My wife and I are looking to get a westie or Cocker Spaniel. We live in a part rural and town setting just off the North Wales Coast. We are a young couple with no children and would really love to have a dog or bitch of the above type.
If anyone can give detail it would be greatfully recieved.

Hi

Westies & Cockers are 2 v different breeds :-) Cockers are v adaptable dogs (town or country) but they are lively & need plenty of attention - in my experience, they thrive on company & do not take too kindly to being left alone for long periods so would not suit a couple who are out at work all day (not saying you are out at work all day, but just in case you are, I thought I'd mention this). To get in touch with breeders in the N Wales area, contact the Secretary of the North Wales Cocker Spaniel Club, Miss Hughes on 01745 353715

I'm sure other people will help you with Westie contacts

Regards

Jane

Welcome to the forum.

Have a look at our :Cocker Spaniel Breeders and West Highland Terrier Breeders Lists. I am sure that someone on those lists will be able to recommend a breeder in your area to you.

Or try the WHWT Club of Wales. Mrs.Rutter on 01633 667920.

Leigh

Hi, I own Westies now and have owned a cocker spaniel in the past. I'm not sure if you are loking for advice about the different breeds, or looking for a breeder. In my experience Cockers and Westies are both loyal, affectionate and loving dogs but Cockers need more exersise and suffer more when left alone for short periods when you are out. Westies are a little tougher in their outlook and constitution and can be quite stubborn at times, wheras a Cocker is more "biddable"and their feelings more easily hurt. . I think I am right in saying, though Cocker experts please correct me, that parti-colours may have a more reliable temperament than the "solid" colours. when I bought my Cocker, a red one, I was advised by an experienced breeder, to be careful of the temp of red cockers, though she was a sweetie all her life. This was 20 years ago and may have been resolved now by careful breeeding, but I thought it was worth mentioning. If you decide on a Westie, please feel free to contact me.

Yes the parti coloured cocker spaniels has better temperments than the solids and their coat is easy to look after.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to dispute this Gemma :-) It's not fair or true to say that generally partis have better temperaments or coats than solids (& I'm speaking as a parti breeder here so have no axe to grind) The temperament of a dog depends on a variety of things including the temperament of its parents & other relatives, the degree of socialisation given to the litter by the breeder & finally how the pup is reared & trained by the new owner. Whilst "Cocker Rage" is a condition more often associated with solids than partis, genuine cases are few & far between - a solid puppy bought from a reputable breeder who breeds for good temperament will more than likely have just as nice a temperament as a parti pup bought from a similar source. However, its true to say that not all breeders place as high a priority on temperament as they should (mainly the commercial breeders but also a small minority of show breeders) & so consequently you do come across some poor temperaments (across the colour spectrum) & these problems can be made worse by inexperienced owners. Of course in a breed as numerically popular as Cockers, you will find examples of dogs with poor temperaments & some of them will be solids but I think we do the breed a disservice to condemn one section of the breed in this way - far better we all concentrate on educating puppy buyers to only buy from reputable sources & then hopefully the cases of undesirable temperaments will get fewer & fewer (in all the colours)

Moving on to coats, some solid blacks do have v thick coats which are difficult to trim, but then so do some particolours, especially dark blues. As a dog groomer,I have found the easiest coats are to be found on goldens (though you do get the odd one with a thick wavy coat)

Just my opinion for what it's worth :-)

Jane