Getting a Black Cocker spaniel puppy... Where to find breeders?

suki1964

kittypimms wrote: »

Did you read the rest of my post?

Or are you too quick to lambast me for thinking of animal welfare above personal desires?

Oh I read it

But you never once gave the Op the benefit of the doubt

Instead of laying into new posters here, wouldnt it be better to advise from PERSONAL experience

Like you just did in your second post

neas

i work flextime so if we really want to make it during the puppy time i sure i can work things around like I could stay with puppy till 9am while wife would get home at 4pm (thats only 7 hours) to start with. In addition only 4 days of the week are like this (i can finish work at 12 on a friday and if need be i can come home during lunch time as well.

And as i said I can get a neighbour/friends to look in on him/her as well. I only wanted to get an understanding and feeling of whats required... i didnt want to just buy a puppy and not do it right.

I thank all of you for responding even the more critical posts i maybe took it more offence than needed i dont want to cause a puppy/dog harm but would like to understand how i can get one in the best way possible with raising a new member of my family.

My wife love cockers she had one as a kid personally i wouldnt mind a different dog but we will have to see. Still a couple months of researching and saving till we will get one i think. (one thing i've learned is dogs cost )..

suki1964

neas wrote: »

i work flextime so if we really want to make it during the puppy time i sure i can work things around like I could stay with puppy till 9am while wife would get home at 4pm (thats only 7 hours) to start with. In addition only 4 days of the week are like this (i can finish work at 12 on a friday and if need be i can come home during lunch time as well.

And as i said I can get a neighbour/friends to look in on him/her as well. I only wanted to get an understanding and feeling of whats required... i didnt want to just buy a puppy and not do it right.

I thank all of you for responding even the more critical posts i maybe took it more offence than needed i dont want to cause a puppy/dog harm but would like to understand how i can get one in the best way possible with raising a new member of my family.

My wife love cockers she had one as a kid personally i wouldnt mind a different dog but we will have to see. Still a couple months of researching and saving till we will get one i think. (one thing i've learned is dogs cost )..

At the end of the day you dont have to explain anything to anyone on here.

You asked a question - some chose to answer you without judgement

Good luck in your search


Oh and a really good book to buy before finding a pup is The Perfect Pup

Do go look at the breed club website for the numbers of secretaries in the areas you are close enough to to visit - they will know whos breeding

neas

suki1964 wrote: »

At the end of the day you dont have to explain anything to anyone on here.

You asked a question - some chose to answer you without judgement

Good luck in your search


Oh and a really good book to buy before finding a pup is The Perfect Pup

Do go look at the breed club website for the numbers of secretaries in the areas you are close enough to to visit - they will know whos breeding

I had a quick look for that book but cant find the right match whose the author? Thanks

We were going to talk to a breeder to see what they think and the breed club secretary as you suggest to see if we can make it. Thanks

suki1964

neas wrote: »

I had a quick look for that book but cant find the right match whose the author? Thanks

We were going to talk to a breeder to see what they think and the breed club secretary as you suggest to see if we can make it. Thanks

Sorry - Its by Gwen Bailey, I think you can get it from amazon quite easily

The sectretaries - their numbers will be published on the breed club page. They wont mind you ringing them. And do be prepared to be questioned. Anyone asscociated with the breed club ( any breed) care passionately about the breed and will make sure you are someone who has done their homework on the breed and know what you are letting yourself in for. And of course - dont be afraid to ask your own questions.

Cockers are a wonderful breed. They are stong willed and not the easiest of breed for the first time pup owner, A fellow cocker owner has their traits down to a pat on her signature - "cockers are just hooligans in dog clothing"

I wouldnt be without

orlao

neas wrote: »

i work flextime so if we really want to make it during the puppy time i sure i can work things around like I could stay with puppy till 9am while wife would get home at 4pm (thats only 7 hours) to start with. In addition only 4 days of the week are like this (i can finish work at 12 on a friday and if need be i can come home during lunch time as well.

And as i said I can get a neighbour/friends to look in on him/her as well. I only wanted to get an understanding and feeling of whats required... i didnt want to just buy a puppy and not do it right.

I thank all of you for responding even the more critical posts i maybe took it more offence than needed i dont want to cause a puppy/dog harm but would like to understand how i can get one in the best way possible with raising a new member of my family.

My wife love cockers she had one as a kid personally i wouldnt mind a different dog but we will have to see. Still a couple months of researching and saving till we will get one i think. (one thing i've learned is dogs cost )..

JMHO, I would avoid the working strain unless you have a job for it to do - if you don't they will probably find their own employment and you won't like it:eek:

Rather than going for a certain colour (I know very little about Cockers re colours, temperament etc) look for the dog that will fit in with your family, good litters of pups are bl00dy hard work to find at the best of times without limiting your choices.

Speaking from personal experience, I have to say that I wouldn't fancy having an 8 - 10 week pup and working fulltime, it makes all the training so much harder work especially if you are relying on other people to let in/out and they don't do things exactly as you would.....also they do seem to teach the pup some very bad habits.

Just a thought (please don't take this the wrong way ) but there are often young dogs in rescue past the worse of chewing, house training etc that may be suitable. I know that some rescues can be a touch unreasonable about people working etc but many are happy to rehome if you can show that you have got measures in place to let the dog out /in and so forth.

jillymit

I'm sorry you feel upset over some of the comments you've had on here.
I'm sure however bluntly put most comments were made with with good intentions.
I try, where I can, to give my opinion and advice on questions as they are asked but on occasion I feel strongly enough to offer advice (poke my nose in) where I have not been asked.

I long for a dog but work 3 days a week 8 till 4.30, plus half an hour or so travelling time either side, and for that reason and the fact I have a stroppy cat have decided not to get one.
Just because I have made that decision for me and my family doesn't mean the same it's right or wrong for you.

When I added to you thread (post 15) You said you and your wife were both working 9-5 and would be able to get back at lunchtimes at best. At the risk of upsetting you further I stand by my comment that an older dog or pair of dogs may be better suited to this set up.

People have managed to successfully bring up puppies while working full time but as you probably know after doing all your research this requires a good deal of planning.
That's the problem with forums, we only know as much about people as we read in their posts, jump to conclusions and judge people on a few lines of text.
I must admit I did make a snap shot 'judgement' of your situation and from your original post 'assumed' you were about to make a big mistake with little thought or planning.
You have obviously considered all the ins and outs, my comments were unsolicited so just ignore them and carry on. No big deal, I don't know you, you don't know me.

claireac

suki1964 wrote: »

Why not a solid colour???

My first was a solid black and not a thing wrong with him

So whats your thinking against solids??

Padstow explained it really well earlier in the thread:

"Parti colours have an almost guaranteed good nature.

Years ago, a lot of overbreeding used to go on, particularly of the solids. You do know as well that black does not stay that black for ever? When they are about six, it starts going to a rusty colour."

We did lots and lots of research before getting ours, and were advised over and over to not get a solid as a first cocker. We had a blue roan and he was fab, would have another tomorrow if I wasn't working (and could persuade dh!).

suki1964

claireac wrote: »

Padstow explained it really well earlier in the thread:

"Parti colours have an almost guaranteed good nature.

Years ago, a lot of overbreeding used to go on, particularly of the solids. You do know as well that black does not stay that black for ever? When they are about six, it starts going to a rusty colour."

We did lots and lots of research before getting ours, and were advised over and over to not get a solid as a first cocker. We had a blue roan and he was fab, would have another tomorrow if I wasn't working (and could persuade dh!).

Absolute rubbish
I guess those that told you that also insisted that all solid reds had rage

What is true is that there has been some very unscrupulous breeding to produce what were the most popular colours - the solids

Of course with such unscrupulous breeding there were problems bred into the lines which is why it is of great importance to do your homework and find a breeder thats only producing from proven stock

My solid black stayed black till he died at 10, other then his ears and muzzle that went grey with age

Temperament - he was a dream. So laid back he was horizontal. In fact because I had it so easy with him I was convinced my blue roan was the dog from hell as he was completely different, I used to sit there in tears when he was a pup and even now hes coming 7 he is still the most wilful stubborn dog you would meet.

Solids are no better or worse then roans or parti's. All thats happened is they have become the victims of their popularity and became over bred with breeders cutting corners and churning out pups from rogue stock

Hopefully now that the bad press has killed the demand for solids the problems have now been eradicated

Just edited to add, just in from a walk with my 7 year old Blue Roan, and hes rusty. Sun was shining ( for a change) and there was a definate rust to his black patches

So I had a wee ring around to some friends - with Roans - and yep - theirs have the rust as well. So Im assuming that the black will always change with age be they roans or solids ( as my own hair colour has) and that Im thinking of my last boy ( the solid) with my rose coloured specs and he did prolly go rusty as well

Beckface

When we got our Springer pup I took most of December off and the few days I was in work my partner took off work so that we had over a month to get the pup settled, toilet-trained and very basically obedience trained. We got up in the night to let him out until he was over 3 months old (twice at first, then once) and took the severe sleep disruption on the chin this has made all the difference to the toilet training and he very very rarely does it inside (excitement widdles are a different matter!). He has a crate to sleep in but has always had the whole of the kitchen/diner to play in when we are not there - we still have the dining table and chairs taking up half the lounge so he has plenty of space of his own.

I think it would be very hard to bring home an 8 week old pup if you can't do something similar to this in the initial months. The hard work we put in during those first months has paid off but we know as his energy levels increase he will need a lot more walks and are prepared to send him to doggy day care on the odd occasions that work commitments require it. Now he is 4 1/2 months old we will leave him a max of 4 hours on his own but it is generally 3 at the most and if it will be longer we get someone to look in on him (to feed, toilet and walk).

I work full time and am away from the house for 11 hours a day. My partner tends to work mornings and evenings so can be home during the day to spend time with the pup. I have accepted that to have a dog means that my evenings are no longer my own. We go to puppy training one evening a week and will be training him up as a gundog in the future (just for fun really, we don't shoot) as we know that this is what will stimulate him (he comes from working stock).

Getting a dog is a huge time and money commitment but getting a puppy takes this to a whole new level and Cockers (like Springers) are one of the more intensive breeds. Our breeder quizzed us heavily and made sure he was satisfied we could manage the pup and also that we knew what we were getting ourselves into. He told us it would be harder than we could imagine and he was right.

One of the things that frustrates us the most now though is the fact that he can still only go for short walks as he is young and we like to be active. We are really looking forward to being able to take him hiking and running once he is all grown up

I don't know if that helps at all but I would say that unless you can save up a fair bit of annual leave and take it when the puppy comes home then maybe getting an older dog would be better.