Tell me about cocker spaniels

[Loverofoxbowlakes]

I'm a cat person, had several negative experiences with dogs but am happy to pet the non-bite-your-face-off-types, think I could fall in love with the right pup and have plenty of time, space and patience for another body in the house.

Dp is a dog person, always had dogs, brought up with them, had several before we met, mostly spaniels plus a heinz.

Dp very keen to get a ddog, confident to train, has researched puppy training sessions, fully able to fund/insure ddog, plenty of time at home (both wfh but plenty of options if we want to nip away for a few days away), lots of garden space and walking routes nearby. Adult kids at home.

What am I missing?

What type of cocker, working or show? If you dp looks confused he hasn't done anywhere near enough research😉

Ours is 14 weeks and the absolute best thing we did. Yes there’s poo and wee and yes they don’t get the nickname ‘cockerdile’ for nothing but oh my god what a lovely dog we have.
She is clever, gentle, full of fun. I don’t know how typical she is as a show cocker but she’s the best!

A Dog, clearly!!!

Cocker Spaniels are 'my dog'. There are loads of dogs I'd love to have, but cocker spaniels are just 'me'. I can't really explain it. I can't have one at the moment, but can't wait until I can get one. I miss my girl so much 💕

@Margaritawithlime she's gorgeous!!

my girl was blue roan (show). I got stopped many times to be asked about her. She had all the looks & none of the temperament to be an actual 'show dog'. I was fine with that as she was beautiful, but 'showing' interests me about as much as sticking bamboo down my fingernails.

Nice dogs but need a job so unless you are going to work it, do agility or something like mantrailing or canicross it won't have breed satisfaction which to me isn't fair on the dog, I hate seeing working cockers in pet homes , it’s not fair on them despite what owners say . Walking them lots isn’t enough.

Unless you get a show one of course. I'm talking about the working line. Show cocker will perfectly happy in a pet home.

We had a cocker spaniel, I'd never have another. I loved him but he honestly made our lives so much harder. We have had other breeds of dog and none have been like the spaniel.

I adore spaniels.

I have had them my whole adult life and foster them. It good that Dp has been experience with spaniels. But does he have experience as an adult?

There’s so much to consider. Are you think working or show. Generally show are calmer. But not always. Working spaniels have a reputation as bonkers as difficult. But again, it’s not true for everyone single one. You can get laid back working cockers and hyper show cockers. I treat both my show and working xomers the same and all have been great.

They need a lot of brain work. People often make the mistake of think they need huge amounts of physical exercise and all will be ok. It won’t. They will keep going as long as you need them to. But they can end up over tired, over exercised and that can lead to behavioural problems. They need a mix of physical activity and mental stimulation. Games, training, scent work, plenty to chew.

The can be prone to behavioural problems. But in my experience that’s usually down to owners not training them and not mentally stimulating them enough. They are also known as cocker-diles. As pups they can be very nippy. However, it doesn’t take them that long to train out of it. There’s loads of techniques that can be used. But the key is consistency and patience. Pick a strategy and stick to it.

Resource guarding again can be an issue, but usually because people have treated their dog as a baby. Not as a dog. Cockers that are mentally bored and not trained can be a nightmare. Like all dogs you also need to teach them an evening routine. They need to be trained on how to relax and chill.

For training things like recall I recommend Pippa Mattinson Total recall. It’s excellent. I use it to train recall into older foster dogs. It’s fab.

They aren’t the easiest of dogs. But they are fan when you put the effort in.

Oh and then tend to be Velcro dogs. They like to where you are. Mine (along with my hienz rescue) are happiest snoozing in my office while I work.

Please look at the Spaniel Aid page on Facebook- it’ll give you an idea of some of the issues you can expect, obvs not guaranteed but so many people don’t do enough research and get a spaniel when they really shouldn’t.

I don't have any direct experience of the breed, but just wanted to say that Many Tears rescue seem to have a lot of lovely Spaniel-types needing loving homes atm.

If we had space for another dog (which we sadly don't), I'd be looking there.
www.manytearsrescue.org/

I should add that I know people will come along and say you only have issues because you haven't trained your dog properly or you aren't exercising/ mentally stimulating them enough. We were experienced dog owners and tried everything, including professional help, and he was still a very difficult dog to live with.

I have two working cockers. The pros are obvious; beautiful dogs both inside and out. Loving, kind, playful, fun, lovely coat, perfect family dogs.

I think it's the "cons" you really need to take note of. I say it like that as it's only negative if you don't handle these traits correctly.

To put it lightly, some of them are nuts. I'm five years in and I'm still waiting for one of mine to calm down. One (the boy) is totally chill, calm, easy (actually a bit timid), the other... absolutely frigging bonkers. She's a very high pedigree and from a line of field trial champions and I'm not sure if this makes her harder work but ohhhhhh my god she's nuts 😂

So to help with this they require serious exercise. Like one very long or two shorter walks a day. They also need a hell of a lot of mental stimulation and very good training in place which they thrive from. If you can crack this you'll be grand. If not you'll spend you're entire day trying to control the madness!

Just realised I said if you can crack this you'll be grand. But what I meant was, they'll just be a bit less bonkers that evening.

I agree with the Velcro dog thing too. Mine like to try and sit on top of me at all times but that's not such a bad thing if you like a cuddle.

I love our 8 year old working Cocker unreservedly but I agree with a lot of what has been posted here. They are not dogs for beginners, in my view. Ours was bonkers for 3 years and even now, needs lots of attention and stimulation. We live in a rural area so there is a lot of opportunity for him to get out and “work” in open, sheep free space but I don’t think having him in any kind of urban environment would be at all kind. He’s Velcro too and not good at being left alone. On the plus side, super loving, intelligent, not an aggressive bone in his body and easy to train - into bad habits as well as good if you’re not careful! Good luck.

@Tiredmummaoftwo makes a good point about dogs out of field trial lines. I have a different gundog breed. I've had two from standard working lines and then one from trialling lines and the trialling one has been really, really hard work. Not a bad bone in her body, but crackers and impatient, despite hours of training and stimulation and being brought up in a home with years of breed experience.

So if you do go for a working cocker, perhaps look for one out of pet dog parents whose pedigrees have no red in them - red and WTW, FTW and FTCh all denote successful competition dogs.

Also there have been a lot of threads on here over the years by people in over their heads with working-line spaniels. They can make amazing pets, but they need structured training and clear boundaries, and to be taught to settle down and sleep even when other things are going on.

I would also test how much research your DH has done by asking if if wants a working or a cocker…
I personally don’t like the look of show cockers and find them a bit dull personality wise.

I LOVE WCS but if you aren’t a dog person and are getting a dog to keep your DH happy they are VERY full on especially the teenage stage.

Common behavioural issues are resource guarding which is something I’d be wary of if there is potential to have visiting grandchildren (just look at the spaniel aid website at how many end up being handed in to rescue after biting or snapping at a child due to resource guarding).
Separation anxiety is another which while resolvable is incredibly hard to manage while resolving.

in you instance I would look at a clumber spaniel, big silly personalities, gorgeous dogs, without being quite so full on as a cocker or springer

So if you do go for a working cocker, perhaps look for one out of pet dog parents whose pedigrees have no red in them - red and WTW, FTW and FTCh all denote successful competition dogs.

It's still partially luck of the draw, we have two closely related working labs, one was/is hard work the other very straightforward.

We have a 7 month old show cocker - he's bonkers but oh gosh we love him. Lovely temperament, loves people, dogs and even cats! A family member of mine has autism and he's ever so gentle with her.

They are gorgeous dogs but absolutely bloody bonkers.

I have six on my books as a dog walker and they are all, without exception, absolutely insane. They're generally hugely energetic and definitely need some kind of job or focus.

Just running a spaniel off the lead won't do it - they need something to focus on and a way to work their brains. The ones I know do a mixture of canicross, some water retrieval work, agility, scent work and gun dog training.

As a breed they can be prone to resource guarding so you really need to make sure that their parents etc. are of sound temperament. They're also very clingy and love to be with their people so can be prone to separation anxiety.

I own a breed reknowned for being difficult (a beagle) and I would never in a million years choose a cocker spaniel they're gorgeous and great fun to walk but I could never live with one full time. The oldest on my books is ten and still hasn't calmed down - everyone who meets him asked if he's still a puppy 🙈

We have 2 working cockers from pet parents and they are fabulous. We are first time dog owners but did a lot of research and knew what we were getting into, although it was hard at times. They needed to learn to be ignored so they self settle which was the hardest bit but now works really well. They love sniffing out things so we hide treats in the house or use snuffle mats to keep their brains active. They get at least one long walk but it's as much for sniffing around as for exercise. They can go for hours but then conk out afterwards. They sit on your lap/shoulders/head if you let them and one of ours is fine alone and one isn't but they are always left together which is fine. They love our cats too. If you don't mind puppy teeth marks on your furniture and love snuggles them go for it.

They can be bonkers but lovely. I’ve never managed to get one to walk on the lead perfectly. Recall can be challenging. They like to have their noses down and if they catch a scent they’re off. I’ve met some timid but we were lucky, mine were lovely around kids. I’d say they’re quite a bit of work but you wfh and have adult kids so should be ok. I think I’d get a Springer next time for my early retirement present.

I personally wouldn’t choose a CockerSpaniel for the above reasons already mentioned .
Also not sure if it’s just coincidence but unfortunately I have known of at least 4 who have died very young from leukaemia,spinal tumour ,blind at three years old and died a year later but not sure why and cushings disease . I have wondered if it is a problem with the breed .

This article says it much better than I could https://www.dogsrdogs.co.uk/7-reasons-why-spaniels-dont-make-good-pets-unless-they-are-trained-appropriately/
I have two working cockers. My first dog as an adult was a WCS and my dogs are pets, so I'm the last person to say don't get one in that situation. But you have to be prepared for training to be a lifetime commitment - they are clever and driven dogs who want to keep learning and want to be "working" with you, so you have to involve yourself in their hobbies (for their quality of life and for your own sanity, a bored and frustrated cocker is no fun to live with). Mine do fun gundog and scentwork.
Agree with @ThrappleApple that it's luck of the draw with individual personality and temperament. Mine are closely related, and one is very much less excitable and driven than the other. But you can load the dice in your favour by choosing a breeder carefully if getting a puppy.
Very loving dogs and they can be calm though need help learning how!
One of mine's sibling is a companion to a child with additional needs and I've met many who are therapy dogs.
Gorgeous companions if you put the work in.

We've had a number of show cockers.

They've been calm, easy dogs who have been happy on long walks and happy chilling in the house. They've been clever (too clever, it's not always a good thing ) and affectionate to their people and mostly accepting of visitors. They've been funny and nosey. Easy enough to train to walk nicely, recall etc.

They have also had a tendancy to resource guard from other dogs (not humans). They have been a bit on the nervous side and have always taken a delicate handle to get them to be fine around other dogs. They have been clingy and demonstrated some distress at being seperated from their people (mild, because we worked hard on it - but it took a long time and a lot of patience).

They have had varying degrees of issues with ears and mouth folds, because of their physiology.

They've also relocated every single shoe and sock in the house.

We have a show cocker

Get ready to say goodbye to personal space.... She follows us every where

And every muddy puddle she can find, she is in

But we would not be with out her. She's out dopey, wrecking ball and has bought so much joy.