After much thought and discussion I have decided to get a second dog and after much researching have decided on a Cocker Spaniel. I've not owned one before and this will be the first breed I have owned where there is a variation of colours. Can I ask breeders here what happens if a buyer prefers a certain coloured pup, and there are a variety in the litter. How does it work with booking/reserving? Or do breeders tend to choose a stud the same as their bitch so that puppies will be the same? I feel like a real beginner with this so any advice welcome.

I've researched the necessary health tests (eyes being the big one!) and have browsed the breeders listed here and on the cocker spaniel club site to gain ideas.

I am planning on buying some time after Easter 2013 so have some time to find the right breeder who is planning a litter in the second half of next year. Though even with that, I have no idea how to.

I have never owned two dogs at once, so introducing her to my dog will be new though I do not anticipate any problems. My dog will be almost 4 by the time we get the pup. One question though, we are very bonded with my dog, she is so affectionate and is always with one of us wanting attention. Does this change when there is a second dog? I'm wondering if the presence of a second dog meets their emotional needs more so they ask for less attention/love from the owners?

Cocker breeders will usually know what colours they are expecting in a litter. They would probably ask what colour you prefer as most people who want a cocker have some colour preference. Finding a good breeder is your main aim, but of course you will be aware of that :-)

In general I would say be aware of litters advertised with the more unusual colours as many non ethical breeders are very keen to breed litters containing those colours, they are very popular. However, that's not to say all, and if you do your research it will show up any such breeders. Very often to get unusual colours workers and show cockers are mixed so always check pedigrees, unless that is the type of cocker you are looking for of course.

There is a very good web site (Powerscourt) with the colour variations and colour genetics, sorry I don't know how to put up a link.

I've never found it a problem bringing a new puppy into the household, all my dogs still follow me around and want any fuss going! I do spend plenty of one to one with the new puppy to build up the bond.

Thanks, that's helpful.

I've looked at the breeders listed on this site and can't believe how many there are! Looking back on when I bought my current bitch, I made mistakes when choosing a breeder. At the time I was looking primarily for health tests and excellent scores, diet etc. and forgot or at least did not prioritise socialisation and so have a lot to consider.

I've seen litters advertised with photos where the litter are mixed colours, is this unusual and does this mean the mating was more indescriminate? Not sure if that was the right word I'm after but can't think of a better one.

I might actually have a go at showing locally with her. How does a total beginner know what to do?! I doubt I would show beyond a local show or two but I'd like give it a try. I would be choosing the pup (with all relevant health tests and scores) for colour and temperament primarily though so it may not be the best show pup I realise.

There are two main colour ways of cockers, parti and solid. Some kennels have both and others prefer either one.

Solid are just the one colour but may have tan points i.e black and tan. You may have a mixture of black, which is dominant, gold and chocolate in one litter any of which could have the tan points depending on the colour genetics of the pedigree.

Parti are a little more diverse for colours but blue (black) is still dominant, if you mate a blue roan with orange roan you would probably have a mixture of pups, blue and orange. In the litter you could also have black and white, orange and white, ticked and light and dark roans. All dependant on the colour genetics within the pedigrees.

This is only a broad outline of the colours and what you could get within the litters. It depends on what colours are carried by the parents.

There are also many thoughts on the personality between the colour strains. Some research along those lines would also be recommended.

If you are intending to show the coat will need to be hand stripped and never clipped. The breeder should be able to help with show presentation.

Don't forget that Familial Nephropathy (FN) DNA testing is very important too.

I'm not being tempted (well I'm tempted but am not giving in to the temptation as now is not the time) but I have discovered a litter on the ground with all the health tests, show lines and winners in both parents. There are several bitch puppies available and no dogs which helps as we've decided we will get a dog this time, no spaying incontinence to worry about. My question is, is it suspect that there are so many puppies available when they are already here? Would not the best litters be spoken for or only one or two left ready to advertise once on the ground? No prices are quoted so maybe that is why though.

Some breeders will have a waiting list but find when the pups are on the ground that folk have not been willing to wait and gone elsewhere.

There seems to be many more colours of cockers these days than when we got ours when I was growing up, there were solid blacks,goldens and the occassional blue roan, we only had solids and as an adult my last cocker a golden lived till he was 16.5yrs.

I went over to mini long dachsies because they have the same temperament as the cocker but calm down at a much younger age, I couldn't have coped with more than 1 cocker at a time but have had up to 6 dachsies, just less floor space to put your feet.

You have plenty of time to research breeders and if you hope to show then go along to some breed club shows and see what is out there and meet breeders that way, you will soon find out who is welcoming and who is stand offish.

Good Luck with your search

Thanks. I hadn't thought of breed club shows! That seems obvious now! Will definitely do that.

I don't want to put a fly in the ointment but I had a male collie castrated and he went incontinent from the operation, so no guarantees there.

Oh, worth knowing. Though I wouldn't need to castrate him at all I would assume? There's another admission, I've never owned a dog! Always bitches! But from TV programmes I have seen castration is only necessary if a dog displays behavioural problems?

We have never found the need to castrate any of our male dogs and we didn't have bitches till the dachsies.

Some behaviour reported to be improved by castration actually makes it worse by which time it is too late.

I had mine done because he was aggressive to other dogs. He wore a muzzle on walks but it wasn't really the answer.

and did he stop being aggressive to other dogs afterwards?

No.....it made no difference at all and he was 5 when we had him "done" so plenty of time for his hormones to settle. He was the most placid dog in home and so patient with my toddler but as soon as he stepped out of the front door he was a different dog.

If you didn't have him castrated until he was five, it's not surprising it didn't work for you. He should have been done a lot younger.

Perhaps he should have been done younger, his aggression wasn't too much of a problem until we moved house. The procedure was the issue as it caused his incontinence.

Now I'm getting worried, I've never owned a dog before. Are these problems rare or normal?

> If you didn't have him castrated until he was five, it's not surprising it didn't work for you. He should have been done a lot younger.

I agree - it wasn't a hormonal issue, but a behavioural one.
I had mine de-nutted at 18 months on the advice of a trainer, but it made him worse. In hindsight, I would have left him entire and worked harder on the behavioural issues, and been a lot more patient. It's definitely put me off castrating dogs just for the sake of it... if not done very early (and that has its own issues) then best not done at all, unless there is real evidence the issues are hormone-based, and even then some of that can be resolved once the dog is past its teenage 'years'.

I have to say, male or female, the choice is your own and down to your own preference.

Personally I wouldn't have another male, I've had two and problems with them both so stick to bitches which suits me better.

I am told in cockers there is very little difference between either sex and in fact the males are more affectionate.

That's useful chatsworth. I'd researched breeds as for a second dog I'd wanted smaller, key characteristic being good with children and affectionate and Cockers had seemed to tick the boxes. I kind of wanted the nature of a Golden but smaller! I've not owned a dog but can't imagine a Golden dog being aggressive, everyone I've met including my bitch's Dad has been soppy as you like. I was hoping that Cockers would be the same but actually now feel I need to make sure I have contact and meet entire dogs and speak to their owners. I could choose a bitch again but just felt I ought to not go through life without ever having owned a dog.

Just to make it clear the two male dogs I've owned weren't cockers, they were a rescue collie x spaniel and a border collie. My border went to puppy classes and adult training classes so was well socialised, eventually he just couldn't take life outside of the house. My rescue just loved to roam! It was a boy thing he'd learnt prior to my taking him.

Cockers in a nutshell are very busy and lively little dogs with great personalities, they stick right by your side and don't like to be alone. Their size makes them a good fit in most houses, their coats need quite a lot of care and attention especially for show but.....I just love em.

I really think things have gone too far with regard to the attitude (in general, not here) that castrating males is a cure-all for all behavioural problems. I believe it can actually worsen the behaviour of a male displaying fear-aggressive tendencies as it imbalances the hormones further around entire males, perception wise at least, if not more.

Anyway, I adore dogs. I have always had a mixture of both gender, including cockers (both show and working line) and I actually find the males in all the breeds I've had more affectionate and calmer. My other half prefers the girls so maybe it's something in the way each gender bonds with the dogs and opposites attract :)

Cockers are lovely dogs, not biased in any way ;-)  I have orange roan, blue roan & tan, blue roan, black & white, liver roan & tan.

Bit of an expert there then Sharon! My first choice would be blue roan but dd is keep on black and white and so it will be between those two I think. We've even chosen a name, how silly is that - almost a year away and not even a twinkle in pup's parents eyes.

I've just found myself a stunning black & white boy, after 3 years of searching, hope it doesn't take you this long.

Your bitch has recently had puppies hasn't she?  How was she with them?  How is she with other visiting dogs etc?  She'll probably get the new boy organised into something (someone) she finds acceptable after a few months :)  A lot of male dogs find puppies alarming but bitches are generally a bit more accepting and, as long as you are careful to give her some escape routes and safe spaces, she'll adjust pretty quickly.

Just a question: if you wanted another dog why didn't you keep one of her puppies, was there nothing suitable?

If you have your heart set on a boy, there's no need to routinely castrate and you shouldn't even consider it til the dog is mature.  However as you have an entire bitch presumably you will need to consider your options with regard to preventing an accidental mating.  Is that why you were thinking of having the dog neutered?  It's not something I'd enter into lightly and if you see the difference between some entire dogs and their neutered brothers you may well think the same.  Have a talk to your chosen breeder about it and see what he/she thinks.  If you aren't going to have another litter from your bitch is spaying her an option?

One thing you might want to consider with both your GR and a cocker is the effect of spaying or neutering on the coat.  I understand some cockers have naturally heavier coats anyway and these can be badly affected...

Good luck with your decision making - I've never had to consider coat colour with any of my breeds either! :)

Yes my bitch had pups in March. We didn't keep one mainly because our house is small and really isn't big enough for two large dogs. We do have large gardens though. We only have one small living room which was taken up 75% with the whelping box and puppy pen when they were here but they needed more space than us! Also, I've never owned two dogs at once, had dogs all my life but only one at a time and didn't deeply think about the possibility of owning two but have been thinking about nothing else since the pups left. So after much thought I think the house can cope with two dogs if the new dog is smaller. We have the gardens and I am so blessed to live in the New Forest with excellent walks all around me. dd is hoping that with the new pups arrival we can teach our bitch to sleep downstairs with the pup rather than take up 3/4 of her bed, but I'm worried my bitch will then have a whole new routine and associate it with the pup?! She was an amazing mother, just superb. In fact she is just lovely with all other dogs that she meets. When we handled the pups she would come over and wash them and play with them and obviously there was no jealousy about us giving them attention as she loved them dearly. She wouldn't have the same attitude to another pup though I would assume!

One of the reasons we have timed the new pup for after Easter is to give us time for our bitch to have a season, have her spay and be fully recovered so we won't have the worry of having her around an entire male. Other reasons is to give us time to research health/breeder etc. My last bitch, an Irish Setter, we kept an ovary in when she was spayed so that her coat and weight would not be affected. We'd heard about this option through the Irish Setter Club but it had been new to the vets. It had pros, she kept her lovely coat, wasn't attractive to males, could be walked 365 days a year, but there were disadvantages in that she would constantly wash herself, would swell like she was in season and was obviously a bit distressed and hormonal through the season. I'm not sure I would make the same decision to retain an ovary again. I've been in two minds about spaying my GR, but the advantages do outweigh the disadvantages and we would only consider a dog rather than a bitch if she had been spayed so we will book her in after her next season.

There will be lots that will be new to me when we get the pup, first ever male dog, first ever two dogs at once, first dog that isn't large, first breed with a choice of colour. Possibly others. What is good though, that in taking this 9-12 months of planning it is demonstrating to my children that this is the way to do it, not see something in the paper, think aww they are cute and go get it.