Apologies in advance if I sound at all ignorant to anyone here, but I'm looking for some advice!
We (me, my husband and our cat) have decided to add a dog to our family (well I don't think the cat has had much choice!) and have settled on the Cocker Spaniel. My husband works full time, but I work from home, and so am looking for a dog to keep me company, give me an excuse to get out the house etc! My reasoning is that good temperament is top priority, and I understand that so long as you go through reputable breeders, the Cocker is a lovely dog to own. It's also a great size, intelligent, can keep up on long walks and not too difficult to train. Correct me if I'm wrong!!

Out walking last week, we stumbled across a beautiful Working Cocker, and my husband (well, and me!) fell in love. Since then I've been trying to find out as much as I can as to whether one would be suitable, and have gauged from this site that the major stumbling block for most people is it's energy levels/ need to be stimulated, which by all accounts are much greater than the show cocker.
Is anyone able to give me a clear picture on this and whether we'd be suitable, as I really don't want to make a mistake!
We love walking, and getting out into the hills at the weekend, but my concern is during the week. I'll obviously be able to walk whatever dog we get at least three times a day, and keep it company at home, BUT although I work from home, I do have to actually get on and do some work!!! What are the daily requirements of this sort of dog, my guess from what I've read is that it isn't going to occupy itself if I'm trying to sit and do my work?

Sorry this has been so long, but can anyone tell me what they think about whether a cocker/working cocker would be suitable? I'd love to hear some owners experiences of their average day!

Thanks!

Hello there,

I have a nearly two year old working cocker bitch who is a pet rather than a working dog.  I too am home most of the time.  They do need a lot of exercise and stimulation.  Molly gets two one-hour walks a day, plus lots of fetch-type games in the house and garden.  At the weekend, she usually has longer walks (last weekend, for example, she had a 12 mile walk each day, though this doesn't happen every weekend). The rest of the time, she is more of a lap dog than a working dog!  She loves cuddles on the sofa, and sleeping on the bed with us (actually, that's in the bed, since it's warmer under the duvet!).  She has a highly developed sense of comfort! I have a sofa in the room where I work and she usually sleeps on there between walks, though she does occasionally come over for a cuddle on my lap.  As I type, she is sitting on my lap with her nose on the edge of the keyboard.  I can't use a laptop, as she doesn't seem to like anything else being on my lap!  She is a fantastic dog, with a lively, fun and loving personality, she learns quickly and loves to please her owners.  A lot of people say that working cockers are very sensitive, and I have certainly found this to be true.  Bribery and praise are the best means of training as they tend to get very upset at being told off.  I remember one time when she was younger and I thought we'd got the toilet training sorted, she had an accident in the house.  I caught her in mid-flow, as it were, and shouted at her.  She was so traumatised that she didn't go to the toilet for 36 hours, poor little thing!
My partner and I had very different ideas about what we wanted from a dog.  He wanted a "proper" dog, which could go hill walking with him for 20 miles.  Although I also like the outdoors, I wanted something smallish and affectionate (having been brought up with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel).  Molly is therefore the perfect dog for both of us (the only walking companion Simon has ever had that can actually keep up with him!) and the next dog we get (soon, hopefully!) will also be a working cocker.  Beware, though, that some breeders of working cockers will not sell to pet homes.  Most will, though, and some will depending on the drive of the parents.
If you have any more questions, or would like to see some pictures of Molly, let me know.

Hi Bimbimsbest & Rosemarie.
I have three working/pet cockers, two  2 year olds & one 12 year old.  They are the most important things to me I love them to bits, they are so loyal, loving and non judgmental. 
I would recommend a cocker to anyone who loves the outdoors and can spare the time for the excercise.  During the week mine are out for an early morning walk for an hour, then taken out at lunch time, evening out for an hour or so up the fields and then a half hour walk before bed. At weekends they are out and about all the time. 
All mine love their cuddles all at the same time, they push each other off my lap to get my full attention and the kisses are non stop.  My 2 year olds hate to be told off they creep round you with more kisses, the old boy could'nt care less its as if he sticks two fingers up at you, it did bother him when he was younger but not know.
If you do decide a cocker is for you, you wont regret it.  Good luck.  Caz  

Thank you both so much for the info, it's very kind of you! They sound like really really wonderful dogs.

Rosemarie, if I can pester you a bit more! You said that you were also home 'most' of the time, does that mean molly gets left at all? This is my other concern, because (as with most people) there will be a couple occassions a week when I would have to go out for a few hours and couldn't take him/her with me. This won't be a problem during puppy-hood because my parents will be more than happy to come and look after it, but I don't really want to rely on this long term. Can they be left at all? And also, do they bark very much (or is that just down to training)?

Also, I'm wondering are these delightful personality traits/characteristics unique to the working cocker? I had got the impression till now that the only difference (other than visual) was the energy/ stimulation thing, is that right? I love the idea that they are so sensitive (poor Molly and her toilet problem!) and intelligent, but is this specifically found in the working type? I'm just really trying to work out which type would be happiest with us (and vice versa!)

Oh, and you sound just like us! I had originally been looking at soemthing dinky like the Cavalier, but my Husband was just like "No! It's got to be DOG!" He grew up with Collie's and so this is my compromise! I don't really thinks its too bad a compromise though, eh? ;-)

Thanks again!

For the right owners working cockers can make great little pets. On one hand you have a dog that has loads of energy and can be used for a number of dog sports, as well as accompanying a fanatical walker. They are very much a 'proper' dog, capable of high levels of obedience and pound for pound they are very strong (as anyone who has seen a tiny cocker bitch retrieve a full-grown hare will testify!) On the other hand they are a very loving dog, thrive on companionship and small enough to double up as a 'lap dog'.

They adapt well to either living in the house, permanently kennelled or a combination. However, a fulltime kennel dog will tend to be very high-powered when it comes to training time!

Training - working cockers are very intelligent (probably more so than springers and labs) but that doesnt always make them easy to train. A capable trainer will not usually have too many problems, but they react very quickly and just love taking advantage of a trainer that is not quite 'on the ball'. Basic training recalls are usually easy, however once the dog gets on ground where there are rabbits and game they will pose more of a challenge. 'Sits' and 'Downs' are usually easy, but staying in one place is more of a challenge as they are usually desperate to 'belly crawl' back to you.

Not pulling on the lead can prove a challenge for some owners as working cockers are very inclined to have their heads down wanting to get on with things!

If you live in a rural location I'd suggest that you really plan how you will deal with the dogs hunting drive. Some gundog training basics are invaluable in keeping the dog within the same vicinity as yourself anywhere that it will have the opportunity to hunt!

Dont bother taking it for a walk to try and tire one out, mental and physical exercise will be much more effective if incorporated in retrieving, hunting or agility type games. I'd suggest that making a cocker really think, work and or hunt for 20 minutes will be of more benefit than a 2 hour walk. I doubt many field trialling cockers ever actually just go for a walk. If you really get the dog busy and working you could get by on a couple of half-hour sessions a day, if you just want to walk it then they'll take as much as you can give them!

Size and appearance are extremely variable, some are tiny and others can be springer sized. Most working spaniel people have a fairly low opinion of showing and are unlikely to have ever read the breed standard. The general trend at the moment is to breed them very small, but the gene-pool is sufficiently mixed for much variation to occur, even within litters.

Some get extremely hairy and may require some grooming whearas others just have a little feathering that is easy to maintain. Either way the coat will attract all manner of debris as they rummage their way through undergrowth. They will usually get soaked on even dry days as they will hunt through  wet grass and foliage. The coats can take quite some time to dry, they are still very damp after towelling, so its worth having a warm place where the dog can be confined to dry off before being allowed back into your living room.

Working cockers can be quite opinionated with other dogs, and in multi-gundog houses the little cocker is often 'top-dog' over the labs and springers.

Working bred cockers are very rarely tested for hip dysplasia or eye conditions. You would be very lucky to find a litter where both parents have been tested. This is unfortunate as I've started to hear of a few cases of HD from some of the 'best' trialling breeding.

Unless you are specifically seeking optimum working ability, I'd be more inclined to buy a pup from someone whose working bitch doubles up as a family pet rather than from a field trialling kennel. Field trial spaniels are preferred to hunt like their backsides are on fire, so they may often be a little too high powered for a pet home. Many will have every generation of their breeding as trialling dogs, none of which will have ever lived in a house. Some of the trialling breeders are starting to line-breed (and even in-breed) to a quite scary extent (imo). This is purely to optimise working performance and consistency within litters.

There can be significant variation in 'drive' even within litters. Most people would want a lower drive for a pet, or just an 'average shooting dog'. However, you cant always tell in a litter of young puppies. The variations in colourings and marking within working cockers can end up with many pups being picked before their characters have developed, which can result in people having a less suitable pup due to their preference for a certain colour / marking.

In summary, if you're competent with a dog, enjoy training and want a proper, busy, lively companion then a working cocker could be a really good bet.

Alternatively if you want a very easy life you could be in for a living nightmare! ;-)

Hope that helps a bit.....

Nice to hear that there are other working cocker owners on here - I only knew of Jackyjat.

Yes, I'd forgotten about the lead training LOL.  What a farce that was.  We completely failed in that area, and have to use a halti when road walking. 

Havoc - is your username the name of one of your dogs?  I have had that name in mind, along with Dizzy and Bonkers, for my next three cockers - very appropriate for the breed, I think.  A bit worrying that when I turned 30 recently, I realised I didn't have a lifeplan, but did know what I was going to call my next three dogs!  I guess that's the doglover's equivalent of having a lifeplan...

Just to say, also, that Molly is our first dog (apart from dogs our parents owned) and we didn't find her hard to train, though she did always seem to be a step ahead - we used clicker training and she was so quick to pick it up we had to be really careful that we clicked at exactly the right moment.  We did, however, read just about every dog book going and went to training classes.  Both her parents are working dogs.

sorry, this my first time on the forum!
Somehow my post has got put a few back - just didn't want anyone to miss it!

WOW! You guys thanks for all the info! After poncing round on the net for two days trying to glean scraps of info here and there, I suddenly get it in several shots handed on a plate! Fantastic!

One thing I forgot to ask before, is how do they get on with cats? I understand that show cockers are fine if raised properly, is this the same for wc's? My cat is really important to me, and I be heartbroken if she started to get terrorised!

If introduced as a puppy, I imagine the dog would be fine with a cat.  Personally, I'd be more worried about the dog than the cat, it would come off worst if there was any trouble between the two!  Someone on the forum recently brought a new puppy home and it was attacked from the other side of the room by her cat, resulting in a very nasty eye injury.

Oh poor pup! That's a very good point, I wouldn't leave the cat access to the pup unsupervised though, for both theirs sakes, at least till they've worked each other and got used to the idea.

That's very good to know that they can be left for short periods of time, I'm sure you're right that it's what they get used to. I had a bearded collie when I was growing up who had boundless energy, but then the recession hit and my mum had to go back to work. We were all amazed at how well our dog coped, and seemed to become extremely content with sleeping and mooching round between walks, and didn't change in her happiness at all. On the other hand someone we know of has a dog who barks solidly for 3 hours when left. I couldn't bare that. I guess it just depends.

Hello.

Yes, Molly does get left on her own at times.  My partner works 9-5, but I have a part-time admin job as well as doing some teaching at the university.  Molly comes to work with me sometimes, but other times stays at home.  Initially she was fine about staying at home alone,we used to leave her for 2-3 hours quite regularly, but then my working patterns changed and I ended up being at home a lot more.  So she has got used to someone being there all the time, and now gets a bit upset if we go out, resulting in chewing of the coffee table.  She does this for a few minutes and then goes to sleep!  I think the trick is to get them used to short absences when they are young. Even if you are working from home it will be sensible to make a point of leaving the house regularly for an hour or so. They don't tend to bark, although recently Molly had a bad experience with a vet resulting in her now giving a half-hearted bark when someone she doesn't know comes into the house.  One biscuit later and she is usually trying to sit on their lap.  I don't know much about the show cockers so I'm not really sure how the personalities differ.  Having seen the problems my parents had with their cavalier (colitis and heart murmur) I wanted a breed that was healthy and hardy, and one whose coat would be easy to take care of.  I've always liked spaniels in general - my partner wanted a springer, but we opted for the working cocker after falling in love with a colleague's dog.  I still like the springer, but find the size of the cocker suits us better.  I agree that they're an excellent compromise if you both want different things from your dog.  I'm sure if you wanted to get into flyball, obedience or agility, they'd also be great at those and it would be a good substitute for the breed's usual working activity.

Rosemarie,

Nice to hear that there are other working cocker owners on here

Not guilty on that score (labs, springers and a terrier for me) however my wifes parents have two, a mother and daughter (who was whelped and reared by me). I've trained both as gundogs. I also take gundog training classes and occasionally pet obedience where we get the odd working cocker. I also have friends who work the breed, have helped at a number of cocker field trials and take an keen interest in trialling and working them as well as their breeding and bloodlines.

I'm sure that one will make its way into my kennels at some stage, but I've got away with it so far!! ;-)

Havoc - is your username the name of one of your dogs?

No, just a random word that I picked when I registered. I just liked the sound and connotations of the word! It may get used at some stage if i end up with the right puppy to suit it though!

Hello :)

I have both a working cocker and a show (in addition to the springer & the american cocker) and agree with most of what has been written above!  My working cocker (Sam for ease!) is more sensitive I would say, he's a bit of a worrier but by the same token is a lovely natured dog, and can be the maddest of them all and is the most prone to having the tail chasing/running round in circles fits than the others.  By comparison I would say my show cocker is more emotionally sensitive, and goes in huffs frequently if he doesn't get his own way-at the age of 2 1/2 he's still very much acting like a juvenile! :D  Sam is now 3 and came into the house at the age of 18months and had never met a cat in his life until coming here and actually adores all three of my cats and will frequently give up his bed for any of them! :) 

All cockers (like most dogs) like a good walk but although I for the most part am at home working, on the occasion I am unable to give them their long walks a day, all of mine cope fine.  All are also fine being left for periods of time, although I always leave them things to do-stuffed frozen kongs etc to stimulate and entertain and I would recommend this to you as well.  When my show cocker Timmy gets to the point of stopping and wanting a snooze, Sam is quite happy to keep going if you are amenable to a game of frisbee-I've found that more so with Sam he will get attached to one particular toy, and fetch is his favourite game! :)

I'd also say that on balance, both were equals when it came to training.  I've often thought that Sam was wiser but that Tim is sharper and doesn't miss a trick.  Sam's coat is also definitely easier to keep, slight feathering, slow coat growth and waterproof, the show coat is thicker but nowhere near as bad as my yankee's!

Cockers in general IMO are lovely family dogs and can easily adapted to fit into any lifestyle provided ofcourse that you bear in mind that they are working dogs with the working cockers obviously more so and will need the exercise and stimulation to compliment this.  Hope that's been of some help, I have a conference call shortly so have been hammering this out before I have to log off! :)

-Kay

Thanks Kay, that's extremely useful (I've certainly learnt a lot today!). It's interesting to hear you compare the two types, since this is very much where my decision lies! I'm going to have to have a good think aren't I?!

Also (sorry if this is really obvious) but what is a stuffed kong!!?

It's a very tough hollow rubber toy.  It's a funny shape, so it bounces in an unpredictable way.  You can fill it with titbits such as cheese or chicken and leave it for your dog to spend hours getting the food out.  If you freeze it, it takes even longer to get the food out.  You can also get hollow balls / cubes with small holes in them that you can fill with dry food so the dog can roll the ball around to get the kibble to fall out.  The logic behind these (other than that they're boredom busters) is that dogs have to work for their food in the wild, and this is a way of replicating that.

You can take a look at Kongs here - you can buy them and other similar products in any pet shop.  They're a great way to keep a dog quiet or to entertain them! :)

Very cunning!

My friend has two Elkhound sisters who are called Busy and Hectic also good names for working dogs I would think?

They're good names - Busy would get a bit confusing for us though as we use "busy dog" as the toilet command!!

Hi guys,

I pick up my new working cocker pup in two days time, her name is going to be Tizzy (as in 'all in a tizzy'!).  She's in for a fun time with my working labs, Isla and Kester, and my three cats!
  I've been told that the way to a cockers heart is to make them think that doing something is their idea, not yours!  Hopefully, she'll compete at Working Trials when she's old enough, if she fancies it.
The only glitch on the horizon is the 3 1/2 hour car journey back from the breeders!

Cross your fingers that the M25 isn't too busy on Saturday lunchtime :)

Ali :)

Bimbimsbest, where in the country are you?

Mentalcat, bet you can't wait for tomorrow!  :) 

-Kay

Hi Kay,

I'm on the london kent border (london postcode - just, but not too far from gorgeous kent countryside! best of both I think!)
I've been mulling over all the info, and still feel a bit stuck! I think both the types have their very different plus points. My gut tells me go for a working (all the health/temperament pluses) but I'm really worried that if I can't stimulate it enough I could end up in a lot of trouble! Possibly paranoia on my part, but I'm worried that if my circumstances change and I can't give quite as much energy during the day, a SC would cope better. Hmmmmmm

I'm SERIOUSLY jelous of mentalcat though!
I've started looking for litters available/in near future for both types till I make my mind up, and it's no easy game! But I'm sure you know that already!
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Bimbimsbest, I have PM'd you - see up in the top right-hand corner of your screen where you see [Messages 1].

:)
-Kay

Hi I agree that working cockers are great and are next on my list. Perhaps I could make a few suggestions? First try to find people with young working cockers, say at a training class etc where you can talk to the owner and see what they are like (assuming that you havnt done so already). They really are determines little darlings and a friend in the Texas uses them as retrievers since they are the only dogs that will go through the cactus, they never flinch and then enjoy spending all evening upsidedown on your lap having the spines removed from their coat. In UK substitute sticky burrs.     

They are also Spaniels, so given half a chance would rather be doing their own thing following a scent than walking with you. Some people appear to feel this is no longer fun when they hit the teenage years - so there are probably a number out there looking to be rehomed for no reason other than doing what spaniels do best. Battersea is often a good place to start as they are not really IMHO a dog suited to town life and battersea rehome a lot of working gundogs.

OOh nearly forgot, you should investigate a kennel or a crate/pen where you can safely leave the little darling whilst you do things like the shopping or try to fit in a bit of work!

Lucky you, mentalcat.  This thread is making me really broody for another little cocker.  Tizzy is such a lovely name.  Incidentally, we had a visitor last night, and Molly greeted him in her usual exuberant manner, running round his legs.  He actually thought it was two dogs!

Yes Rosemarie - guilty of being a cockerowner!  There are two of the little blighters in this house!  (and a springer too)

Mine are working dogs who actually work (well pup will next year) and they spend their time between the house and kennel.  If I am in, they are in and they have a kennel and run for when I am at work.  They get two good walks a day plus a training session 4 times a week each (not all three at the same time).  They need to be kept very active and when they have been busy I don't hear a peep out of them.  Infact, if I sit down, we all joke that I wear "spaniel slippers" as they always sit on my feet!  Woebetide the day when they don't get enough activity - they can be mischevious then.

My experience has led me to believe that unless you are a very keen dog owner who is always active, a working variety isn't for you.  One of our pups went to an outdoor active home and they were shocked by the levels of energy.  So much so, they've started gundog training and all is going very nicely!

Good luck with whatever you decide.

A good friend of mine has a working cocker (wocker) and a show cocker (shocker?? lol).......

She has found hattie the wocker to be one of the easiest pups she has had. She is very very trainable, high energy yes, but when channeled properly, given two walks a day plus training sessions, games etc, she is a happy and well adjusted young dog, and certainly not berdoinging off the walls.

She works from home as well, and has 3 other dogs to keep her busy and manages very well.

Em