run banged.
If did seem utterly unbelievable but then there are stupid people around so I gave it the benefit of the doubt and commented but seriously

Your vet is a fool.
I bet she hasn't had any health screens has she?
DNA tests, eye exams etc I mean, not a vet check.
From the sounds of it she doesn't work either and has fear aggression to boot!

Original poster
lounear35 · 13/04/2015 20:39

Of course she's vet checked I'm afraid I find ur comments very abusive and accusing me of mistreating my dog

OP posts:
Original poster
lounear35 · 13/04/2015 20:40

She is KCREG !

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 13/04/2015 20:42

What does KC reg have to do with it?

Arsenic · 13/04/2015 20:44

She is KCREG !

Oh well in that case.... Hmm

Koalafications · 13/04/2015 20:45

"Very abusive" Hmm

That's quite an over statement.

SingingHinnies · 13/04/2015 20:47

So you must have paid a lot of money for it if it's KC reg? I don't see the point of getting a dog to keep outside in a run to be let out for a few hours a day, did you buy it knowing it would be kept in the run or did you buy it as a house dog and its ended up in the run for whatever reason?

tabulahrasa · 13/04/2015 20:48

What's the relevance of her being KC registered?

Buttholelane · 13/04/2015 20:49

Indeed.
Vet checked is NOT the same thing.
Let's say I wanted to breed my border collie.
She would need a x Ray to check her hips (prone to hip dysplasia), DNA test for progressive retinal atrophy (v common in collies - causes blindness) eye exam by a canine ophthalmologist to ensure she does not have CEA and that's the minimum for a responsible breeder, there are more tests she should ideally have.

Alternatively, I could just get her vet checked.
Let's say she is a carrier for progressive retinal atrophy (very common in the breed remember), potentially, 50% or more of her pups could be completely blind by three depending on what gene the stud dog has.

Also, if your allowing kids to upset your dog to the point that she is getting aggressive you are abusive and you ARE mistreating your dog.

basildonbond · 13/04/2015 20:50

Errr my dog is KC registered and has a fabulous five generation pedigree but I shan't be breeding from him despite his fabulous temperament because even though all his relatives have had all the relevant and expensive health tests for his breed with perfect hip scores, he's still got hip dysplasia

If you can't afford a dog-walker/doggy daycare when you're working you shouldn't have a dog

Lovelydiscusfish · 13/04/2015 20:54

I would agree with others OP that this breed (I have one) likes a lot of human interaction. We got ours when my husband started to work from home, so basically most days she is with him 24/7, and we have even had to buy a load of dog beds to put one in each room, so she can be in whatever room he is working in with him. She is fine to be left on occasion, not destructive or anything, but it is clear how happy it makes her to be close to us.
I understand that you care for your dog and want to do your best to make her happy - and I also understand that you need to do your job, and therefore you cannot have this dog in the house with you during the day. Therefore, I do think you need to consider, upsetting as it might be, whether it would be in the dog's best interests to be rehomed to owners who could provide the dog with human interaction for all, or a greater portion of, the day.

tomatodizzymum · 13/04/2015 20:57

Can I ask then those folks that work what do u do with your dog's all day?

My children do half day school. So youngest DC's are home with a nanny until 1. Then oldest DC is home from 1-5.30 with the dog and doing his homework. We all eat lunch at home and if my DH is on the farm he often takes the dog with him. We sometimes have to leave the dog alone for a couple of hours either in the fenced garden or laundry room. He's 6 months. We wouldn't have a dog before, as we didn't have this setup.

We have a man named in our town. He lives alone on the top of a mountain/hill outside the city (eccentric rich old man). A couple of years he got a break in and was very scared. He got a couple of German Shepherds and keeps them in a 30 square foot "run". At night he lets them out to guard his house and surrounding land. When I asked him how he planned to ensure they turned into effective guard dogs? He said the only way he knows is to keep them caged or chained up during the day. Not nice but he sleeps in peace. It works for making dogs aggressive. Take it or leave it OP.

SingingHinnies · 13/04/2015 21:04

I work part - time but mine are fine left for a few hours, i use a baby gate and put them in the kitchen, he's got a fear of cages, probably caged a lot in a previous home, won't go near one, had a meltdown when i tried him with one. Mine had terrible separation anxiety from being a pound dog and passed from home to home which has got better with time as he realises i am going to come back at some point now so is fine but i only work part time

Bubble2bubble · 13/04/2015 22:12

This is less about the breed, and more about a dog left outside on her own all day getting sad, bored and frightened. Possibly soon to be sad, frightened and pregnant if you listen to your vet and his great idea for breeding...
:(

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 13/04/2015 22:34

I invite you to search for my name in recent threads.

I lost my working cocker just before Christmas. I came on here quite a lot at the time, looking for support and chat.

He was KC reg, obedience trained and trained to the gun because we occasionally did a bit of shooting.

He was also our loyal, loving, clever, faithful, beloved little shadow. He used to follow me round the house. If I went into the study to work, he would follow me in and flop down on the rug in front of the desk. If I went into the living room to watch the news at lunchtime, he would follow me in and flop down on the rug in front of the fireplace. In the winter he would lay in front of the fire. In the summer he would be outside in the garden with us. He would come out in the car with me. He would come to friends houses. He would come on days out. He was known and loved by all our friends and family. When he was ill I wrote about it on Facebook so everybody knew. I had so much support from friends. When he died the support was amazing. He was such a massive part of our lives and everybody knew what he meant to us.

To think of that fantastic little personality left outside by himself every day, alone for hours...

There just aren't enough words.

Ziggyzoom · 13/04/2015 22:55

I'll have her! I work shifts and DH can work from home so between us we are virtually home 24/7. When we aren't - our springer comes with us. If we are unable to take him out, as recently - when I had minor surgery, he still has the company but a good local dog walker takes him out.

Seriously, we were on the look-out for a rescue Cocker, so get in touch if you are having second thoughts.

excitedmamma · 13/04/2015 23:05

You need to look at doggy day care imho.... £15 or so for the full day.... she will get mental and physical stimulation and be much happier..... dogs are pack animals and not solitary animals... the size of run is irrelevant.... it's attention and stimulation she needs..... do the right thing and give her that

Wolfiefan · 13/04/2015 23:10

Adorabelle. So sad but what an amazing relationship. Your dog was so lucky.

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 13/04/2015 23:35

Thanks Wolfie. Smile He is so sorely missed. We're actually about to take on a puppy. I'm excited, terrified and feeling guilty at replacing our old boy all at the same time. He was one in a million though. Hope I can help the new pup turn out the same way.

RaspberrySnowCone · 14/04/2015 14:32

For my pennies worth, you do need to stop the children banging on the run, it's cruel and frightening for her. Cockers are very socialable, they love to be with people. ref your question about what people who work do, we both work during the day so he gets an hr in the morning before we go, a run at lunch time and a run in the late afternoon/evening. Cockers need lots of mental stimulation, they also like a lot of sleep in my experience (of my dog) so our set up of wear him out in the morning, food in a toy that takes a while to empty, then he sleeps, then out at lunch, sleep, ball throwing or training/following me around sticking his nose into everything I'm about to touch in the evening. We have neighbors who often take him out in the afternoon.

Cockers are very intelligent. Being stuck alone in a cage for the majority of the day with no stimulation, particularly when she knows there is exciting things going on without her in the house is enough torment. Being frightened by people as they come and go from the house is not fair and will potentially make her snappy outside of the cage eventually. That I'd agree with others is probably the biggest issue, but how you get around it is only something you can decide/sort out.

OhNoNotMyBaby · 14/04/2015 14:41

Please please please don't leave your dog on its own for so long. He needs to be with people.

Carpaccio · 14/04/2015 15:43

The dog isn't doing anything wrong when she jumps and growls - she is reacting to something that she is terrified of.

As the owner, you either have to ensure that the children can't poke or scare your dog or you have to take her away from the situation by taking her inside your house.
Allowing this to happen again and again is mistreating the dog - surely it is no life to be in a pen and constantly fear that someone will poke or bang on the walls. It honestly sounds awful to me - surely you wouldn't find that kind of existence very nice either?

A cocker is a velcro dog - I have a show cocker and my parents have a working spaniel. The dogs want to be close to us as much as possible. My dog follows me around the house, my parents' dog does the same with my parents and she also wants to hold hands/paws with my dad when he watches TV in the evening.
It's part of the spaniel temperament, and if you are not willing to give this to the dog - then the spaniel is the wrong breed for you.

Leaving the dog in a pen for 12 hours on her own, then caging her for another 6-8 hours at night (alone?) really does not sound like a very nice dog life, especially for a very sociable and energetic young dog.

I am sure you love your dog very much and you want her to have the best life possible - so please make some changes in your life and your dog's life to improve her quality of life.

MostAmused · 14/04/2015 20:44

I agree with other posters that the dog shouldn't be left in the pen for so long. Dogs are social animals most like to be as near to their people as possible. I think the situation you have just now is not the best for your dog. So the best thing to do would be rehome or bring the dog into the house with you/use daycare and only use the pen for short stints.

On another note.
Growling and baring teeth are early warning signs from your dog. You don't want to discourage this behaviour as such you need to prevent the dog from ever feeling the need to send a warning. If you punish the early warning signs then your dog may just go straight for the bite.
Remove the cause of the behaviour as best you can. Stop any children from approaching the cage.