Cocker spaniel

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Pros and cons, health conditions to look out for? Any advice appreciated.

Working or show?
WCS: less grooming, more energy, more brain! Which you may or may not want. Mine is a WCS.
Love walks, great personalities, very intelligent, very agile, loves learning things. Toilet training was easy; puppy mouthing was horrendous. They’re very excitable bouncy puppies but mine has calmed down in the house now. The first six months were like having a new baby but it’s so worth it. They need a lot of attention and input and playing with - which is great if you have time and inclination, but without that they can be pests. Prey drive is intense and can be difficult to deal with and cause/reinforce recall problems. Health: if you get one that’s been screened for genetic problems then they tend to be pretty healthy. Mine has (touch wood) not had any health problems so far but he’s only one and a half.

They’re fantastic dogs but there are easier ones! But also harder ones... easier than springers, harder than golden retrievers.

Don’t have one but know a few. Very busy, friendly dogs.
Show type can be greedy so weight seems to be an issue. Coat needs grooming and clipping or it can be smelly ( but that’s true of many breeds)
Good mixers with other dogs and people.

Would not get one as your first dog if you're not an experienced dog owner (we have a wcs)

Working or show cocker? Do you have much doggy experience?

Workers - very high energy and need a good amount of exercise. They generally love people and have good temperaments, though they can be prone to resource guarding in some lines. They need regular grooming (every 6-8 weeks or so) and as with any dog with long, floppy ears, they can be prone to ear infections. Lovely dogs but not for someone who can't dedicate a good amount of time to training and exercise. I currently walk a 3yo, a 5yo and an 8 month old (dog walker) and they're all slightly insane

Shows - less energetic so don't require as much exercise, but they do need more attention in terms of grooming. Again, they can be prone to resource guarding so this needs to kept an eye on from a young age. Sadly all the ones I know have had problems with guarding and have bitten people, which isn't the case with the workers.

Personally, I would go for a working cocker but I am home a lot and could easily provide one with 2-3 hours of exercise a day as an adult.

The worker types I’ve met have been sweet, if very lively!
The show types I’ve met, bar one, have been quite awful.
Neurotic, aggressive, just awful.

I have a show cocker he's lovely and a bit dim.

We’re on our second cocker. Both show.

Our vet (cat owner too) advised me to look at the kennel club website to read up on cockers, traits, health, grooming etc. He also suggested looking at the cocker clubs and choosing a breeder from there. We joined breeder waiting lists for both puppies. We’re on the waiting list for a third.

Our first had no health problems until he died age 12 from a stroke.

Our current is 12 now. No health problems.

Both dogs’ parents dna tested for cocker issues and were clear.

We took both dogs for puppy training classes and have been obedient, loving digs. Really well behaved. However, I do know people with vickers who have not done puppy classes and let their dogs be the boss of the home.

We have a show cocker pup, she's ten months old. She's adorable, super friendly to all dogs and people - her breeder was amazing though, every day a different kind of socialisation and she came into our home where we already had two dogs.

Pros - very cuddly and needy. Ours loves people but can be a little scared of toddlers as he doesn't meet many.

They are pretty obedient and have good recalls. I'm not that hot on training but actually my boy is pretty good. Especially if you use a cross voice. His commands are strong.

They settle quickly. Ours is very pleased to meet visitors but 3 minutes later he's snoring in his chair again.

Very much wants to be with you and he is my shadow. Now dp has been here a few years he is sometimes conflicted about who to follow around the house but defaults to me.

Doesn't shed much.

Very easy to toilet train, took 4 days tops as a 12 week puppy. Will go on command. He's very good like that and happily poos at the start of every walk next to the poo bin.

Doesn't chew anything. He did as a puppy. They all do that but he outgrew it and I'd be very surprised if he did it now.

Easy to tire. A 90 minute walk is his preference. If you walk continuously he will go for hours but if you take him to the beach to run around after an hour or so he will sit down next to you and wait to be driven home.

They are excellent burglar alarms and report manically if anyone thinks about approaching the house.

Show cockers are very hardy and have no major health weaknesses. I was advised to keep an eye on the inside of his ears as they sometimes get infections but ours hasn't.

Cockers are rarely aggressive and if anything a bit wimpy.

Cons -

Show cockers need regular grooming and clipping. We go about every 4-8 weeks. We have to he grows dreadlocks. You can pay £25/50 a groom down here. Not keeping on top of this is neglectful.

They bark quite a lot. Ddog is loud. It's reporting barking though. He doesn't do it when we are out (I have a cam) though he did when he was younger. See next point.

They struggle with routine change. Ours lost his mind when we bought a caravan. Which he loves but he was so confused and what this looks like is standing in the kitchen barking for about 8 hours straight....

They don't like being left. No dogs love it obviously. Ddog sleeps in his basket next to my bed. It's honestly easier this way. In the old house he was out on the landing but him sleeping downstairs was not worth the stress!

Ddog needs radio 4 when I go out but that's not a big deal. Except I can't leave the washing machine or the dishwasher on he cannot cope with that. Not even the last 3 minutes. I'm asking for chunks missing out of the kitchen door...I've learnt my lesson!

My cocker is a bit funny about other dogs especially small dogs and puppies. He had taken against them for some reason, anything larger than him he plays with but he goes straight on the lead if something like a shi Zhu approaches I don't trust him not to gob off.

He's a food stealer and couldn't be trained out of this. He can't be arsed trying to get stuff off the worktop or out of packets though.

He's a bit thick. It's taken him 6 years to get the hang of fetch....

I’ve got a show cocker. I love him dearly but he is very stubborn, absolutely set in his ways with regards to routine, needs grooming every six weeks or so and is completely food obsessed.

On the plus side he’s friendly towards people and other dogs, will quite happily walk for miles or just round the block - on his terms, see stubborn comment above - good recall, easy to house train, not really a chewer and doesn’t bark that often.

He’s not been an easy dog though and I’m a fairly experienced owner.

@Iheartmysmart I forgot the stubbornness as he's not with me but dp takes him running. He often sits down on the path and quits. Dp has carried him in the past!

Mine is technically a sprocker but he is 75% working cocker so I'll answer.

Pros - He has the sunniest nature, always pleased to see everyone, loves a cuddle, an absolute dream to train as he loves learning new things, very easy to toilet train. Biddable in a sense that he absolutely loves to please us. As long as he has had his walk including a good sniff around in the woods he is calm and settled in the house. Doesn't bark. We dont have children yet but he is wonderfully gentle with my friends kids and is good with other dogs (if a little over friendly but he is still quite young). He is robust and healthy but previous spaniels have had been prone to ear infections. All have lived to mighty ages.

Cons - Not a dog that you can just forget to walk. He is noticeably more of a pain around the house if he hasn't been exercised yet.

Stealing - although he isnt particularly destructive he is a thief. He will grab and run off with anything he can get his paws on - underwear, vegetables, shoes and any other random items that might be left lying around. He loves the resulting chase of me trying to get said item back off him and it usually involves biscuits to get it back.

Recall can be patchy where nice smells and other dogs are involved. I have to put him on his lead if there are other dogs around or he will run off.

I've always had spaniels and they absolutely have my heart. For me the pros absolutely outweigh the cons. Lovely dogs.

Our first dog was a working cocker. We wanted a gun dog for Fil’s shoot and we wanted it to live in the house with us so it needed to be small.

I joined an obedience group before I started gun dog training. He was such a clever, quick little thing, he just picked everything up so quickly. I think it helped with the gun dog training that he was obedience trained first.

He was absolutely no trouble. He would have one long walk a day and that was enough. He was brilliant. He aced all the obedience work and was a fantastic little gun dog, he could carry anything. He had the sweetness nature. He was great with the kids. He was my little shadow and would follow me about at home. He was perfectly happy at home on his own for a while and never chewed anything or barked too much. He was eleven when he died when his liver turned in to one massive tumour. He is still much missed. He really was a Good Boy.

I have a working cocker.

Parents were DNA tested for PRA-prcd, FN and one other that I can't remember off hand. Ironically he had lots of issues and was diagnosed with IBD at about 18 month old and has had numerous accidents and incidents so not the best of health but at 4 years old we seem to be over all of that

Pros are a really good temperament, willing to please, a good lap dog (he is lying on me right now).

Cons are typical of his breed. High prey drive so we have to manage that on every walk and was a nightmare during his teenage phase with recall. Despite everyone saying they needs hours of exercise if mine gets a good 1 hour off lead walk with some hunting out balls that is plenty.

@MsAdoraBelleDearheartVonLipwig that's so sweet. I dread my cocker moving on from this world ❤️

We’ve just lost our 12 year old show cocker who we loved with all our hearts. She was an absolute knob though, as were most of her show cocker friends! Barky, neurotic, stubborn. Absolute PITA but a huge personality and I couldn’t miss her more. Brilliant with children. Not aggressive.

Always said we wouldn’t get another show type though after her. Absolute weirdo she was.

I think the main thing to be careful of is to get a good breeder. Not one that mixes show and working, that’s just done for profit and is of no benefit to the breed. Most people don’t even know there are two vastly different strains of cocker so it’s a quick way to find a BYB.

Our blue cocker was my favourite dog, & we have had 6 dogs now, (mostly pointers & a springer) He was a polyvalent dog, bird dog/family member
He was the most devoted family dog, & would have been traumatized to be left alone, fortunately we had another dog to overlap with.
He could go anywhere with me/us, always by my side. Sleeping at my/our feet. If the whole family was in the room & he wasn't sure who to guard, he would lie in front of the door to keep an eye on us & clock if someone left!
Good guard dog, good with other dogs & people, though got fed up with being around young kids,
If ever we went away I organised friends to have him as He would have been desperate in a kennel.
Down side, brushing, grooming, clipping feet & ears particularly he was clipped completely about twice a year. Never had an ear infection. But,
Where we live (not UK) there are wild grasses that get into their ears, between pads, other hidden parts, that require the vet to remove, he had multiple abscesses.
It was necessary to check his ears, paws, under arms etc every time he came home from a walk.
When he died of liver failure at 12 yrs old the children & I were heart broken.
I would not have another springer in this climate, it is a contant battle with wild grass & vet bills.
(We now have a springer. Much more need for exercise, rustic outdoor dog)

I'm loving reading these descriptions! We've got a working cocker. He's been a surprise to me. I was brought up with large farm dogs who were, by and large, easy to train and very obedient. Our wcs is a proper personality.

Pros

• you will fall in love with them, they are such characters, more so than any other dog I've known
• he is genuinely excited every single day
• easy size dog to manage in the house
• working cocker coat is v low maintenance
• loves being out and about, swimming, walking, so a great companion

Cons

• he is a proper little thief - of non food items he will just carry them around but if you put a pair of socks down, don't expect them to be where they were when you come back!
• he is ok on the lead now but spaniels are pullers notoriously
• I'm not finding him as easy to train as other dogs we've had. He's too clever and can think past 'yes I want a lump of cheese for this'
• his recall evaporated at 7 months so we are back permanently on lead while we totally re train him
• I know some disagree on this but I don't think spaniels are for the faint hearted. A lot of spaniels that go into rescues go in the teenage years because they become v bolshy. I think if you can get through this and come out the other end, you're ok but that's the danger point
• I don't think they are a dog for people who are out the house a lot, they do love company

Working cocker previous owner here - similar to another pp we lost our boy at 12 from a stroke 2 years ago, still miss him terribly as he was just wonderful.

Pros - affectionate, great fun, always willing to play, obedient (on his terms), toilet trained easily, good size for a home, happy with any length walk, not a barker unless over-excited, good with kids, cats, small animals

Cons - very excitable until he passed almost remained puppy like until last knockings, thief!, absolute gannet so have to keep an eye on weight, lots of grooming needed, little bit possessive over toys etc, wants to sit on you at all time (which is probably my fault as he used to sit on my lap with his paws on my shoulders as a pup, but still wanted to do it as a heavy fully grown lad!!)

Pros definitely outweigh the cons, fabulous dogs. I'd get another in a heartbeat

Mine has just walked into the sitting room with one of my mittens in his mouth as if to evidence the 'thief' stereotype!

Yes indeed, water dog, (half dog half dolphin), & have webbed toes.
Yes love having something in their mouth, gardening was a challenge!

@nevernotstruggling Mine decided yesterday that life was just too much for him and he had to have a little lay down, in the middle of the zebra crossing on a busy road. Several offers of a lift to the vets later he realised perhaps he would go home so got up and trotted off.

He also likes to go over to the local nursery school as he’s worked out that small children drop lots of food. The discarded packet of Tutti Fruttis was quite a laugh.

I’m really surprised at the comment about not having a wcs as your first dog... we have an 8 month old and he’s amazing. Yes he’s busy and clever but easy to train and sleeps through the night. We are a busy family as in 3 dc and a house of noise and excitement and our cocker has fitted in perfectly. I can’t see how another breed would be “easier”.

@Averyhungrycaterpillar love it - ours thinks our laps are the best and doesn’t think he is too big... I need a bigger lap!