Tell me about your Sprockers

[SayItIsntSo1]

I’d love to hear the good, bad and ugly!

We are due to get a pup in July. We’re an active family of 4 (kids 4 and 7). Kids are used to being around grandparents big, bouncy retrievers. DH and I mostly WFH but will also be doing doggy daycare/walker a couple of days a week after the first few months.

I’m taking a month off to settle in pup.

I’m happy with the breeder who was recommended to us and we’ve been on a waitlist since the end of last year. Quite excited but also daunted!

We have one - very active, loves cuddles, food obsessed. Very vocal approaching meal times, not barking but nagging.

I don't own one but I'm a dog walker and do walk one, if that counts?

Positives:

• very, very loving and friendly
• exceptionally gentle around strangers and children
• settles nicely in the house
• loves a lap and loves company and cuddles - very tolerant

Negatives:

• a very, very high prey drive (especially for birds) and can't be let off her lead unless on a long-line.
• separation anxiety, though this is much MUCH better than it was - she lives with another dog which definitely helps.
• will run and run for miles - very high-energy but if you work her brain she'll zonk out very quickly :)

She's a beautiful dog and so, so loving. Every time I go to collect her for walkies she has to have a kiss and a cuddle first!

The only thing that puts me off owing one is her prey drive BUT she was worked before her current owners adopted her so it's not necessarily a given that all sprockers will be like her in that regard. She's about 3 years old now, btw.

Bit late sorry but I've got one

He is amazing. Friendly, cuddly, lots of energy but also happy to curl up on the sofa with us and chill. His sunny nature honestly brightens my days up so much. Hes very clever and so was an absolute dream to train (including housetraining). Lovely and gentle with kids.

He def prefers our company to being alone though, although he doesn't get anxious when left - I'd build the time up slowly if you can. Recall has been a bit of a slog as he gets very distracted by the drive to chase/follow scents but he is generally pretty good. However he is terrible at loose lead walking no matter how much we work at it. And he is a bugger for stealing shoes!

I wouldn't swap him for the world though, he is the best.

I can see you posted a week ago but I'll tell you about ours, she always seems different to the others I read about though!
She's 6 now. Was a really easy puppy. House training very easy. Quickly picked up a good set of basic commands. Low prey-drive. Bomb-proof recall. Food obsessed. Will jump up and steal food off the kitchen side if we don't put it away. We take her for regular grooming to keep on top of the hair and the shedding. I need to hoover at least once a day. She's not a big fan of water but loves a (stinky) muddy ditch so regular showers are a feature. She's a barker. Great alarm but bloody annoying when you're trying to work from home. Playful. Loves a game of hide and seek but also happy to sit quietly and sleep if we're going out etc Loves her walks but pulls like a tank on the lead. Much better off it when she will happily trot at my ankle. Will go and go all day. She's fab with adults (our postman adores her) and loves our kids (who were 1 and 3 when we got her) but is wary of toddlers now (was fine when ours were young but I think she trusts them whereas I think she's nervous of small children she doesn't trust, no idea why, she's never had a bad experience). As she's getting older she's getting more and more reactive to other dogs too. We don't know quite what's triggering it. We have 3 other dogs who she gets on really well with but she's pretty scared (and therefore reactive) to most bigger breeds, so we always keep her on a short lead if other dogs are around.

Forgot to add very affectionate and cuddly.

Also agree with previous poster about the shoe stealing! I can never find a complete pair!!

We have a lovely one year old male sprocker. One thing to think about is whether the parents are working or show type especially the cocker. Ours comes from strong working lines. I have worked very hard using a whistle to train recall and we mimic a working environment in his training so lots of memory retrieves and other gun dog training. He has a very high chase drive and his nose is always down. I have worked hard on the training around this and have taught him to come off a scent or chase using a whistle command, but this still needs work around deer.

He is still very bouncy. The kids still haven't got used to him springing up in the air at their faces when they get home from school. It's a springer quirk and it's proving one of the hardest to manage. He loves to play, and when he's awake he's fully on, there's no pottering about unless he's outside and gets hold of a sniff, so it's football in the morning with DS and then fetch with DD etc. He constantly counter surfs and steals socks shoes paper. He loves to shred fabric and boxes. I've taught a solid "drop" but he still picks everything up. We have to be vigilant about not leaving anything out on the sides in the rooms he uses.

He sleeps well in his crate and lots of naps were essential when he was a pup. Spaniels are bitey fuckers as pups, he was a full on land shark for a good few months and the kids were terrified of his needle teeth. He's also utterly daft. He digs holes all over the place and howls into them. Gets mad zoomies whenever anyone arrives home. Barks at the slightest excuse including when he's bored. With me and DH he is the cuddliest snuggliest thing when he isn't charging about or stealing things. Doesn't like cuddles from the DC but that's ok because he's still young and very bouncy and they are great at playing with him and running together on walks.

I adore him. I had researched extensively and wanted a working line spanner I could do lots of training with. We are rural and may consider working him in a few years. He is a fantastic character and makes me full on belly laugh on a daily basis. DH took a long time to love him, the quirks and high energy were things he struggled to get past. My DC are 8 and 10 and they struggled with many aspects of puppyhood.

So they are cracking dogs with so many fabulous characteristics, fast learners, can run for hours and sleep for twice as long. But they are also a working breed with a lot of needs and drives that need to be considered and accommodated. A huge number of young spaniels are coming into spaniel aid and Save Our Spaniels at the moment, which is testimony to the challenges of spaniel ownership.