Which would you chose?

[Userss88]

So long story short, I was all up for having a show Cocker spaniel, got in touch with some breeders, found someone I'm really really happy with.
After looking after one for a couple of weeks, I realised they arent really an easy dog as per say, she was adorable and I loved having her but she needed quite a bit of attention and one thing we did under estimate was her coat maintenance.
After reading more on here it seems they can be a bit hit and miss....

Our other choice would be a whippet, one of things that concern us a bit is that they are maybe a bit fragile for a family of 5? We have not spoken to or found a breeder so it would be back to square one but we are ok with that if it would mean that this dog would be more suitable for our family.

I feel like this has gone on for ages now though, we think we have settled on a breed then something happens or we read something and it puts us off.

We are not new to owning a dog but our other dog was a small cross breed (the easiest dog alive!!)

Thanks for you help and advice in advance x

Spaniel will need a lot more attention, walking & stimulation than a whippet/greyhound type.
have you thought about rescuing and just finding a dog to fit your families needs rather than focusing on finding a specific breed?

Thank you for replying.
I thought this would be the case...I need to be realistic about what I/we can offer a new dog as a family I think.

We have thought about rescuing but this time I think we will go with a breeder and a puppy.

How old are the children? How long will the puppy be left for? What qualities are important to you with regards to the dog? How much time every day do you realistically feel you will give to the dog? What are the things you read about that instantly put u off other breeds you have considered in the past?

Answers will help me advise you on a breed!

My parents bred show cockers and I bred whippets for many years.

Whippet wins. Not fragile.

@lalosalamanca puppy will be left at the most 4 hours a week (I go in to the office for 3hours so the 4 hours allows for travelling time, I go once a week) this would only be if my husband couldnt work from home and if my in laws couldnt.
My kids are 10, 8 and 5.
I could realistically walk a younger dog hour/hour and a half a day plus training etc
I get really concerned that we cant give the dog the life she/he needs so I worry that I can give them the physical exercise etc
Qualities that are important, not too large and a good family dog.

@erikbloodaxe that's really interesting, please can you tell me why?

What is it that originally appealed to you about spaniels? It's just you've picked two very very different breeds so I'm curious as to what the appeal of them both is?

I would say your set up is fine for either but it depends on what you want from a dog really. Many of the whippets I know are nervous dogs and their recall isn't always the best due to them being sight hounds. Spaniels on the other hand require a lot of mental stimulation as well as physical, but are bred to work alongside humans and are generally pretty smart and, on the whole, easy to train though they're very energetic when younger.

I would also recommend looking at mini poodles. Small dogs but very biddable and easy to train. They do have grooming needs but so do cockers so not too dissimilar in that respect.

@coffeecupsandfairylights I know they are two different breeds...but I guess we like the way both of them look.
I thought I would want a dog that needed lots of mental and physical exercise, I thought I wanted a dog with quite high grooming needs etc. After looking after the cocker I realised that this might be a bit much along side the needs of the family too.....I'm maybe just over thinking it as lots of families cope but I'm a worrier

Looks are such a tiny part of it all though.

I think you need to look at what you want from dog ownership and then pick a breed to suit. I work with dogs and one of the biggest mistakes I see people make is them thinking "oh, x breed is cute" but not thinking about what it's like to live with that breed.

I mean, do you want a dog that's obedient? Biddable? Has good recall? Likes water? Do you want to be able to have it off lead? Take it out all day? Can you cope with regular grooming or baths if it gets muddy etc.

Spaniels and whippets are both lovely
breeds but they're just so different.

@coffeecupsandfairylights yes I know they are and that's why I went onto say I thought I wanted a dog that needed xyz. I think reality maybe that would be too much, I guess I'm wondering if other people cope ok with dogs with higher needs.
Whippets appeal to us because of the fact they need less in terms of exercise and mental stimulation and they will relax and sleep at home, less grooming needs too.
The cocker I have just looked after during my 3 hours of working was clearly bored, I was up and down a lot needing to give her stimulation. Is this maybe because she isnt in our routine? Or is this what life is like with a cocker (shes a show cocker by the way)
I think we were shocked at how soaking wet she got when it rained and she was damp for a while and then she went in our garden and came back in with a forest attached to her fur again we knew we would have some grooming to do but didnt realise it was so much.
We are a family so would like to be able to take a dog on a full day out with us - we did with our other dog. To places like National trusts where we would walk a little and the stand and watch the kids play etc we camp so would like a dog to come camping with us.
I arent so bothered about taking a dog off a lead to be fair, if I can I can but I dont mind keeping them on a lead, say if it was a whippet, we have a big garden for a run and I then I would happily hire a field once a week for a good run, would that be enough? Thanks for all your help so far

Most whippets need a good run off-lead once a day - they're not very high energy dogs but they are bred to run - and they run incredibly fast so good recall is vital or your dog will be gone before you know it. They can also jump surprisingly high which is something to be aware of at home - they can clear baby gates and low walls and fences from standing, for example. My friend has two whippets and the speed they can go at is quite something! However they don't seem to be like being out all day and are hugely lazy at home (and hate the rain or cold) so that needs considering if you wanted to take them on holiday or on day trips.

Cockers also need time off lead everyday if possible - even show ones - they are bred to flush game and they need to use their noses to hunt. That said, there's nothing wrong with on-lead^^ walks but you'll need to find an outlet for their hunting instinct somehow or they'll go insane and their behaviour will show it. So - mental stimulation, enrichment games or signing up for a scent-work course are all good ways of working them.

I may be wrong, but it reads like you've panicked a bit when you've looked after the cocker and have now picked the whippet as a totally opposite breed as a result!

There are so many dogs in between both "extremes" that could work for you, so I'd really encourage you do to a lot more research before deciding.

Just popping on to suggest you look at miniature schnauzers. I have two DC (5&8) and our boy is lovely with them. They’re a great family dog- coat is non-shed. We get him clipped to a puppy cut every 6-8 weeks but many owners will keep their leg hair long so it would need brushing. We live rurally so easier to keep it short.

They’re small but not too small and v sturdy. Ours gets about an hour or exercise per day- usually in 3-4 off lead walks in our fields. Lots of play with the kids too and then in his down time he either follows me around while I do household jobs or flops under the sofa and snoozes.

He’s friendly, adapts his behaviour depending on the person (rough and tumble with my husband, gentle with the kids even when playing high energy games). He was a dream to toilet train (breeders we’re fab so got a great start), smart but eager to please so took to other training well. Can be left happily on his own though we wouldn’t do it for longer than 4 hours on occasion because we hate to be apart from him.

They’re known to be barkers but ours mostly just does it when he spots someone walking past or a car pulling in so he’s actually a brilliant “alert” dog! Not a problem for us as it’s only brief barking and no very near neighbours in any case.

He’s just fab.

If you like whippets how about a lurcher. Ours is a rescue and he is the easiest dog we have had. He sleeps the day away and is happy with two short walks but he can go longer if we want him to. Took a while to adjust and settle but his the best dog now and loads of personality. There are loads needing a home and often overlooked it's such a shame

If you want an easy dog, you're likelier to find that in a whippet than in a cricket spaniel. IME whippets are very gentle and provided you train a recall, there is no reason why yours shouldn't go off-lead - the ones around here all do, despite the rabbits and squirrels.

I'm by no means a whippet expert, but I would expect that a whippet from a long line of show dogs would be much less driven to chase than one whose grandparents raced or were used for rabbiting.

Whippet. They are not fragile.

I have a show cocker who is lovely but incredibly hard work. He was very bitey as a puppy and it took quite a while to get past that stage. As a breed they tend to bond with one person and are a bit meh about everyone else in the house.

Be prepared for lots of grooming. Mine is clipped every 6 weeks at around £40 a time. He is raw fed as dried food never really agreed with him, that’s around £20 a week. They have health issues which can be expensive. Mine had eye surgery which cost in excess of £3k and now needs eye drops for life. Because of this his insurance is now around £100 a month.

Resource guarding is a problem sometimes, he’s very possessive over the most random things.

He needs a good 2 hours walking a day plus enrichment games. They are incredibly intelligent in a slightly stupid kind of way.

I wouldn’t be without him but he isn’t an easy dog.

*cocker spaniel
No idea about cricket spaniels...

@redLemonade your Mini Schnauzer sounds fab I'll definitely look more in to that breed.
We also consider Border Terrier, our dog was a terrier mix and although she was a dream to train and wouldnt go running over to other dogs etc she didnt like them and I think with our lifestyle now it would be nice if we had a dog that got with others. It would be quite stressful for example going to the beach for the day as she hated other dogs coming over to her.

@coffeecupsandfairylights We had always liked these two breeds but after looking after the cocker and yes I probs did panic that they may not be the right breed for us right now, we thought maybe a whippet would fit better. Your right though I will do some more research, I've been researching for well over a year.

I quite like the idea of a Cricket Spaniel. Could you train it to find lost practice balls in the garden and fetch your drinks at the matches?

@Iheartmysmart thank you, I think everything you have said is very similar to the one we have looked after recently.

@Sprig1 thanks, do you have a whippet?

@EdithStourton I think your right, I dont want to say easy but I know that can make me sound like I wont put the effort in and I will but I think I need to be realistic about what I can cope with and what we are a family can offer a dog.

Would a whippet cope with a day out and about with kids and camping etc we would of course make sure it had the correct coats/jumpers etc if needed.

All dogs are going to be tricky to some extent - or at least, they will turn your life upside down for a while, especially at puppy stage. But whippets (imho) grow into lovely dogs, chill, quiet, low maintenance, (although they do shed- and don't get a white one if you don't want a muddy dog!).

If you've seen whippets play with each other you'll know they are not fragile. They are happy with a run or a sniffy walk. Happy to be out all day or snooze at home. Very receptive to training (because they are usually very treat motivated).

I'd say they are a solid family dog tbh, especially from the age of around 20 months to 2years old when they really settle down.

@Userss88

The cockers were just so much work. Admittedly pretty to look at and lovely soft mouths but I found the coat care, high energy, high needs, ear problems, resource guarding off putting.

Whippets by comparison are a breeze. They are basically cats in disguise who like to zoomie around in an open space and enjoy sniffing expeditions when out and about.
They will not entertain rain, and will cope with the cold with a cosy coat.
I never had a problem with recall. Mine were from an historical coursing line and I never had problems with prey drive, they were raised with cats and surrounded by ducks and poultry.
They rarely barked and when they did they looked rather shocked and needed a moment to themselves.
They did, on occasion, like to collectively sing the song of their people. Like a canine choir headed by a whippet Maria Callas.
Mostly they just slept and believed they were special. Which of course they were.

Yes whippets will be fine with family life. Mine were involved in everything my DCs got up to around the farm and would happily spend the night in a tent when the DCs decided to camp out.

I think you have accepted a cocker is not right for you and I am here to throw support behind the whippet idea. Whippets will be fairly undemanding and adaptable. Just be aware that they have high prey drive (less so show breeds) but still, you will be need to ensure you get recall sorted otherwise say goodbye to doggy woggy on your off lead expeditions!

Jsut wanted to say - I have a dog and having never been much of a Border Terrier fan i have to say I've met some really really lovely ones since having my Lab and am surprised how friendly & playful some of them are with my puppy, some of her Border friends are such great characters!

I'd go whippet. I grew up with GSDs and Irish Setters and now have a gang of whippets. Brilliant with kids, ours have been camping and caravanning loads of times. All of mine have a reliable recall (needed as we walk mainly in the New Forest with wandering ponies, donkeys and cows everywhere).

Pros - generally considered one of the heaviest pure breeds, minimal grooming, exceptional with children, fairly lazy most of the time, adults are usually calm and friendly, walks are always entertaining especially when they go off on a sprint.

Cons - pups and youngsters can be destructive if left to their own devices - they are chewers. The like comfort, so if you don't like dogs on your sofa or cuddled up next to you, they're not the breed for you. The can be tricky to house train, especially during the colder months as they'll do anything to avoid going outside.

They do seem to appeal to a wide audience, I'm still in touch with the buyers from my litter in Feb last year, who included older couples, family with young children, child free young couple and young single men, which surprised me if I'm honest. They are all still completely enamoured with their whippets and it's lovely to see them growing up.