Don’t know whether to keep dog

[hugshugshugs]

Hi. I would love some advice on my 9 month cocker boy. He’s honestly been a nightmare ever since I got him. He’s got a very sensitive stomach which makes me feel like most of his life he’s had diarrhoea. About two months into getting him I was pregnant with two small children consistently cleaning diarrhoea from my house. He ruined all the beautiful bedding and crate covers I’ve bought and I’ve spent a fortune going through every type of food on the market and chews before going to a dog nutritionist who suggest I follow his recipes and make dog food which is so now. I hide his food in food puzzles everyday and cook fresh chicken which I stuff in kings and snuffle mats licky mats and all sorts to keep him entertained which he whizzes through in about 40 minutes.

I live in London I literally moved house to have a small yard to let him poop in. Before I had to take him across the road leaving my 1 year old in the house by himself with his older sibling until I came back. Now he has a small yard which helps. We have changed cars to fit a dog carrier in the back. We take him to the park a couple of days a week and walks daily. He’s terrible on the lead despite me spending thousands on trainers and throwing chicken around for months trying to get him to look at me. I’ve recently tried a figure 8 collar which helps but it’s not perfect especially with pigeons and dogs. I have one child in a pram and one by my side and another coming and. Just don’t know whether this is worth sticking out!? Apparently cockers don’t calm down until 2-3 years and I just wanted to know if anyone has experience of puppies and small shildren is it worth it or should I of waited until they were older? He does make the kids smile occasionally but mostly he winds everyone up and gets left in his crate with a chew. My older child keep winding him up and over the last few days he taken a couple of snaps at her.

He’s also wakes everyone up at 6 am with howling and by the time I’m downstairs dressed with the kids half and hour later he does a wee in his crate. Should I just give up? I really feel like he doesn’t make me happy or really fit into the family and my partner leaves it all to me. Or is it going to get better and I’ll regret it? Sorry for long post I’m at my wits end emotional and constantly exhausted.

Honestly, his life sounds miserable. Contact a breed specific rescue who can find someone who will facilitate the life he needs.

I agree.

I would contact spaniel aid They are onFB and rehome him,he's still a pup .you are not managing him you all including the dog need to be happy. also stop filling things with food bowl feed him his excitement levels sound sky high and he's not able to relax.

You're not enjoying having him. Your DP isn't helping. Your elder child is winding him up. He's spending most of his time in his crate and the snapping is telling you how unhappy he is.

Please rehome him using a breed specific charity like Save Our Spaniels before he bites.

This.

Did you research the breed before you bought one?

Also if he wakes for a wee at 6am why do you wait half an hour to let him out? No wonder he's going in the crate

Have you been to the vet re the food? That doesn't sound normal so perhaps there is some sort of medical issue causing it. But keeping chopping and changing his food won't be ideal either and having to make it yourself is an awful lot of faff when you sound busy anyway.

Anyway, I have an almost 4 year old cocker and he is pretty chill these days AS LONG AS he's had an hour long off lead walk in the morning with lots of sniffs. He's still terrible on his lead, I think spaniels are particularly difficult in this respect but his recall is exceptional so I would work on that. I have a pre schooler so when she is with me we will go somewhere where there is a path but he can be off lead, like some sort of woodland trail. I have an off road buggy which is worth it's wait in gold,

If you're going to throw money at anything, id make it a dog walker for an hour every morning.

Can you not just nip down and let him out for a wee at 6am without getting everyone up and dressed?

Spaniels aren't easy dogs by any stretch, they do need plenty of exercise and stimulation but I will say this - mine is and has always been an absolute dream with my daughter and other children. He forces me to get out and about with her, so she gets plenty of walks and fresh air and he's really gentle and calm with her. But that first year was hard and I am glad we didn't have a DD then we first got him. You do need to dedicate the time in the early years and if you can't do that I would be wondering whether he is right for you.

Rehome through a respectable rescue, spaniel aid. UK is a good one. I'm sure he'll find the right home.

You are doing the right thing if you rehome him officially through a proper rescue.

I suspect dog ownership at this point in your life is not for you, but the best thing you can do for your boy is rehome him. It sounds like he's having a miserable life.

Oh gosh, and the bit about your kids winding him up. Please please just rehome him. What a poor lad.

It sounds like there is no pleasure in this for you, despite you trying your best.

Ignore all the posters who equate a dog to a human child. It's a dog - life is too short to be this miserable! Rehome and you'll both be happier.

At 9 months old you haven't really had enough time to try all those things properly - honestly, you haven't.

e.g. if you have tried every food on the market over 7 months then you have not given each of them a good go. Most diets seeking to avoid intolerances need about 8 weeks to really see if there is any improvement. That means you really shouldn't have tried more than 3-4 foods so far.

Lead manners often take months (years!) for spaniels that have often been bred with a degree of satisfaction for pulling in them - so that they will clearly 'pull' a handler towards a scent. Any trainer that has not already explained this has simply taken your money for nothing.

What I am trying to say is that it really sounds like are expecting far too much from this dog, far too soon. Dogs (especially spaniels) are a long term game. Lots of input for 3 years with the hope you get a good dog by then.

That does not sound like what you want at all. You have a full life and perhaps not the energy or inclination for training a young spaniel?

And not meaning to be harsh, but it doesn't particularly sounds like it's a dog you want. Beautiful crate covers for a young dog were always going to be money burned and are a bit suggestive of wanting a fantasy of a dog, not the reality which - with a spaniel - is often a lot of mud and dog training.

You sound unhappy. The dog sounds unhappy.

Only you know if you have the time, patience and energy to turn it around.

It was utterly irresponsible to bring that pup into your set up, I can't believe you left your 1 year old home to take the dog for a walk or you let you kids wind the poor thing up, then crate it.

Find a breed specific rescue who will find it an appropriate home that can meet its needs.

So I'm guessing you did zero research before getting a cute puppy? Because if you had you would never have chosen a high energy dog such as a spaniel with no garden!!
Any puppy is hard work, it's up to you the owner to train them. And if you can't spend hours upon hours doing so you shouldn't get a dog.
I'm sorry for being brutal but this is one of the reasons that there are so many dogs in rescue. They are not something you get just because they are cute. They are a 10-15 year commitment.
Please re-home this dog so he can enjoy his life, and please don't get another one!

Poor dog, what a miserable life it has. Please try to rehome and never get another one.

Yours is not the right home for this dog. Help him find somewhere more suitable.

Rehome him and please don't get another dog - what we're you even thinking

Also, just to add for the original poster, it's great if you can get onto this fairly soon. It's easier to rehome dogs when they are younger, which is sad but true. Plus at the age he is, there's plenty of time for someone to train him. As a spaniel, he will have a good brain, he just needs the right home.

We all make mistakes, but definitely worth thinking about not having another dog for a long time.

well if you don’t take charge of your child and stop them wi ding the poor dog up they’re in real danger of getting bitten. The snaps are a serious warning - the next escalation will be a bite and it’s your fault.

why do you need to get everyone dressed before you nip down and let the dog out? It really doesn’t sound like you were prepared or did much research into dog ownership. Rehome it to a suitable home and don’t get another dog

And please rehome via a reputable rescue, heaven forbid he ends up with someone else like you. Honestly, your post makes my blood boil

He shouldn’t be being locked in a tiny cage with a chew (which is what a ‘crate’ is let’s not pretend. That makes me very sad!

What time are you letting him out for his last wee? The tummy issues sound like a nightmare and he must be allergic to something or be getting something he shouldn’t?

If you are only going to the park twice a week what’s happening on his other walks? He’ll need somewhere to run around every day off the lead and get all out that spaniel energy.

I do think it will get better as he grows up a bit and you’ve clearly invested a lot of money to try and make it work. Spaniels are really countryside dogs though (although loads of people have them in london etc). I’m not sure what the answer is - very sad situation.

Rehome as soon as possible.

If you decide to get a dog in the future, don’t get a spaniel. You really are not set up for that level of activity. Get a companion-type dog who will need loads less excercise.

Why did you get a spaniel when you didn’t have a garden to start with? You sound totally clueless and I agree that your dog deserves to be in a home where he actually has his needs met and isn’t treated like an irritating accessory.

My youngest is 6 and I am just starting to wonder whether I could.manage a dog now that the children are old enough to generally follow instructions about how to behave around the dog . It would have been a nightmare when they were younger with pushchairs non listening toddlers etc.
I have a garden and still would be reluctant to get a high energy breed.

Poor dog deserves a home where he can be properly trained and cared for. I would usually say it’s your responsibility to persevere with the dog but I think the poor dog needs to be rehomed by a spaniel rescue.

Rehome.

The dog deserves a loving home, and a better life.

Please get in touch with a specialist spaniel rescue like Spaniel Aid uk and let them find this poor dog a new home and please don’t get another dog .