Does anyone have one or know what they look like, I love both breeds and I am curious as to whether they would be more like a cocker or would the springer side be stronger.

They are generally working spaniels, bred from the working breeds, which, to be honest, look very unlike the show varieties. And the ones I've met are even more hyper and demanding than any other breed I've come across!

If you go to Google and type in DOG SPROCKER , you will find some links that take you to pages with pictures ;)

I read years ago (must have been 7 or 8) in Countrymans Weekly about sprockers being the next big gundog. You don't seem to see them advertised as much now so maybe they weren't as great as originally thought.

Helen

The thing to remember about them is that as they are a cross, although they can work on a shoot they are not eligable for the competitive side of gundog work. Field Trials or Gundog Working Tests are breed or group specific.

Regards, John

My brother has two working sprockers who are the best working dogs I have ever seen with amazing characters. We have a springer and a cocker and go to great lengths to ensure that we DONT get sprockers!

Sprockers can vary in "design" as much as any cross breed and I know short and stocky ones as well as leggy ones. The thing to remember is that as well as picking up the best traits from each breed, they can also get the worst too.

I personally wouldn't recommend any working variety of dog solely as a pet, but of course I cannot comment on "show" strains of the mix.

i have an eight month old sproker pup, he looks like a stunted springer:) he was the result of a sneaky cocker and a flirty springer, the cocker managed to get into the springers kennel and back into his as a result 9 sprockers were born on xmas eve.
the pups all look very much like springers of varying heights, some are flecked in patches like the roan cockers, but all have the markings off a springer, and when peopke meet jack they are very surprised to find that he is a cross

Personally I don't agree in purposely crossing two pedigree dogs in order to gain a designer cross,but maybe that's just me.Fair enough if you get one through a genuine accident....well that can't be helped.Just remember you will never get the same cross twice even if you breed the same dam and sire,so you can't really ask the question what are they like.I'm not trying to be nasty but one persons Sprocker will be entirely different to anothers,especially as cockers come in so many different colours.The same can be said of temperament ,as you know characters and disposition can vary immensly between siblings in a pedigree litter.I know of 2 sprokers that have come from the same litter and are owned by the same person.One is quiet laid back and gunshy whereas the other is a get up and go , can't wait to go out shooting type of dog.
Cost wise you will pay roughly the same price for your Sproker as you will for a Springer or Cocker(well where I live anyway)
Sorry I'll get off my soapbox now

I was only asking what they would be like, I have no intentions of owning one. I already have 5 ESS which are being trained. I have seen them advertised along with springadors, as a ESS fanatic I was curious as to how they would turn out and which part would be what. Although I must say I have 2 litter brothers and one is very timid whilst the other is very bouncy and raring to go.
When I look at my 5 racing around I often think that maybe a springador would be the perfect answer if it looked like a springer but didnt have the madness, but then thats the part that I love about mine.

One of my friends who works gundogs has a springador, and although she is sweet she is untrainable! She looks like a short-legged labrador, but even for an experienced trainer it looks as though she will be several years old before she's any use to him!

I have a sprocker Shes more of a springer to look like but not as tall shes adorable very clever also extremly obedient! I have 4 kids and shes excellent with them too!

> Personally I don't agree in purposely crossing two pedigree dogs in order to gain a designer cross

I wouldn't say a sprocker is a designer cross like a puggle or schnoodle, i think it was more the working gundog folk who thought they would be good for them & i'm sure working dog breeders know their lines & would only cross if they knew it would work & probably only sell to working homes. But I could be naive in my thinking.

Of course there are always going to be the BYB & pup farmers just cashing in on a new name cross.

> Personally I don't agree in purposely crossing two pedigree dogs in order to gain a designer cross

I agree with Gemma.  I don't believe the OP was meaning a designer cross at all.

> I often think that maybe a springador would be the perfect answer if it looked like a springer but didnt have the madness,

As you are probably well aware when you do any cross of 2 breed you have no idea of what you're going to get, whether its going to look one way or another, or not even at all. Whether its going to take on certain traits of one breed or not. You have no guarentee in any cross that you do.
We have some unusual crosses in my training classes at the moment, and wonder why the pregnancies were allowed to continue.. They are also the most difficult to train too, as it stands at the moment compared to pure bred.

I know someone who ended up with 3 'springadors' as a result of a genuine accident. The springer bitch eloped when in season (it was thought that she couldn't come into season as never had before) .... He kept 2 and they are sweet dogs they basically look like black labs with short legs! They go out shooting with him and are no worse trained than any other dog he has taken out!!

A friend has Bramble a sproker and Ive seen him run down a rabbit and kill it, he's been a bit diffecult to train but he's about 5 now and a lovely dog and so so fast.. Very well trained now but he was a deliberate cross and the breeders train them as gun dogs and they are nearly all working apart from Bramble!!