I would like to get a cocker spaniel, but am not sure which "type" to get. I'm swaying more towards english. My ideal cocker would be energetic (but not madly so), exercise for about 40 mins a day myself (with a dog sitter for a couple of hours a day), little shedding, easy to train and wouldn't be distressed at being home about 3 hours a day by itself (week days only). Any advise is appreciated.

Sarah

Welcome to the world of cockers! I have an american cocker spaniel called georgia. I like americans as they are smaller and cuter I think!

She is the most adorable dog. She stays at home all day while I am at work (with a dog sitter/walker who comes to see her for about 2 hours every day and lost of toys/chews for her to play with) and is not distressed about this, guess she has just got used to it. I walk her in the morning for about half an hour before work, and at night for the same amount of time in the park over the road from me. She is energetic and sometimes has a mad half hour where she runs around the house like a lunatic (But not very often!!). She does have a long coat but I keep it short and clean. I play with her in the evenings and make sure she has lots of fun.

The best thing about her is the fact that she adapts to whatever I am doing, provided she has been fed and done her business of course.

She follows me into every room I go into even the loo!!! and just loves being with me. If I am quiet she is quiet, at the weekends she wakes me up with the sound of her feet rattling against the baby gate, I call it 'the death rattle' - let me out or your dead meat!!! ( she sleeps in the kitchen at night, behind a baby gate, hence the rattling) I go and let her out and she comes into the bedroom. If I go back to sleep and am quiet she promptly goes to sleep with me and is quiet until I get up. She doesnt even go out for a week! As long as she is with me she loves it. I love her to bits and she has never chewed anything in the house or destroyed anything. I have to say she is the best dog ever.

Good luck with your spaniel hunting! Dogs are a big responsibility ...... but if you are willing to put the effort in they are worth it!!!

Pat

So I guess you have found it possible to bring up a dog while you work? This is my problem and I have been advised by a number of people on here that working people shouldn't get a puppy/dog and it would be unlikely that anyone would sell me one. which is a shme really because my only commitment is my job (teacher), at night i'm never out because i've moved away from my original home where ll my friends are to be with my partner, and at the weekends both of us are in or at the local crown green bowling club where dogs are welcome. I would never intend leaving my puppy/dog all day from 9-4/5, so I am in the process of talking to my mother in law for some help. She works mornings only beause she has a dog. If she wasn't able to then i'm prepared to pay for a dog sitter/walker. But first I need to find out more about the breeds. But do they shed alot if they are groomed regularly, beacuse some books/websites say they shed little?

Don't think the shedding is that bad personally. Unless you keep them long haired as they do when they are being shown or with a skirt ie long at the bottom. If they are long haired then yes they will shed and will need a lot of grooming etc.

My dogs coat at the moment is getting long all over as it has grown since the last time she was groomed in June, but its still not that long all over yet. She usually goes to a groomers every 6 weeks or so for a hair cut and I tend to keep her short haired especially in the recent heatwave. I brush her every day and this seems to do the trick and if her hair has grown too long I cut it myself sometimes. I have to say I have not noticed any bad loss of hair. Maybe its because I also have a cat and he sheds hair like there is no tomorrow! Basically Georgie is not too bad and maybe its because we keep her fairly short haired. It is also easier to deal with when she is short haired and you can brush her easily and her hair does not get matted or get bits stuck in it from her walks in the park. I check her every evening and make sure she is clean and free from dirt, twigs etc. but being short haired definitely helps. I give her a bath every month or so but she doesnt really need it too often. I vacuum the house twice a week and we have wooden floors so if she did shed a lot I would have noticed by now! The trick is to keep her short haired and that way she wont shed a lot and will be easier to look after.
As for the breeders not selling you one well thats a different matter. You will have to convince them that the dog will be looked after while you are not there all day ie maybe your mother in law having it for some of the day or finding a dog sitter who will look after it during the day until it has grown a bit. Also put in place someone to come and walk it, keep it company for a few hours in the middle of the day to break up its day and so that it is not on its own for a long stretch of time. I am sure all these things can be overcome if you really want a dog, but you have to be dedicated. Good luck

English Cockers definitely do shed - don't get a Cocker if shedding is going to be an issue for you (my Dyson has to work overtime with my Cockers!)

Unfortunatley, all Cockers, English, Working, American, shed quite a lot:)
bye
Gwen

Hi Sarah,

Good luck with your hunt for a cocker spaniel.

My family have the most adorable jet black girl cocker who is a bit mad but totally adorable. People stop my mum in the street and comment on how pretty she is. She is a little timid and wary of other dogs and we think that although we bought her from a 'recommended' breeder she may have been puppy farmed as she doesn't know any dogs 'language'. We have had her checked out by the vet and had a behavioural specialist look at her and both say that she is a well loved and happy puppy. I can't imagine what would have happened to her if we hadn't bought her.

We love her dearly and I wouldn't change her for the world, she follows us around and gives us lots of licks. She loves sitting on your lap and being stroked and is now a master at football in the garden thanks to my dad and brother. We all love her dearly and think that she was sent to us for a reason. Just be careful of which breeder you go with and ask lots of questions and get to see it with its mum and siblings if possible. We bought our dog in good faith and we do love her immensley but there are people out there who are willing to sell dogs just to make a profit and do not do it with their best interests at heart.

Good luck with your search, and I'm sure that your cocker will be just as loving and fun.

karena

Hi Sarah & "Patmenikou". Believe me (and Jane) Cockers do shed - and some of them shed a lot. Patmenikou - I think you may have a rare example who hangs on to its coat - I see a few like this for grooming (and occasionally at shows) less hair around the house, bigger matts and knots on the dog if not kept clipped/frequently groomed. With our bunch we find less shedding from the dogs in full show coat - would panic if their hair started coming out in handfuls!:) (Probably the same with the English Cocker, Jane?) However, these dogs are given a full bath and blow dry every 5 -7 days. Whilst the amount of hair lost and liberally shared around the house by one average Cocker (be it English, American etc) does not compare with that which say a Dalmatian (or a pug!) can deposit, it cant really be called a small amount. So this may be a consideration, and you might want to look at say a Min. Schnauzer or Poodle.

Looking at the hours alone - for us, 3 hours would be at about the top end of time alone we would consider letting one of our pups be left. After all, we realise that most people have to work, so if you could reassure us that the half day dog sitting was going to be an on-going, permenant, arrangement, then we would move on to the rest of the questions on our "buyer investigation". Breeders all have different criteria, so try contacting 1or 2 English Cocker people and be honest about your situation - certainly 3 hours alone is a lot better than all day with a quick visit at lunch time.
bye
Gwen

Before i got Buffy, I never realised how much work there coat needed, grooming, handstripping, clipping etc it takes a long time to do especially if you show them, an i always have the added worry of her tryng to keep her coat because when she comes into season she usually sheds it, as she is due in soon and it is only just growing back from the last time aaahhh but they are great fun and totally mad, but they do like company and i would imagine could get up to allsorts if left for long periods of time

Good luck with your search

Diane