Hi All,
       Can someone give me any advice about Cocker Spaniels.....??
I have a friend with 3 children, who is thinking of buying one in the next year, and would like as much information about them as she can find, before making a final decision.
As these are not my breed/ group, I am trying to get her as much help as I can. She is interested in the red colour, and I have had differing views about whether they are an ideal family dog or not.......
Can anyone offer any advice or opinions??
Thanks,
Gabrielle x

Hi Julie my mum owns 2 cocker spaniels at the moment one from working lines and one from show lines and has owned another previously.My own children grew up with the first one and now Katie my granddaughter (Not quite 2) is growing up with these two as she spends alot of time there due to my daughter working.Tara wasn't used to having a child about as she was 2 years old before Katie was born but there have been no problems between Katie and the dogs other than the mischief they can get into together. Obviously they are never left alone and Katie is being taught good manners where the dogs are concerned. This is obviously only my personal experience but I would think a Cocker would make a good family pet. My only thought would be coat care on a Cocker from show lines. Dad does spend alot of time on Finn's coat as he hand strips rather than have him clipped however Tara's coat doesnt need the same amount of work as coming from working lines she doesnt have the same furnishings and her coat is less likely to mat. They are both roans by the way 1 blue and 1 liver.

I should say first that I'm no Cocker expert - I'm a big dog kinda person ;)

Having said that, the best advice I could give is to _take her time_ - cockers are unfortunately one of those "victims of their own success" type dogs - they are such good pets that they have been overbred, often by really bad characters with little thought for their health.

Things to check for:  make sure both parent dogs have had their eyes tested and certified healthy by a professional; check the pedigree of pups as well, you want as many dogs in it tested for this as possible.  Cockers have a few bad eye problems, most noteably Progressive Retinal Atrophy - basically cateracts, meaning the dog goes blind.  It can happen young a well.  Eye deformities and absence are not that uncommon either - I am a dog groomer, and I have one blind cocker bitch (cateracts) and one blind cocker dog (cataract + one missing eye - he never had it, was born blind).
Also you want to be sure of temperament.  Cockers are known, though thankfully not too commonly, for suffering a thing called "rage syndrome" - this is bouts of random, unprovoked severe aggression, also with no warning signs before an attack whatsoever.  It can be dangerous and devastating, especially if there are kids involved - even if they don't get hurt, the only course of action is euthanasia, whcih is of course very upsetting.  The best way to avoid this trap is to only buy from a really good breeder - go the www.the-kennel-club.org.uk, and email them, they can send your friend a list of all the good breeders in the country.  Rage Syndrome suffering cockers are typically from bad breeders - one case involved almost every pup in a litter suffering it; the litter was bred by a commercial breeder (aka. puppy farm).  A groomer I know also suggested that red cockers tend to have more temperament issues than other colours - but I have no idea if this is true, and honestly I wouldn't worry too much.  She said some odd things :)
Otherwise, check for good health - find out if the parents have had many ear problems (another thing they are prone to, because of the hanging ears and long hair); I don't know if it's genetic or not, but it pays to be safe.

Can't think of much else... hopefully if there is anything someone else will post it for you.  Good luck to yoru friend - and tell her to be patient!  Cockers are popular, it could be that the good breeders have a bit of a waiting list.  Shouldn't be too long a wait hopefully - lots of breeders around.  When she does get one, she should be sure to get it to a groomer as soon as possible, to get it used to being clipped (if she wants it clipped) and handled - I can tell you, a fidgety little dog is a right pain!

Gillian and Nikita, thank you both for your replies..... :D
Sharon, I have PM'd you also.....

The issue that concerns her most is this ''cocker rage'' to be honest. Her youngest child is four and just in full time nursery, so she wants to think about a puppy now she is home all day. Temperament is a big issue with having the children, and I know her prefered colour would be red/gold, where a lot of this ''rage'' seems to be.
She understands about having health checks, ie: ears, eyes and maybe kidneys, as she has been around my aussies for years and has seen the health checks that they have had.
I just want her to get as much information as she possibly can, good and bad, before she makes a final decision. I would hate her to get into something that she couldn't cope with........

Thanks again,
Gabrielle x

There is an enormous amount of misinformation about Rage Syndrome - it is not specific to Cocker Spaniels & true cases are very rare, although other temperament problems can occur (as in any breed) & are not restricted to colour. There are many families with children happily living with their good natured red/gold Cockers but as with anything in life, there are no 100% guarantees about the health & temperament of any puppy (the same applies to any breed). But if your friend makes sure she buys from a reputable hobby breeder who does all recommended health-screening tests & preferably one who rears puppies in the home so they are well-socialised, then the chances are high her puppy will have the merry, affectionate temperament the breed is famous for. You might like to take a look at Cockers Online where there are many Cocker owners who also have small children & would be happy to discuss their experiences :-)

Hi Gabrielle,

I would just like to reiterate to you that "Cocker Rage" is not a common occurence and is more often than not confused with poor breeding and/or training.  I would recommend that your friend directs her enquiries to the Breed Club. They will be the best people to advise her on reputable breeders and answer specific questions she might have.  I would also recommend you point her in the direction of the Rage Syndrome Information Centre - this will give the full facts on the condition, and it would be worth advising your friend that breeds ranging from Golden Retrievers to St Bernards can suffer, therefore describing it as condition that affects just cockers is misleading.  Cockers are wonderful little family dogs, and my golden is no worse behaved than my black and white or my sister's solid black!  I wish her luck with her search. :)

-Kay

Thank you all for your information...... I am aware that there are temperament issues in a lot of breeds, and I just wanted her to get as much info as she could.
A breeder she had telephoned, had told her about the ''rage'' and I had said that I would ask for help on Champdogs as I didn't want her to just have a one sided view of something that may not happen to her......
Thank you for the links, you have all been very helpful.... :D
Gabrielle x

'Rage' is still unfortunately something that is less than rare in cocker puppies bought from pet shops in the UK who source their dogs from puppy farms in Ireland.

As long as your friend gets a puppy from a proper breeder of cockers, she will be OK.  If she goes down the route of cocker pups from ad pages or pups from a pet shop (the worst!), she has no idea of what she is getting.

A KC for a cocker pup is essential (tho it doesn't ensure OK), because anything else (Dog Lovers Reg, etc) indicates that the cocker could have come from a puppy farm.