Hello all,

This is a question for anyone out there with working cockers.  Tizzy is just over 6 1/2 months now and I'm wondering when she may come into season. I know that smaller dogs tend to be earlier, but with the labs, it was over a year. 

Many thanks

Ali :)

Im not sure that there is any sure fire way to tell. Mine normally go for the start of the shooting season, but for the first anything between aprox 6 and 12 months could be considered normal. Not a lot of help I know. Also it seems to be that if you have stuff booked that would make it really inconvenient for them to have a season they are guaranteed to come in :D 

She's only young so won't be out working just yet, but you can bet she will wait until the start of the season or some important date!  Mine came into season at just six months and every 5 months afterwards, very regular and always just that little bit early (par for the course in our house!)

Book her in for October and Feb seasons! 

Yep thats about right I have turned down beating cos she was due in this week and although she is definately getting there she is late so we will miss more shooting. Last year we missed the end cos all of the dogs on the shoot thought she was sexy weeks before she was due or actually started. The next one is definately not going to happen, Im expecting a large vets bill for spey soon after Christmas.

Speaking of working cockers, I don't want to hijack your thread Ali, but my pup (16 months) is having his first day out tomorrow!  Probably half a day and I'll swap dogs at lunchbreak, but I'm really nervous.

He's a little darling when out on his own and I wouldn't work two of mine at the same time, but you just never know do you?!!!

I'm sure it will all be fine (i bet he's not as nervous as you!)

Good luck and have a good day

Ali :)

Hi,

Your working cocker will come into season at around 9 months of age. Some can come a little earlier, some a little later, but 9 months is the norm, so you have a while to wait yet.

She will then be in season every 6 months afterwards.

If you are planning to breed her, please do not do so until she is at least 14 months.

All the best.

14 Months!!!!!!  OMG!!  Lyssa what makes you recommend breeding from a dog at such a young age?  Where did you get the information that this was acceptable.

Mentalcat has been a member of this forum long enough to know better but it's hard to believe that someone could be so naieve as to recommend this.

At LEAST 14 months!!  (2ND SEASON)

The KC will allow and register pups born from a bitch from 12 months onwards, so they obviously feel it is perfectly ok.

Not knowing Mentalcat, (who could have been a new owner) I just wanted to put across not to breed the bitch at 9 months!

A bitch is certainly mature enough, trained and capable of having her first litter when she has turned 16 months of age. (which is when the pups would be born)

Each to their own, but I think this is perfectly acceptable and so do the KC.

You aren't going to find many people here who would agree with you Lyssa and frankly I feel that it is incredible that anyone would want to breed from a working cocker that young as you certainly can't tell their working potential when they haven't worked at least one complete season and of course nobody would want to breed from a bitch that didn't have impeccable working qualities.  Would they?

Absolutely not!

But after 15 years of breeding, many breeds of dogs.  Having many champs, and countless happy, healthy puppies and very satisfied clients I think that my record speaks for itself!!!

LOL

But, hey!  Let's not worry about what you've put your dogs thro!

Hey, Hey, Hey, exactly!

My beautiful bitches are now 14, 12 and 10, they have wonderful shinny coats are trained to the highest standards and enjoy wonderful country walks every day along with my other 5 dogs, I have a wall full of certificates, rosettes and trophies. And a very good reputation as a breeder and trainer.  This site is to give advice to people with a lesser knowledge of their dogs and to offer help.... not to try and have digs at people, try another site for that!

Mentalcat, 9 months is the answer to your question.

Off to help someone else now!

Byeeeeeeeeeeee.......................

Not only the KC jackyjat, this falls within the code of ethics of the Cocker Spaniel Club the largest consensus of Cocker spaniels you are likely to come across. 

The kennel clubs rules cover all breeds, but they did ask that breed clubs draw up their own codes of ethics to cover such matters.

In sme toy breeds breedign bitches young is advised because of the bones being more pliable as they tedn to ahve whelping problems with the relative large size of the pups compared to the adult size of the breed, also they mature faster, but this is a minimum agfe not an advised one.

Most medium sized breeds breeders agree that two years is a minimum.

Yes, you are correct Brainless, I would never dream of ever breeding a Chahuaha,  (probably spelt that wrong) or a small breed dog before 2 years of age, to be honest I also breed Golden Retrivers and again due to the maturity of the females I do not breed until two.  But I find that the working cocker females are mature very quickly (that's the females, not the males - different kettle of fish) my bitches were always completely trained by 14-15 months, from fantastic working pedigree lines and showed what great dogs they were to breed from. I have not breed working cockers for many, many years, now but I know from experience and the back up from the KC and Cocker Spaniel Club that this breed are perfectly mature enough to breed at under two after all they are the governing bodies and the people that have set down the guidlines. 

As you have said, this is not suitable for all breeds and should always be checked before thinking about breeding a bitch.  But what is not right on this site, is for people who don't know what they are talking about (Jacyjat for one) to try and thrust their views down other peoples throats and make out that people are doing something wrong, when at the end of the day, they don't really have a clue what they are talking about and are just following others like sheep!

After all we ARE the breeders, we know our breed of dog like the back of our hand with many years experience. Many of my bitches have bred wonderful pups who have gone on to be champions. (jackjat may even have one of my great, great, great, great grandchildren!!! Now there's a thought!)