I have been toying with the idea about buying a cocker puppy, the only problem is the dog would be by itself from 9am till 5pm, with a daily visit at midday from my artner who works round the corner. apart from that my life is very non-demanding an am in every night and there is always either myself or my partner at home at the weekend. I know lots of full time working people who have dogs and their dogs seem happy enough, but it is this factor that is holding me back. I wuold appreciate any advice.

Not what you want to hear, but NO, it wouldn't be fair on a puppy to be left own it's on from 9-5 every day of the week! How would you house train it, feed it 4-5 times a day, socialise it etc. It wouldn't be kind to take a pup away from it's mum, brothers and sisters to go into a house where it's left alone for 8 hours a day.

Have you thought about rehoming an older cocker? try ringing cocker rescue in your area, they may be able to help you find an older dog.

Sorry, just my opinion, I'm sure somebody will be along soon to add something else.

Sorry, have to agree, 9-5 is far too long, for most dogs..but especially a pup ( and a cocker pup at that!! :) )
Can I ask why a cocker? Have you researched into the breed etc?

Yes, an older dog would be quite advisable as they "should" be already trained, or at least to a degree, and they take less work than a pup.

I know that some people are able to juggle work and dog and do it very well (as im sure someone will come on and say) but it is still very tough, and not for everyone..and what happens if your partner cant get home one day for some reason.....awfully long time for a pup....and a pup who needs a wee!

Hiya
I am the proud owner of a Cocker puppy, he is now 12 weeks old. I had a couple of weeks off work so I had chance to settle him in. I only work 12 hours per week & if I'm not here my hubby is always about. I must say though that getting a puppy is a 24hour job. We've just managed to get him to go through the night so at least I dont wander round the garden at 2am anymore going "go wee wee". Dylan is crate trained but even so I wouldnt dream of leaving him alone more than an hour or so. They are just like little babies a lot of work, but so rewarding. I'm afraid I must agree with the others, leaving him that long would be unfair to him. Dylan may be dead to the world when hes asleep, but when he wakes up he loves to play & run round. If he woke & no one was about he'd start to panic & whimper like crazy, I've found him doing that when Ive just popped round to a neighbours house for a few minutes. I think you would be far better off looking for an older dog.
Sorry this probably isnt what you wanted to hear, but I hope it helps in your decision. Cockers are brilliant though!!

Yes i have looked into the cocker spaniel breed and apart from the fact that they need a lot of human contact that type of dog was more suited to my life style. a number of other breeds were recommened too, but i don't like them for example terriers. On doing my research my working hours were always at the front of my mind. One website actually said that the cocker's distress levels when left alone was low. But that was one opinion. I am not thinking of going out buying one tomorrow or next month. a lot of careful consideration is going into this and plus I'm a teacher so the ideal time for me to get a puppy to trin it etc would be during the long holidays.

Hi, we breed American Cockers, and "how long, if at all, would the pup be left alone" is the first question we put to prospective puppy buyers. I am afraid your working day would cancel you out as a prospective right away. Not fair to either you of the pup, not only (as everyone else has said) would it make house-training almost impossbile, but bored pups get into mischief, chewing and causing damage. Cockers (both English & American) are bright and enquiring, if no stimlation available they will hunt out"interesting" things to do by themselves. This can be dangerous to the pup (and your bank balance).
bye
Gwen

Hi

I'm afraid I agree with everyone else - I breed Cockers & would not sell a puppy to a home where he/she would be left alone for such a long time & most reputable breeders would feel the same way. Unless you can come up with alternative arrangements (eg a reliable family member who would be willing to look after the pup during the day), then I would say a puppy of any breed is not for you at this time in your life. Jenny's suggestion of considering an older rescue Cocker used to being alone for long periods is perhaps your best option, although you would need to be very patient to find the right dog! Remember that Cockers are very much "people" dogs, they thrive on company & are busy, active little dogs who like to be involved in everything going on - long periods of solitude really don't suit this breed.

I have 6 month old cocker boy, and he is left on his own from 9am till 12 (midday) most days, i gradually started to leave him longer and longer since he was 8 weeks old and he's fine!
However, 9am - 5pm.... hmmmmmm, even though you are going to be going home for 1 hour everday, and it does seem like you are giving them a 'break', to a cocker (as with other breeds), you are home, no questions asked! they get so excited, their metabolism goes into overdrive and they want to be everywhere you are, it is so hard to leave them again and for them to calm down..... this may not be everyones experience but with our unit of cockers (between me, family and friends) we have 7 and 3 of them became very destructive,and quite disobedient, all 3's owners worked full time, maybe just a coincidence.
Is neither your work or your partners flexible enought to accept having a dog around?????

I'm a teacher and my partner works in a lab so there is no way either of us could take the dog to work. after careful consideration i have thought that i would wait until the school hoildays to get a pup so i could house train it and be there every day and then ask my mother in law to dog sit in the afternoons for a couple of hours while the cocker is still a pup. when the pup is ready for ong walks then she would be able to walk it with her own golden retriever who is very sweet natured. This way the pup will be by itself from 9-12 and then probably 3-4/5 depending on meetings at school. I'm not going to rush into this one and am doing a lot of reserch at the moment. If my mother in lw can't do it then i'm prepared to pay for a dog sitter.

Sarah

Tough one, however if you can get your Mother in Law to puppy sit with her dog in tow, you could be onto a winner as well as getting your little pup socialised, i hope you find a way to have your dream.