Tell me the good and bad…

[CoralDreamer]

This is going to be longer than I thought! We’ve been talking about getting a dog for a long time, most likely a rescue cocker spaniel. I don’t know anyone with a dog who I can talk money and everything else with. How much would you say your dog costs a month? Insurance, food, the lot. I’ve done quotes in insurance that can range from £30 to over £100 for what looks like the same cover but different providers.
Life style wise, we’re a very active family so I don’t have any concerns regarding walking, exercise, training etc. I work from home, DH is at home until mid afternoon so time won’t be an issue.
Concerns I have:

• we’re financially comfortable so can certainly afford a dog but have I underestimated the costs?
• 9/10 times we’re doing something like a walk/park as a family at the weekend but sometimes we might do a city visit etc. What do you do with your dog in cases such as these? Again, risk is low due to adult DS but there’s occasions when we might all be together.
• how tied do you feel due to your dog? Would you change anything or do the same over?

Is there anything else I might have overlooked? Give it to me straight - I need the absolute truth to make sure we’re going to be the best owners we can be. Thanks!

Insurance will vary with age of the dog but go for life cover and at least £10,000. Vet bills and insurance have both gone up a lot in the last couple of years. Mine just had a skin condition last year and with several visits to the vet over 4 months it came to over £2000 so if they need an operation or any overnight time at the vets the bills really rack up. Food costs can vary enormously and depend on what you want to feed, dry kibble, with or without a topper, or raw food. There is a lot of choice but it's best to keep them on the food they are on to start with and change if you want gradually. Do you have any other local relatives or friends who would be willing to look after your dog if you are out for a while. If you get a rescue they will probably take a couple of months to settle in before you can leave for more than an hour. Then gradually build up. Most mature dogs are ok left up to 5 or 6 hours on odd occasions but best if you haven't a friend or family to get a local dog walker who can pop in and walk if necessary. Some will do ad-hoc walks you also might want to find a home boarder or kennels if you are likely to go away. Home boarding can be about £50 a night or more depending where you live. I certainly wouldn't be without my dog but they are always another consideration if you are going anywhere. You say you have adult DC which are very useful. We had that and then they went to uni and then moved away so things change and you could have the dog up 15 years.

Thank you for your reply, that’s good to know re the insurance and the coverage required. No real concerns about DS moving out anytime soon but you’re right, circumstances do change. We also have a younger DS who would be able to do more as he gets older. I just know we’d be able to give a great home to a dog but we’re scared to take the leap!

Regular costs (food/insurance/flea + worming/grooming etc.) we've not really noticed much of an impact. I'd estimate £200 PCM at the most. And he's a large breed.

Our biggest costs have been boarding and training. Boarding is not cheap. Kennels aren't expensive but I'd rather him boarding. Training isn't cheap but worth it in the long run.

We have (hopefully) pretty comprehensive insurance but have not had to use it yet so can't properly comment on vet costs.

Other costs: We will definitely have to replace sofas sooner than we would have without a Ddog. He doesn't damage them, but they are looking more used.

We're definitely spending more on cleaning products. And more on washing.

Cocker spaniels are very high energy and a bit nuts. You’re welcome.

Don’t forget grooming, at around £50 every eight weeks.

I'm sure you have the ideal family home and you will quickly fall in love and it will be a new family member. If you went down the puppy route they are hard work to start with, often more than people think. Standing outside every half hour sometimes in the rain, waiting for them to pee, can be very bitey while teething, some can want to chew everything. It's like having a new baby but a maybe a destructive one. However once over that the rewards are worth it. If getting a rescue some may take a while to settle depending on it's background but if you go to a responsible rescue centre they should give you support and guidance. They hopefully will already be house trained and have some basic training already done.

I’d tread carefully before setting your heart on a rescue cocker (particularly if it’s your first dog). Lots of them have problems and those that don’t will still likely go to experienced families (if done by a proper rehoming centre like Spaniel Aid). Rescues also need at least three months to settle and at first someone will need to be home all the time with them (as with puppies)

My mums rescue costs her about £350 a month (food, grooming - every four week - and arthritis medication, dementia medication, anal gland medication, insurance). But she is 11 so her insurance is very expensive (£15k cover) at about £130 a month. She also eats like a Queen. In comparison, my 2 year old Goldie costs me £200+ a month just for food and insurance. I’m looking at closer to £500 by the time he hits double digits.

That’s all to say, don’t just think of the costs now - think of the costs in ten+ years because, even if your dog is healthy, everything will be more expensive so plan with that in mind.

I advise…
Get a rescue from a reputable source
I put money aside from my monthly wages into a separate bank account instead of taking out insurance. It has covered emergencies. The vet seems to charge less when I tell them I don’t have insurance. I have been told by someone in the know that a vet practice purchased an expensive piece of kit on the back of someone’s insurance.
Don’t have the spaniel clipped all over as you lose the long outer coat and the fluffy undercoat comes to fore which needs clipping. Learn how to groom him yourself, paying particular attention to the ears and tail, you can buy detangler,and trim where necessary. Vets or groomers will cut the nails if you are worried about doing this.

I have been told by someone in the know that a vet practice purchased an expensive piece of kit on the back of someone’s insurance.

No they didn’t. The money goes straight to the insurance company. 😂They also don’t charge less if you don’t have insurance - they’re a business.

If they overcharge the insurance provider the customer’s premiums go up. The customer is affected. I’m aware they’re a business.

But they just don’t do that - they’d risk their entire business for a few thousand. No one’s that stupid.

You’d think so wouldn’t you? Then for the vet to tell a ‘friend’.

Various things:

If you have a savings buffer, and could fork out 10k for treatment (vet bills can rack up very quickly), don't bother with insurance. We've had dogs for >20 years, usually two at a time, and though we've had to pay for the odd operation etc, we have saved a fortune (about 15-18k, I reckon, though that is very back of the envelope). By the time the dog is almost guaranteed to be needing treatment for something (arthritis etc) your premiums will be through the roof anyway. It's a personal decision, and partly depends on how much you'd be prepared to pay, or put your dog through, to keep it alive. The point where I think it's no longer fair to the dog to continue with treatment might be well before yours.

Cocker spaniels - be very aware that there are two very distinct groups of cockers, the very fluffy long-eared show-type ones you'll see on the Crufts coverage in the next few days, and the leaner, less furry working variety. Obviously you'll get the odd show cocker that has mad prey drive and lots of ambition, and the odd working cocker that hasn't any of either, but on the whole, working cockers are a very different deal. We see a lot of people on this board who have a working cocker that they adore, but which is resource guarding the sofa, biting the DC, has no recall, can't be walked in the evening in the winter because car lights send it bonkers, whatever. This is not because the dog is fatally flawed. It's because the dog is in a home that doesn't give it an outlet for its genetic drives. It might have puzzle toys and do 20 mins a day of 'working on loose-lead walking', but it's not getting the chance to hunt and find and retrieve that it's been bred for. You don't have to take the dog on a shoot, but you do have to instil a stellar recall and then provide a facsimile of gundog work if you want it to be happy and fulfilled - hide tennis balls in long grass, send it back 50 yards for something you've dropped, give it the chance to have a damn good sniff and explore around a rabbit warren. Not every working-line cocker needs this, but quite a lot of them do. (I have working-line dogs of another breed and they are SO much nicer, and easier to handle and live with, if they get what they need.)

Rescue dogs. Be very cautious which organisation you go to. Spaniel Aid and English Springer Spaniel Welfare (who get a lot of cockers despite their name) both have a good reputation and do seem to understand the dogs they have in for rehoming, They're fostered, so the fosterer is able to see what the dog is like in a home, out on daily walk, with other dogs, etc.

Grooming. Apart from getting a coat full off burrs etc, intact working cockers don't seem to need a lot of grooming beyond the odd brush (I can't speak for show lines, but given the hair...). Neuter a spaniel, and the coat is likely to go all cottony and weird (I've seen this with a friend's springer). Cottony coats are liable to matt.

All that being said, I love having dogs. I was out with mine for >an hour this morning, mostly letting them free run, though we did a little bit of basic training. The sun was shining, the skylarks were singing, the blackthorn was coming into flower - but even if it's half dark and cold and the rain is horizontal, I still like taking the dogs out, because their enjoyment is infectious.

Great you are looking into things before taking the plunge. Whatever you have budgeted, it’s likely to be higher, lol. Biggest costs are vet, and/or insurance, and boarding type costs if you go away without them (if you can bear to do that, lol - I haven’t up to now). Great advice from Edith, above. I second the views on cockers - every one I know is varying degrees of mental! You say you are active though so that’s good - the more exercise the better, lol.
Defo get a rescue, rescues are the best! I have four - ‘my’ breed is Spanish Podencos, all rescues, all awesome. Good luck with it all op.

Don’t look at poodle crosses. They look cute but many are crazy, especially the cockapoos.

For a lovely intelligent, easy to train dog look no further than a poodle. I have a miniature poodle. She’s two now and so easy. Recall is 100%, she loves other dogs, she’s friendly and very loving.

i dreaded the puppy stage, but she was no trouble. She came from the breeder at nine weeks pretty well housetrained. Poodles don’t chew your stuff. All her toys are still intact.

Which is why I call bullshit on the whole thing

My necessary expenses
£61 pm insurance
£18 pm vet plan (includes flea/worm treatments)
£12 pm training paste
£40 for a full groom every 8wks
£50 6kg bag of dog food every 10ish weeks (small breed)
Also buy poo bags when needed

Then I buy toys and natural treats which aren't really needed and I have no idea how much I spend on this stuff. I also seem to buy/cook a whole chicken every week mostly because it's her favourite 😁 I obviously eat it too, again it's not a necessary expense but she'd tell you it is. 😂

When you first get a new dog there's a lot of initial expenses.
Collar/lead and maybe a harness
ID tags
Bowls
Food/treats
A bed
Maybe a blanket or two
Toys/ball
A crate if you feel like you want to crate train
If you take the dog out in the car it will need to be restrained with something so either a crate, a car seat/bed they get clipped into or you can get a little lead that attaches to the harness and seatbelt holder.
A puppy would need its first vaccinations which are expensive but you wouldn't need these with a rescue.

Obviously you can feel tied down when you have a dog but it depends on how you live your life as a family. You can't be spontaneous anymore because you always have to consider the dog, you can't just go out for the day, if you can't/don't want to take the dog with you, someone will need to come and spend some time with it/walk it which you might have to pay for.
You book a holiday and you either take it with you, hope a family member/friend will be generous enough to look after it or pay an extortionate amount to board it.

I'm a homebody and child free. My dog doesn't feel like a tie at all, I love being at home reading/watching tv with my dog sat on my knee or out exploring new places/walks with her. The worst thing about owning a dog for me is the fact that I don't get to keep her with me forever.
An extrovert that loves to socialise will obviously feel differently.

You also need to prepare for the fact that most dogs will want to be walked in all weathers, freezing cold, pouring with rain or snowing.
Some dogs like mine will point blank refuse to walk in the rain but when you get a dog you're not going to know which type you'll get.

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and experiences. We’ve thought about a dog for years but due to work (long hours and office based for DH, I was part time but still office based). I now wfh part time and DH semi retired so time wise we have plenty. DH mentioned about putting money aside for vet bills instead of insurance but I’m more cautious and I think I’d worry just in case something did happen.
It is spaniel aid we’re looking at. We understand any rescue would have potential issues, and would need a patient home for settling in, which were more than happy to give.
With any luck I’ll be on this board more regularly soon, hopefully just to share lovely pictures and not because he’s chewing my sofa and eating my plants 😂

I would personally think long and hard about getting a rescue cocker spaniel as a first dog.

Don't get me wrong, in the right hands they are lovely and I certainly see the attraction - small, cute, active - but they are primarily working dogs and need an owner who knows what they're doing, in terms of training, stimulation and setting boundaries. They are not easy.

Spaniel Aid are a fantastic rescue but they have been totally overrun with owner hand-ins of late. People get cockers, don't realise what they require and then wonder why their dog is destructive, or resource guarding, or constantly barking at the window.

I would go for something much less high maintenance and much more manageable for your first time round.

100% this ^. Take heed @CoralDreamer

Careful with rescue Cockers particularly due to resource guarding which is a BIG problem in the breed. Be really thorough in investigating what brought that dog to rescue. It may be no fault of its own but equally a lot of Cockers are given up due to their resource guarding. Once it’s established it can be challenging to overcome and may need lifelong management.

As you can tell, I’ve had a rescue Cocker lol

It is highly unlikely you'd be able to rescue a cocker spaniel as a first owner. They can be HARD work!

When I wanted a small, active and fit dog I got a terrier after having a rescue terrier hound. She is 2.5 now and happy to chill when we're not doing anything or walk all day and loves training in both Rally and Agility. As in I will be cooking in the kitchen and she will be trying to pivot around my leg! She really is the most fabulous little dog once we got over the first 18 months or so of puppy. A normal day for her is a 40 - 60

The bad - well not much really if you are a dog person. They aren't an add on. They are a way of life. They need both physical and mental exercise. Dogs are my main hobby and I teach agility as an experienced volunteer, so that costs me money - probably close to £100 a month for classes, fuel, shows, online competitions and rosettes etc. Insurance isn't too much for a small terrier and food, well she eats less than 100g a day so I feed very high quality dry. Treats again she has the best but not eating much it doesn't cost much. Toys, leads, collars etc aren't too bad. My cat costs more to feed.

The good - well depends what you want a dog for. I love working with my dog. There is no other feeling like your dog working in partnership with you. I love the training and the walking and the cuddles on the sofa in the evening.

Dogs are hard work no doubt. But you do get back what you put in for the most part with them.

Cant edit but it missed off - a normal day is a 40 - 60 minute walk, mostly offlead in the countryside then she is happy to snooze and chill whilst DH works from home. When I get home late afternoon we do some games or training, or have another short walk then after tea she snoozes all evening if she isn't going to a training class. She is a great mix of chilled but active on demand. Most terriers are if they have had their needs met.

Re, the city town question. The beauty of a pup is you can socialise them well! We took ours into all the places she’d need to go as an adult. We now regularly enjoy city trips with her and she’s as happy on a bus or train as she is in our car. Last weekend we did a long meadow walk then went into the city shopping in the afternoon. Some breeds cope better with ‘busyness’ than others though.

There is no other feeling like your dog working in partnership with you.
This is very true. I work my older dog, and she and I have the best time.

I would seek to rehome a retired police dog - their vet and insurence is usually covered until death (or was a few years back)