New Cocker Spaniel puppy

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.

I have a golden cocker spaniel and he's gorgeous. No problems at all with his personality, he's a real softy. He loves everyone, people, children and other dogs. I took him to training classes for the first two years we had him and he was very well socialised from the start. He is certainly not perfect, he can get a bit over excited and I can't stop him jumping up when someone comes in the house. We love him to bits though. Good luck with Woody. I'm sure you will be fine.

Ps Personally, I wouldn't get an expensive first bed for him. We made that mistake and he chewed it up in no time. He was very mouthy as a puppy but he grew out of it.

Woody looks adorable ReadandCook . It's always daunting to bring a puppy home when you haven't had one for a while but it's like riding a bike; you never forget what you learned the last time you had one.

Start as you mean to go on, dealing with any little issues as they arise and you'll be fine.

I hope Iam sees your thread, she's very knowledgeable and gave me a lot of help and support when we first got our Cockapoo who had rather bad separation anxiety. If you have any worries, I know she'll help.

Enjoy your new arrival.

I’ve got a cocker, and I’ve never known any of them be nasty, mine is the softest and most loving dog ever. He is very energetic though, he needs a lot of walking, and it seems never gets tired, although he is now 8 so should have slowed down. Don’t let people put you off, cockers are the most gorgeous of dogs!

I was brought up with Cocker Spaniels; our children were raised with Cocker Spaniels, and are now doing the same with their own families. None have ever given the slightest cause for concern.
...or not the Cockers, anyway

We left a blanket our pup a week or so before bringing her home, this meant she had the smell of us and then when home had the smell of the litter.

Clicker training is easy and effective, particularly with a working breed.

Buy a chew proof bed with washable liner and make sure you have a plentiful supply of the food the breeder has been using.

Never get a puppy before 8 weeks old.

A few toys for stimulation and teething.

Rubber gloves, kitchen paper and disinfectant!.

Cockers are crazy! Absolutely love them, although we mainly had and bred Springers. There was a couple of occasions where we assessed the prospective owners of a cocker litter as unsuitable
The saying is ‘cockers are born half wild and die half trained!’

Woody really is beautiful - you’ve had dogs before, so I’m sure you’ll be fine, as will Woody.

Our son has a 1 year old Sprocker (Cocker Springer mix) it's the daftest, softest thing. Absolutely loves all humans (apart from the postman, for obvious reasons!) and loves all dogs too. However, talk about lively! 🤣 it's as mad as a box of frogs and never seems to tire, no matter how long the walk. She does need a lot of exercise, but is the most loving, cuddly companion.

I wouldn't buy a cocker, have you had one before ?
They are so energetic, you need to be able to keep him stimulated a lot . I'd look for a different breed and do lots of research.

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.

I understand.

We well train our dogs, 4 long walks daily. However, one nasty aggressive little terrier, snappy with children - sadly had to leave us.

Our previous beautiful boy was a working cocker, and our current grumpy girl is a show cocker and almost 11

We love cocker spaniels, we’ve had a few as have our dear friends.

Our current cocker can be a little growly but if you start off right, showing your dear pup who is “top dog” and be consistent with your rules, you should be absolutely fine.

Most cockers are lovely dogs with great personalities

My dd has two working cockers and they are so full of energy. She does agility with them and the older one was on Team GB. Although 11 he still needs a lot of exercise and rarely gets tired. Show cockers are much less demanding. Whatever Woody looks absolutely gorgeous. I have a lab who pulls like mad. Walking both DD’s dogs at once is a doddle by comparison.

When I say wilful I mean he was one of the best-behaved dogs in the dog training classes but when we left he'd look at me as if to say "I was a good boy, now can I please myself what I do?"
No, he couldn't!

Where's Iam64 - she has a lot of experience of training dogs, and has a cocker spaniel, I believe.

We had one and I will say they are very energetic and need a lot of exercise. Ours was well-trained but could be wilful!
Lovely dogs but do need the right owners.

Some are bred from show dogs, others are working dogs and there is a difference. A puppy bred from show dogs would require less exercise.

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.

He is adorable Readandcook, and in my experience all the Cocker Spaniels I know are highly intelligent and real family dogs, all of whom have been trained, of course. The name Woody really suits him. Enjoy your gorgeous pup. 😊

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.

www.cockerspaniel-info.org.uk/temperament.htm

In my opinion nasty dogs are not trained properly.

How gorgeous, the best dogs in my opinion.
Our son has a cocker spaniel as well. His arrival coincided with their holiday so we got him to look after. It was like having a baby in the house. As it was summer we made a turf lined pen directly from the French windows. This arrangement made house training him easy, it was done in a week.
The book Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy by Steve Mann is worth buying.
Enjoy every minute, even the difficult ones.

I would think carefully before buying him. Cocker Spaniels can be very nasty so choose your breeder carefully.

My SIL bought one when her old dog died. It was really snappy and bit one of her children and went absolutely nuts if you even walked past the food dish. They were well used to owning dogs and it really upset her that she had to get rid of it. She went back to mongrel terriers and never had another problem dog.

Springer spaniels are less aggressive, we had one and she was a beauty but they need firm training and loads of exercise.

My son has a cocker spaniel puppy too. He is gorgeous, as is Woody.

Congratulations on your new arrival. You don't need to buy much - a bed for him and maybe puppy pads for training him and to save your carpets.

Anxiety beds are good - they are doughnut shaped and keep the dog cuddled in, which they like, as they are used to sleeping with siblings. Kongs are good too - they are rubber chewy things that you fill with edible treats that they have to work to get out. They are good for teething pups and keep them interested. The pet shop will advise which size to get, and you can get meat or fish paste to go in them. The Kong fillings are expensive and Woody will be happy with a cheap jar of paste.