Cocker Spaniels

[Raspy]

Do any of you have a Cocker Spaniel as a pet? If so, what can you tell me about their character and compatibility? Are they fun and good companions? Easy to train? Healthy?

Any recommendations for breeders in the Bay Area?

 

[Gunny]

We've had three Cockersover the years, two miniatures and one full size. All good dogs, good looking, great pets and pretty intelligent and quick learning, all three were house dogs and they were extremely easy to house-break.

They were great pets, very loving and they all hated to be left alone. They seem to take to different people in different ways - two of them would lay in my lap when I was seated, but they would snuggle up and lay beside my wife if she was seated, the third one would crawl off anybodies lap if placed there. They seemed to obey my wife's commands better than they did with me, but they preferred to play outside with me a lot more so than her.

They don't seem to take very well to smaller children, the last one we had would seem to snap at our first grandson for just about any reason, never bit him, but she'd definitely snarl, snap and growl if he attempted to play with her. She was a pretty old dog at that time, 7 or 8 years old, that may have had something to do with it. She loved to be around any grownups, never had any problems there.

All were true good pets and all lived to be pretty old, the last one was 13 years old when she passed away.
Now that it looks like there will be no more new grandchildren, we've talked about getting another Cocker, but for now we've got a Shih Tzu that's only 5 years old, so it'll be awhile before that happens.

 

[oosik]

I live way out in the country - some call it remote. I've had a cocker since a pup and he's now going on 15 years old. I've lost previous, bigger dogs to all our coyotes out here - so he has been a house dog. He has all the positive traits as listed by Gunny - post #2. His eye sight is going, his gait is slower, and his hearing isn't so good any more - but he is still the same loving dog as always. Now he recognizes friends more by smell than eyesight.

He is my only companion out here now and will be a great loss when he goes. I couldn't more strongly recommend a cocker as a family pet.

 

[Streetcar]

Second, bad with toddler, . Fine with older kids

 

[kidr]

You may want to look into the field bred cocker. It's a wonderful dog and very different from the show dogs. There's a link below to youtube.

Cocker Spaniel Gundog - Whaupley Sharp Image - YouTube

Lucky you.

 

[Gunny]

Great video! Looks like he burns up a lot of energy just wagging that tail. They are great looking dogs, just need some grooming ever now and then

 

[DaveNJ]

I had one for ten years. Her tail wag was a full body effort and she was gentle and got along well with the other dog. Good family dog. She had persistent ear and eye problems and we lost her too soon to liver cancer.

 

[kcflhrc]

We had one years ago. Pretty stupid dog if you ask me and not great with small kids.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

We had two Cockers, one was what they called a "Parti". Something about her color as I recall. She was a good dog overall, except not too good with little ones. Both of ours had severe health problems and didn't live long.

Our family is partial to Boston Terriers. My folks got our first one back in the mid 50's. As a breed they also have some heath problems you should be aware of, but I have never seen a dog better with kids; especially if you get them as a puppy. We have one now, and she thinks the grand kids are her litter mates. I can say "the boys are here", and she runs to the door to greet them. They love people and think every visitor is there to see them.

 

[kcflhrc]

Well, the #1 dog in America for 23 years is the Labrador Retriever, and I agree. Great with kids and overall fantastic dogs.

 

[TractorGuy]

Had one as a kid. Loved us all but was very hyper and almost got us sued a couple of times. Did not like full grown men. Bit a salesman one night but that was his fault since we warned him not to try to pet the dog. The little bugger jerked me off my feet and dragged me down a sidewalk to bite a guy that was just walking by. I'm laying on the ground bleeding from being dragged and this guy tried to accuse me of sicking the dog on him. I think they meant to name them COCKY Spaniels.

 

[Raspy]

Thanks for your thoughtful replies.

Really looking forward to getting another dog.

 

[teejk]

We've owned 2. #1 was a field bred variety (a bit larger than what you'll normally find). He was a care-free clown. #2 was the standard. It took a few days with a shock collar to show him who was boss but otherwise a good dog. Noted above are the eye/ear problems. Both of ours died of cancer at age 13.

 

[RobS]

We had one long ago, before kids. Pretty dog but just not a good dog. We had heard of "Spaniel Rage" and tended to believe it with ours. Had to give her up when we had our first child, just not compatible. Not that they are all like this but ours was a problem.

 

[teejk]

We had one long ago, before kids. Pretty dog but just not a good dog. We had heard of "Spaniel Rage" and tended to believe it with ours. Had to give her up when we had our first child, just not compatible. Not that they are all like this but ours was a problem.

Yup...that was a problem. Any breed that got popular would invite the "mills" that tend to breed in the bad traits...I think the cocker spaniel would be the prime example of that but they have been absent from popular breeds for awhile now and maybe they will come back. We had one incident with our first dog and our first child...I think it was more a "surprise" thing when the dog was eating (we had him before our first child and in fairness to the dog Dan was crawling towards the dish)...that dog (Lonergan) gave me a "I'm sorry" look and it never happened again. We have since moved onto dachshunds after cocker #2 died...gotta love the Dachs but I think their popularity will lead to that crappy genetics also. In the meantime I have to say that Lonergan was the best dog ever...that guy made me laugh. I've heard the same thing about golden retrievers btw.

 

[Raspy]

I'd love to have a Lab, or a Golden or Rhodesian, or a Vizsla, or Husky, but we need a smaller dog for traveling. Not a tiny dog, like a chihuahua, or Boston Terrier, or Pekingese, or Maltese, but medium sized. I had a wonderful Akita for years, but she was too independent and would never stay home.

Cocker Spaniels seems about right and can be very good family dogs, but it seems it might be hit and miss with them as far as personality and health issues are concerned. Field bred English Cockers are another nice choice, if they have stable unrelated parents and no eye or hip problems. But Yikes! The price for a pure bred is over the top!

Probably end up with a nice dog from the Humane Society or from some other rescue organization. That is where Bei Bei came from and she was the best dog I've had.

And then, of course, there was Sandy. Undoubtedly, the most interesting one.

 

[Gem99ultra]

We had to keep 3 for a relative for a couple of years. Unfortunately, it was necessary to keep them outside, except for extreme weather. Their coats were constantly matted. Upkeep was a nightmare. While all three were lovable to us old kids and all adults, they were not all that friendly to other dogs, and certainly not that smart, i.e. trainable.

And yes, I have had some dogs in the past that were dumber than a brick. In short, I can think of quite a few breeds that I'd prefer over a Cocker Spainiel.

 

[AchingBack]

Best book ever about a cocker spaniel, Champion Dog Prince Tom.

My only cocker spaniel was rescued from a local grocery store parking lot. She was running loose around cars, and seemed to be lost. I don't know why, but I called out to her, "here Peaches". This loving little dog came running over at once. I waited outside with here while my wife did the shopping. After almost 1/2 hr. most of the cars in the lot were gone, and no one seemed to be looking for a lost dog.

We dutifully contacted local animal control to report a lost dog, put up a notice in our post office, and even contacted city hall.

Animal control told us if we didn't hear from them within a couple weeks, Peaches was ours. Turns out, we kept her, discovered she was pregnant, oh no, more than we bargained for. Before giving birth, I took her to a spaniel breeder for an opinion on her pedigree. The lady thought she was full-blooded spaniel.

She gave birth to what appeared to be seven cocker pups. We sold them all for $75.00 each, enough to buy plane fare for a trip to Michigan.

Except for one person, I lost contact with the folks who bought the pups. Their dog turned out having legs much longer than normal.

The rest of the story is very sad so I won't go into it. But yes, they are very good dogs.

 

[jcummins]

Any of this group had King Charles spaniels?

Our Libby came to us 7-8 years ago. Showed up in the yard, we tried to find an owner...nothing. In about 3 days my wife became very attached to her....so we had a new family member. Not sure her age now, but she has gone blind, sad to see her bump into things. But here to tell you, nothing wrong with her nose.

Question....her she is, picture is 6 years old before she went blind. . Is she King Charles?...mix? small Cocker? Vet has said small cocker, but when the day comes that she passes, would like to get my wife 'her' dog and feel it may be like our Libby.

 

[Raspy]

She certainly looks like a Pardi colored, American Cocker Spaniel. Or just Cocker Spaniel, here in the US. That is, assuming she has recently been trimmed because her coat is so short.

Very cute!

The English or Field Cockers have a different face and are slightly bigger.

This thread has been an eye opener for me and very interesting. Thanks to all, so far.