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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Needy cocker spaniel

37 replies

Anna713 · 14/10/2021 22:49

I have a 12 month old cocker spaniel who is a nice natured, intelligent little dog, however he does demand a lot of attention, from me in particular, and I'm not sure how to handle it. He gets at least an hour off lead everyday and he is never left on his own for longer than a couple of hours twice a week but he gets bored easily and he won't leave me alone. He constantly paws at me for attention and whines. I try to ignore him but it's not working. He can get destructive if I put him in another room by himself. He is not so bad with my husband although he is sometimes a pain with him too. Has anyone any ideas about what I can do ? He has toys and chews but prefers me! He is only 12 months old so I hope he will get better as he gets older but I need to do something about this now. He can be a bit possessive of me too and he hates me making a fuss of another dog although he's fine with other dogs if I'm not there. Do you think 12 months is too late to get a trainer? Tia

OP posts:

BrilloPaddy · 14/10/2021 22:57

Cockers are "velcro" dogs to their owners. Mine even comes to work with me, and insists on never being more than a few feet away. I have to take him to the loo as well as he howls on the other side if I shut the door.

Our other spaniel is a sprocker and she's affectionate but nowhere near as needy as the cocker is.

pumpkinpie01 · 14/10/2021 23:09

My dog can be quite demanding of my attention too , no one else in the house just me , I'm definitely the favourite as are you by the sound of it ! Does he go out once a day or more ?

GingerAndTheBiscuits · 14/10/2021 23:11

Never too late to get a trainer!

Mum5net · 14/10/2021 23:21

Could have written this post. Yesterday my 2’year old cocker jumped on my knee fleetingly to jump on to my desk and positioned herself in between my eyes and my computer screen. Literally blocked my pc screen with her body.
Place marking

Original poster

Anna713 · 14/10/2021 23:22

Thanks for the speedy replies. I didn't realise cockers are velcro dogs. Not that I mind him being attached to me but he is relentless. I take him out at least once a day for a good run. Usually I take him out in the evening as well for a bit of lead training which he is quite good at. I'm in my sixties so I do need him not to pull me over. I think I will get some advice from a trainer. It's not that I have massive problems with him but I want to get it right whilst he's still so young.

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icedcoffees · 15/10/2021 07:00

What does he have to keep him busy? Cockers are working dogs and like a job - think of it this way, if you were out in a room alone with nothing to do and nowhere to go, you'd get bored quickly as well

At one he's still young and you do need to provide some entertainment or stimulation for him. That could be snuffle mats, chews or brain games.

Original poster

Anna713 · 15/10/2021 08:28

Thanks icedcoffes. He does have toys but they are mainly mangled bits of material now. He sheds everything and I don't give him anything plastic anymore because I'm worried about him eating bits. He did have a snuffle mat but he demolished it. I'll look at brain games on Amazon. He loves bones and one will keep him occupied for a couple of days but I'm a bit worried about giving him too many in case he puts weight on.

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BrilloPaddy · 15/10/2021 09:17

My dogs love Yak milk chews, they last forever and deer antlers too.

We also hide some of their kibble around the house and say "find them" - they keep going round for ages after they've found them as they can still smell them.

NoYOUbekind · 15/10/2021 09:24

There's a great facebook group called 'canine enrichment' or something similar with loads of ideas for brain games and stuff like that. Even just scattering kibble around the floor or garden, instead of just plonking it in the bowl, gives them something to 'do'.

HoppyHop · 15/10/2021 09:42

My Cocker does the pawing thing too, it can really hurt as well as being annoying. I have found turning my head away and avoiding eye contact makes him stop surprisingly quickly.
Have you tried Kongs? The black indestructible ones are best. I cram a few larger size treats in them so very difficult to get out. Keeps him busy for a good hour.
Mine is a bit better now as he's 7 but still always right behind me wherever I am!
...and it's never too late for training!

Original poster

Anna713 · 15/10/2021 10:32

Thanks all. I have tried the hiding kibble thing but he scratches up all the furniture, including the sofa and the lawn if outside looking for it. Not that I've hidden kibble in the sofa. I'll definitely try turning my head away and avoiding eye contact when he paws at me. I have got a kong but it's not a black one. Maybe the one I have is a bit small. He likes it but it doesn't occupy him for long. I'll try a bigger one. He isn't interested in yak chews for some reason.

I suppose it is all a learning process. For me more than him! He's a little sweetheart really but I have found him harder work than I expected . He is a golden cocker and I have heard that that colour of cocker is particularly lively 😁

OP posts:

Floristry382 · 15/10/2021 14:06

What does he do if you shut him in another room after his walk? Will he settle and sleep? We have a cocker terrier cross. He's very good at mirroring us. If I'm pottering then he is, if I'm sitting watching TV then he curls up for a sleep but he will also sleep in the kitchen on his own if he thinks no one else is in the house. If he can hear me then he wants out.

I've got into a routine where he'll have 20 mins on lead and then he potters about while we get ready for the day. He then goes in the kitchen and sleeps for a couple of hours. I'm either out at work or working quietly from home

We then have lunch and he gets an off lead run for another 20 mins then he'll sleep again (usually on the sofa with me).

More pottering while we have our evening meal, 10-20 mins on lead walk, he then has a mad excited half hour when DH gets home and then he crashes for the day.

Try and get him into that kind of routine. Shut him in the kitchen after his walk, maybe give him a chew in his bed. You have to enforce quiet time.

OrlandointheWilderness · 15/10/2021 14:07

My springer is a Velcro dog too. Training is really important!

Floristry382 · 15/10/2021 14:07

And our dog is 2. He's calmed down so much in the last year so nows a good time for you to start as he will naturally slow down.

SirSniffsAlot · 15/10/2021 14:16

Sounds like a young cocker being a young cocker to me

IME they settle better as they mature (and go easier on their toys!). In the meantime, anything that gets him moving and sniffing will be fun, so if he's kibble fed stop giving him his dinner in a bowl and start chucking it out into the garden (or hiding round the house/flat) to get him working for it.

Trick training can also be great fun, easy tricks like roll over and run to me to touch my hand has real life applications so come in useful when they are older. e.g. roll over becomes roll over so I can check your feathers for burrs.

Eventually 'stay here for a few seconds until I say GO' becomes stay in this room while I go for a pee, becomes don't bother folloing me I ain't doing anything interesting

IME they love, love, love getting things right so plan any training with lots of easy wins for them. i.e. if they already know how to sit then mixed up new learning with lots of sits for treats so they they get plenty right.

Spaniels take time - if yours is chilled by 3-4 years old, you're doing great.

icedcoffees · 15/10/2021 14:19

I know you say you've tried Kongs but what about natural chews like pizzle sticks, trachea, pigs ears etc?

I know some people struggle with the "body parts" aspect but I find those kinds of treats are amazing for keeping dogs occupied. My beagle will have a chew after a trip out or walk, and then happily zonks out for hours :)

SirSniffsAlot · 15/10/2021 14:19

If he scratches up the lawn looking then get out there with him (at least at first) and move him on to the next bit of kibble quickly so he's not scratching at the old scent.

Scratching where food has been can mean he's just a bit frustrated about where the next peice os coming from so help him figure out he needs to sniff for the next bit by calling him away to look elsewhere.

if you always point at the next bit, he'll learn to follow your point.

Ihaventgottimeforthis · 15/10/2021 14:25

I'd recommend looking at puzzle feeders - basically complicated dog bowls. If you feed him kibble, do it in those.
Does he get an early morning walk?
Routine is key. It may take weeks but he will get there.

StrongArm · 15/10/2021 18:54

My cocker (14 months) will actually jump up and sit on my computer to get my attention. He also paws the phone out of my hand if I'm on it and he feels he's not getting enough attention! He has now learned to open doors so if I have a shower and close the door, he just opens it and comes in and lies down!

I'm out at work during the day and he knows when I get back it is his time!

We do have a trainer and do calm settle and also hide and seek games with him (he loves that). The trainer said up to 2 years is still the best time for training. Also try give him jobs - he helps us carry things up and down the stairs (pairs of socks, toilet rolls etc.!).

Merlotmmm · 15/10/2021 18:58

It sounds like you wanted a fairly quiet dog if you think an hour of exercise will be enough, apart from lead work. Cockers can be a bundle of energy. You should let him have a good run in the mornings too. 12 months is so young.

Blendabrethin · 15/10/2021 19:06

Jeez, I have a 9 month cocker cross and I relate!

Honestly, he has a short morning walk, I play with him for 5 at around. 10am, give him a 2-3 mile walk at lunch, distract him with chews/toys/snuffle mat/licky mat during the afternoon, walk him in the evening then play tug for 10 mins later. It's STILL not enough The past two weeks he has taken to barking relentlessly when he is unoccupied This is a recent development though. I'm hoping he grows out of it because he's such a lovely, gorgeous boy. He's my baby. My very annoying, loud twat of a baby!

Mine has at least learnt the command 'bugger off' and will disappear to destroy a different room if I'm on a call 😂

icedcoffees · 15/10/2021 19:14

I take him out at least once a day for a good run. Usually I take him out in the evening as well for a bit of lead training which he is quite good at.

I missed this - cockers are working dogs and in all honesty, I think he needs a bit more input than you're currently giving him.

That doesn't necessarily mean hours of exercise a day but if you only want to take him out once, you need to up the mental stimulation and brain work at home. That could be things like trick training, basic agility classes, scent-work etc.

I have a (very) needy beagle and I only exercise him for about 60-90 minutes a day but on top of that he gets treat hunts in the house/garden (taken out of his daily allowance), a natural chew after walks to help relax him, and a lot of company/fuss, even if that's just a cuddle with his head on me on the sofa while I work or watch TV.

icedcoffees · 15/10/2021 19:15

@Blendabrethin

Jeez, I have a 9 month cocker cross and I relate!

Mine has at least learnt the command 'bugger off' and will disappear to destroy a different room if I'm on a call 😂

Does he get enough sleep @Blendabrethin? He sounds very over-stimulated.

SingingCanary · 15/10/2021 19:16

Echo the previous poster who recommended tricks - you need to mentally tire him. I have a 6 year old cocker who I think is getting calmer!!

12 months is a great age to do training with him. I was told that dogs go through a sort of regression phase about that age and lots of people tend to give up dogs because they think they’re badly behaved, but it’s just a bit like terrible two’s.

I found a great trainer who did all sorts of classes. We’ve done agility, scent work, life skills. He used to come home exhausted. We also teach him lots of tricks. He’s a quick learner and likes to show off!

We’ve used different puzzle feeders when he went though a stage of jumping up at the table when we were eating but it never took him longer than a minute to work them out.

He still stands on me with all four paws when I sit down on the sofa and spends 5 minutes getting comfy on me and nuzzling his head into my neck, but we have a good routine now where he knows when he needs to settle down.

He also has 3 beds around the house so he knows he has his own space to go and settle in but still be nearby. I find that he can’t entertain himself with toys. He wants me to play with him. I’m sure as well that when we used to give him chews or kongs to distract him, he’d play up because he knew he’d get one so we tend not to use them now.

CharleyMarley · 15/10/2021 19:28

Is it a working cocker or show?

Either way, I don't think 1 walk a day is enough. And spaniels are needy dogs. Incredibly loyal and loving, but needy.

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