Cocker Spaniel-Buying advice?

philng

We sadly lost our lovely Charlie in March this year & now tentatively looking at another Cocker.
Although Charlie had a lovely character he did at times have an aggression problem. We bought him from Dogs4Us in Manchester so had no knowledge of his real background (parents etc.).
Any advice anyone can offer when looking for a new Cocker Spaniel such as where to buy from etc. would be appreciated?

bouicca21

What excellent taste you have! Unfortunately because cockers are so popular you have to be very careful about puppy farmers. This might help
http://www.thecockerspanielclub.co.uk/lookingforapuppy.htm

elsien

Starting point here.
https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/dogs/health/pedigreedogs/meaning

However have you considered getting a rescue dog instead? There are breed specific rescues, some are being rehomed through no fault of their own, and a good rescue should assess so you know what you're getting. Or contact a proper breeder to see if they've had any dogs returned that need a home. It does happen.

For example a relative's pet was acquired at 9 months old from a gamekeeper, fully trained because he was bred as a gun dog but became scared of loud noises.

thorsoak

First of all, do NOT go back to the establishment you quoted ...their reputation is not what it might be .....saying no more than this - have been threatened with legal action along with many others if I say what I might like to!

Your best option is to go to the Kennel Club website and find breeders in your area - see https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/findapuppy/Default.aspx?id=Spaniel+(Cocker)

or a website such as Champdogs -where, as with Kennel Club, breeders have to produce the necessary health certificates of the parents of the puppies before their listings are accepted. Here is the link for Champdogs :- http://www.champdogs.co.uk/breeds/cocker-spaniel/puppies

Hope this is of help to you xx

bouicca21

In principle I second the idea of a rescue dog - my last two were both rescues and wonderful. However rescue cockers are much in demand, so it may take a while to find one.

tiz

Hearing Dogs for Deaf people use Cocker Spaniels and are looking for puppy socialisers at the moment. You do need to live in their catchment areas: https://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/volunteering/puppy-socialising/

You'd have the puppy for around a year before it goes into training.

They also need short term fosters that look after dogs for a week or few weeks while their regular socialiser is on holiday - that might be a nice way to ease into having a dog around again before you commit to full time.

https://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/volunteer/

Just another option for you.

bmthmark

I have a lovely 9 month old cocker spaniel boy. We were in a similar situation as we were looking for a pup and I 100% wanted to avoid puppy farms.
It took me ages to find our puppy but it was worth the stress and hassle. During the search we came across horrible breeders who didn't care about the dogs welbeing, it was just a money making scheme.

From my experience I would only ever cocker spaniel puppy. If the following are true:

1. I can see both mum and dad dog in the home environment
2. The breeder interviews you (e.g. you get quizzed about home life, kids, garden etc)
3. The breeder will allow you to visit the dog as many times as you want
4. The breeder is kennel club registered
5. Basically you need to see all pups in a nice happy environment

All of the above was true for me and I must say my puppy is absolutely wonderful. Obviously he is naughty at times but you have to expect some sort of mishap whilst they are young (he decided to rip the wallpaper today - don't ask lol). But overall he is a loyal caring dog that loves people and other dogs.

As you know cocker spaniels are hard work as they require lots of walking and mental stimulation, but all this is worth it for the loving dog you will get.
For obedience training I take mine to a local gun dog training place which he loves and is doing very well at. Its worth looking in to if you get a puppy as it gets them on the right track as a young dog. I'm able to get my dog to sit in a field for 2 minutes and wait for my command, he also loves searching for items and bringing them back to me.

sheramber

Contact the secretary of the breed club who will be aware of litters available for responsible breeders.

While the KC have breeder lists they are not always a guarantee of quality. A breeder pays their money and goes on the list.

Visit breed shows and talk to exhibitors who will know responsible breeders.

Beware of puppy farmed pups.

A good breeder does not need to advertise their pups. they will have a waiting list for puppies.However they may have excess of a one gender over what the people on the waiting list want.

Red-Squirrel_2

bmthmark wrote: »

I have a lovely 9 month old cocker spaniel boy. We were in a similar situation as we were looking for a pup and I 100% wanted to avoid puppy farms.
It took me ages to find our puppy but it was worth the stress and hassle. During the search we came across horrible breeders who didn't care about the dogs welbeing, it was just a money making scheme.

From my experience I would only ever cocker spaniel puppy. If the following are true:

1. I can see both mum and dad dog in the home environment
2. The breeder interviews you (e.g. you get quizzed about home life, kids, garden etc)
3. The breeder will allow you to visit the dog as many times as you want
4. The breeder is kennel club registered
5. Basically you need to see all pups in a nice happy environment

All of the above was true for me and I must say my puppy is absolutely wonderful. Obviously he is naughty at times but you have to expect some sort of mishap whilst they are young (he decided to rip the wallpaper today - don't ask lol). But overall he is a loyal caring dog that loves people and other dogs.

As you know cocker spaniels are hard work as they require lots of walking and mental stimulation, but all this is worth it for the loving dog you will get.
For obedience training I take mine to a local gun dog training place which he loves and is doing very well at. Its worth looking in to if you get a puppy as it gets them on the right track as a young dog. I'm able to get my dog to sit in a field for 2 minutes and wait for my command, he also loves searching for items and bringing them back to me.

Just to point out, some of the best breeders don't own both mum and dad, they might breed their dogs with other dogs in different parts of the country (or the world) to try and get the right health, genetics and temperaments for the pups. So don't necessarily be put off if dad don't there as long as they can provide legit info about him!

zenshi

Reputable breeders will be screening for PRA now. When you find a breeder, ask if they test then ask to see certificates. Although I think they can upload results to the KC website and you can check against any dog, given you have the full pedigree name

GBNI

Try Perthshire Gundog Rescue, they get a lot of spaniels in and they're not always working dogs.