Hi all,
as some of you know i have been looking after/rehabilitating my step-daughter's Cocker Spaniel for the past couple of weeks and despite his obvious issues (brought on by ignorant owners) I have fallen in love with the breed but I have always owned (and still do own GSDs). Can anyone give me some adrice re Cockers ie are they trainable, loyal, etc? I think maybe I have been a little spoilt by having GSDs and want to make sure if I go ahead with getting a Cocker that I understand and can enjoy the differences rather than always comparing the new dog to my wonderful GSD!

I'm not big in the cocker area but my mother that is all she owned. Point being she told me a few things. There very over protective of there owners. They have ear problem. There known to be biters. There very start dogs. There not the best in the world to have around children. There coats are hard to deal with.

Gee Stephanie - did your mother tell you anything good aoutthem!? LOL Thanks for the warnings though. I know my way around the GSD breeders in my state pretty well but whenever you start with a new breed you rely a LOT on word of mouth etc so any more comments or things to watch for would be great!

LOL over protective in a good way she said but to each its own. And they are very smart. and she said that if you get one you need one with papers /pedigree i guess thats what its called in others dogs i do pits so its papers. Do a lot of research on he place witch you probably already know there are a lot of fakes she said.

If you are willing to make a slight deviation, check out the English Cocker rather than the American. They are not so over bred and make much better companions on average. As a child I had American Cocker, but when I was a groomer I hated American Cockers. Nasty temperments, possesive (not protective), airheads!

I personally like big dogs, and GSD's are my favorite (I finally got one a couple mos ago). BUT, when I was a kid, we had a Cocker Spaniel, and she was AWESOME. She was very intelligent, easy to train, never chewed on anything. My mom never had a crate, and Sadie was wonderful in the house. She barked when strangers came over, but then quieted once she knew they were OK with us. We never personally had ear problems with her, but any dog w/floppy ears CAN develop problems easier than dogs whose ears are up. We kept her clipped short (groomer did it), and just bathed/combed her at home. So grooming wasn't hard for us. If you wanted to let their coat grow out, it would probably take daily grooming, and occasional clipping. I have to admit that she's the only Cocker I had close experience with, and I'm not sure if she was an "American" cocker or not. She was very small for her breed (my mom picked the runt of the litter). Working in a vet clinic, I never once saw a Cocker I didn't like.

I have to say that I considered getting a Cocker rather than a GSD to have as a housedog, and I went with a GSD. But if I was going to go with a smaller breed, Cocker would be my choice (and I have 3 kids ages 6 and under). Cockers are very playful and loving, as well.

Good luck!

"American Cocker Spaniels:

If you want a dog who...
Is conveniently-sized and sturdy
Has a pretty feathered coat in a variety of colors
Needs only moderate exercise
Is friendly, or at least polite, with strangers
Is peaceful with other pets
An American Cocker Spaniel may be right for you

If you don't want to deal with...
An extremely careful search to avoid all the nasty, neurotic Cocker Spaniels
"Separation anxiety" (destructiveness and barking) when left alone too much
Frequent brushing, combing, and clipping
Lots of shedding
A distinctive odor from the skin and ears
Barking
A multitude of serious health problems
Excitable or submissive urination (tendency to dribble urine when excited or nervous)
An American Cocker Spaniel may not be right for you.

If I were considering an American Cocker Spaniel...
My major concerns would be:
Unstable temperaments. American Cocker Spaniels are a dime a dozen, and most of them are bred and offered for sale by people who don't have the slightest idea of how to breed good-tempered dogs. Obedience instructors and behavioral consultants see LOTS of American Cocker Spaniels with neurotic behaviors, including aggression, biting, moodiness, and general nastiness.

Defensive reactions. I don't know why so many Cocker Spaniels growl or snap when you correct them. They seem to have a heightened sense of "Hey, no fair!" As an obedience instructor, I'm extra careful when putting my hands on a Cocker Spaniel for a correction.

If you have small children, I do not recommend an American Cocker Spaniel. There are just too many Cockers who won't tolerate any nonsense. And there are too many Cockers who feel overwhelmed by the loud voices and quick movements that children can't help making -- and stress and shyness (even defensive biting) may be the result.


Separation anxiety. More than most other breeds, American Cocker Spaniels need a great deal of companionship and do not like being left alone for more than a few hours. They tend to express their unhappiness through destructive chewing and barking. If you work all day, this is not the breed for you.

Grooming, shedding, and doggy odor. To keep their silky coat free of mats, American Cocker Spaniels require regular brushing, and also clipping and trimming every couple of months. Cocker Spaniels also shed a great deal. Their hairs come off on your hands when you pet them, stick to your upholstery and clothing, and hide under the furniture. Finally, many Cocker Spaniels have a distinctive doggy odor that some people find offensive.

Barking. American Cocker Spaniels are often too quick to sound the alarm at every new sight and sound. You have to be equally quick to stop them.



Serious health problems: From hip problems to eye problems to skin problems, American Cocker Spaniels are one of the riskiest of all breeds in the health department." (Michelle Whelton)

English Cockers haven't been as overbred as American Cockers and have fewer health problems as a result.

As a groomer I can only think of two or three Cockers that I like. For the most part they have nasty, yeasty skin problems, they pee if you look at them. They poop if you look at them, ear infections but I don't meet a lot of biters. The biters where I am tend to be Poodles, Shih Tzu and some Maltese.


Lisa

Most of the ones I groomed were biters - fear biters. They scream when you brush them, to say nothing of trying to work out a matt. Oh and you are so right about the ear infections - nasty, stinky cocker ears...........such unpleasant memories!

I'm sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong here, but if memory serves me (not always a given!), while the Cocker has somewhat evolved into a house pet/lap dog aren't their roots as a sporting dog, i.e. worker? Not having enough to occupy their mind and body could account for some of the acting out problems rised in the earlier posts.
As to the ears, flappy ears do seem to create problems there, but when I owned bird dogs just attending to them every couple of weeks (at least looking at them) kept everything in good shape.
Wouldn't it be cool to see a Cocker on the Schutzhund arena.
Randy