Advice on buying a cocker spaniel puppy

CYPER

We want to get a dog, so naturally I have some questions:

1 - Where is the best place to look for puppy ads? Is Gumtree a good place?
2 - What documents should I look for before handing over any money?
3 - Do you think a flat is suitable for a cocker spaniel?
4 - Any other advice?

Thank you.

gettingready

Are you looking for a pedigree dog?
If so - show or pet?
Have you had a dog before?
Do you work all day or someone at home part of the day?

looopylala

cocker spaniels can be very giddy dogs not ideal for a flat I wouldnt have thought, but it depends really on the space you have for one and the time you have for taking one out to burn off energy.
Have you considered rescue centers before looking for breeders?
have a look at http://www.thecockerspanielclub.co.uk/ to get more insight into the breed and reputable breeders that site should have advise on vet checks and such they might also be able to point you in the direction of rescue cockers in your area

CYPER

gettingready wrote: »

Are you looking for a pedigree dog?
If so - show or pet?
Have you had a dog before?
Do you work all day or someone at home part of the day?

I don't know what e pedigree or show/pet dog is
Not in this country, so basically no
My father (and me too for the time being) is at home the entire day, at least one person will be around the puppy 24/7

looopylala wrote: »

cocker spaniels can be very giddy dogs not ideal for a flat I wouldnt have thought, but it depends really on the space you have for one and the time you have for taking one out to burn off energy.
Have you considered rescue centers before looking for breeders?
have a look at http://www.thecockerspanielclub.co.uk/ to get more insight into the breed and reputable breeders that site should have advise on vet checks and such they might also be able to point you in the direction of rescue cockers in your area

Thank you. My father does not work, so he has plenty of time to devote to his new passion

gettingready

I have a feeling that both you and your father need to research the breed before anything else.

The link from Looopylala should be a good starting point.

They are working dogs, have a lot of energy that needs to be chanelled in the right way - not just "take a dog for a little walk"..

They also need grooming, quite a lot of grooming...

All the best.

CYPER

gettingready wrote: »

I have a feeling that both you and your father need to research the breed before anything else.

The link from Looopylala should be a good starting point.

They are working dogs, have a lot of energy that needs to be chanelled in the right way - not just "take a dog for a little walk"..

They also need grooming, quite a lot of grooming...

All the best.

Yes, of course. I've been reading http://www.thecockerspanielclub.co.uk for the past 20 minutes and will keep on reading Now I know we want a show puppy and not a working one

looopylala

A show puppy will be harder to find and you should stay away from places like Gumtree if that is the type of cocker you want, a good breeder will not need to advertise pups he already has as they will be booked in advance before they are born in some cases. I am sure that site will be able to point you in the direction of reputable breeders and most good ones will be happy to meet and chat with you before you put your name down for one of their pups... they will however cost you a fair amount of money (I have no idea how much a show cocker goes for but I would estimate around £400+ as I have seen working cockers advertised here at around £300)

Person_one

House training a puppy is pretty hard in a flat, why not consider an older rescue dog that will already know the basics?

A chat to these people will also give you more of an idea about the breed and its needs in general.

http://www.caessr.org.uk/

Caroline_a

Very hard to housetrain a puppy in a flat!! You will need to take him out every half hour or so to start with.... plus he won't be able to go for walks or anywhere public until he's had his injections. Do you have any sort of garden area where you live - and if so is it open to the public or only you? The practicalities of trying to housetrain a puppy with no private outdoor space are not great....

Also you may find that the breeder won't allow you a puppy if you have no garden.

Person_one

Caroline_a wrote: »

Very hard to housetrain a puppy in a flat!! You will need to take him out every half hour or so to start with.... plus he won't be able to go for walks or anywhere public until he's had his injections. Do you have any sort of garden area where you live - and if so is it open to the public or only you? The practicalities of trying to housetrain a puppy with no private outdoor space are not great....

Also you may find that the breeder won't allow you a puppy if you have no garden.

This is my worry, a decent breeder probably won't but there are no shortage of irresponsible ones and puppy farmers who won't hesitate. As the OP was thinking of using Gumtree I'm very worried they'll end up supporting a puppy farm and getting a less than healthy pup.

OP, good breeders who care about their dogs don't advertise them on Gumtree.

krlyr

This may be worth a read - http://www.apbc.org.uk/articles/good_breeder

Puppies are hard work - think human toddler, needing eyes in the back of your head, constant attention, will get into anything and everything, don't quite understand right from wrong yet, and need shaping into the perfect dog. I grew up with dogs for my entire life but my first puppy was a huge eye opener and hard work! A young dog from a rescue could be a better option for a first dog, and some rescues will happily home to flats providing you have a good alternative plan. Stuff to bear in mind when in a flat is things like if the dog has an upset tum - if you're up a few flights of stairs then you have no chance of getting a dog with projectile diarreaoh outside before its rear end explodes! Also if the dog has a leg injury or becomes stiff in its old age, think about what you'll do in those circumstances, do you have a lift you can guarantee use of? What about when you're ill? When I had full blown flu I was very grateful that I could just open the back door and let the dogs do their business - just getting myself downstairs to let them out was a huge drain! A dog limits you in terms of having a lie in anyway, but with a flat there's no opening the door in your dressing gown for that first or last pee of the day, it's getting dressed to take them out. Another point to consider is the nearest toilet area - if the plan is to use a communal garden belonging to the flats, consider if the other residents will be happy about this. I've heard people getting moaned at even for using (well, their dogs!) public grass verges! Dogs in flats can work but it does make things a bit harder.

I would definately consider what you want out of a dog when choosing the breed. Do you want a dog that you can do activities with, like agility, scentwork, etc? If you go for a typical working breed then you will have to do something more than your bog standard walk around the block to keep it satisfied, physically and mentally, especially while it's young. Be honest with yourself - if you'd prefer a more sedentary dog and would rather cuddle on the sofa than hike up hills, consider this when choosing the breed/dog (bear in mind that not all dogs ring true to their breed, a rescue centre would happily match an individual dog to your circumstances).
http://www.apbc.org.uk/articles/choosing_a_dog_breed