Tell me about cocker spaniels

[Blossomplease6]

I’ve always loved them. Based on nothing except certain children’s books when I was younger, they often had lovely spaniels in and I always wanted a dog.
Now I’m in a place where I am thinking about getting a puppy. I have done lots of research over the last year and wrote cocker spaniels (show type) off quite early due to their high energy levels and potential issues with resource guarding.
For reference, I’m now considering cavaliers (health tested, good breeder) shih tzus, or cavapoos.

But keep wondering if I was too quick to write of a cs. Tell me about yours, the good, bad and ugly please.

We had a golden cocker spaniel as children, we got her when I was 6 and she died when I was 21. We had 15 wonderful years together, she lived in 3 different countries with us and adored all 4 of us. She never once had a health issue (she was actually purchased from Slovakia, we lived abroad at the time so she was an import) and was from show stock. I rang my mum to ask if she had any other memories to add about her that I had forgotten/was a child and forgot about

As a pup she was a chewer, and no shoe was ever truly safe, and an escape artist. She never ever warmed to men, thought they were all awful other than my Dad and brother. She was exceptionally easy to train, but she was very stubborn and if she didn't want to go for a walk with you, she'd not allow it to happen. She was the most loving family pet and gave me an excellent view of the breed.

We keep very different dogs now (My mum has a Labrador, and 5 mixed breed rescues ranging in size from Great Dane to Chihuahua) and we have Alaskan Malamutes (Amazing breed, very rewarding, very hard work, not for the faint hearted) but I'd highly recommend a cocker spaniel to any family after a dog.

Cavvies are the best. Though I’m biased 😂

Cockers. At the moment. Very high risk of puppy farming. Please please research and be very careful and wary of their tricks - this means backyard breeders as well as large enterprises. If you don’t have to go on a wait list ask why ..... and absolutely walk away from the “ well the people who wanted him backed out .....” puppies

Our show cocker is 6 now. He’s an absolute melt, thinks he’s a baby, wants cuddles ALL the time, thinks nothing of batting you on the arm if you stop scratching/stroking him. He’s equally happy with a 30 minute walk round the houses as a 3 hour yomp through the field. Our son was 5 when we got him and daughter 11 so they’ve grown up with him and he with them. He’s not hugely bothered about food and we’ve never had an issue with resource guarding. He has selective deafness at times but overall he’s a superstar. He’s honestly the best dog ever and we’ll all be devastated when he is gone.

We've had three show cockers in our family (and one Cavalier).
Good points: beautiful, happy to snooze around, cuddly.
Bad points: lead pullers, resource guarders, food stealers, bark at other dogs, 3/4 have had heart issues, if you want them to look 'correct' they'll need a groomer that knows spaniels.
Honestly, I've loved these dogs so much, but they seem to be very intelligent yet practically untrainable.
I get the impression that working cockers are a bit better behaved!

The first one we had was a bit snappy and bad tempered at times.

The second one has a much better temperament and has never snapped.

Oh and a pic of myself 🤦🏼‍♀️ I’ve reported it to remove.

I look after other people's dogs and have been closely involved with a number of spaniels now. Show type cocker - two so far. The older one, now on other side of Rainbow Bridge, was very loving, but also very clingy and needy. Her spaniel instincts were very strong and she was utterly unreliable anywhere near pheasants. In this area that's pretty well everywhere. The younger one is also very loving and playful, and (so far) good for recall, although definitely twitchy and excited about pheasants. She's having gundog training even though she will never actually go shooting, and it's definitely helping. She gets on very well with other dogs and people. On her days with me, she goes on every walk, and easily sucks up three hours. Working type cockers, I've lost count! Gundog trained are undoubtedly better behaved when out and about. All good temperament with other dogs and people. Cavaliers. All six of the Cavaliers have been reasonably good natured, although four who were all rescued from a puppy farm bore the scars of their appalling start in life both mentally and physically. Springers, seem to be slightly less likely to be neurotic than their cocker equivalents. But not a single Springer I've ever cared for has been any good on a lead! This is probably just coincidence though. All spaniels - the coat soaks up water and filth like a sponge. This trait is shared by poodles, so all the squashyfaceflufferpoo crosses tend to have the same problem.

If you do go for a spaniel, as pp have said be very very wary indeed about your source. Some of the subterfuges the dodgy breeders and thieves will come up with to part you from your money are heartbreaking.

Watching this thread with interest...a working cocker puppy turned our lives upside down four weeks ago, and it's been non stop ever since. This is a rare pic of her being still. And I had thought the days of being up before 6am on a Sunday had passed now my DD is going into high school!

At the minute everything chewable is on shelves over 4ft high (apart from her vast array of chews and some old slippers) and I'm on constant pee and poo watch, but sleeping in her crate at night has been a breeze, and the waggling tail and joy and seeing me/DD/strangers/babies/vet melts the heart. She follows me round the house and sleeps at my feet while I'm working. She does go through crazy half hours and zooms round the house and gets a bit snappy, but that seems to be when tired and over excited (so essentially my fault ).

Puppy training is starting soon and the key thing will be recall so she can be off the lead for periods on walks. At the minute I'm worried she's over exercising herself whilst bombing round the house. I think I'm a bit overwhelmed with the new responsibilities, but she has totally stolen my heart already and I want to do my very best for her.

Would be good to hear about older dogs exercise routines so I can start making plans (hope that's not a thread hijack!) I run 5k three times a week so am hoping she can come with me on those amongst other things.

Our golden cocker was very loyal, intelligent, intuitive and when she was on the scent totally focussed. We also chose a cocker over a springer as at the time traveled a lot - so a smaller sized dog for our car. Really wouldn’t have any other breed of dog 🐶

Who couldn't love a cocker spaniel 😄.

Mine is barky, stubborn, utterly rubbish recall (I'd say badly trained but I do training all the time, never known a dog like him), scared of other dogs (and anything else he doesn't know) on walks, hairier than any cocker I've ever known.

But loving, cuddly, friendly, adores us and I love him to bits.