Working cocker spaniel decision!

[Quokka12]

We have been talking and talking about getting a puppy - think it is time to take the plunge or not and are going tomorrow to see a working cocker spaniel from this litter felsteadgundogs.com - first dog (as adults grew up with them) and have a 7 year old dd. Someone in the house most of the day and happy to do exercise/ training etc. V expensive though at 900 - is it a good family dog (only had border collies before and didn't want that big but still active and bright)?

Beautiful dogs, happy gentle daft souls. Good with children. Can be destructive though (demon chewers) so will need to be kept busy and worn out.

Someone will come along and say they're not an easy first dog.
But, I don't think any dogs are. I have a Springer & he's far easier than my Doberman.

Spaniels do need a lot of training, exercise, mental stimulation & human companionship. But, you get back tenfold what you put it. Brilliant dogs.

I had a working cocker as my second dog. She was the bestest dog you could have (I've not been able to get another one as no one can replace her). To be honest my Burmese cats are harder work than she was (apart from I don't need to walk them).

Best dogs ever and very easy to train, eager to learn and please. I have a show cocker but think my next one will be a worker. Mine didn't chew at all, in fact her toys have lasted as long as she has (she's almost 5). I'm very excited for you. I know lots of workers around here and they are all lovely dogs - just make sure you put in the training.

You were lucky hairy. I gave up buying slippers and new skirting boards.

Obscene price. Plenty of working cockers available by me for under £300.

Bear in mind that working dogs need a LOT of brain exercise as well as body.

They are a WONDERFUL family dog!

We currently have a working springer and a working cocker - first spaniels we've ever had, as prior to this we had always had terriers.

We've never regretted getting the girls. They are sweet-natures, biddable, easy to train and an absolute joy! They're not noisey (this is why we moved away from terriers - they bark almost constantly, though they have lovely personalities) and will only bark if there's something to bark at. They aren't bad chewers - very little has been accidentally destroyed (only a slipper and a couple of socks - the terriers cost us a fortune in damaged furniture, clothing, soft toys, flooring etc).

Their only "fault" if it can be called that, is that they are "mouthy". They pick things up (anything they can't hold of) and bring it to you. This means that if you aren't careful you will find one glove where you left it, and the other where the dog has dropped it! They are also quite bouncy, but easy to train out of it unless they are very over-excited, but a 7 yo should be fine, though they could set a toddler flying. Their mouthiness can extend them taking your arm or hand in their mouths affectionately, but they DON'T bite - I must stress this - they just hold you, their mouths are very soft.

I lightly groom mine three or four times a day because I don't want to have to clip them, but their coats are easy to maintain as long as you don't let them get matted. They dry off very quickly after getting wet or muddy - and they will get wet and muddy.

Of the two, our springer is the most beautiful dog I have ever seen - ever! But she isn't as bright as the cocker by half.

Our pretty little cocker bitch is the most intelligent and easy to train dog we have ever had. She's bright, joyful, loving, full of fun, obedient (mostly ) and just wonderful. If we had room for another dog, I would get another cocker in a heartbeat!

They do need a lot of exercise though, and for all cockers aren't a large dog, they are strong for their size, and I recommend that you train your puppy to heel as soon as you can (puppy classes will also help with socialisation - they aren't troublesome dogs, but all pups need to learn how to behave with other dogs as I'm sure you're aware). S/he'll learn quickly as they are very bright and eager to please.

Also - they eat a huge amount for their size, but you will find they run it off.

£900 isa lot, but TBH it is what you will expect to pay for a well-bred, registered pup whose parents have had all of the appropriate health tests.

I hope you decide to go ahead - you won't regret it. And of course, we will want photographs on here . . . .

Aaah stop. I want a cocker. But the cats would move out.

We have two cats, Eternal - they were three when the dogs arrived. They all get on wonderfully (only problem is occasional litter-tray sorts by the dogs. )

Thank you - pictures will follow if we decide to do it tomorrow morning - he is a beautifullittle dog!

Wow... expensive

Do you have work for it to do? It's effectively a retriever so will want to fetch all the live long day.

We have a lovely show cocker, we didn't fully check her eye scores and whilst we love her dearly we pay through the nose for her ongoing health conditions now she's 8. She has weak bladder, and dry eye. Our medication bill is around £100+ per month with vets fees to keep her healthy.

Check the family history of eye conditions!!

Wouldn't change her for the world though even when she ate £250 off the side

We had a working cocker when DS was 9 DD 8. DS took her to dog training classes and won aa Junior Handler award. From then on she was 'his' dog.
They do need a lot of exercise, plenty of off lead running and preferably a lot of play. As ours got older she had to be left when I needed to work, but Radio 4 seemed to keep her happy! She died at 13.
She was a great family pet.
We currently have a springer, with a very similar temperament.

One thing we didn't know before getting our 9 month old WC is that they have the mad crazy moments first thing in morning and between 7-9 at night.
He's a lovely family dog though..will play for ages with the kids and easy to train

We don't have work for it to do - and a normal sized garden 60ft by 60ft ish. We are pretty active so it would be out 4-5 hours or more on the weekend and 2-3 during the week. We want a dog that will play so plenty of play at home in the garden and plan to send to training and agility. Slightly worried it will be bored a bit during the week as the best we can do is an hour before work (my parents are then at home and will take for a walk for an hour in the afternoon) - dd will play when she gets home from school and then we'll do an hour when we get in from work.

Quokka

As long as your dog has a chance to get rid of her morning energy she'll be fine until DD gets back - you have a big garden for her to go bananas in (that had slipped my mind shanks - thanks for the reminder ).

Dogs very quickly learn their routine. And this is a wonderful breed, it really is.

Working cockers are very different to show cockers. Yes, they're lovely, warm, intelligent, funny - but they require a lot of exercise and stimulation.

Show cockers on the other hand are much lazier! And less demanding re exercise. The working cockers I know are never still. Have you thought about a show one instead?

www.felsteadgundogs.com/index.htm

We may have already fallen in love with this one - we see him at 9 tomorrow!

Link doesn't work! He is under our dogs and litters.

First off - excellent choice of breeder! We got our first working cocker from there and she has been an absolute beauty, and they are wonderful. Working cockers are fabulous dogs, yes they are high energy and a bit bonkers but they are a joy to own. Little things I've found with our girl is - start recall training as soon as you can, inside the house before all jabs are done. We used a whistle and while during her teenage years she would scamper off after pigeons, her recall has been strong from the beginning.
Workers tend to be AWFUL on the lead, so early lead training is a must. Again start in the house so he's used to lead and walking to heel.
Look into agility training, and include it in your morning walks. If you mentally stimulate on walks as well as physically exercise it tends to knacker them out so they're chilled for the day. Take training dummies for gun dogs with you and get him to find and retrieve - much better than just a run!
Firm discipline is necessary in the beginning, but never shouting / aggressiveness. They are people pleasers, so shouting will do nothing except cause stress. A short sharp no! And distraction is the way to go with them.
They are completely mad and you will have some days where you wonder why you've chosen such a crazy animal, but once out of the teenage stage, and the training is consistent they truly are fantastic, loving and loyal dogs. You're going to love having one!

Teddy Agree with everything you've said.

Training starts the moment you get your pup and continues every day of his life - kindness, consistency and short frequent sessions ar the way to go. You will be amazed how quickly these clever little dogs learn OP.

Lovely puppy - I do like the liver - second favourite colour next to black (mine!). They are incredibly agile as well as energetic.

Ours is 7 months and will seek, fetch. leave , wait, stay, down, "over" (to jump over something", "off" (self-explanatory) as well as give paw (R) and other paw (L) on command. Still a problem with pulling despite a lot of heel work, and must admit that if she can pinch the cats' dinners, she'll do it.

Fabulous dogs though - and their coats are much easier to look after than a show cockers - not as long and heavy. they are truly a delight.

They don't seem particularly keen on health testing their dogs, I'd be interested to know why.

Ideally the parent dogs should be hip scored with results below the breed average, although it can be very difficult to find cocker breeders (particularly of working lines) who bother.

They should also have a current annual eye test (which is repeated annually) and a current gonioscopy (repeated every three years).

Unless they're clear by parentage they should have had DNA tests for progressive retinal atrophy, adult onset neuropathy, exercise induced collapse, macrothrombocytopenia, familial nephropathy and acral mutilation syndrome.

I'd also ask about inbreeding coefficients, their stud dog's is very high (24.9%, an inbreeding coefficient of 25% is the equivalent of a dog having been produced by a mating between full siblings or parent to offspring) and the litters he's produced have all been consistently above the breed average. This is a great article about COIs and why it's so important that breeders consider them just as much as other factors involved in breeding.

Thank you - the lead and recall is prob the bit I am most concerned about - I'd hadn't thought of training in the house!

This is my boy