Calm spaniels

[TeenLifeMum]

We have a working cocker spaniel who is 4.5 years old. Good as gold but his first year was intense with lots of training and we didn’t sit and watch a full programme on tv for the first 6 months because he had to be watched because he chewed etc. now, he’s the perfect dog. We now have a 14 week old sprocker and she’s super calm, obedient, amazing recall, very snuggly so in the evening we can watch a film with both dogs on the sofa. Most she’ll do is get up and tap the bells on the back door to ask to go outside for a wee, but then back in for snuggles. She has zoomies around the garden but she’s so calm in the house 85% of the time.

So many non spaniel owners keep saying we’re nuts to have such bouncy dogs. Neither are bouncy 🤷🏻‍♀️

Is our spaniel experience different to everyone else?

No, my spaniels have been lazy at home, the sleep or potter about. They get good off lead walks every day though and we do lots of tricks with them when wfh every tea break for example.

My two boy spaniels also calm inside but heaps of energy outside.

We have an English Springer spaniel (obviously 😃) and he has loads of energy when he's out in the fields and woods. He'll run for hours and cover huge distances but will come home and happily curl up on the sofa all afternoon and evening. We take him out into the garden when it's daylight and throw balls for him but generally he's quite happy sitting with us in the house, playing with a tug toy or doing one of his treat games. Doesn't clamour to go out in the morning either, so we don't have the early morning wake-up call! I wish I had a fraction of his bladder control.

I have a 2.5yo show cocker. She has always been the calmest Dog I have ever met. She's very chilled very calm quite timid. Everybody falls in love with her and she is so easy. I feel very lucky.

Mine is much the same at 21 months. She's a super star. Every day is a training day but I wouldn't swap her for anything. I can't bear it when people come up to me on walks and say in a tilty-head, faux-concerned voice, 'oh gosh she's got a lot of energy hasn't she!! I bet she's hard work!' No, actually, she's not. She's on the go out of the house, but chilled at home, because that's what she's been taught to do. She sleeps most of the day, and when she's not asleep she's chilling somewhere or lying on me while I work, or helping me do something.

You get back what you put in with spaniels, for sure. But none of that is popular on here, where spaniels are more or less the enemy of progress, which is rot, frankly.

I agree with PP.
Spaniels can be very high energy when hot and about, but are very comfort-loving when at home and like nothing better than to cuddle up and have a snooze.
In my view it's a myth that people who don't know how to mange them propagate.

We have a springer, a cocker and what is thought to be a cockerpoo (but he's the size of a large labrador.).. all very different, all rescues from Spaniel Aid, we foster for them as well and can truthfully say there isn't a 'standard' way of spaniels behaving (other than being totally bats) Ours all settle well yet previous homes said couldn't sit still, nervous, anxious etc.
There's also the added thing that people don't research the 'show' and 'working' lines properly and then wonder why a working line spaniel is getting bored and then destructive.

Agree with others - you will get this their whole lives.
'She's mad!' She is outside - she isn't mad, she's just fast and spaniels are an expressive bunch! She'll be asleep within 5 minutes of being at home and she's had a 4 hour nap today.
'Wow she's bonkers' nope, she just loves people and is excited to see you.
'How do you cope with the energy??' I trained her, properly, because she's a working cocker... she's in perfect condition and has less walkies a day than your oodle cross who is currently straining on the lead because you can't trust them off it...

I think the 'bouncy' label comes from the fact they do seem to jump up quite a lot - I had a trainer mention to me lately that she's long thought that this is an extension of spaniels generally being a very cuddly and people oriented sort.

We have a English Springer who is super chilled at home (was a bit livelier as a puppy but nothing unusual) and only gets alert/active when he knows he is about to go out - or he sees a squirrel in the garden. When he is out his nose is to the ground having a good sniff. Although will choose to come and sit calmly next to or near us if we stop to chat with someone when out.

I think non-spaniel owners assume spaniels are crazy because they tend to only see them when outside being lively and bouncy so assume they are like that inside too - ours is the complete opposite😊

Oh @Lightuptheroom I’d love to foster for Spaniel Aid but fear I’d end up with a whole team of spaniels and one is plenty, full-time. SA do such amazing work – I torture myself reading the ads.

@Daisyvodka Funny you say about the jumping up. We saw our gundog trainer today and my dog lept on her for a cuddle when she arrived and both of us agreed that it was fine because she's doing it for comfort. She said to me that she's fine with her own cocker doing it too – sometimes they need something from you and if that thing is being halfway up your leg delivering you something, that's fine as far as I'm concerned. She is springy though – I'm sure she has vertical takeoff, like an F35.

thank you all! this makes me feel less delusional. it’s always the non spaniel owners who bad mouth them. I get “you’re mad” a lot. I have 3 DDs and a busy household and they fit in perfectly. (Not sure why capital letters are so random in predictive text)

I've just rescued a spaniel (well, predominantly a spaniel) and he's great. 12 months old, excellent recall, loves a good run off lead, but then is calm in the house (after some guidance).

Hopefully, he's going to his forever home soon.

I rehomed a Spaniel 2 years ago, she's working cocker or wcs x springer, she's quite big even for a wcs and does have the 'boing' of a springer, but I know cockers do too, so who knows.

I think they will keep going as long as they think you want to and they never appear to tire, so mine is just as engaged at the start of a walk as at the end and will keep chasing the ball at full speed as many times as I'll throw it. She's also a velcro dog, so if I'm moving so is she, I think it's the inbuilt cooperation that they always think you have a job for them when you move or are just interested & curious in what you're doing.

I think people see them like that and assume there's no off switch, but she'll happily have a duvet day and not mither for a walk or play and be content with belly rubs and cuddles all day.

She lived outside and had the run of a farm with the other dogs before she came to us, and I used to go daily to the farm and most of the time they were found snoozing in the straw when I arrived, they would come up the fields and run constantly the entire time, but rarely would they be up there if no one was there with them, they'd all be chilling around the yard, playing or just mooching around quietly. So left to their own devices they weren't constantly on the go, they had every opportunity to be and weren't.

I don't think being on the go constantly just because they will is probably the best thing for them, and I think people mistake that they will for thinking they must, and a lot are over stimulated and don't get enough rest.

She's seriously the best dog I've ever had, so trainable, affectionate and eager to please. I have a jrt who I love to bits but the difference in trainability and motivation is obvious, the spaniel wants to do whatever she thinks I want her to do because she just wants to please me, everything is a transactional trade off with the jrt! She wants to please herself!

99.9% of it is down to being a halfway competent owner. The rest is down to chance - even in a litter, personalities vary so much.

But, far too many people get cockers or springers or retrievers and are negligent owners. They get them because they’re ’good with kids’ and then do sweet fuck all to train or care for them adequately.

Friend has a show cocker who’s very bouncy and untrained. To the extent he is very close to being pts. He has a sleep startle reflex and bites if startled. She admits she’s too soft with him. I do think they need a firm hand and training. Shame as overall he’s a lovely dog.

Unfortunately, too many spaniels seem to end up in homes that are totally unable to meet their needs and that's what leads to them having a bad reputation.

You say you spent months training, for example - lots of people unfortunately don't bother and will shove them in a crate, or just re-home because of the destruction. Then they get bored to tears or wind up being passed around without ever being taught how to behave, and then end up struggling.

We have a Springer Spaniel, from working lines (she came from a farm and both her parents are gun dogs). She's 2.5 so still fairly young.

She was a dream to train and she's completely calm and chilled at home. She's never chewed or damaged anything and doesn't jump up ever. She's very interested in things so if anythings going on she'll come and sit and watch you - cooking, hoovering etc. And she's more than happy to snooze all evening.

Outside she is 100mph. She doesn't walk on walks, she runs, jumps, climbs fairly sheer banks, nose constantly down. In any water she can find, preferably swimming. If I walk her for 2 miles through the woods, she walks herself for 20 miles, it's great 😂 But she has 100% bomb proof recall.

So yes...the people who see her on walks say 'oh she's CRAZY, how do you cope?!' and similar, which really couldn't be further from the truth.

@UbiquitousObjects

So yes...the people who see her on walks say 'oh she's CRAZY, how do you cope?!' and similar, which really couldn't be further from the truth.

We have working labs and have had similar comments, and when I say they're super chilled in the house I don't think they believe me. I worked from home full time when they were both puppies.

You get the dog you train.
Always had working spaniels (currently WCS) but all have been calm in the house because they have been trained to be so.
Not really rocket science

Same here. Happily sleeps til 10am

Yes same here...we've said the same many times and get the 'uh-huh 👀' face 😂.

I also WFH when she was a puppy and even then she mainly a dream to look after and train.

I gave a sprocker and have previously had cockers. Ours is like previously described - so chill at home but 100 mph when out. At home he's his age (11) but out he's like a pup! Still can't tire him out, I just make him fitter! Lovely dogs .

@UbiquitousObjects yes same - people def don't believe that she is lazy and sleeps all day at home! Mine also climbs steep banks and runs down them I can't look, she runs happily through the woods/fields and if she finds another spaniel to run with she's delighted and they could chase each other for ages. I think the only person who believes how lazy she is at home is our dog boarder who always says she's never known a spaniel as lazy

oh and as others have said I put a lot of time into training her as a pup which helps and she was not really a chewer or destructive - I think one flip flop got chewed early on but no furniture or anything major like others you hear about chewing skirting boards etc. She is also unphased by fireworks and roadworks and thunder thankfully so she's a dream apart from yanking my arm off when she's on lead if she sees a certain neighbourhood cat who is her nemesis!

Mine isn't a proper spaniel, she's a cockerpoo with more spaniel in the mix but she is very calm. I think it's because we do a lot of training. My husband wanted a dog for so long and I always said I couldn't bear to have a badly trained dog so we have invested in doing a lot of training with her, and it's paying off. It's a process though, like everything.

I think too many people choose spaniels because they are cute & don’t research how much exercise & training they need.

I see crazy spaniels when exercising my Lab but assume the spaniels are fine at home because the owners are out in all weathers ( like me) walking their dogs. My Lab is best friends with a spaniel, they are both nuts outside but the owner says his dog is chilled at home as is mine.