hi i have just bought a cocker bitch,
and would like to know how many times can you breed a cocker(safely)
i am new to this forum
so plz take it easy on me...(;

Hi, how old is your cocker? Did you get her from a proper breeder or is she a rescue?

You don't breed at all from her unless she has passed the relevant health checks! (Not just your vet saying, yes she's okay)

As for litters - most breeds that I know of shouldn't have more than 4 litters in total, and not starting until they are 2 years old.

thank you for your reply,
i got my cocker from a breeder ,
but her tail was not docked,
is this normal
thanks
glyn

Hi Glyn,
Quite a lot of breeders are leaving the tails on, nowadays, so that's nothing to worry about! How old is she? What colour? I like cockers, they can be fantastic little dogs. :)

that makes me feel better ya know i think it is just for cosmetic purposes only
anyway she is 8 1/2 wks and golden

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cosmetic purposes in a gundog? :(

I'm told the very short dock in a show cocker is cosmetic. Friends who work their dogs like two-thirds of the tail left on - they say the short dock is useless from the gun's point of view.

Not trying to start a row! :) :)

"the short dock is useless from the gun's point of view"

I am intrigued. Why?

I'm only going by what I've been told by people who shoot, but they say that a cocker with the very short dock can't be seen signalling when it's in cover - apparently it's like waving a short stick without a flag! :)

Hi all ya know i love a great debate (argument)
well she is my first cocker before jessie i had a springer,but had to let her go as she was from a working strain and just lived to be out all the time,embarrasing in the park when she would tear a bird apart in front of all the kiddies....);
he had a long tail but had a lot of problems as he used to cut it constantly,
well carry on the debate...lol
glyn (newbie)

Pleeeeeeeease don't bother everyone :rolleyes: :( :( This one is hungry :(

I would agree. My breed club has a code of ethics that requires all breeding stock to be hip scored and eye tested prior to breeding, and says a bitch should not be expected to whelp more than four litters in her lifetime. After all if she hasn't produced something better than herself by then, why would anyone still want to breed from her, as the aim is breed improvement.

Many breed clubs have such codes here is a link to ours: http://hometown.aol.com/brelkclub/ethics.html