New Cocker Spaniel puppy

Getting a new puppy is much the same as a new baby.
Don’t follow dubious advice on social media, read some reputable books (NOT from anyone who’s ever appeared on TV) and arrange puppy classes where you can learn along with your puppy.
New puppy doesn’t need training, except house training, just to feel safe and loved.

but I melt whenever I see a spaniel puppy.
🙂 they are lovely but common sense tells me we can't have another one.

Be careful with what’s in your garden. I met someone in a pet shop whose spaniel puppy had been eating gravel in the garden; they only found out when they took her to the vets for something else
Yes, our neighbour's spaniel ate a conker which blocked her intestines; they thought she had a serious illness until the vet discovered what it was.
Ours would eat anything it found 🤮

I’ve always ( till my current dog, that is) got them whistle trained asap. I just use a football whistle. When they’re in the garden I blow the whistle and when they come in give them a high value treat. Annoyingly I didn’t do it
properly with my current dog; maybe it’s because we had her in December and she has no recall at all once outside, albeit being great in the house. My daughter had a puppy at the same time as I had mine and I bought them Lilly’s kitchen nighttime treats first bedtime. I don’t buy them any more ( they’re so expensive now) but my daughter’s dog still has to have one at nighttime. Get them used to having their paws handled and claws dremelled or clipped. The breeder showed me how to do it when she brought her to my house. Probably not so important with a spaniel as they will have them clipped when they have their coats done. When I had spaniels I used to cut up an old pair of tights and put them over their ears when eating; saves a lot of mess! I bought a Halti lead on the advice of one of the many dog trainers I used. They’re great because you can tie them to your waist when you’re eg poo picking. Just remember that it’s now illegal to have a dog loose in a car so they need a harness etc. If you’re picking puppy up from the breeder be prepared for him to be car sick. I’m a great believer in dap diffusers for the house and sprays for the car. My dog loves Sherpa fleece throws, but she’s a whippet and craves warmth. Be careful with what’s in your garden. I met someone in a pet shop whose spaniel puppy had been eating gravel in the garden; they only found out when they took her to the vets for something else. I don’t know what health problems spaniels have these days but make sure the breeder has tested the pups for them. It’s probably eye problems. My spaniel had puppies and I sold one of them not knowing it had an undescended testicle. When I asked the woman my dog had come from and whose stud dog I’d used she nonchalantly said ‘ oh yes, it goes back to such and such a dog’. I was horrified that I’d not known. I switched to whippets because I’m terrible at grooming but I melt whenever I see a spaniel puppy. I’d dreamed of having one ever since I was a child. Get insured straight away. I know they come with a couple of weeks insurance but if anything happens ( and puppies are accidents waiting to happen) before you take out full insurance you won’t be covered in future for that problem.

We've had three Cockers and one Springer. All absolutely lovely dogs. They are lively and sometimes need firmness! They are tremendously affectionate and do love cuddles! Our latest is now 10 years old and a real sweetie. One thing ALL our puppies have loved is a soft teddy or two!! Good luck with your baby, he should give you years of love and affection.

Oh yes, I knew about chocolate.
DD's dog survived raiding the fridge and eating quite a lot of chocolate, the vet said it was because she is a large dog, had she been smaller and eaten that amount, it would have killed her.

Frenchgalinspain

My only advice would be to be aware that 95% of Canines are actually allergic to:

Chicken by products
Chicken meal
Chicken
Grapes (toxic)
Raisins

I would suggest a lamb with rice or lamb with ancient grains, blueberries and sweet potato.

Taste of the Wild is a wonderful brand for puppies or in adult form.

Also Edgard and Cooper - a ibt expensive however, amazing.
The Norwegian Salmon with sweet potato, beetroot, blueberries and pumpkin.

These 2 canine products are free of chicken meal and chicken by products.

For a treat: Greek natural yogurt of cottage cheese with melon or de-cored apple and blueberries. A banana once a week, due to the high sugar.

We have 2 French bulldogs, three years old.

Best wishes.

Also Xylitol. I just had to take my car to a garage in a bit of a panic ( indicators have stopped working). One of the people there wanted to give her one of those biscuits that people have with coffee ( none of us had any treats with us) and I had to tell him not to in case it had Xylitol in it. I did let him giver her a tiny bit albeit still being a bit worried about that. It’s added to peanut butter and chewing gum ( a lot of people give dogs peanut butter as a treat but it must be special dog peanut butter). It’s also got another name now to complicate things even further. Some dogs can get away with eating grapes or chocolate for some reason but Xylitol is dangerous for all dogs.

I have had a cocker spaniel in the past and she was the easiest, most intelligent puppy I have known in a lifetime with dogs.
My latest dog is now 15 months. Crate training was new to me but I can honestly say it's worth persevering . It gives them a safe space that is their own, and gives you somewhere to put him and know he is safe e.g. when cooking.
I strongly believe in getting them used to being on their own to avoid separation anxiety.
Good luck, Woody is gorgeous.

Yes, it's quite surprising what dogs are allergic to, grapes and dried grapes (dried fruit) being one of the main things.
Tomatoes as well.

We used to feed our dog chicken or turkey, I never knew that they were allergic to chicken products. In fact, if he polished off the remains of the Christmas turkey, he would sulk for a few days afterwards when fed his normal dog food.

My only advice would be to be aware that 95% of Canines are actually allergic to:

Chicken by products
Chicken meal
Chicken
Grapes (toxic)
Raisins

I would suggest a lamb with rice or lamb with ancient grains, blueberries and sweet potato.

Taste of the Wild is a wonderful brand for puppies or in adult form.

Also Edgard and Cooper - a ibt expensive however, amazing.
The Norwegian Salmon with sweet potato, beetroot, blueberries and pumpkin.

These 2 canine products are free of chicken meal and chicken by products.

For a treat: Greek natural yogurt of cottage cheese with melon or de-cored apple and blueberries. A banana once a week, due to the high sugar.

We have 2 French bulldogs, three years old.

Best wishes.

I have a 6 year old blue roan cocker spaniel. She’s my second blue roan, I had one 50 years ago. It’s important to buy from a breeder with a good reputation. Ideally someone who specialises in spaniels and where mum and puppies live in the house with the breeder. Both mine came from breeders who love blue roan and breed for health and temperament.
Spaniels are lively happy dogs who are good family pets.

There used to be concerns about so called spaniel rage, often seen in single colours but that’s been bred out because of responsible breeding.

All dogs need routines, training an a good feed. My go to books are Pippa Mattinson, the happy puppy handbook and Easy Peasy Puppy Squeazy by Steve Mann.

Puppies need 18-19 hours sleep in 24 or they get over tired and over active. I’ve crate trained my last 5 puppies - done properly it’s a boon. My daughter has a cavalier spaniel x poodle and has crate trained. Pups house trained in 3 or 4 weeks. They’ve started a puppy training group. Pup sleeps all night and walks on a lead at 15 weeks.

Good luck x

J52 , some dogs are simply nasty !!?
Nothing to do with lack of training - they are nasty and will remain so!!

One tip with cockers - they are prone to getting ear mite infection so sometimes a trip to the vet was needed for drops.

I used to peg our dog's ears together sometimes with a clothes peg. It didn't hurt him at all and didn't bother him in the slightest but it let the air get to his ears. ~Also give his ears a gentle wipe round with cotton wool.

dogsmother

How absolutely wonderful, almost as exciting as having a new baby to prepare for.
Lots of chewing to prepare for as well as toilet training but now the weather is warmer that’s okay.
Cockers are so trainable and happy you will have so much fun.
I have heard of cocker rage which is what I guess the naysayers are all about but why on earth would anyone want to P on your parade I have no idea.
I envy you the delicious puppy paws and all the fun to come.

We have had dogs all our lives too and starting off with a new puppy is wonderful. It’s being realistic not trying to P on anybody’s parade.

J52

In my opinion, again, it is not very pleasant to write negative opinions about a puppy that someone has already committed to and is about to collect.

The poster has not committed, she is viewing tomorrow. The link I provided is from a reliable source.

Cockers are fabulous, but if you are buying from an online ad on free ads.co.uk, just do extra checks to make sure that it is not a puppy farmer 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

We got a cocker puppy 3 years ago. She’s a delight and keeps us on the go too.
We too her to puppy training, which paid off, but she still sees a tissue as a shredding challenge,

How absolutely wonderful, almost as exciting as having a new baby to prepare for.
Lots of chewing to prepare for as well as toilet training but now the weather is warmer that’s okay.
Cockers are so trainable and happy you will have so much fun.
I have heard of cocker rage which is what I guess the naysayers are all about but why on earth would anyone want to P on your parade I have no idea.
I envy you the delicious puppy paws and all the fun to come.

Think you are brave getting a puppy. I heard they are really hard work. 😓 but worth it presumably

Oh little Woody looks exactly like my son's Sprocker! Chocolate with a white patch on his chest 💕 he's gorgeous, bet you can't wait for a cuddle.

I really love cockers and know quite a few, they are all energetic, friendly dogs but quite trainable. SIL has one but she's totally useless at training despite that her bitch is lovely but with non existent recall is she gets a sniff of something interesting!
I've always crate trained my border terriers, it's really useful if they are happy to sleep in a crate and see it as their place rather than a punishment. It certainly makes staying away so much easier and at Christmas there are usually four dogs around the place, the BT will just get into to his crate for some peace and quiet! Having always had BTs I spend a lot of time training recall as most of our walks can be off lead, it's time well spent IMO. Have fun with your new puppy!

Oh My God you lucky woman , he's gorgeous.
I got my last(now beloved late) dog in 2007 and that was the first dog that I had had since I was a teenager. He was a rescue , three years old so reasonably well -trained and , as I found out over time , had an equitable temperament. I didn't know all that however so was , therefore , very nervous about taking him to meet and greet other local dogs in the park on his walks.
When I was uncertain I just approached people and told them what I was nervous about and why. Other dog owners couldn't have been nicer or more helpful.
" Watch other dogs' owners' attitudes as a guide to their own dog's sociability" was an excellent piece of advice.

Good Luck and wishing you loads of happy years with your little matinee star.
Keep a good eye on him in case anyone tries to nick him.
😊😒😉👏

Watch out for perpetual merriness when you get a cocker!

I have had 2 terriers before, my husband A springer and a Lab.
We have researched the breed so well and know Cockers already. We are aware of them being lively and needing a lot of exercise. We are both extremely active people so we are looking forward to Woody joining us on our walks. We live in Devon just 6 miles from the beach too.
Thank you ladies for all your comments.

Primrose53

J52

In my opinion nasty dogs are not trained properly.

My SIL who I mentioned above had dogs all her life and the cocker was the only one that was nasty.

She and her husband trained all their dogs ( and still do), they got two long walks a day, good food and regular veterinary care but this dog was not safe. Particularly upsetting as she had set her heart on one.

Golden ones were nasty at one time but, unfortunately, everyone wanted the golden ones so they just carried on breeding them. I think it’s been bred out of them now, though. At least, I hope so.