We've done it - come hither with your words of wisdom

[pyloricStenosis]

Thankyou everyone for your input on cockapoo vs cocker spaniel - only at Mumsnet will I ever get a balanced view and range of opinions.

So we've done it and opted for a cocker spaniel after much deliberation - we have res ue cats who have been with us for a couple of years and they are mildly curious from a safe distance - we did consider a rescue dog but for various reasons opted for our darling cocker spaniel puppy.

She is 8 weeks old and we've had her a couple of days now and she seems to be settling in well. On day 1 we took her to the vet for an mot health check and started her on her course of jabs.

So now I'm looking to you for your little nuggets of wisdom - whatever they be - it's been ages since I owned a dog in my childhood and I'm keen to put in lots of time and effort - where to begin?

Watch her like a hawk and if you can't remember or are busy set an alarm to take her out to the toilet every 30 - 40 mins at the beginning. Praise massively when she goes to the toilet but otherwise try not to fuss / play otherwise they get distracted from the purpose (we got ours in Nov so was pretty cold to be stood outside for long periods of time). Are you crate training? We did and our cocker (10 months old) takes herself to it when she is tired / wants to escape the hoover, she is happy for around 3 hours on her own now on the occasion we are both out, anything longer and we get a dog walker in. Ours cried for the 1st few nights so on night one we put her crate in our room and then slowly night by night moved her down the 3 storeys to the kitchen where she 99.9% sleeps happily all night. Is she a working or show cocker? Ours is working and although we knew she would be a bundle of energy I don't think anything prepared us for how much she has. At least 60% of the day needs to be filled with an activity we have found that a mixture of walking (2 x 45 min - 1 hr a day), games (fetch, hiding food for her, kibble ball etc) and training generally tire her out enough to relax while I get some work done although as soon as I move she is up with me. She is 100% a velcro dog and tries to come everywhere with us. She is hard work and sometimes I do feel overwhelmed but she is a lovely dog and those big brown eyes make you forget why you were mad at her pretty quickly.

nmg85 you have pretty much just described our working cocker!! Good luck pyloric....it's hard work, but lots of fun!

you had a thread just two days ago saying you couldn't decide between a cocker or cockerpoo and you've now had a puppy for a couple of days now....how on earth did you get a puppy so quickly? Or am I missing something?

weallhavewings
No you're not missing anything and yes I looked to MN recently for opinions to help me make my final decision. I am always grateful to positive help and advice I receive on here - don't worry, nothing sinister going on - timing is everything and you don't always have to pre order puppies you know. In face one I was considering was bred by a friend of mine .