hello

I am looking for some cocker spaniel advice.

I have a 2 year old cocker spaniel called molly. I would like another cocker and because several friends / family are also interested i am considering letting Molly have a one off litter of puppies so i can keep one and the others can be given homes with friends.
I need some information and advice about doing this. I bought Molly from a breeder in the north of england as i was up there a the time and consequently they are unable to help me with finding a local stud dog etc.
I have bred persian cats before but this will be my first litter of puppies. My family have previously bred dogs but not cocker spaniels.
Can you help with advice about where i might find a suitable stud dog. Molly is a blue roan show type and i would very much like parti coloured puppies either blue / orange or chocolate. I dont expect her to come into season again until later in the summer.

Alternatively if i decide not to have a litter of puppies I will be looking for another puppy this spring / summer.I would be interested in breeders expecting puppies.

Can you help?

Rachel Farrell
Southampton
hampshire
r_farrell_uk@yahoo.co.uk

Hi Rachel
Firstly you need to make sure your bitch is free from defects by having her hip scored and eye tested if this is appropiate to your breed (im not very familiar with cockers)
I would suggest you join your local breed club this will give you the opertunity to meet some local stud dog owners and I would also keep in touch with your bitches breeder even if she is a distance away she will still be able to advise you on wether or not the chosen stud dogs line will complement the line your bitch is bred from.
I did read some where that if your bitch is a parti colour you should use a parti coloured dog as a stud to avoid mis marked puppies.
hopefully there will be a cocker expert along shortly who will be able to advise you better
good luck

Hi,
If you decide to breed from Molly, you will need to get her eyes tested under the BVA/KC scheme. My friend Mrs Dixon is holding an eye testing session in June, very close to you. You try ringing her on 01489 785033 for details.
Polly & Foxpath Flatcoats.

Hi
as other posters have said you will need health checks done(not just the vet having a quick look at her and saying she's fit) which can be quite expensive.
Not trying to put you off but On top of that there it is a very expensive venture when you add up the cost of
1/ Stud fee to a health checked suitable male(even if she doesn't get pregnant this is still paid)
2/ extra feed etc for the bitch
3/ feed/wormers etc for pups
4/ possible cesarian(sp??)
5/ cost of replacing you pet if things go horribly wrong
etc....
She may also end up having only one or two pups so it may well be cheaper and less risky to buy a well bred pup from a respectable breeder.
If you're sure its what you want to do try contacting her breeder -they may be able to put you in touch with a suitable stud.
Good luck,Archer

As well as all the other considerations I would consider how well Molly is bred. If her breeder cannot help with suitable stud dogs because she lives some way away, then that would ring warning bells to me...how knowledgable is this person about her breed? :( If someone at the opposite end of the country asked me about suitable stud dogs I would have a good idea of what was available all over the UK, not to mention Europe & even further afield!

Your quite right sam i wondered about that but thought it best to keep stum!
In addition to that you really have to be prepared to travel for a dog you will be very lucky if there is a perfect specimen with a compatible pedigree right on your doorstep! we have driven for 8hrs and covered 100`s of miles to travel to suitable studs often several days running!! but the idea is to try and breed good quality that will be suitable for any type of home showing/pet/working(where appropiate) even if you only want breed pets you have to think of what will happen in the future like will people breed from them or there offspring!
If you want to breed always use the best dog you can find who is compatible to your bitch if her breeder cannot help you try researching some of the affix`s in her pedigree people should be more than happy to help!
Your half way there already by taking advice some people just pop the local dog on her and hope for the best!!
Good luck and let us know how you get on