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8 month old sprocker potential rehome

16 replies

Sandandsea123 · 27/07/2024 21:11

Hi.. I can’t believe I’m writing this as I love him so much!! BUT! My boyfriend got “us” a sprocker spaniel who we got in feb; I was against it from the start as we both work full time, he doesn’t live with me and the dog would have to. I love our puppy and he’s such a mummies boy, I’ve trained him well and he’s lovely… as long as someone is with him - which as I work 40+ hours a week and my partner the same, even with a dog walker the puppy is left alone too long. And he’s seriously destructive. Carpets, furniture, books, ornaments pictures etc etc. he’s unhappy always being alone! He’s so clingy to me I worry if he goes elsewhere he won’t be ok… but he may have someone with him more he may be more happy! Any advice??

OP posts:
GrazingSheep · 27/07/2024 21:15

It can’t be any worse for him than being left alone most of the day 🤷‍♀️

Wolfiefan · 27/07/2024 21:17

You need doggy daycare or to return this dog to the breeder/surrender to a rescue. A young dog like this can’t be left for most of the day.

Silviasilvertoes · 27/07/2024 21:36

You can’t leave him that long. You can’t leave any dog that long, let alone a sprocker. I’ve got a springer. They’re high energy and intelligent and very people focused. He’d be much better off in a different home.

Girlwithapple · 27/07/2024 21:39

I agree with @Wolfiefan that doggy daycare may be your answer. Choose carefully though as some daycares can be a bit overwhelming if there are big groups of dogs racing around all day.

I work as a dog walker and a few of my clients alternate between me and also daycare on days when they are out longer.

40+ hours is far too long for such a young dog to be alone each week. You will never be able to resolve his separation anxiety when he is left alone so long.

sunsetsandboardwalks · 27/07/2024 21:40

What about daycare?

The situation as it stands is totally unfair to you and the dog - if he can't be looked after during the day then you must do the right thing and find him a better home.

This is a high energy, high needs working dog that needs so much more input and stimulation than he's currently getting and it's cruel.

Spaniel Aid should be able to help you.

Lacdulancelot · 27/07/2024 21:58

Firstly what your bf did was stupid.

Your ddog is bored and lonely.
For 5 months he’s spent hours on his own.

If you can’t get good daycare then I suggest you get him a new home asap.

Sandandsea123 · 27/07/2024 23:06

Agree. He’s on his own 3 days a week long days even with a dog walker coming for a hour. The rest of the week our work days mean one of us is here. It’s just me who cleans the ripped up stuff up! I feel so bad for him. Looking into doggy day care. I love him and don’t want to give him up to potentially someone who won’t love him too; but feel we are being unkind to him making him be alone so much x

OP posts:
LearnerEarner · 27/07/2024 23:22

Look at Spaniel Aid, they can support you with rehoming if that is what you decide to do.

LearnerEarner · 27/07/2024 23:24

Or you may be lucky with Borrow my Doggy. It depends who is available in your area.

abracadabra1980 · 28/07/2024 07:36

Please, please return him to the breeder, (who has been seriously lapse in homechecking you).
Breeders who allow this make my blood boil, as do ignorant adults like your boyfriend. What on earth was he thinking? Take the 'loving him' of it. Loving a dog is not enough-you need to be able to provide for the DOGS needs for up to 15 years, not your own, just because he's cute and you want something to cuddle-anyone can do that.
Your boyfriend has also failed magnificently in acquiring one of the highest energy cross-breeds you could choose. They need a job, they need to work. They need brain stimulation,and as adults, 2-3 hours of exercise a day. Did he not research this?
I'm relieved you have been brave enough to realise that you need to sort the situation out. Having worked in welfare, 8,9,10 months old is the age most puppies get surrendered. Initial cuteness has worn off, and reality has checked in.

Killingoffmyflowersonebyone · 28/07/2024 08:56

Spaniel Aid are swamped (I foster for them). But they may be an option. Either way, the dog deserves much better - back to the breeder would be ideal, spaniel aid next option. And it’s good you recognise this, OP. But a doggy day care won’t fix this. He needs training and stimulation. Not to be shoved into doggy day care.

TBH I’d be getting rid of the dog and the ‘DP’ as he’s clearly an idiot and cruel. Leaving a dog all day alone. Buying a designer mongrel that he clearly knows nothing about. Forcing his partner to put up with a dog they didn’t want? Not sure which of them is worse, but he’s an idiot either way.

survivingunderarock · 28/07/2024 12:51

Have a look at day care or a sitter. All puppies and a lot of young dogs struggle to be on their own as they are just not mature enough. They do improve with age and careful training so long term he’d be ok with s walker coming in more than likely but for the next year or two he’ll need more.

XelaM · 28/07/2024 12:56

Sandandsea123 · 27/07/2024 23:06

Agree. He’s on his own 3 days a week long days even with a dog walker coming for a hour. The rest of the week our work days mean one of us is here. It’s just me who cleans the ripped up stuff up! I feel so bad for him. Looking into doggy day care. I love him and don’t want to give him up to potentially someone who won’t love him too; but feel we are being unkind to him making him be alone so much x

Can your dog walker not take him for the day rather than just 1 hour? Ours keeps our dog with her for 6 hours on days that I'm in the office.

Silviasilvertoes · 28/07/2024 22:40

abracadabra1980 · 28/07/2024 07:36

Please, please return him to the breeder, (who has been seriously lapse in homechecking you).
Breeders who allow this make my blood boil, as do ignorant adults like your boyfriend. What on earth was he thinking? Take the 'loving him' of it. Loving a dog is not enough-you need to be able to provide for the DOGS needs for up to 15 years, not your own, just because he's cute and you want something to cuddle-anyone can do that.
Your boyfriend has also failed magnificently in acquiring one of the highest energy cross-breeds you could choose. They need a job, they need to work. They need brain stimulation,and as adults, 2-3 hours of exercise a day. Did he not research this?
I'm relieved you have been brave enough to realise that you need to sort the situation out. Having worked in welfare, 8,9,10 months old is the age most puppies get surrendered. Initial cuteness has worn off, and reality has checked in.

At about 8-10 months I was ready to cry with my springer. I’d bought her knowing she was a from a working gundog line, I was training her with a gundog trainer and at exactly that age the wheels came off and my perfectly trained puppy discovered she didn’t have to obey me 😵‍💫 I had the support of the breeder (a good friend who still had mum and a sibling to my dog) as well as a brilliant trainer, plus I’d grown up with collies so I was used to high energy dogs, but that period was something else. She’s 12 now and has finally slowed down. She’s been the best dog in the world but it’s only in the last three years or so that I’ve been able to ‘just’ walk her without concentrating and ‘working’ her. We never went to shoots, but I’ve always done gundog exercises while we’ve been out. Flushing sausages was her favourite.

Silviasilvertoes · 28/07/2024 23:18

Killingoffmyflowersonebyone · 28/07/2024 08:56

Spaniel Aid are swamped (I foster for them). But they may be an option. Either way, the dog deserves much better - back to the breeder would be ideal, spaniel aid next option. And it’s good you recognise this, OP. But a doggy day care won’t fix this. He needs training and stimulation. Not to be shoved into doggy day care.

TBH I’d be getting rid of the dog and the ‘DP’ as he’s clearly an idiot and cruel. Leaving a dog all day alone. Buying a designer mongrel that he clearly knows nothing about. Forcing his partner to put up with a dog they didn’t want? Not sure which of them is worse, but he’s an idiot either way.

Just as an aside, sprockers aren’t designer mongrels. They were commonly born in the same litter by the 1880s and were differentiated by size (cockers being smaller and used to hunt woodcock). They were recognised as two different breeds by the UK Kennel Club in 1902. Sorry… Spaniel geek.

Edited to say but on everything else we agree.

Coffee23 · 30/07/2024 15:29

Honestly it depends on how dedicated you are to wanting to keep the dog. Dogs are a lot more work than people think and the work never ends. Even the best trained dog needs constant refresher training and working breeds like you have don’t slow down with old age.

It can however be done.

I work full time and my dog is never destructive to the house, however I work very hard to full fill her needs.

To offer a different and potentially controversial view to most people, you can leave your dog for a few hours either side of a dog walk. I leave at 8am, dog walker comes and takes the dog midday for an hours walk, and I get home at 5pm. But this took time to build up to and is the tip of the iceberg in what she does in a day.

I crate trained my dog to begin with. It gives them somewhere safe to go and sleep but also stops them from destroying the house when you aren’t there. But you can’t leave them in the crate for too long, especially when young. You will need to pay someone to walk them twice a day or one walk and one check in visit at the very least. It all depends on how long you are gone for. You can build up how long you can leave them but it takes time and not every dog copes with being left alone. You need to be prepared to potentially pay for two walks a day or a good day care for the rest of the dogs life.

But it also doesn’t stop there. That isn’t enough and you will still need to do more when you get home. Ask yourself if you can do similar to the below for the next 10+ years.

On top of the hour off lead walk she gets with the dog walker, every day after work I walk my dog, practicing lead walking around the block for half an hour. When we get home, I use my dogs dinner portion to do 10-15 mins of training. Once a week I also attend agility training and a scent work class. At weekends we go on hikes, we go to the beach, and we do training as well (attend a group obedience class).

Basically my whole life outside of my job is full filling my dogs needs. She is happy, never destructive and calm inside the house because she has enough to do both physically and mentally.

It costs a lot in both time and money but it is so worth it. She is a fantastic dog who lives the happiest life.

It all boils down to, are you prepared to give that amount of time and effort to your dog for the rest of its life?

If no, then there is no shame in rehoming to someone that can/will. Do it now while they are still young and desirable to adopt. The longer you leave it the worse their behaviour will get and the less chance of them being rehomed successfully.

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