Help me; working or show cocker

[SayItIsntSo1]

Hi,

I’m getting my research in ahead of hopefully buying a puppy next year. I’ve been through lots of different types of breeds but always come back to cocker spaniels.

I know both types can be good family dogs and that working cocker will likely require more exercise and stimulation. DH and I will be working from home, so walks and company shouldn’t be an issue. We’d also plan to use a walker/doggy day care if we were out for an extended period. Ideally I’d like a breed that, once big enough, could run with me as I’m a keen runner.

I really enjoy the thought of spending plenty of time working on training and building up a strong bond. I know working can be one-man dogs (more than show?), but not sure what that looks like in a family environment and DH and I will be splitting the weekday dog duties fairly evenly.

I keep being drawn back to working cockers, but don’t know if I’m being unrealistic about our ability to offer the right home and this isn’t something I take lightly. E.g. is a ‘working’ home the only right home?

We have experience of dogs (parents retrievers and grew up with family dogs), but haven’t owned our own. Kids will be 5 and 8. We live with access across the road to footpaths and fields so lots of rural areas to walk and explore.

Please help me stop going around in circles!

Also, any advice on finding/getting breeders to respond would be appreciated! I’ve sent emails through KC registered breeders site and champdogs but only 1 (non-positive) reply so far.

I have a working cocker.

He loves both DH and I but it does depend on who has his ball as to who he loves the best .

Mine also goes to a home daycare and he loves running about with his pals.

But we did do gundog training when he was young and it was the best thing we did even though he will never be 'worked'. This is because they taught me to understand his hunting nature which was invaluable when working on recall. It also made me cut back on exercise as that doesn't tire him and work more on mental stimulation.

He is currently snoozing on our bed and huffing when we disturb him. Wouldn't be without him but it was hard work when he was a puppy/teenager.

Working cockers are very popular pets near us. The only issue with working bred dogs is that they need a job of some sort to occupy them physically and mentally. That doesn't have to be as a gundog. If you are a keen runner there is cani cross and mantrailing that would both help keep him occupied once old enough.

My parents have show cockers. They are lovely, but they are rather lazy, like large lap dogs. I couldn't see one going out for a decent run but maybe others have different types. They will go for a longish walks though.

Cocker spaniels of both types are not exactly known for being the easiest of the gundog breeds to train. The family show cockers simply dont see the point of most obedience, despite years of training classes.

Personally, I always have the working bred of my breed. I love the trainability and more athletic build. But I can offer a home that fulfills their needs.

I misread the title and thought who had a cooker just for show? If you do t cook why bother? 😂

We have had three working cockers. Definitely not a one man dog, they love everyone. You do need to invest a lot of effort and time in the initial training, preferably gundog training. I like that they can go for a 20 mile walk in the hills or a run but are also really affectionate and happy to cuddle up on the sofa or in bed. Two of ours have worked, but if you don’t want to do that, you can channel that instinct into other kinds of activities. If you watch Crufts, you’ll see that working cockers are very good at agility, for example.

Do not go for the most active puppy in a litter bred from top field trial champions though. Loved that little bugger but he was really bonkers and reduced me to tears on many occasions when he was a puppy and teenager. He didn’t grow up until he was 8. They can also be prone to possessiveness, so you need to work on that from early on.

If you are used to retrievers you might find a working cocker pup a bit of a shock. When my friend got a golden retriever pup, I couldn’t believe how calm it was, even the biting phase wasn’t really anything significant compared to the frenzied biting of a working cocker puppy. You’ll need to have a plan for dealing with that with young kids - I was left black and blue by the last pup.

Oh yes as PP said the biting was bad as a puppy. They don't call them cockerdiles for nothing .

But he grew up to be the soppiest dog ever 😍

Thank you! This helps.

I think if we can go and see some breeders later in the year it would be a lot easier than trying to do it remotely and without being able to see parent dogs and breeders etc.

Yes, heard about the resource guarding and biting. One of the reasons I want to wait until DS is a bit bigger for any dog to come in to the house.

My parents retrievers have been fairly spoilt and lacking training, so may not be the best examples of one!

We have a working cocker pup (5.5 months now) who is definitely more bonded to me even though me and dp are around a similar amount of time.

I have had dogs before and I must admit, I was taken aback by how much more work a cocker has been. He's also had food issues (not unusual with cockers) which has meant he's harder to train.

He's got an amazing nature though, so lovely and friendly and kind. We're really enjoying him. He loves a walk, gets so excited when we go out.

I am also hoping to run with him when he's older but I'm not sure he's got the nature for it as he wants to charge off and explore smells and find balls etc. His best mate is a cockerpoo and trots quite happily alongside his dad when we are walking them together whereas my pup sprints 30m ahead then sprints back etc.!

I've found working from home is also difficult with a cocker because they aren't the happiest pottering around without attention. I had large breeds before and they were far calmer at this age.

But I wouldn't swap him and tbh I can't see us ever getting another breed again. We are already talking about if and when we get a second one

I have collies and working cockers. My working cockers are much harder work than the collies and demand more exercise.

The collies can easily be occupied by brain games and company but the working cockers need exercise before they can even begin to think . Mine are from a strong working line and are scent dogs so have got some lively genes but they are more time consuming than the collies but a long way.

They can be on a scent job for a whole day, obviously split between them, and still be up for a long hike tto relax at the end of the day.

Great dogs if you have time to give them, could have issues if you do not have time to give them

I 100% agree with what GCAcademic said about field trial champions. I have a working line gundog with strong FTCh ancestry (including a national champion) and my God, that dog is amped. Delightful, affectionate, entertaining, but much more destructive than any previous puppy (and the previous two have been the same breed, working lines).

So definitely not ideal for a first dog. That said, working cockers can make lovely pets, provided you give them some brain work.

Hmm, seems hard to know definitively. If only I could borrow one on a trial!

How would people suggest show cockers differ? Positively or negatively.

Most people around here have working rather than show, but think that’s probably because we have so much open space around the village and lots of outdoorsy types. Might collar some of them on their walks and chat.

You can borrow one of mine

@HappyThursdays I often see a chap running with his and the dog does run between him and further out, lots of sniffing etc, but also happy to run at heel when they’re closer to roads. That’s my dream, but I know even with my best will and training they’re all different.

@PollyRoulson I’d love to! Very impressed you keep collies and cockers. I always thought collies were hard work, but having read lots of these threads there’s so much love for them and definitely seems to be a bit of a misconception about how much they need to run.

I have a working cocker too, now 1.5. He’s fast asleep on my knee just now after an hour and a half walk in the woods and much chasing of squirrels. I agree with everything GCAcademic said! Mine loves both of us, our next-door neighbours, my extended family including young DNs, but is aloof with outsiders. We had various issues with puppy biting and resource guarding though not so much with recall - those are mostly resolved now but I always trade things for a treat if I take them away and would never let a child try to grab something from him as I don’t know how he’d react. I love him to pieces and he’s endlessly funny, clever and full of personality. He is not from a field champions line at all and I think that helps as I’ve met some that are and they are even more full-on - he’s now old enough to sleep during the working day so long as he gets his walks at lunchtime and after work. He was getting better at separation anxiety (this was bad when he was a puppy to about 6 months) but then lockdown came along and both of us have been wfh since March. We live in a city and he seems perfectly content with life. He runs with DH but is inclined to be distracted by paper bags (potential food!) and smells. Differences I’ve noticed between him and show cockers: smarter, less barky (the shows we see in the park all seem very vocal where he really isn’t and nor are the other wcs), lighter and more agile. We do loads of tricks with him and he loves food so is very quick to learn. He’s not as smelly as a show either as his coat is shorter. There are at least 6 wcs in our local park and only two actually work, and that only in winter, so all are perfectly fine as house pets so long as you can commit to a good walk daily.

I know both working and show cockers. The working cockers are like smaller springers. They need a lot of exercise, but their temperament seems "steadier".
The show cockers I know, in my experience, are more likely to be a bit neurotic, growly and resource guard more than the working ones.

Also, I’ve only seen one plump wcs and that owner is unreasonably nervous of letting the dog off the lead ever, whereas I have seen lots of fat show cockers. I think the wcs just burn it all off with their enthusiasm for sniffing or playing or running!

Oh and show cockers much barkier.

Thank you everyone. I really value the comments.

What would you is a minimum of walking time for a working cocker per day? I have read minimum of an hour, but didn’t know if that was really sufficient. Granted they’re all different, and I know they can go as long as you let them, so more concerned to make sure that we can get more than the minimum in.

Ours gets 2 x 45 minute walks a day.

Our worker is now 11months, and as mad as a box of frogs. But we adore him! Gets on brilliantly with kids 8 & 10.

He doesn't work, but gets 2 decent walks a day, 45+ mins. Plus playtime in the house.

He was a total handful as a puppy, and it wasn't easy to work from home as he only slept for an hour after his walk. After that he wanted to play, or find some trouble to get in to. And if left alone, he could find trouble in an empty room!!

He's an enormous scavenger (socks, gloves, plastic) and can reach things off the worktop, despite being a petite worker. He keeps us on our toes (and our vet in business!)

We don’t have a secure garden so do 20-30 mins in the morning, 30-40 at lunchtime, 40ish after work and a 10-20-min pee break at night. If I did have a garden, I wouldn’t bother with the evening walk but the morning one is useful to let him bounce around! So I’d say 1.5 hours but when you split it up it doesn’t feel like loads.

My son has one of each, both rescues, the worker from a working kennel, the show from a well known rescue.
The working one is the softest, most affectionate dog I think I’ve ever come across & I’ve owned dozens over the years. Whenever I could visit, before Covid, he used to spend most of the time trying to sit on my knee. The show one, who they got second, is a maniac. She’s eaten just about every pair of shoes in the house amongst other things despite all the training they’ve tried. The two cats are terrified of her but adore the older worker

Our working cocker is our first dog, and at 21 months he is really coming into his own. I'm definitely his favourite person, but he's also content with my husband if I'm not around, and adores his 'family' - my grown up kids and grandson.

He has three walks a day in winter - mostly off lead for an hour or so in the morning, a quick walk for a wee at lunchtime (15 minutes) and a 45 minute sniffy walk late afternoon. He's perfectly happy to chill for the rest of the day, with the occasional indoor scent game, fetch or cuddle depending on his mood. In the summer he was out in the garden with me at every opportunity, so the midday walk wasn't needed.

He's not bothered by other dogs or people, although strangely he seems to recognise other spaniels and shows far more interest in them. The one thing he is rubbish at is lead walking, but that's our fault for not starting (or committing to) training him to walk at heel when he was a pup. We would do that very differently if we got another one, as we are now struggling to get him into good habits.

He is a pedigree, and has good breeding lines, which just makes him smart and gorgeous! We do get lots of comments from other dog walkers and visitors on how lovely and well mannered he is, and he rarely barks.

The show spaniels we walk with are chubby, totally food (and poo) focused and a bit dull by comparison. So working all the way for me, and fine as a first dog.

We have a 6 month working cocker. She is our first dog although I grew up with a golden retriever. She is amazing but hard work! We have 3 ds, youngest 9yo, and she is fantastic with them. She is best friends with everyone and everything on walks though so you need to work on recall from the start. She responds well to the whistle but when she gets a scent or sees a bird then forget it as she will xome back when she is ready and not before. We are still working on that!! Toilet training took about 3 weeks and she is perfect now. Not as nippy as I expected when she was very little but does get a bit bitey when tired. She is into everything and needs to be shut in her bed on occasions to sleep as she gets so distracted she keeps waking up whenever anyone gets up. And she tries to eat anything and everything on walks so you need to work on leave. This week she threw up a face mask and a scrunchy......oh and she eats the cat shit too. Then tries to kiss you!

She is currently curled up on the settee next to me, occasionally farting in her sleep. Her ear is hanging off the edge of the cushion and I love her so much I can't explain it.