Cocker Spaniel owners - questions

[Amberle3]

I've always loved cocker spaniels, they look so sweet. I used to have a dog as a kid (1/4 lab, 3/4 samoyed) and I miss having a dog. I have my cats, which I love dearly, but really miss a dog.

My DFi has decided that next year, as my birthday present, he'll get me a dog. So now I have questions about cocker spaniels.
- Are they as even in temperament as they seem to be?
- Any special problems with them?
- Do they travel well?

Any other advice?

 

[poohandwendy]

I love my cocker spaniel...BUT, they are notorious for ear problems and they are not all even tempered.

Mine is fiercely loyal and luckily, nice to people and other animals....but he gets cranky very easily. Not sure that I would get another cocker spaniel. From what I have heard, I was lucky. I don't know that I would take a chance with another one.

They are not a breed that is known for a good temperament, like a golden or lab. I cannot trust him like I did my golden retriever.

Mine does not travel well, he is fearful of alot of things, but it isn't an issue for me.

Good luck choosing.

(just realized I made it sound bad...I really love my cocker, I just have known many people who were not as fortunate)

 

[poohandwendy]

Your best resource is the people who work in your vets office...they come in contact with all breeds and can give you an opinion based on a volume of animals, not just a family pet.

 

[aprilgail2]

Talk to trainers and a vet before you get one! I unfortunatly got one before I asked people and I am SO sorry....every trainer I talked to says they are not a breed to have with kids and they are snippy etc..and mine is that 100 fold! I had to take my mom to the ER a few weeks ago becaue he bit her...he has been to 3 trainers..one was afraid of him he is so nuts!! The vet has "psyco" written on his chart!!

 

[Chicago526]

I grew up with a cocker spaniel! Lady was wonderful!

She (and all cockers) needed have to have their ears cleaned out at least once a week with alcohol and a q-tip. If you keep up on it, it's really not that bad (Lady didn't think so, though! She hated it!) They also have weepy eyes (eye gunk) but that you can just wipe away with a tissue. They need to be brushed often, and they need to be groomed, which can add up $$$.

Lady wasn't much of a barker, very sweet, calm, and even tempered. She ignored young children (except my brothers and I, she loved us and where we were, she was!) and ignored other dogs too, except for other spaniels (how she knew, I have no idea!). She thought she was a person. Didn't play a whole lot once she was an adult, but sometimes would play tug of war or fetch for a little while. She liked chewing on her nyla-bone. She was rather bright, once we were moving all the furniture out of the family room to clean the rugs, she saw this and picked up her toys one at a time and moved them to the kitchen. Very funny!

I have heard that other people have had problems with cockers. All I can tell you is my own experiance. I can say that you should go to a breader, make sure you can meet the parents of the puppies, and see their living conditions. Any breed of dog from a pet store is very likely from a puppy mill, and I guarantee you WILL have problems. Pure breed cockers are expensive, and vet bills (for any dog) arent' cheap, either. Make sure you can afford a dog before you get one. Factor in spay/neutering, yearly shots, heartworm and flea/tick pills, kennel cough vaccine, grooming several times a year, boarding costs when you're out of town, and heaven help you if the dog gets sick/hurt, the vet bills are not cheap. Oh yeah, don't forget dog food and toys!

Your making a wise decision by researching this before jumping in and buying a dog without thinking about it. Good luck!

 

[stamper]

Well, I don't have a Cocker at the momeny...we have Samoyeds now. I grew up with a Cocker though.

Cockers can have bad temperaments (Cocker Rage). Ours was a sweetheart. I hate when a breed is generalized as mean, vicious or bad tempered just because some are. The very best advice I can give you is this, research first what breed(s) you are interested in. Then research the breeder you will get a pup from. Temperament is genetic....some bloodlines are just fine, while others give everyone else a bad name. Meet the breeder and the dog(s) well before the breeding even happens. This will help a lot!

Also, each breed has a national or parent club...do a web search for your chosen breed's club site for info and referrals. Attend a dog show in your area and meet owners and breeders in person. This is a great way to be put in touch with someone who has an upcoming breeding planned. (If you need help finding one, PM me).

Personally, vets seem to be the last place I go for advice. Trainers, owners, breeders and breed club members are much more knowledgeable about individual breeds.

There are sites that can help you pick the breeds that are most like characteristics you are looking for in a dog.

So glad you doing your homework! Please be sure to contact breeders early as we like to have puppy buyers lined up. Remember, looking for a puppy is not like going to Walmart ... Breeders don't always have pups available at a moments notice. Reputable breeders often have just one or two litters a year...being on a waiting list is normal. I quite often get calls from people who want a puppy ASAP. Good luck in your search.

 

[damo]

We have had three cockers, all with wonderful temperments. You need to visit a breeder and make sure that the parents are of good temperments, that there is no in-breeding, and that the puppies are being raised with children. Make sure that you socialize your puppy well with dogs and children.

 

[eek40]

I have a 5 month old parti cocker(black and white) he is the most wonderful pet ever. He has a great temperment, loves children and other dogs. He has had ear problems however, you just have to clean them often.

Alot of how a dogs temperment is by how they are breed, make sure to meet the dame and sire of the puppy. See how they are, if you bring a cocker around others at a young age they will be used to children and other adults and wont have trouble. As far as biting, all puppies do this a bit. You just have to be really on top of it when they do just bite a bit even you have to really show them that it is not a cool thing , they are fast learners.

I wouldnt trade my cocker for a million dollars.
Aimee

 

[TarraLee]

We had a cocker growing up, and DH and I have one now. I must say, the one we have now has the best personality of any dog we've ever had (several breeds). He is happy go lucky, and his tail wags constantly. He is friendly to other people, including kids, and nice to other dogs. His ears do get gross, but we clean them once a week, and they're fine. We do take him travelling quite a bit, and he loves it! But we were careful to travel with him and socialize him when he was a puppy.

I think one of the reasons that you hear so much negative about cockers is because they are SO popular; many people who aren't committed to or educated about raising a dog have them and have problems, and because there are many backyard breeders of cockers having litters one right after the other without much concern for temprament, bloodlines, etc. (NOT implying that this is true of anyone here, just of SOME cocker owners and SOME cocker breeders).

Just think, if bichons (or any breed) were bred with as much frequency (and sometimes with little thought) and owned by as many people, you'd hear what a "bad" breed they were.

IMHO, its not the "breed" that's bad. Individual dogs can be "bad" as a result of lack of breeding, bloodlines, or training. If you are careful to do your homework, any dog, especially a cocker , can be a great pet!

HTH, I wish I could give a referral for our breeder, but they have "retired." Best of luck in your search for a new pet!

 

[Amberle3]

Okay, well this is giving me hope

I haven't had a dog for about 25 years. For a long time I thought I wouldn't want a dog again (my dog had been stolen, it was quite heartbreaking). But for the last 10 years or so any time I think of having a dog, I just automatically think of a cocker.

My DFi and I live in different cities. When we're married I'm going to have to keep traveling back and forth between where he lives and my hometown, where my entire family and my business are. Since he works I won't be able to just leave a dog at home to fend for him/herself during the day, so I'll be bringing the little darling with me each time. Hopefully by doing this with it from a young age it will get accustomed to it (I'm almost used to it by now!).

What about training - is it necessary? My dog (as a kid) didn't go for any training and he was a wonderful dog. My cousin got herself a little West Highland Terrier and immediately was inundated with advice on what she "had" to do with the dog, including lots of training and keeping it crated at night. I want a dog my dog to be part of the family.

 

[slimplaw]

All 4 of the cockers I've had over the last 30 years have had good temperments. 2 of them did need ear surgery to enlarge their ear canals. They were having constant ear problems and nothing else had helped. Cockers will also have cataracts and benign tumors. I guess the biggest disadvantage is the grooming. Presently we have a tri-colored cocker named Arrow. He is 14 and beginning to slow down. He was a rescue dog and has been a wonderful companion.

 

[damo]

I groom our dogs myself. It really isn't a big deal. I do think puppy training is important.

 

[arminnie]

I got my first cocker from a breeder - unfortunately the father was only a year old and shortly after he was bred he developed terrible temper problems.

Of the four dogs in the litter 2 had to be put down for being vicious. My dog loved me dearly but I could not leave him with anyone. If I was at home he would jump in someone's lap and be all lovey/dovey but if I left the house he would turn into killer dog to the very same person. He had a very distinctive personality was so SO smart. I loved him to death in spite of his problems.

After he died I got another cocker from a rescue group. He has been the SWEETEST dog ever. Absolutely NO behavioral problems - he doesn't even bark. You can take food out of his mouth - he has never even snapped at anyone and he is 12 years old now.

Yes I do think cockers were inbred and some have bad vicious streaks but I do think that dealing with a reputable and experienced breeder or rescue group can allow you to get a dog that is even tempered.

My current dog had absolutely no ear problems for the first 10 years of his life and then had to have surgery this past year.

I absolutely adore cockers! They are very sweet and loving and so adorable.

 

[Nancy]

We had a spaniel that I just loved but she definately had alot of the bad traits that come up in Cocker Spaniels. The vet thought she was overbred. So make sure you check the breeders...get references from your vet if possible. Ginger had really bad ears that required surgery and that didn't help...she was always on medicine. She developed kidney problems very young and had to be on prescription dog food. When we had the kids she didn't take too kindly to them and I ended up in the ER 2 days after bringing DD#1 home because she bit me. Ginger went to live at grandmas house for awhile. She did get better with the kids as she got older...but not if you touched her toys.

Now my DH's grandma had a cocker spaniel that was just thew sweetest and best behaved dog. They were like night and day.

 

[year2late]

Our cocker has a very sweet temperament.

At the vet and the groomer, they always remark on how good a temperament he has for a cocker. I was not aware that they could be a handful.

Watch out, over breeding has lead to many eye. ear, skin , and temperament problems.

Between the eyr.ear, skin, and arthritis problems - not to mention grooming! Binky probably runs us a (conservative!!!!!)two grand a year.

I love Binky dearly, but our next dog will be a short haired mutt.

 

[MouseEars4us]

I won't generalize...but here is our experience,
Cocker #1, Male, purchased from a pet store, very sturdy, healthy, good ears, loved me to pieces....Hated everyone else! It started with biting my DH and ended when he bit my DD in the face. She was petting him and it frightened me so bad how he attacked her, and I was pregnant...we had him put to sleep.

Cocker #2, Female, rescued from a filthy(the place was filthy) breeder who killed 2 pups by docking their tails too short, she was the runt, healthy(even with a super short tail!), bad ears, loves me to pieces and everyone else in the family. The 3 year old DRAGS her around, rolls on her, puts her in boxes with him, drives over her, she loves him! She is a little skittish of company, but calms down eventually.

Neither dog barked alot, a neighbor grooms them for $15.00, every dog had vet bills and shots, Cockers are notorious for wetting when excited...we ignore her when we come in and/or send her straight outside when we come home...

Good idea to research first! You're on the right track...

 

[ladycollector]

See that little pup in my signature? That Luvvy.

- Are they as even in temperament as they seem to be?

We have had 2 cockers. Our first was the sweetest dog EVER she loved anyone and everyone, someone left her out in traffic, and we rescued her. We didn't know if she would take to us after being obviously mis-treated. But she loved us to pieces and was the best dog. She died of Liver problems, we had her put to sleep, when she suddenly got sick (We thought the medicine had made her better).

Fast forward to our 2nd cocker, which is LuvJoy. We found her at the vet, and the story was ~ Her mom was a breeder, and the breeder had to kennel the pregnant mom for a few days, she had Luvvy while she was being kennelled. Luvvy was the only one born in the litter, so the breeder gave Luvvy to the vet and said just to find her a good home because this was her last litter.

Luvvy was a really really well tempered dog from to about 2 years old. That is when we moved and started traveling. Since then she became more protective of us. She seems to be a good judge of character. Some people she just doesn't like (they have later turned out to be bad eggs) and almost all she is fine with. One thing we didn't do, was socialize her with other dogs. She is definately a people dog. So we are careful with other dogs, if another dog growls at her, she will growl back. We've started socializing her with dogs smaller than her, and she has done really well.

- Any special problems with them?

It seems cockers have lots of health problems. After the death of our first cocker, we have learned some of the things to prevent that. We believe in giving them ONLY the best food. Science Diet or Nutro. Luvvy gets Premium Health Nutro. Its about 40% more than Iams and that other junk, but it is so much better for their bodies. With that said, she has the ear problem and we medicate it with some stuff we put in her ears, thats all. Cockers will eat till they explode, so keep her healthy, Luvvy is overweight , but she is trimming down. They think she may have a have a heart problem, so it is crucial she trim down.


- Do they travel well?

She is the best travel dog EVER. We travel in the van 3-4 times a year and she absolutely adores it. She will sit in her cage or wherever she feels, all the way there. Never make a peep.

Enjoy your pup!