Advice on buying a cocker spaniel puppy

vax2002

Make sure you see the pup with mum, not in a separate room, make sure she really is mum and takes to the puppy, it is a trick of puppy farms to show you a healthy looking dog and claim that to be mum when the real mum is a bit of a mess.
On rescue centres, a lot of them have over cooked the goose and want far too much and have far too many conditions and hassle on settling a dog that could be in the rescue centre for a very good reason, it's a shame, but some of the rescue centres are just more hassle than they are worth and are looking to make a quick profit out of a duff dog.
They are the odd good centres, but not many IME

krlyr

vax2002 wrote: »

They are the odd good centres, but not many IME

In my experience I've heard far more tales about dodgy breeders than dodgy rescue centres. Suppose it depends on where you look, I'm on a few dog forums which have several dog rescues (and several good dog breeders though, I'm not against reputable breeders) and many do a great job and certainly aren't in it for easy money. Carboots run in the rain, sponsored runs, spending all their free time fundraising to pay for neuters, spays and vaccinations, these certainly aren't the actions of someone in it for a quick buck. I certainly agree that there are some poor excuses for rescues out there but there are many decent rescues who have their policies for a reason, but I know many who will consider individual circumstances. I myself am a fulltime worker who managed to adopt from rescue without a problem, as the rescue were fully aware not only that I worked but of my alternative plans to make sure the dogs were fine and not left home 8 hours a day. I know of many rescues who'd home to flats, to homes with young children, to fulltime workers, etc., you just have to try various places as they all have individual policies. The smaller places tend to be a bit more flexible about things than Battersea, Dogs Trust, etc. (and often more helpful when you're having issues!) so worth looking around.

Nod_Off

CYPER wrote: »

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.

1. Stay away from Gumtree and all the other free ad websites. get in touch with your local breed representative and they will be able to point you in the direction of reputable breeders. The Kennel Club website will also have a list of breeders but they won't necessarily all be reputable so make sure and do your research.

2. You will want the puppy to be KC registered (I've seen some ads where the litters are registered with the Dog Lovers registration - this is not the same thing so avoid these ones). You will want to see certificates of health tests that the parents have had done. These will differ from breed to breed but for a cocker, you would be looking at DNA tests for FN & PRA, up to date BVA eye test and ideally, hip scores (a lot more breeders are carrying this out now)

3. I've had cockers for almost 20 years and have lived with them in a flat before. I have show strain cockers and they are busy little dogs so will need sufficient mental stimulation and exercise (they should be on limited exercise until they are fully grown). The working strain tend to be on the go most of the time and wouldn't really be suited to an average pet home unless you could provide lots of activities like flyball, agility, tracking etc. Toilet training in a flat can be a pain and will usually take a bit longer so you need to be consistent and patient. Mine have always been quite lazy around the house but active outside so, apart from extended toilet training, they were fine in a flat.

4. Make sure you see mum and any other relatives if you can. As a first time cocker owner, you should be looking to get a puppy that is not too bolshy and not too shy/timid but somewhere inbetween - this is where a good breeder is priceless as they will be able to help assess whether a pups temperament is suited to you. If anyone tells you to steer clear of solid coloured cockers (especially the gold./red) because of 'cocker rage', ignore them! True rage is very rare and can occur in any colour of cocker and any breed. Cockers are unfortunately very popular with commercial breeders and puppy farms and they churn out badly bred puppies with bad temperaments. Stay away from them and look for a reputable breeder who breeds for type and temperament - if you get a sociable, healthy puppy then you have a solid foundation to build on in order to raise a well adjusted dog. Some breeders only breed 1 or 2 litters a year so don't expect to get a pup straight away as you may have to wait but it will be worth it! For a show type KC reg cocker, you would expect to pay between £600 - £800 depending on which part of the country you are in.

CYPER

We'll be seeing this one tomorrow: http://www.gumtree.com/p/pets/cocker-spaniel-puppies-1-female-2-males-8-weeks-old/90252629

rising_from_the_ashes

Cyper I'm not trying to be cheeky - but have you actually listened to anything that's been said?

Person_one wrote: »

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

Nod_Off wrote: »

Stay away from Gumtree and all the other free ad websites.

People aren't just saying this to "be difficult" - reputable breeders do not need to advertise on places like Gumtree.

You do not want to get a pup from a non-reputable breeder - this supports the mountains of pups that are breed for a quick buck and many have hireditory problems that often aren't apparent until you've got them home & have fallen in love with them.

How long have you been researching the breed? 20 minutes on a website isn't enough!

As others have said, pups are very hard to housetrain in flats.

Cockers are very active dogs that need a lot of stimulation and exercise - even the show ones!

Rescues are overflowing with dogs looking for homes - many are still young and will provide just as loving a companion as one from a breeder.

This may be still be a puppy farm breed litter - they are often placed into homes at "selling" time to make it look like they're home breed.

I'm sorry to say that it appears that you'd already made your mind up before even posting as you're not listening to what's being said ....

krlyr

A decent breeder will have a waiting list and breed to meet demand, rather than keep pups "in stock" for anyone - so I would be asking myself why this breeder still has 3 puppies available at 8 weeks old. It may be a genuine case, maybe 3 homes fell through for legitimate reasons, but even then, a good breeder will go back to their waiting list and chances are there will be backup homes for most, if not all, of the pups.
Also would be wondering why the breeder isn't willing to be contacted by email. Are they unwilling to be tied to an email address that could be traced? No landline either - is it a PAYG mobile that they will ditch at a later date so you can't get in touch if there are any problems? Could be using a false address, e.g. friend's house. Again, could be genuine, but another little red flag for me. Any reputable breeder I've spoken to would happily educate you for days and days, via email or phone, because they want their pups to go to the best home and love potential owners who do their research and ask questions.
Another trick with breeders is to check the image - Google Images has a feature to upload a photo and it will find similar images. Iffy breeders often pinch photos from other adverts. This particular image flares up several ads, unfortunately they seem to be expired so can't get the links but it brings a mix - one for Cocker puppies (in Nottingham), 2 for Cockapoos (one for a litter in March, one in April) and 1 for miniature Cockapoos. So the same photo is meant to be of 3 different breeds, another red flag to me. If the breeder is genuine, why don't they have photos of the actual litter? Most people have some form of camera nowadays, e.g. on their phone.

They may be genuine but if you really do feel the need to go through Gumtree, make extra sure to ask all the necessary questions - and steel yourself to walk away if anything seems 'off', whatever condition the puppies are in (don't feel tempted to "rescue" pups if they look to be in bad condition - you'll only be funding the breeder to continue this practise, walk away and involve the RSPCA if necessary). A decent breeder won't pressure you to make a decision there and then, so ask for time to think about it. If they try to hurry you, e.g. say there's someone else visiting, walk away - a decent breeder wants the best for their pups so will "interview" several potential new homes and pick the best, rather than sell on a first-come, first-served basis.

If it's a money thing, BYBs often charge as much as a decent breeder will so you're not saving much, if anything, originally. A poorly bred dog will end up costing you a fortune in vet bills.
If it's about wanting a pup now, rather than waiting, there is a chance that a decent breeder will have an available pup because a home has dropped out, so ask around. Even if you have to wait a couple of months, it's not a huge length of time in the grand scheme of things - if you're prepared to take on a 10-15 year commitment of a dog, then waiting a few months may be difficult but is a good test of your patience (which you need plenty of with a puppy!). Otherwise consider a rescue, who will have dogs available to take right away.
Please don't rush the choice - I've owned a dog from a BYB, I didn't buy her myself but got her off family who had. She had no end of health and behavioural problems - taken from her mum too soon, suffered terrible seperation anxiety, was fear-aggressive with other dogs (the first owner kept her away from dogs as she didn't get along with his resident dog - so she missed out on socialisation at a vital age), had terrible hips which caused her to become snappy from pain, and ended up euthanised at age 4. It's not an experience I would wish on anyone else, so we're not giving this advice to be fussy, but to save you from that heartbreak.

Sezzler

def need to make sure that the parents have been med checked so hereditary conditions are not passed onto the pups.
A good breeder will also ask you shed loads of questions.... i def agree that good reputable breeders have a loooong waiting list. My sister was waiting an age to get her little spaniel puppy...... he had all paperwork from the mother and father which she also met. I also couldnt believe the price of these little fur monsters !!!!!

on another note she has another dog (shih Tzu) who didnt have the bits of paperwork required.. turns out the poor little devil has got twisted bones in his legs so that a good few grand my sister is having to pay out to sort it out.

I think gumtree is a VERY bad idea.. so you think your getting a good deal and Im sure some deals on there work out well and the puppys are great..... But do you really want to take the chance ????

suki1964

The price should be first indication - £400 for a cocker in London? Never , well not from a reputable breeder.

My lad was £550 7 years ago and the one I bought in 94 was £300

Kyrl has pointed out the glaringly obvious as to why you walk away from that advert. Stock photographs and a mobile contact number - PUPPY FARMER.

The only place you should be looking for a Cocker Spaniel is via the Breed club, or if you cant afford the prices nor be prepared to go on a wait list - breed rescue or any reputable rescue centre.

No way should you be putting £400 in to the pockets of puppy farmers. If you dont understand the misery these people bring to the animals, their owners and the rescues, may I suggest you volunteer a day at Many Tears

No sane person who can sit there and say they want a pedigree dog should even be contemplating puppy farmers

Kinski

CYPER wrote: »

We'll be seeing this one tomorrow: http://www.gumtree.com/p/pets/cocker-spaniel-puppies-1-female-2-males-8-weeks-old/90252629

If these are puppy farmed dogs I hope you have very deep pockets, I really feel that you should walk away from these pups, as others have said there is no way a reputable breeder would advertise on Gumtree, the mobile number is also something that puppy farmers do, they will use the sim card for a few litters and then throw it away and get a new sim card. Do you have an address, if you do you could check out the people not to buy dogs from on Puppy Love http://www.puppylovecampaigns.org/sellers.shtml, if the breeder isn't on the Puppy Love list it doesn't mean they're not farmers it could just be that Puppy Love haven't heard of them yet. I have friends who seven years ago bought a puppy farmed pup, he has cost them thousands over the years.

Caroline_a

Disaster waiting to happen... In addition to potential health risks, my concern is also that you are going to be keeping a puppy in an upstairs flat. How are you going to housetrain him without a great deal of hard work? Is your father going to take the pup up and down stairs to a safe place where he can pee and poop?

It's really not an ideal place to keep a small pup - I don't know any reputable breeders who would let you keep a dog in that environment.

On the health front, maybe read up here what you could be letting yourself in for... http://www.thecockerspanielclub.co.uk/health.htm