Cocker Spaniels

[TractorGuy]

Had one as a kid. Loved us all but was very hyper and almost got us sued a couple of times. Did not like full grown men. Bit a salesman one night but that was his fault since we warned him not to try to pet the dog. The little bugger jerked me off my feet and dragged me down a sidewalk to bite a guy that was just walking by. I'm laying on the ground bleeding from being dragged and this guy tried to accuse me of sicking the dog on him. I think they meant to name them COCKY Spaniels.

 

[Raspy]

Thanks for your thoughtful replies.

Really looking forward to getting another dog.

 

[teejk]

We've owned 2. #1 was a field bred variety (a bit larger than what you'll normally find). He was a care-free clown. #2 was the standard. It took a few days with a shock collar to show him who was boss but otherwise a good dog. Noted above are the eye/ear problems. Both of ours died of cancer at age 13.

 

[RobS]

We had one long ago, before kids. Pretty dog but just not a good dog. We had heard of "Spaniel Rage" and tended to believe it with ours. Had to give her up when we had our first child, just not compatible. Not that they are all like this but ours was a problem.

 

[teejk]

We had one long ago, before kids. Pretty dog but just not a good dog. We had heard of "Spaniel Rage" and tended to believe it with ours. Had to give her up when we had our first child, just not compatible. Not that they are all like this but ours was a problem.

Yup...that was a problem. Any breed that got popular would invite the "mills" that tend to breed in the bad traits...I think the cocker spaniel would be the prime example of that but they have been absent from popular breeds for awhile now and maybe they will come back. We had one incident with our first dog and our first child...I think it was more a "surprise" thing when the dog was eating (we had him before our first child and in fairness to the dog Dan was crawling towards the dish)...that dog (Lonergan) gave me a "I'm sorry" look and it never happened again. We have since moved onto dachshunds after cocker #2 died...gotta love the Dachs but I think their popularity will lead to that crappy genetics also. In the meantime I have to say that Lonergan was the best dog ever...that guy made me laugh. I've heard the same thing about golden retrievers btw.

 

[Raspy]

I'd love to have a Lab, or a Golden or Rhodesian, or a Vizsla, or Husky, but we need a smaller dog for traveling. Not a tiny dog, like a chihuahua, or Boston Terrier, or Pekingese, or Maltese, but medium sized. I had a wonderful Akita for years, but she was too independent and would never stay home.

Cocker Spaniels seems about right and can be very good family dogs, but it seems it might be hit and miss with them as far as personality and health issues are concerned. Field bred English Cockers are another nice choice, if they have stable unrelated parents and no eye or hip problems. But Yikes! The price for a pure bred is over the top!

Probably end up with a nice dog from the Humane Society or from some other rescue organization. That is where Bei Bei came from and she was the best dog I've had.

And then, of course, there was Sandy. Undoubtedly, the most interesting one.

 

[Gem99ultra]

We had to keep 3 for a relative for a couple of years. Unfortunately, it was necessary to keep them outside, except for extreme weather. Their coats were constantly matted. Upkeep was a nightmare. While all three were lovable to us old kids and all adults, they were not all that friendly to other dogs, and certainly not that smart, i.e. trainable.

And yes, I have had some dogs in the past that were dumber than a brick. In short, I can think of quite a few breeds that I'd prefer over a Cocker Spainiel.

 

[AchingBack]

Best book ever about a cocker spaniel, Champion Dog Prince Tom.

My only cocker spaniel was rescued from a local grocery store parking lot. She was running loose around cars, and seemed to be lost. I don't know why, but I called out to her, "here Peaches". This loving little dog came running over at once. I waited outside with here while my wife did the shopping. After almost 1/2 hr. most of the cars in the lot were gone, and no one seemed to be looking for a lost dog.

We dutifully contacted local animal control to report a lost dog, put up a notice in our post office, and even contacted city hall.

Animal control told us if we didn't hear from them within a couple weeks, Peaches was ours. Turns out, we kept her, discovered she was pregnant, oh no, more than we bargained for. Before giving birth, I took her to a spaniel breeder for an opinion on her pedigree. The lady thought she was full-blooded spaniel.

She gave birth to what appeared to be seven cocker pups. We sold them all for $75.00 each, enough to buy plane fare for a trip to Michigan.

Except for one person, I lost contact with the folks who bought the pups. Their dog turned out having legs much longer than normal.

The rest of the story is very sad so I won't go into it. But yes, they are very good dogs.

 

[jcummins]

Any of this group had King Charles spaniels?

Our Libby came to us 7-8 years ago. Showed up in the yard, we tried to find an owner...nothing. In about 3 days my wife became very attached to her....so we had a new family member. Not sure her age now, but she has gone blind, sad to see her bump into things. But here to tell you, nothing wrong with her nose.

Question....her she is, picture is 6 years old before she went blind. . Is she King Charles?...mix? small Cocker? Vet has said small cocker, but when the day comes that she passes, would like to get my wife 'her' dog and feel it may be like our Libby.

 

[Raspy]

She certainly looks like a Pardi colored, American Cocker Spaniel. Or just Cocker Spaniel, here in the US. That is, assuming she has recently been trimmed because her coat is so short.

Very cute!

The English or Field Cockers have a different face and are slightly bigger.

This thread has been an eye opener for me and very interesting. Thanks to all, so far.