English cocker spaniel or poodle

[Roxymumoftwokids]

Looking for recommendations on the best breed to fit out household. It will be our first dog. We've got a 1year old cat and 2 kids age 5 and 8. We have a big house and live near a playing field. My dh and I are quite busy and I have hip problems, so will be able to do an hour and a half walk every day max. Puppy will go for training classes and will will try to get him from a reputable breeder. I can't decide between show type cocker spaniel or poodle or any other breed small/medium size, not toy size. Thanks.

What about a cockerpoo?

I would say neither due to the time and physical constraints you have. Working cockers frequently have resource guarding issues, and are so full of energy and drive I think you could potentially struggle with their needs as first time dog owners. Poodles are wonderful dogs, but so smart, they need a lot of time invested in keeping their brains occupied (so you would need to do the hour and a half walk then more hours in the day keeping their brain ticking over). I have had working cockers before (and never would again) and know several poodles, none I know are easy first time dogs.
I would look at companion breeds instead of working types, and potentially look at an adult dog instead of a puppy depending on the age of to children as puppies take an insane amount of time for the first year at least, whereas an adult dog may be more able to fit around your schedule if you are busy.

Sorry, just seen show cockers rather than working, the same issues with resource guarding apply though, I would be very cautious.

We considered getting a poodle but were advised that, as first time dog owners, it was better not to as they need a lot of input.

We ended up getting a cockerpoo who is just delightful. He suits us and we suit him perfectly. He is still young (10 months) so copes with 2x 45 minute walks a day. As he gets older we will walk him for longer.

They are both high energy breeds. Poodles are also quite destructive when bored! My parents had standard poodles when I was growing up so experienced with them.

Maybe research some other breeds.

I ended up with labradors after poodles growing up.

You need to rethink your breed. These breeds needs more exercise than you are able to give them, unless you are paying for a dog Walker 7 days a week.

I'm going to disagree with the above. If you get a miniature or toy poodle then 1.5 hours of ecercise a day is more than enough.

I have a miniature poodle and he's the most laid back dog ever. He is great with my kids and other dogs, the only issue we have is his insistence on chasing birds. He is also a bit of a velcro dog and I've never left him alone in the house (I've also never needed to though, so it's just a question of training). They are intelligent enough that you can train them to act how you want them to.

We walk him for anything between 30 minutes and 1.5 hours a day depending on what we're up to. We do also have a garden he can go out in. I do regular training with him, but don't practice every day. His favourite thing to do is to curl up on your lap and sleep. And I don't have hair left all over the house, they really don't shed.

For anyone suggesting cockerpoos, in my experience they can be much harder work than poodles, having the intelligence of the poodle and the energy of the spaniel.

Cockers could walk forever. I've also found my cocker is not trustworthy with kids. She's beautiful and gentle most of the time but I've caught her growling under her breath many times at the kids.

Cocker spaniels are a bit nuts.

I actually think your choices are spot on; poodles and show cockers are two of the breeds used by the assistance dog charity Hearing Dogs, and with the choice of every breed there is, there must be a reason they choose these two alongside labs and cockerpoos. Especially as lots of the dogs are for children or older adults and the companionship aspect, plus impeccable behaviour in public, is vital.

It’ll all come down to a good breeder and fantastic socialisation in the early weeks (before the puppy is 8 weeks old); this is what the charities are so good at and gives their dogs the best chance of progressing successfully through the program. But same principle applies to a family pet.

I agree with @Decktheschools. A medium sized poodle will be absolutely fine with an hour and a half of exercise a day. My mini poodle is 9kg and that’s more than enough for her. She’s not in the slightest destructive either. Hates being left alone. She’s a perfect family dog.

Another one agreeing that a mini poodle is fine on that amount of walking. Also mine has been a perfect first time dog.

It's about finding a good breeder who is breeding for health AND temperament, and good training.

My mini hangs around with me and the kids all day. He's so laid back and affectionate and patient.

He's never destroyed anything. Even as a puppy he wasn't a big biter or chewer.

He's a quick learner and very motivated by food and praise. Because of that he's a breeze to train. My 11 year old will decide on a new thing to train and after 20 minutes he's got it! (Apart from roll over - he seems to think that's beneath him).

Another thing - tiring a dog out/entertaining them is also very much about brain games and sniffing games. Not just walks.

Could you afford a dog walker so the dog gets a bit more exercise occasionally?

I walk several cocker spaniels and they're all insane very energetic and needs lots of time to run about.

The other thing to consider is do you both work and how long will the dog need to be left? Both poodles and cockers are prone to separation anxiety so I wouldn't advise either breed if you need to be out of the house all day.

I wouldn’t have a show type cocker if you paid me.
Most of the ones I’ve met have not had nice temperaments and resource guarding is an absolutely massive problem within the breed.

Quite busy stands out.
If you get a pup you will be insanely busy. Toilet training etc is a massive tie. You need to watch the puppy like a hawk!
Also consider grooming issues. Both those breeds need more than a quick brush occasionally.

The walk needs to be split into at least two walks.
And yes, poodles are very clever so need mental stimulation.

I grew up with show cocker, they were all amazing dogs, they were trained well and never had any problems with aggression mentioned above. The all black ones are known to be more aggressive apparently.

Ah I missed the 'quite busy' too.
See that depends on busy doing what.

If you're out of the house or always busy with work etc then any dog isn't going to work really.

While a poodle might not need loads of miles racking up, it does need stimulation. They aren't really dogs that just loaf about all day.

My mini doesn't sleep much in the day. He is very much part of whatever we are doing.

And yes, puppies are hard work and need a lot of time and effort for months really.

I’ve got a ten year old show cocker. He still needs a lot of exercise. Yesterday we were out walking for over three hours and he would happily have done more.

His plus points are he’s good with most other dogs and loves people. He can be left for a few hours after being walked. He’s never been particularly destructive.

Bad points - very snappy when he was a puppy which took a lot of training to stop, resource guarding can be an issue, he’s not very affectionate so while he will quite happily want to know what I’m doing, he’s not the sort of dog who will sit beside me on the sofa!

I love him dearly but it’s not a breed I’d have again.

2 cockers here and a lot of friends have them too they have never resource guarded nor have my friends and on plenty of Facebook for the breed and never heard it on there either. An hour and a half walk will be plenty for them but agree they will never be tired out. What is more important to them is company and activities for their brain. They love a game of go find it. They make amazing playmates for children. We got our first instead of having a 2nd child and they have so much fun together. One of ours will follow our child up the rock wall of his climbing frame and then slide down the slide after our child. Can’t think of a better breed for children.

Thank you so much for the replies, lots to think about for me. I am busy but it's mainly part-time working from home and chores, kids, etc. My dh would mainly be working from home after lockdown finishes and I will be going to the office probably 2 days a week. Are there any other breeds more suitable for us? Thanks.

Spaniels and poodles are both intelligent, working breeds that need plenty of mental and physical stimulation and it sounds like you might struggle to provide that with young children, a cat and busy jobs.

I would have a look at breeds like the Lhasa Apso, shih-tzu, cairn terrier, papillon, maltese or havanese.

Show cockers are great, mine could take or leave a walk, enjoys playing in the garden with children and is very gentle. The only trouble I have is keeping up with her grooming bills as she's hand stripped which is expensive but worth it in my opinion.

She's also black and no sign of aggression. The only resource guarding incident we had was with a pigs ear when she was about a year old.