Seeking general input on English Cocker Spaniel
 

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to find out some info on the English Cocker Spaniel. If anyone out there has/had one or know/known one, I'd really appreciate getting your overall appreciation of the breed (temperament, energy level - inside and outside, separation anxiety issues, trainability, shedding reality...).

One thing that would worry me if I did end up choosing a Cocker as my next fur baby, is the fact that they seem to be quite prone to "accidents" when they get excited or stressed. Is this a general tendency, or a rare occurance in Cockers?

Thanks for any input you will provide!

Lili :)

Hah, I've know two very well; both golden ones.

Nr 1, Laika. She was my aunt's and a very special character. No one could do much with her, other than my aunt, and my dad who isn't a dog-person. Everyone else, she bit at least once, and never for any valid reason. She was raised in a family with three adults (my grandfather lived with them) and a child - my cousin, a pretty boisterous girl, but not mean, never plagued the dog at all - and also a few cats and there was a chicken coop in a corner of the garden.

Laika would sleep on the one step going from the kitchen door to the garden. We could pass over her, but HAD to tell her first, with a " 'tention Laika, on passe!" Then it was ok. Forget the password, and she would bite the ankles!

Bend down at the table to give her a piece of meat, she'd bite the hand and leave the meat!

Nr 2, Libertad. He was my mon's cousin's dog but was "dumped" with my great aunt and uncle for "safe keeping". He was a delightful dog, full of fun :D I don't know what we laughed the hardest at, him running rapid cicrles all around the fruit trees in their back garden so all we saw was a golden blur :laughing: ; or the way he would cry on command :D all tante Therese had to say was "alors, il est malheureux le chien-chien?" with a really pitying voice, and he would howl with his nose in the air :laughing:

He never bit anyone.

I also met a black-and-white one (looked a little like an English Setter in color), but not well. He was also a little easy on the bite, like Laika.

But that was back when cockers were popular, probably more inbreeding than now that they've passed from fashion so to speak. If I could be sure to get a Libertad type cocker, I wouldn't mind having one; they're fun little dogs.

i had two growing up. one had tummy issues that, in our ignorance, we didnt deal well with. a better quality food than Iams probably would ahve gone a LONG LONG way.

Lady (yep, seriously) was very nervous, she had the tummy issues. she was the most energetic (even to her death bed :candle: RIP you annoying yappy dog, i sure loved you!!) zoomy, happy go lucky dog ever!!! she would roo at just about anything!!! but not for long. :) she *loved* children, she loved licking their faces and romping after them in the yard... she wasnt the smartest dog ever but she was one of the happiest, loving affectionate dogs ive ever met.

Betsy (my dearest love, sometimes i still cry) was the most dedicated dog i have ever had the pleasure of sharing my life with. she would follow me everywhere. she would take down rabbits, bury them and then dig their heads up later and leave them on the porch for us. she developed hypothyroidism later in life, again, probably related to a poor diet. she was my strength when no one else loved me.

both dogs were extremely, painfully patient with children. i remember one horrified day where Blake had a death grip on Lady's(?? its been sooo long!!!) eye lashes, had them pulled up to the point wher eyou could see her whites!! she whimpered to let us know she was in pain but WAITED for one of us (in this case my step mom got there first) to dislodge the kid. Betsy's favorite thing was to sneak down into the day care and sleep with the children after lunch.

each night, Betsy would sleep behind my knees and Lady would sleep in my arms. :)

looking back, both were from Puppy Mills back when no one really knew what they were. it was a huge warehouse filled with kennels with wire mesh floors. they were sisters. Lady was the tiniest one, Betsy was the largest and strongest with freckles on her nose.

they both lived to be a few months past 16. Betsy was blind and deaf and hypothyroid. Lady could barely see, her ears worked well enough but she couldnt hold her pee anymore. neither had the ability to go down the stairs anymore nor through what little snow was on the ground. they had fatty tumors and weird skin warts. we decided to put them down the last time i visited my dad and step mom. it was unquestionably the hardest decision of my life.

we buried them out back in a casket my father made. we left flowers for Lady because she would dig them up and rip them through the yard in her better days. Betsy got a pair of my undies (cause she use to chew them :yuck:) and a leather saddle to one of my daughters toys. she use to chew MY leather stuff, then it was my daughters. the both had chocolate (copious amounts of chocolate) on the way into the vet and had a whole 1lb bag to go along with them because BOTH of them would do ANYTHING for peanutbutter M&M's.

they were the best dogs a kid could ever ask for. i hope you find it in your heart to bring one home, dont spoil the snot out of him/her but show whatever love and kindness and knowledge you ahve. they are wonderful dogs!!!

-ashley

[QUOTE=SARAH;564068]Hah, I've know two very well; both golden ones.

Nr 1, Laika. She was my aunt's and a very special character. No one could do much with her, other than my aunt, and my dad who isn't a dog-person. Everyone else, she bit at least once, and never for any valid reason. She was raised in a family with three adults (my grandfather lived with them) and a child - my cousin, a pretty boisterous girl, but not mean, never plagued the dog at all - and also a few cats and there was a chicken coop in a corner of the garden.

Laika would sleep on the one step going from the kitchen door to the garden. We could pass over her, but HAD to tell her first, with a " 'tention Laika, on passe!" Then it was ok. Forget the password, and she would bite the ankles!

Bend down at the table to give her a piece of meat, she'd bite the hand and leave the meat!

Nr 2, Libertad. He was my mon's cousin's dog but was "dumped" with my great aunt and uncle for "safe keeping". He was a delightful dog, full of fun :D I don't know what we laughed the hardest at, him running rapid cicrles all around the fruit trees in their back garden so all we saw was a golden blur :laughing: ; or the way he would cry on command :D all tante Therese had to say was "alors, il est malheureux le chien-chien?" with a really pitying voice, and he would howl with his nose in the air :laughing:

He never bit anyone.

I also met a black-and-white one (looked a little like an English Setter in color), but not well. He was also a little easy on the bite, like Laika.

But that was back when cockers were popular, probably more inbreeding than now that they've passed from fashion so to speak. If I could be sure to get a Libertad type cocker, I wouldn't mind having one; they're fun little dogs.[/QUOTE]

Thanks a lot for your input!!! One thing I want to make sure, the 2 Cockers you are takling about, were they English or American Cockers? Cause I'm interested in the "English" Cocker. I must say I'm a little scared to learn about biting issues in the Cocker Family... :eek:

[QUOTE=want4rain;564156]i had two growing up. one had tummy issues that, in our ignorance, we didnt deal well with. a better quality food than Iams probably would ahve gone a LONG LONG way.

Lady (yep, seriously) was very nervous, she had the tummy issues. she was the most energetic (even to her death bed :candle: RIP you annoying yappy dog, i sure loved you!!) zoomy, happy go lucky dog ever!!! she would roo at just about anything!!! but not for long. :) she *loved* children, she loved licking their faces and romping after them in the yard... she wasnt the smartest dog ever but she was one of the happiest, loving affectionate dogs ive ever met.

Betsy (my dearest love, sometimes i still cry) was the most dedicated dog i have ever had the pleasure of sharing my life with. she would follow me everywhere. she would take down rabbits, bury them and then dig their heads up later and leave them on the porch for us. she developed hypothyroidism later in life, again, probably related to a poor diet. she was my strength when no one else loved me.

both dogs were extremely, painfully patient with children. i remember one horrified day where Blake had a death grip on Lady's(?? its been sooo long!!!) eye lashes, had them pulled up to the point wher eyou could see her whites!! she whimpered to let us know she was in pain but WAITED for one of us (in this case my step mom got there first) to dislodge the kid. Betsy's favorite thing was to sneak down into the day care and sleep with the children after lunch.

each night, Betsy would sleep behind my knees and Lady would sleep in my arms. :)

looking back, both were from Puppy Mills back when no one really knew what they were. it was a huge warehouse filled with kennels with wire mesh floors. they were sisters. Lady was the tiniest one, Betsy was the largest and strongest with freckles on her nose.

they both lived to be a few months past 16. Betsy was blind and deaf and hypothyroid. Lady could barely see, her ears worked well enough but she couldnt hold her pee anymore. neither had the ability to go down the stairs anymore nor through what little snow was on the ground. they had fatty tumors and weird skin warts. we decided to put them down the last time i visited my dad and step mom. it was unquestionably the hardest decision of my life.

we buried them out back in a casket my father made. we left flowers for Lady because she would dig them up and rip them through the yard in her better days. Betsy got a pair of my undies (cause she use to chew them :yuck:) and a leather saddle to one of my daughters toys. she use to chew MY leather stuff, then it was my daughters. the both had chocolate (copious amounts of chocolate) on the way into the vet and had a whole 1lb bag to go along with them because BOTH of them would do ANYTHING for peanutbutter M&M's.

they were the best dogs a kid could ever ask for. i hope you find it in your heart to bring one home, dont spoil the snot out of him/her but show whatever love and kindness and knowledge you ahve. they are wonderful dogs!!!

-ashley[/QUOTE]

Thanks for your in-dept input! :thumbs up Same comment as previously... The Cockers you are citing, were they English or American Cockers? I've heard that the Amercian Cocker has a difficult temperament. Its popularity may not have helped the breed's stability...

[QUOTE=Lili;564197]Thanks for your in-dept input! :thumbs up Same comment as previously... The Cockers you are citing, were they English or American Cockers? I've heard that the Amercian Cocker has a difficult temperament. Its popularity may not have helped the breed's stability...[/QUOTE]

I have two American Cockers and both of there have difficult temperaments. I am currently writing this with a bite mark (mainly busing) on my leg.

Eddie only gets worked up when it has anything to do with food (that's how I got bit) and Tonka doesn't like strangers, children and is also upset-able when it comes to food.

Eddie is 12 and is my boyfriends dog (although that is shifting). She has been known to bit strangers as well.

Neither one of them like other dogs either. I am trying to "fix" that with Tonka by taking him to dog parks for short periods of time. I am hoping to socialize him a little more as we will be doing A LOT of camping this summer and I don't want to have to leave him with friends every weekend while we are gone.

But with all that being said I also have a shih tzu that has has his own issues.

I rec'd all three dogs with these issues (Gizmo was 9 months when I got him, Tonka was 12 months, and Eddie was 9 1/2 years old).

ours were American Cockers by looking around at the Wiki and a bunch of different pictures. they had the shorter muzzles. :)

-ashley

[QUOTE=Lili;564189]Thanks a lot for your input!!! One thing I want to make sure, the 2 Cockers you are takling about, were they English or American Cockers? Cause I'm interested in the "English" Cocker. I must say I'm a little scared to learn about biting issues in the Cocker Family... :eek:[/QUOTE]

The English Cocker. In Europe the American one is pretty rare.