May be adopting a dog (Cocker Spaniel), sugguestions? advice?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hi everyone!

I’m turning to you guys for help and advice. My wife and I may be adopting a cocker spaniel in the near future. I’ve never had a cocker spaniel (Male, 3 yrs old), although a friend of mine has. I’ve also never had an indoor dog, although my wife has, so I have a questions.

First, does anyone know if Cocker Spaniels are ok to be left alone during the day. I hate to do it, but we both work and the dog would have to be left alone during the day. I was thinking of a crate as I know that’s how many people do it.

Also, what’s the energy level for cocker spaniels? I remember my friends being playful, but not terribly energetic and it didn’t bark a whole lot.

How do Cocker Spaniels handle heat & cold? This will be an indoor dog, but I’d still like to know because we don’t have central air (older house) and so I might have to adjust how we run our A/C and all that stuff.

Finally, do I need to dog proof the house? I would imagine he’s past the puppy chewing stage, but I don’t want him getting into trouble.

If anyone has advice, suggestions, or anything like that, please let me know. I’d really appreciate it. I’m a bit worried because the people that are giving him away are picking their pug over him just because the pug’s in heat (and I’m pretty sure that’s not the only reason they’re giving him away… at least it doesn’t make sense to me), but if he’s really terrible, we can always get him into a class I guess.

Oh yeah, if I adpot this dog, what forms, etc do I need to fill out to make it mine? Do I need to register somewhere?

2

Cockers were, at one time, the most popular dog in America. As a result, they were breed heavily and the breed developed some unfortunate traits (with eye and ear problems being foremost, IIRC). I seem to also recall that they can have a tendency to bite and be a bit “snippy.” Their coats need attention, too (as do almost all spaniels). Of coure, this isn’t going to apply to all Cockers.

I’d call your vet and ask them some of these questions as well.

3

I’d highly recommend you join a couple Cocker mailing lists as they are a wealth of information and advice. There’s a Spaniel mailing list on this page, and I’m sure there are a few Yahoo groups.

Are you looking into an English Cocker or an American Cocker? Personally I prefer the English but then I’ve had some nasty experiences with American Cockers so I’m very biased. :slight_smile:

Did you hear of this dog through a breed rescue or just word of mouth? I’m not sure about the legalities involved with someone just giving you a dog, but you may want to cover your ass and get something in writing. If you can sit and talk with the owners about the dog, please do. Ask about any health or behavioural issues.

I wish you luck!

4

We adopted a mixed breed spaniel(cocker, we think). As an adolescent she was very energetic and had a tendancy for digging. These behaviors descreased as she became older. I went to dog training with her, as much for my benefit as the dogs’, and will do it again with my next dog. It also formed a strong bond between us. If you’re concerned about chewing & other behaviors, training will give you strategies to deal with them.

As she was already licensed by the previous owner, we received those documents from them and just contacted the county(I think). Anyway, the docs are no big deal, we now get a letter every three years telling us to update her dog tags.

Her coat needs a lot of care, brushing out mats. I must be mindful of keeping her ears clean. I understand that clogged anal sacs are a problem with the breed. I keep up on this myself, but any good dog groomer can do this for you too.

She has a decent sized yard to hang out in, and we leave her alone all day with no problems. We get temps to 90’s and very low 100’s in the summer and she can handle it. She hangs out on a shaded cement area under the deck in the extreme heat.

She is a very affectionate and loving animal. If you’ve ever seen the bumper sticker " My hope is to be the kind of person my dog thinks me to be", that would describe my dog.

5

I have owned three cocker spaniels and find them to be very sweet, playful, merry little companions. Each has had his/her own special personality. Lots of people comment about them being tempermental and high strung, but I have not found that to be true at all.

They have all been well mannered, easy to train and extremely intelligent.

Nipper, our black, male cocker will go and get the tv channel changer from my husband and bring it to me when I am too lazy to stand up and get it myself. He also brings in the newspaper and knows 40 toys by name.

He’s wonderful! I hope you enjoy your new companion!

6

If you haven’t done this before watch out! If this is what I think it is (my vet calls it “expressing the anus”) then what comes out is some really foul smelling stuff (not poop). Thank god I’ve never had a dog need this but I’ve known some who did…yuck, yuck and more yuck!

I’m not overly familiar with Cocker Spaniels beyond casual acquaintences so others here with Cocker Spaniels can help more on that count. However, there are a few things about bringing a new dog home that will go for any breed.

First, take possession of the dog at a time that will allow you the maximum time at home with it beofre you need to leave the dog alone to go to work. Probably a Friday evening but if you can take off some time from work so much the better. The more time you can spend with the dog in the beginning the better. Likewise don’t plan on leaving the house that weekend for parties or whatever. Stick around the house.

If you know the person you are getting the dog from (and not getting it from a shelter) have them bring the dog to you rather than you going to get it. Have the person hang around awhile while the dog checks the place out. Not a big thing if this can’t be done though so don’t sweat it too much.

Consider doing some training of the dog once you have it. At three the dog probably knows the usual of come, stay, sit, etc. but if it doesn’t work on those first (put the dog through those paces anyway). Beyond the basics pick something else you’d like to train the dog to do. The idea here is you spend some good time with the dog and you establish yourself as the ‘alpha’ that the dog should pay attention to. 30 minutes once or twice a day should be fine. If it nails a behavior you want so much the better.

If you plan to crate the dog start before you stick the dog in there and leave for work. The crate should probably be there before the dog arrives anyway so it’s just part of the environment rather than something new brought in to an already unfamiliar place. Be sure to size the crate properly…the dog should be able to stand without crouching at all and lay on its side, legs stretched out without its back and paws touching either side of the cage. Too big is bad as well…the crate should be just big enough to accomodate what I mentioned above (i.e. buy the size just above what causes crouching, etc.). NEVER make the crate punishment…you want the dog to view that as home. Done properly your dog will often use the crate on its own to sleep/rest by choice. Start by feeding the dog in the crate and throwing toys in there. Let the dog go in and out at will. After its done that a few times close the door behind the dog when it goes in and leave it be for a short time (30 seconds) then open the door. Increase the time a little each time you do this and slowly sprinkle in leaving the room and coming back a short while later (this all occurs over time…not in one sitting). If you plan to crate during the night keep the crate in your room while you sleep at least till the dog is fully adjusted to its new home. When you come home from work do not run to the cage and let the dog out immediately…walk by the cage and go take your shoes off or something then let the dog out. Do not play with the dog immediately upon release from the cage (you’ll both want to). Wait 30 seconds to a minute before giving it attention. The idea here is that release from teh cage should not be connected to ‘desirable thing.’ If the dog thinks, “I get hugs and attention when that door opens” it will beg to have the door opened whenever it’s in there. Be sure to leave favorite toys in the crate and of course water. You also might consider throwing an old shirt or blanket that has your smell on it (not freshly laundered) in too (something you don’t care if it gets wrecked).

Finally, try not to get upset with the dog if it chews something or poops in the house or whatever. Certainly you can correct the animal if you catch it doing something wrong (and you should) but be tolerant of the new dog…this is a tough and scary time for him/her. The name of the game is consistency and firmness in letting the dog know what is ok and what isn’t. Tell the dog “No”, stop it from doing whatever it was that was wrong and, if possible, give it something else to do (i.e. if you catch it chewing a shoe tell it “no” while taking the shoe away then replace the shoe with a toy and praise the dog when it pays with the toy). If the dog has an accident in the house it is probably your fault anyway for not walking it enough…wipe up the mess and take the dog and the mess outside to the potty area and drop the mess there then praise the dog if it potties outside.

I apologize if this is telling you things you already know. Best of luck with your new friend! Dogs are the best!

7

Yes, Whack-A-Mole, it is what you think it is.:eek:

8

I should mention about the water that it is a good idea to get a water dish that clamps on to the side of the cage. A loose bowl can be knocked over making a mess and worse, leaving your dog without water. You can get these types of dishes at most any pet supply store.

9

After I got divorced, the ex got the kids and I got the dogs.

Stinky a.k.a. Stinkfish, Cocoastinks, Stinky-Dinks & P.U. Rots is a pure breed, female Cocker Spaniel. To be honest with you, when “custody” of her was foisted upon me, I looked into the Cocker Spaniel Rescue - I really didn’t like her & she wasn’t mine anyway.

But needless to say, she kind-of grew on me. She’s loving, smart and pretty good overall. This is gonna sound Neanderthal, but if it wasn’t for my other dog Baysa I’d probably be a little embarassed walking her - but he balances out, or counters the little froo-froo dog image.

Here are Stinky’s (probably unique) Liabilities:

  1. She’s jealous & overly-protective
  2. She yaps at strangers and other dogs
  3. She’s a chow hound and will steal food from children
  4. She wants alot of attention & will scratch you to get it
  5. She sheds like a fiend - When she used to be allowed in the main part of the house, it became riddled with black tumbleweeds daily
  6. There’s no keeping her off the furniture
  7. She scratches the shit outta bedding and couches in the spot she wants to plop he ass down on
  8. As a Puppy she was destuctive
  9. She’s Napoleanic
  10. She howls at 1AM at 7AM like clockwork - almost like having a rooster around
10

Thank you folks for all your information. It is very good to know, although I’m a bit worried about the clogged anal sacs, this information has been very helpful.

Especially a big thanks to Whack-a-Mole for the crate information, and i’ll be sure to check out the mailing lists.

thanks again! :slight_smile:

11

I heard Cocker Spaniels have a tendancy to get ear infections. You might want to check this out with a vet and see about preventions.

12

We have two cocker spaniels, and when anal sacs get plugged, you’ll often see them scooting along on your carpet (gee, thanks, I really want the carpet to smell like that!) because it doesn’t feel all that great, apparently. Just take note of when they seem to feel uncomfortable, butt-wise, it’s usually clogged sacs. :slight_smile:

13

I’ve had a cocker for twelve years, and she’s fabulous. She appears to be pure-bred American cocker – your classic blond – but she’s not papered and I suspect she’s not 100%, if only because she doesn’t have a lot of the problems pure cockers can get.

I have heard that cockers get:

Matted eyes – some of them have “weepy” eyes that cause schmutz to collect on their faces, like dark tear tracks.

Weight problem – Cockers, especially females, like to eat and tend to get heavy, especially if they’re sedentary.

Hot spots – Cockers can be more susceptible to skin infections called “hot spots” than some other breeds are.

Infected ears – Cockers can get ear infections, but no more than any other breed with long floppy ears.

My dog gets the occasional ear problem and has had three hot spots bad enough to require vet visits in her life. She doesn’t have matted eyes and she doesn’t seem to gain much weight. But then we walk a lot.

Yes, their anal sacs get plugged, but if you have a good groomer they should express them for you. Or the vet can do it. And yes, cocker coats can get long (and sheddy). Frankly, I solve both these problems by getting my dog groomed fairly frequently (about 4x a year) and keeping her clipped up pretty short – the whole “cocker cut” of short on the back and long and feathery on the side and legs is IMO way too much work to keep up. And of course the dog could give a rat’s ass. And there ain’t enough money in the world for me to do the gland expressing thing.

Tempramentally, I have heard that cockers can be snippy but mine is not. She’s sweet as the day is long. She is also, frankly, a bit dim – would go home with anyone, barks when a doorbell rings on the TV, etc. But she is very well-behaved and very loving. She does get on the furniture. She is 100% an indoor dog and doesn’t mind being home alone all day, but then she’s never known anything different. And I do walk her every day when I get home, about 3 miles or so, because cockers are sort of active by nature. Oh! And she loves to play fetch – they’re great retrievers.

Oh – another problem that cockers can have and that she used to have when she was young was a tendency to piddle – not intentionally but when excited or scared, and just a little. But I think that’s a characteristic more of female cockers, and again not even all females.

But the bottom line is that based on my experience with my cocker I would recommend them very, very highly. When and if I get another dog (which wouldn’t be until I lost this one), I almost certainly will get another cocker spaniel. I think the poster who said “go get trained with the dog” is absolutely correct; I think how “good” a dog is depends on each individual dog, and how well it is trained, how bonded it is to its owner, and how much it wants to please its owner. So I think there are “good” cockers and “bad” cockers, but I think 9 times out of 10 that has more to do with training and raising than with breed.

Good luck with your new pet! :slight_smile: