Mini Poodle Vs Show Cocker

[Userss8807]

Hi everyone…

Im just wondering what everyone’s opinions are on the two breeds for a family of 5.
I work from home and have time to do a morning and afternoon/evening walk (not hours and hours though) thinking 45 mins each walk, we have a nice big garden for them to play in as well. With me working from home I do need a dog with training that will happily settle/potter in and out of the garden while I do work.

We are not first time dog owners but we haven’t had either of these breeds before.

The kids would like a dog to play ball games with and teach tricks but this is to a certain extent.

I’m not really bothered about the shedding, grooming etc just want a loving family dog that can be part of our family, come on holidays with us etc but one that isn’t any bigger in size

Which do you think is better suited to a family home? Or are there other breeds you think I should consider?

I’ve had both. I was very lucky with my cocker, she was a gentle, loving dog and patient with children. But very high energy and destructive if bored.

The poodle was easier, very bright. He was miniature, a good size, enjoyed a long walk, robust.

A King Charles Cav is also worth considering, lovely family dogs. Not as intense as a cocker.

People with kids certainly do get spaniels (they are the majority of the dogs we meet at the moment, though that's probably a self selecting group of the mud-caked and weary), but a mid sized poodle is probably your safer bet.

Get earplugs though if you have a happy one. They are shrill little dogs.

But very high energy and destructive if bored.

I'd forgotten to mention this aspect. Let's just say if your kids are fond of their soft toys/shoes/homework, and at all untidy, a bored cocker spaniel is going to be a menace.

Though not as bad as a friend 's Airedale, possibly. He ate cupboards.

Not rude at all, I appreciate the straight advice…I have some friends (not very close friends though) with spaniels that don’t snap and who they claim are the perfect family dog so it’s good to get the balance.

I had a show cocker. Wonderful little dog, great with people and most other dogs, easy to housetrain, not destructive in the house, happy to be left alone for a couple of hours and very loving and loyal, but:

He was very bitey as a pup and could still be a bit snappy even when older. He bit me once when I tried to get a chicken bone off him and I didn’t have a higher value treat to swap it for.

Probably the most stubborn dog I’ve ever had, if he wanted to go in a certain direction when we were out walking and I didn’t, he’d lay down and refuse to move.

He followed me everywhere, couldn’t even go to the loo without him sitting outside the door whimpering.

Absolutely obsessed with following a scent. His nose was barely off the floor most of the time. To the point where he’d walk into things.

Senstive stomach and prone to pancreatitis.

Had to have expensive surgery for entropian - get very good insurance if you get one.

Despite the negatives, I adored that little dog and his funny personality. Not sure I’d have another though.

@Userss8807 thanks! They can be lovely little dogs - don’t get me wrong.

But if I think about all the breeders I know, or have met, (I show and breed) the three dogs breeds where the breeders say they are returned most often (often because of a behavioural issue) are: cockers, labradors and Goldies! And that’s nearly always as a result of under-exercise/stimulation and an expectation that because they are that breed they won’t go wrong (family friendly) - gundogs can be lovely, but they are also incredibly hard work to get right.

If you do get a spaniel, be super careful with the breeder, take it to gundog classes etc. make sure it has an outlet for it’s energy and intelligence

Great point. My mini poodle is fab on walks and would never leave us and although sometimes he'll wander ahead he always looks back and checks in to see where we are. Once recall trained, a poodles recall is bomb proof whereas spaniels have the prey drive which (depending on the dog) can override training. In my experience the presence of pheasants half the year where we live means spaniels can't be off lead without disappearing and it's a nightmare

Once recall trained, a poodles recall is bomb proof

To be fair, we do know a poodle (known to all as Bad Billy) with even worse recall than my spanner. He gets that glint in his eye and he's off.

Yep, I’ll never forget the day my spaniel set off in pursuit of a deer, totally oblivious to me calling him back. And the awful feeling of dread when I heard cars screeching to a halt on the road, which was a good field and half away! Then the feeling of relief when the little bugger came hurtling back towards me through the subway.

And the number of times he’d come back stinking to high heaven after rolling in fox poo!

He was also quite bemused when people didn’t like him. He seemed to have this inbuilt thought that everyone wanted to be his best friend and if they didn’t stop to admire him then there would be sulking.

I see a LOT of behaviour problems in Cocker spaniels - they need a ‘job’ (even the show ones) so you either need a countryside lifestyle or to devote lots of time to taking them to their activities. It needs to be a brain work out, not just a physical one.

Poodles are so underrated. They have wonderful temperaments, a lot of them are pandered to and become a bit diva-esque but if you treat them like a dog not a teddy, then they’re great. They suffer with bad teeth but other than that they don’t have a huge amount of health problems (they aren’t ‘robust’ but I see MANY more spaniels injuring themselves through pure stupidity).

Other family dogs I’d recommend - golden retrievers, border terriers, whippets, Nova Scotia duck tolling retrievers.

Put it this way - when I take a poodle for a walk, they come home and settle on the sofa or on their beds, have a treat and relax. The cockers come in, bounce off the walls and are ready to go again (and again).

They are lovely dogs and I adore their personalities but they are a lot of dog in a small package and really not a breed I would recommend for a first time owner. One family I walk for have always owned border collies and then got a spaniel - they say the collies are much easier!

We were in the same position as you OP. We were drawn to a cocker spaniel and couldnt get past that. So didn’t in fact get a dog at all for a few years whilst we went through the process of being “put off” getting a spaniel. In the end we decided it was a cocker or nothing. We had friends with a quite mad cocker so we knew what the potential was and decided we were up for it. Anyhow our working cocker dog is four this year- we worked very hard on her training in the first year, and still have to bring her to order every now and then and recover some commands. But she is wonderful. I wouldn’t say her recall is cast iron- around 95% but I have to work as hard as she does to pre empt the possibility of her getting distracted by animals on a country walk by putting her on a lead etc She has never snapped at anyone, loves a snuggle in the sofa. Aside from moving socks around the house, and patrolling our large garden she does like to watch to world through the front window and gives and early warning of deliveries and visitors. We have 2 cats whom she gives a very wide berth- they predate her and set the pecking order early on. She gets 90 minutes walk in the morning and usually a quick walk around the block before tea- though the latter isn’t every day. We are home all the time, but we can definitely go out and about for a few hours at a time. We have good insurance - and have used it annually for incidents not health problems. And if we go holiday I pay for a sitter to live with her at home rather than send her to kennels- she wouldn’t cope with that at all. This is my experience of a working cocker spaniel as a first dog.

We have two show type cocker spaniels and we love both of them dearly! Our first is an absolute dream, she was an adorable puppy and never put a foot wrong, a wonderful well behaved quite dog who has just pottered about like a little old thing since the day she arrived- not the typical cocker, incredibly laid back with sometimes just a car ride or visitors enough to exhaust her the whole day. Then there’s the other one…. Absolutely bonkers as anything but my gosh the most adoring loving dog I’ve ever met! No two are the same! X

Our spaniel has never snapped. He’s such a family dog, he loves everyone and loves being trained. We did do a lot of classes and I would recommend the same if you get one. Dp’s youngest did special dog training classes for children which both she and the dog loved. They still have a special bond today because of it. Cockers are absolutely amazing family pets as long as you are walking them enough. It doesn’t even need to be a long walk, just needs to be an interesting one.

He’s also a working cocker, age 5

Poodle! My family had a mini when I was young and it was great with children. The problem with cockers is you have no way of knowing whether you will get one that will resource guard/snap. Yes, lots are fine (indeed, lovely!), but there are plenty of experienced dog owners who do all the right things and still end up with an unpredictable dog that can’t be trusted to be around children. I’d just be very worried as you won’t know when you choose a breeder/puppy if it will develop these well known tendencies or not.

Really makes me sad reading all these negative stories of cocker spaniels. I must have been very lucky with all of mine.
They are happy, friendly dogs. Yes, they run like nutters on walks, but in circles around me. I love seeing them do what spaniels are meant to do and wouldn't want a dog that plods along by my side. They have excellent whistle recall and will come back from chasing deer and pheasants. The only time it's a slight issue is at dusk in one field full of rabbits, so we walk somewhere different then. And when we get home, they sleep. Once past puppy hood, they don't chew anything they shouldn't. They do like to steal socks if they get the chance, but just to run around with and they'll give it back when asked. They are good with my grandchildren and have helped one get over his fear of dogs.
But as I said before, you do need to research breeders carefully as there are a lot of dodgy ones out there.

Just going to put this here….

I’m still so torn…I think I have found a couple of good breeders for cockers but haven’t found anything that I really love for a mini poodle as yet.

Thank you everyone for your advice and words of wisdom it’s really useful…please keep them coming.

I know a few other breeds have been mentioned, I am concerned about Cavaliers with their health issues, I would like a different breed to a terrier this time. I love a whippet but no one else in the family is keen and I don’t believe we would be a good fit for a goldie or a Lab, as absolutely adorable as I think they are, they aren’t right for us now.

Resource guarding is a common problem with spaniels* (ask any trainer worth their salt) and resource guarding can often lead to snapping. (Cocker spaniel rage syndrome is a thing)

*obviously there will be anomalies before everyone comes at me with "not my cocker!" 🙄

IMHO so many people massively underestimate the exercise needs of spaniels. A 90min walk a day just doesn't cut it for most of them.

Spaniels are nutcases. Some people love that.

You sound dead set on a spaniel... I hope you really understand what you're getting yourself into!

You could try this for a list of poodle breeders?

https://www.thepoodlecouncil.co.uk

they need a ‘job’ (even the show ones)

I spend a lot of time with mine emptying the washing machine, sock by sock, and handing them over for kibble. It's reminiscent of the toddler days, though even my kids didn't usually forget themselves and occasionally chew the toes off.

our cockapoo is miniature poodle (dad) and show cocker (mum) and she’s fabulous. Best of both breeds IMO.

A nice cockapoo is a joy, but you also risk getting the worst of both breeds.

I’d pick the poodle out of the two breeds. All Cockers I’ve known are very high energy, are snappy and bark A LOT.