Springer Spaniel, Cocker Spaniel experience

Hatter The Mad

Hatter The Mad

Hatter The Mad

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Joined
28 Nov 2008
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UK
Hi

I live with my girlfriend in small-to-average sized two bed flat with a huge roof terrace.

We live (literally) a 30 seconds walk from a huge open space (Hampstead Heath: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=ham...d+heath&cid=0,0,10820877427633115979&t=m&z=17).

We want to get a dog which we have ample time to look after (girlfriend is able to take the dog the work if I am not working from home).

We love working springer and cocker spaniels (wouldn't touch the show line) and believe them to be around the right size and temperament/intelligence.

Does anyone have any experience with either working springers and cockers, and maybe offer some insight as to which might be best suited to how we live or things to look out for?
 
My mum has a springer spaniel and it is completely loopy. She is constantly letting the dog out to tire her out (most of the day she is outside), she also somehow manages to keep getting out onto the road (through the gardens of the neighbours).
 
My parents have a springer and it is so much harder to look after than their old Labrador retriever, It requires so much more attention and has endless energy, It also can't be left alone in the house for even a minute without being in a large cage they bought for it as it likes to eat laptop chargers etc

If you have the time she is incredibly loving and gives back so much affection but she is one of the hardest dogs to keep happy and my parents have had all kinds of dogs all their lives including Rottweilers and Alsations

She might calm down once she grows up a bit, she is still young, she is only around 1 year old
 
Springer Spaniels are completely barmy - nice temperament but all the ones I've dealt with never seem to calm down. They can cost a fair bit of money in damage to furniture and the like as well!!

My brother has one and it's still not calmed down, despite being 7 now.
 
From my limited experience they are second only to Dalmatians for their craziness and demand of attention. If i Get a dog ill stick to a Labrador like the one I had as a kid.
 
We have a springer and it's mental! Most dogs sleep throughout the day, these however do not! Constantly on the go
 
Have to agree had a springer a few years ago and he was a total fruitcake, boundless energy and a challenge to train. They will eat just about anything ( lost a most of my mail for a few months including bank cards and cheque books) but with proper training you can focus their energy on the the things that you want them to do.

If you put the effort in they are a fanatastic dog to own ann tbh I would have another one in a heartbeat if my situation allowed it.
 
spaniels need LOADS of exercise. not great for flat dwellers. in fact no dog should only have a roof terrace. how high is the fence as spaniels are quite daft and i wouldnt trust one not to jump off the top going for a pigeon or something?
 
As already mentioned numerous times, Spaniels are utterly mental by default. You really need let them out and keep them active for a good percentage of the day. Also agree totally with the comment about them potentially jumping off the roof terrrace.
 
Spaniels are incredible dogs

I've just left one behind :(

She's 5 years old, and SUCH a well trained dog.

Trained as a gun dog, she has the most personality of any dog I know. So obedient, but cheeky and friendly as well. As mentioned numerous times, they need exercise - she used to get 2 or 3 walks a day.

If you train them from an early age (basic stuff) and don't let them get away with bad things (be cruel to be kind) for the first year, then you'll have the best dog ever on your hands.

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We had a Cocker many years ago, she was adorable; easy to train and great company. As others have said already Springer's can be a bit mental and will require lots of attention to prevent boredom.
 
These are the main two breeds my wife and I were contemplating for our next dog. The opinion has now cooled somewhat and we shall prob look at another breed, mainly for the reasons quoted above. A family member had a springer recently and the first time I saw it, it came bouncing up to me, jumping all over me and emptying its bladder while doing so......at this point, he had only had it about 6 weeks and he said he was going to take it to a training school to calm it down a little, or he would have to get rid of it.......he no longer owns it, as it was just completely crazy and drove him crazy.

If you have the time to train them, then I believe they are one of the best breeds, intelligence wise. I saw a guy once with a pair, they both sat motionless when he opened the rear of his car, one click of the fingers and out bounced one and sat by the owners feet, another click of fingers, the second one did exactly the same. He then threw their ball and both of them just sat, excitedly waiting for his command to go, click of fingers and away they went like rockets. It was a similar story when he returned, both sat, door opened, click...one in, click....second one in....truly was an awesome thing to watch, one of the main reasons I decided to look at them....shame they are just generally nuts.
 
We recently got a working Cocker Spaniel, growing up my parents always had Springer Spaniels due to my dad being a game keeper. Both breeds are adorable dogs, our Cocker Spaniel is very easy to train and as mentioned above very intelligent, Spaniels have a very unique character to them.

As puppys they are very active and if you leave them to it they will go and act crazy, they need very firm and persistent training from a young age but if you stick with it you have in my view one of the best dogs possible.

We keep our Cocker Spaniel in a large kitchen during the day, separated from the rest of the house via a baby / stair gate. As a puppy I really wouldn't advise giving it full freedom of the house during the day if your not around. If you leave it alone during the day I'd also make sure it has things to do and play with, if ours gets bored it will start chewing on door frames etc.
 
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