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RE: Looking for the right breed - English cocker spaniels?

SchnauzerFan — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:18:27 GMT

I think that you are smart to wait until you are sure you are ready to take on the responsibility!

When you are ready - I would love to put in a good word for Basset Hounds. They are wonderful, gentle dogs. We had 3 at one point and even the one we have now still makes us laugh every day. They do not require a lot of exercise and love hanging out on the couch. They can be big droolers and shed a lot - just a word of caution. They can also be wanderers - they find a smell and follow it and then cannot find their way back home (I know, weird for a scent hound). However we never had the need to fence in our yard, as our policy is to always be outside with our dogs. They are loving, sweet animals. None of the ones I had were big barkers, although Daisy does like to sing to the harmonica. They do have 'selective' hearing but as long as you are firm with them, they are obedient.

Mini Schnauzers are also great - I got my first one in Oct 2007 and we are thinking of getting another one. Although they don't require several walks a day, they can keep up with you if you want to bring them out. I take my bike out and bring ours on 4 - 5.5 mile runs and its no problem for him.

I had an American Cocker Spaniel for 11 years, and she was a wonderful dog as well. We lost her to old age when she was 13. She would not wander and was very obedient. They can have weak bladders, as in if they get too excited they can pee sometimes. But I cannot say enough about Lady. She was a sweetheart and just the most excellent dog that anyone could ask for.

So, just some food for thought for when you are ready to add a dog to your family.

RE: Looking for the right breed - English cocker spaniels?

CanisMajor — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:03:34 GMT

Thanks for all of your suggestions. Unfortunately, I decided that ultimately it's not the right time for a dog right now for a combination of reasons. I think it's the right choice, though, since I still think it wouldn't be fair to the dog to have one right now.
Agh. Maybe someday. It just seems like I've been waiting for forever and the right time never comes. Oh well. My cat acts a little like a dog though.

I did ultimately kind of turn away from the English Cocker Spaniels because I found a few mentions of the Rage Syndrome, which concerned me. I liked the suggestion of Papillon, though - whoever suggested it. They're smaller than what I was looking at but they seem to have such a great personality. They seem like spirited little dogs! I think when the time does come, I might look seriously at them. I started looking at Bassett Hounds too, more on the low energy side but they seem like a sweet breed, but the howling might be a problem with neighbors.

I don't know. I guess I have a lot of time to figure it out!

RE: Looking for the right breed - English cocker spaniels?

dobermom — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 17:13:29 GMT

I have to write one more thing, I have never met a cocker spaniel that was calm.
Every single one of them was a hyper mess.
I do not know , if that is the * breed*.
But, a dog like this would tear at my nervs.

sorry.

RE: Looking for the right breed - English cocker spaniels?

roxinator9100 — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:36:46 GMT

There are so many great dogs out there that I am sure fit you that I really can't help! Oh, but on Animal Planet.com there is a quiz to find the most compatible dog for you! Check it out sometime

Dogs love to learn and learn to love

RE: Looking for the right breed - English cocker spaniels?

PudelGrl — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:38:00 GMT

CanisMajor (2/4/2008)

Hey everyone! I'm new to the forum... So, next year I'm going to finally be in a position where I'll be home most of the time, and will be able to raise a puppy. (I've always had dogs until a few years ago. For the last few years my living situation just hasn't been right to raise a dog in.) So I'm pretty excited! I'm looking for a small/medium breed that fits my lifestyle. I live in an apartment with a cat.

This is what I'm looking for:

-An affectionate dog
-breeds known to get along with other pets, as I have a cat and would someday like to get a second dog as a companion.
-I want a dog with a good energy level, since I enjoy going for walks. Probably not a dog known for really high energy levels, though - more a moderate energy level.
-I am willing to spend time on grooming.
-A friendly, outgoing kind of breed. I'd like the dog to be good with kids since I have young nephews.
-It's really temperament I'm mostly concerned with. I'm not looking for a guard dog. I have a high stress job working with people who have aggression issues and behavioral challenges, and I like my home to be a refuge from that. So I'm looking for a good companion dog more than anything else. Obviously aggression in dogs depends a lot on how the dog is raised, but some breeds are known to be more protective than others - so I guess what I'm saying is I'm not looking for a protective or timid breed.
-I live in an apartment so noise might be an issue with the neighbors - I grew up with a Beagle, and loved her to death, but excessive barking ruled Beagles out of my search. Barking doesn't bother me though...

In my search I fell in love with English Cocker Spaniels. I've been researching the breed and they seem to fit my criteria, but I'm no expert, so I was wondering what people here know about the breed. Do you think they fit what I'm looking for? Are they really hard to find in the US? Any suggestions for other breeds? I know the breed isn't everything - I know it depends a lot on the individual dog and how the dog is raised, but I'm at the start of my search and I'm just looking for some guidelines to help me. I did come across a one line mention of a rage disorder that's rare, but can occur in red and black colored ECS puppies... I don't know what that's about.

Thanks for any suggestions you have or info on English Cocker Spaniels! (Please no info on American Cocker Spaniels, though, as I'm only looking at the English Cocker Spaniel.)

I think an english cocker would be a good choice for what you have listed here. If you would like to find one google "English Cocker Spanial Club America" in order to find the national breed club. They generally do breeder refural and in addition should have a health page telling you about possible problems and what a breeder should be testing their breeding dogs for.

I also liked dobermom's suggestion of a schnauzer though, nice little dogs! Other thoughts that came to mind are miniature poodles (I love them myself and your list of requirements is similar to mine), lowhcen, tibetan terriers or bichon frise. If you are willing to look a smaller breed, a papillon might be a nice choice as well.

RE: Looking for the right breed - English cocker spaniels?

lady_pitbull27 — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:52:37 GMT

I just wanted to tell you we have a Cocker Spaniel(AMerican) named Bailey. She is a GREAT dog! ANd she does not shed and only barks when strangers come to the door. We leave her loose in the house all day and she just relaxes!!! We also have a cat and they get along fine! There is not an animal I can think of that I have ever seen BAiley act aggressive to!!!! I think it would be a very good choice! I am a softie for Cocker Spaniels!

RE: Looking for the right breed - English cocker spaniels?

skelaki — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:15:18 GMT

"English Cocker Spaniels
What's good about 'em
What's bad about 'em

If you want a dog who...

Is conveniently sized and athletic

Has a pretty feathered coat in a variety of colors

Is lively and playful, with a tail-wagging nature

Is usually polite with everyone

Is peaceful with other pets

An English Cocker Spaniel may be right for you.

If you don't want to deal with...

"Separation anxiety" (destructiveness and barking) when left alone too much

Frequent brushing, combing, and clipping of the silky coat

Shedding

Barking

Excitable or submissive urination (tendency to dribble urine when excited or nervous)

An English Cocker Spaniel may not be right for you.

If I were considering an English Cocker Spaniel...

My major concerns would be:

Providing enough exercise. The English Cocker Spaniel is a hunting dog who needs more exercise than you might think. Just because he's small doesn't mean he will be happy living in an apartment with a couple of slow walks around the block. He needs some outside space to run and play.

Separation anxiety. More than most other breeds, English Cocker Spaniels need a great deal of companionship and do not like being left alone for more than a few hours. They tend to express their unhappiness through destructive chewing and barking. If you work all day, this is not the breed for you.

Grooming. To keep their silky coat free of mats, English Cocker Spaniels require regular brushing, and also clipping and trimming every couple of months.

Shedding. English Cocker Spaniels shed quite a bit. Their hairs come off on your hands when you pet them, stick to your upholstery and clothing, and hide under the furniture.

Barking. English Cocker Spaniels are often too quick to sound the alarm at every new sight and sound. You have to be equally quick to stop them.

To teach your Cocker to listen to you, "Respect Training" is mandatory. My Cocker Spaniel Training Page discusses the program you need.

Health problems. Serious eye problems are common in Cocker Spaniels.

To keep this breed healthy, I strongly recommend following all of the advice on my English Cocker Spaniel Health Page.

Not all English Cocker Spaniels are alike!

There are energetic Cockers, and placid Cockers.

Hard-headed Cockers, and sweet-natured Cockers.

Serious Cockers, and good-natured goofballs.

Introverted Cockers, and Cockers who love everyone.

If you acquire an English Cocker Spaniel puppy, you can't know for sure what he or she will grow up to be like. Because a good number of purebred puppies do NOT grow up to conform to the "norm."

If you're considering an adult English Cocker Spaniel...

There are plenty of adult English Cocker Spaniels who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics. If you find such an adult, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you.

When you acquire a puppy, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important. But when you acquire an adult, you're acquiring what he already IS.

If you would like to link to this review,
here is the HTML code:

<a href="">English Cocker Spaniels: What's Good About 'Em, What's Bad About 'Em</a> "

The above is from Michelle Whelton's site/book "Your Purebred Puppy." Her information is generally very accurate.

RE: Looking for the right breed - English cocker spaniels?

collielvr07 — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:24:18 GMT

Bichons are great apartment dogs too. Mine loves cats, and they are the sweetest things! They don't shed and are always white.

RE: Looking for the right breed - English cocker spaniels?

dobermom — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:53:51 GMT

SChnauzers are great aparment dogs , that enjoy walks and a great watchdogs.
They also get along with almost everybody, or anything.
We have 2 dogs and a cat.

RE: Looking for the right breed - English cocker spaniels?

rainsmom — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 03:54:13 GMT

here is some info on them I have no personal experience with ecs. I own shelties. they also might be a good breed for you

Temperament

Cockers are renowned for their friendly, faithful, playful, quiet, and affectionate natures. They are easily trained and make a good medium-sized family pet. Very few Cockers have temperament problems; in a 2002 survey consisting of 487 Cockers, only 1% of the dogs were aggressive to people and 2% were aggressive to other dogs.^[1] English cockers have a loving temperament and make excellent family pets. They will often bond to one person in a family. They have a "go do it now" attitude.

Black coloured English Cocker Spaniel

Health

Mortality

English Cocker Spaniels in UK and USA/Canada surveys had a median lifespan of 11 to 12 years,^[2] which is a typical longevity for purebred dogs, but a little less than most other breeds of their size^[3]. The English Cocker Spaniel typically lives about a year longer than the smaller American Cocker Spaniel^[2].

In a 2004 UK Kennel Club survey, the most common causes of death were cancer (30%), old age (17%), cardiac (9%), and "combinations" (7%) ^[4]. In 1998 and 2002 USA/Canada Health Surveys, the leading causes of death were old age (40%) and cancer (22%) ^[5]^[6].

Morbidity

Common health issues with English Cockers are bite problems, skin allergies, shyness, cataracts, deafness, aggression towards other dogs, and benign tumors^[6].

3 month old gold English Cocker puppy

Some uncommon health issues that can also have an effect on English Cocker Spaniels include canine hip dysplasia, patellar lunation, canine dilated cardiomyopathy, and heart murmurs. Hip dysplasia is an abnormal formation of the hip joint. Patellar Lunation, also known as luxating patella, refers to the dislocation of the kneecap. Canine dilated cardiomyopathy involves heart failure^[7].

Looking for the right breed - English cocker spaniels?

CanisMajor — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 23:01:19 GMT