Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: RocketMan on February 10, 2013, 12:09:44 AM
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SWMBO wants to get a dog for companionship. She is a homemaker, and of course I am away at work for 11-12 hours a day, so having a pooch around would be helpful.
Her first choice would be a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, but one of those is likely out of our reach at the moment. Her second choice would be a cocker spaniel. Can anyone offer opinions as to what kind of dog they are for an adult household?
Temperament, behaviors, general health issues, good companions, etc? Do they do well in fenced yards? Do they tend to bark at silly stuff?
I've had dogs over the years, and so has my wife, but neither of us has any experience with cocker spanielo s.
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Good dogs, IMO.
You have to keep their ears clean, more so than a lot of other breeds, but it's not that hard to do. There's an ear wash that you can get to use once a month. Grooming will be an expense, but you can DIY it if you don't need the dog to look like a show dog.
Energetic, but not crazy, and they don't take too much effort to wear out.
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All dogs are good dogs - just listen to the folks saying "Good dog" any time the beast does something other than crap on the rug.
Why are you not looking at a "rescue dog" from the local shelter? With some decent guidance and taking the time to assess your choices you can find great companions for a lot less than a purebred. See if the place has a room where you & wife can be with the dog for a decent length of time (no, 10 minutes is not anywhere near long enough) and will also let you take the dog out for a walk.
But before you go looking for dogs, sit down and figure out exactly why you want a dog and exactly what you want it to do/not do and how much maintenance you are willing to put into the beast. Then compare those traits against breed characteristics - not the other way around. Remember, a half-hour walk for the dog also means a half-hour walk for the human. It also means carrying a bag full of dog poo for some portion of the walk Brushing a dog once a day also usually means dealing with several cubic feet of hair - great if you knit but otherwise not so wonderful. Have you ever given a dog a bath? In your bathroom? (That's why doggy bathhouses are so popular - they get to deal with hair-clogged drains as well as having all those drying and grooming tables, not to mention tubs that do not require you to bend over and break your back when scrubbing Feideau.)
Seriously, a goldfish is a lot less work. Consider starting there.
stay safe.
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Thanks for the information and advice, skid. Both my wife and I have had dogs over the years, so we're not new to this. My wife has had her heart set on a CKCS for many years, but one of those is just out of our reach at the moment. The cocker spaniel is her second choice.
We have looked at rescue dogs several times recently, but the ones available locally are pretty much Chihuahua mixes or pit bull mixes, neither of which is of interest to us for various reasons. If there were a better selection available we would go for a rescue.
Fish ain't happenin'.
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Bath? Why can't the dog just take a "dust bath" like a chicken? That's what mine does. (don't know where that dog finds such stinky dust to roll around in...)
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Bath? Why can't the dog just take a "dust bath" like a chicken? That's what mine does. (don't know where that dog finds such stinky dust to roll around in...)
Mine somehow come in reeking of "outside" every time they go out to pee. It can be right after a bath, too. They go out smelling like baby shampoo (what you have to use on Pugs) and they come in reeking anyway.
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When my Lab needs a bath we just go down to the pond, then we come back to the house and I rinse her off with the hose.
Then we give her a bath in the tub with dog shampoo and stuff.
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With Cocker Spaniels, you need to be very careful with regard to breeding, bloodline, etc. There was a LOT of bad breeding in years past and many cockers are, well, crazy.
Another breed to consider, if you're open to suggestions, is a Havanese. They're complete and total companion animals. Their ancestry is purely as a companion (and not in the Firefly sort of way). However, unlike many smaller breeds bred as companions, they're not fragile, nor are they nippy. We've had one for a couple years. He tolerates the abuse my kids dish out (unlike many cockers) and enjoys playing rough himself. However, he's just as willing to cuddle up with you on the couch to watch a movie. They love to be with their people. Mine greets me every day when I come home as if I had been gone for weeks. When I'm at home, he's always nearby (laying by my feet as I type this). When I work from home, he curls up under my chair or against my feet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havanese
Chris
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Cockers always seem a little off to me, and that's the well behaved ones. Not a fan, they seem to have a nippy temperament.
If she's home alone, why not a loyal dog with some meat like a lab?
I'm not a fan of picking dogs on their looks alone.
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don't cockers pee when you pet them as an act of submission? a friend of mine had one, and maybe it was just his, but everytime i would come in the house it would pee when you greeted it. (maybe i'm just that scary?)
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don't cockers pee when you pet them as an act of submission? a friend of mine had one, and maybe it was just his, but everytime i would come in the house it would pee when you greeted it. (maybe i'm just that scary?)
Sounds like that dog had issues.
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All the cockers I have known were snippy and they FART...their FARTS are epic. :P
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I had a female cocker as a kid. She was a great dog. My buddy had a male and that dog could be aggressive and snippy at times. I always wondered if they contributed to that. Ours was always friendly and well behaved.
I have two Cavashons right now (mix of Cavalier and Bichon). I may be biased, but I've never had better dogs.
They have the best characteristics of both breeds. I'd hold out for what you really want. It's a 12-15 year commitment/relationship.
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If a CKCS is what you really want but maybe the freight is a bit steep, consider breed specific rescue groups.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
ACKCS Rescue Trust, Inc.
Renee Bruns, National Director, cavalierrescue@cox.net
http://cavalierrescuetrust.org/
Info gathered from the AKC website.
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don't cockers pee when you pet them as an act of submission? a friend of mine had one, and maybe it was just his, but everytime i would come in the house it would pee when you greeted it. (maybe i'm just that scary?)
I thought that was Chris Matthews...
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Health: in addition to massive ear infections they are prone to nasty skin issues. Grooming is not optional. It's a must. You can learn to do it yourself, but letting it go will lead to skin issues even if the dog has healthy skin.
The American Cocker is basically a bird dog dumbed down because some idiot wanted a pretty house dog. If you know about bird dogs, you will understand that they don't really have all that much smarts to begin with (and before someone gets all out of wack about that. I HAVE a bird dog. She's smart for what she is, but even I can admit she's not the most brilliant dog in the world)
Now, if you can find an English Cocker (what the American evolved from) that's a diffrent story. Solid, healthy little dogs, good for feild and home.
Personally, I'd wait and spend for the CKC you really want or try the CKC rescue.
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I personally have met two Cocker Spaniels. One was the neighbors dog (black and white) and was completely haywire crazy. Crazy as in they had to keep it on a leash when there were people over. Not necessarily dangerous but hyperactively impolite and somewhat noisy. The second one (a beige) belonged to my aunt and cousins and was the sweetest livingroom dog you could imagine. She would go around greeting all the guests with laces on her ears. Real cute and well behaved. At most she would rest her head on your leg to get petted.
I can't speak about their pedigree, but I am pretty sure the environments they grew up in and the human interaction they received were instrumental in their outcome. Their attitudes roughly reflected that of their human families. Both had large yards to exercise in.
One thing to note though, they both seemed to have a tendency of killing pets that were smaller than themselves, particularly those of another species. I have heard of hamsters, kittens. I know my aunt lost a cherished blue crested amazon parrot to her dog.
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I have some close friends that rescued a cavalier - seems like a great dog.
What we did was make a list of dog traits we wanted and kept an eye out at shelters and in our local ads online. We ended up meeting and getting our dog from an online ad - just another venue for dog-searching.
If I may suggest: getting a pre-trained adult dog is fantastic. No accidents and the kids love seeing him do tricks. =D
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Looks like we may go with the cocker spaniel. The owner is stopping by shortly with the pup, as she is in town on business and has the dog with her. Eight week old male, current on shots and other important stuff.
Thanks for all the suggestions and advice, everyone. If this deal falls through for some reason I will go back through the thread and use some of the advice when we renew our search.
And welcome to new member Neemi. Thank you for your advice, as well.
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Thanks - been reading the forum here and there for a while, finally got around to making my own profile.
Good luck with the cocker spaniel.
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I've been around several with different owners and didn't care for any of the dog's personalities. Nippy, bark at everything, and very territorial.
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Are not Brittany's the same size as Cockers? Might be a good alternative. I don't think they have gotten too popular to have been enstupidated by over-breeding, yet.
We love our 10YO female German Shorthaired Pointer. She is small for a GSP, about 45lbs. She has proved herself trustworthy with the kids and a protector of the kids, too. She might not kill a bad guy, but she sure as shinola will get a DNA sample, as one half-wit illegal alien found out*.
* Note: when you have backed up against a fence a doggie and the 4YO little girl she adores more than anything on this Earth...and the normally mild & quiet doggie is barking demonically at you as you approach, back the #&!@ off. She WILL protect her pup.
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Brittany is bigger (though small for a hunting dog), smarter, and more friendly.
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I grew up in a house of Brittanys, wonderful family dogs.
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Here is Rocket playing with fistful.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi480.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Frr170%2Fswestby%2FRocketplayingwithfistful.jpg&hash=2065d75d839d16c2dfecf3476895472808b4b16f)
Yes, "Rocket" is his name. He was running around exploring like a little rocket when the breeder stopped by with him. The subject of names came up and I jokingly suggested "Rocket" not really expecting my wife to go for it as he is really her dog. She liked it and said that was his name.
And he is bonding to me more than her at this point. A very affectionate little guy.
Paper trained already, but we have started the outdoor potty training.
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Here is Rocket playing with fistful.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi480.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Frr170%2Fswestby%2FRocketplayingwithfistful.jpg&hash=2065d75d839d16c2dfecf3476895472808b4b16f)
Yes, "Rocket" is his name. ..........
Awwwww. Too cute. I almost wish I was a dig guy not a cat guy. Almost. ;)
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Rocketman, I sent you a pm before I finished reading the thread, so disregard!
This little guy is ADORABLE!!! Be sure to keep us posted with pics as he grows!
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Echoing MrsSmith. "Adorable"
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very cute. Almost makes me want a puppy... until I think about training it. I'll stick with my dog, but pictures are great - cute puppy sans the mess!
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Rocketman, I sent you a pm before I finished reading the thread, so disregard!
This little guy is ADORABLE!!! Be sure to keep us posted with pics as he grows!
Will do, MrsSmith. The cell phone cameras have been getting a workout. So have I...phew! The little guy is wearing me out.
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Good site, more than everything you could want to know about every dog breeds.
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/ (http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/)
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Had one. Let's put our relationship like this: I was at college, Dad called and said the were going to put her down, I asked if he was calling so that I could come home and do it myself.
I LOATHED that dog. Nippy, nasty, angry, bitter...
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How about a golden retriever? Meet Sadie, loves snow as much as water.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi886.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fac68%2Fjustin_mickey%2FDSC_0275_zps20269e98.jpg&hash=d50894ff09abcb3c4284fca0b302e0456b689c7f)
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi886.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fac68%2Fjustin_mickey%2FDSC_0295_zpsa3a4322e.jpg&hash=ab3e2cf18506b8552270f074276a3968eb92ca11)
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Update:
We lost our little cocker spaniel puppy. He was a cute little four pound bundle of energy while he lasted. :'(
The replacement is this fourteen pound bundle of 'teenage' cocker spaniel. What a transformation over the last few weeks. Active, happy dog. Full of energy and wicked smart. My wife and I have been completely amazed at how fast he picks things up. Sit, stay, lay down, come, all that was mastered within the first couple of training sessions for each of those behaviors.
We're still working on the whole "mouthing" thing where they tend to intersperse gentle bites with licking when showing affection, but that is coming along well.
He is almost potty trained, already coming to us to get our attention when he has to go. He even sometimes goes to the door to get our attention.
My wife found some puppy games on the web to play with him, many involving nose work. He picks those up almost instantly.
She trained him just this morning to walk with her on the treadmill for extended periods with a nicely relaxed leash.
We have been socializing him by attending puppy classes at the local shelter, plus lots of walks and trips to public venues. We'll be making our third trip to Home Depot with him later this morning. Hard to shop there with that puppy, what with everyone wanting to pet and coo and otherwise delay us. :laugh:
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Sounds good!
:)
Any intrest in more formal obidance training or stuff like Agility trials?
Might be fun for all three of you guys.
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We have a Golden and he is the sweetest dog you could ever hope to meet, but his IQ is barely in the positive numbers. ;/
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We have a Golden and he is the sweetest dog you could ever hope to meet, but his IQ is barely in the positive numbers. ;/
That's our lab/chow mix. But his sweetness makes up for his dumbness.
;)
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We have a 3/4 German Sheperd 1/4 Chow. She is about the best dog ever, especially with the kids.
RM, sorry to hear the first puppy didn't make it. What happened?
SWMBO says she wants to go dogless for a while after Sarah dies. Not sure I agree.
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We have a 3/4 German Sheperd 1/4 Chow. She is about the best dog ever, especially with the kids.
RM, sorry to hear the first puppy didn't make it. What happened?
SWMBO says she wants to go dogless for a while after Sarah dies. Not sure I agree.
I think he is lamenting the puppy being less of a puppy now ;)
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I think he is lamenting the puppy being less of a puppy now ;)
I took it the same way at first - "The puppy died??? :'(" Then I finished reading the next line and realized, "Oh, the puppy just grew up some." Whew.
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Yep, he's fine, aside from some hay fever and a minor ear infection common to cockers. We're just lamenting the fact that Rocket is growing up fast. And we think he's going to tend to larger side of the curve for cockers.
Sounds good!
:)
Any intrest in more formal obidance training or stuff like Agility trials?
Might be fun for all three of you guys.
All of that stuff will definitely happen, BSL, especially the agility training. Funny thing, at the puppy socialization Rocket happily climbed all over the various obstacles including this big five foot ramp thing that scared all the other dogs. He did this by himself when we looked away for a moment. We had to actively work to keep him off that stuff as the trainers said they don't like puppies on it until they are a year old and all their bones have had a chance to fully develop.
Oh, and the kid just absolutely loves carrots. Found that out when SWMBO accidentally dropped one on the kitchen floor.
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Mix 2 parts apple cider vineger and one part green alcohol. Use it to really flush those ears (really pour it in) drop the ear back down, massaging around the base of the ear and then let him shake it out before wiping any gunk out with cottenballs and qtips.
You cannot reach his eardrums, so don't worry about how far down in the ear you stick the qtips.
Keeping them cleaned out really helps keep down the ear infections. Hell, ask the vet for a big bottle of autobotic and just clean and put a few drops in once a week.
And you can soak a cottenball and just wipe the inside of the ear flap anytime it's looking gunky.
As for the hayfeaver, if it affects his skin, really double down on the grooming. Keep the coat dematted (comb, comb, comb) and trimmed will help keep him comfortable and let you help if he has itches.
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Mix 2 parts apple cider vineger and one part green alcohol. Use it to really flush those ears (really pour it in) drop the ear back down, massaging around the base of the ear and then let him shake it out before wiping any gunk out with cottenballs and qtips.
You cannot reach his eardrums, so don't worry about how far down in the ear you stick the qtips.
Keeping them cleaned out really helps keep down the ear infections. Hell, ask the vet for a big bottle of autobotic and just clean and put a few drops in once a week.
And you can soak a cottenball and just wipe the inside of the ear flap anytime it's looking gunky.
As for the hayfeaver, if it affects his skin, really double down on the grooming. Keep the coat dematted (comb, comb, comb) and trimmed will help keep him comfortable and let you help if he has itches.
Dozers vet suggested using Listerine mouthwash for the ears. I keep some in a small pump sprayer and it's worked great. Couple times a week right after we get back from the lake in the summer and he's had no problems since.
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Mix 2 parts apple cider vineger and one part green alcohol. Use it to really flush those ears (really pour it in) drop the ear back down, massaging around the base of the ear and then let him shake it out before wiping any gunk out with cottenballs and qtips.
You cannot reach his eardrums, so don't worry about how far down in the ear you stick the qtips.
Keeping them cleaned out really helps keep down the ear infections. Hell, ask the vet for a big bottle of autobotic and just clean and put a few drops in once a week.
And you can soak a cottenball and just wipe the inside of the ear flap anytime it's looking gunky.
As for the hayfeaver, if it affects his skin, really double down on the grooming. Keep the coat dematted (comb, comb, comb) and trimmed will help keep him comfortable and let you help if he has itches.
This. My dog loves to swim in the ponds and has floppy ears. And it's humid here. Breeding ground for all sorts of nasty. I'm cleaning them out several times a year in the summer.
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Dozers vet suggested using Listerine mouthwash for the ears. I keep some in a small pump sprayer and it's worked great. Couple times a week right after we get back from the lake in the summer and he's had no problems since.
We have those refillable cheap plastic condiment bottles. I wouldn't want to spray stuff in the ear. The noise and pressure could be an issue. We just pour it in. It works best when you can really fill the ear with solution and, after getting it to slosh around in the ear for a moment, let the dog shake it out and do most the work. It's really good when the earwax is that thick black gunk.
We use a lot of vinager. Cheap, nontoxic, no chemicals and it works. The Louise likes the green alcohol for the aloe in it.
Personally, I hate the earwash the vets sell. It doesn't work half as good and I hate the way it smells. Freeking sickly sweet rank smell.
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We have those refillable cheap plastic condiment bottles. I wouldn't want to spray stuff in the ear. The noise and pressure could be an issue. We just pour it in. It works best when you can really fill the ear with solution and, after getting it to slosh around in the ear for a moment, let the dog shake it out and do most the work. It's really good when the earwax is that thick black gunk.
We use a lot of vinager. Cheap, nontoxic, no chemicals and it works. The Louise likes the green alcohol for the aloe in it.
Personally, I hate the earwash the vets sell. It doesn't work half as good and I hate the way it smells. Freeking sickly sweet rank smell.
Expensive to boot.
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Thanks for all the advice, BSL. That's some good information. We've got a couple of big bottles of ear cleaner and some antibiotics that we are working our way through right now. I think when the ear cleaner is gone we may give your alcohol and vinegar treatment a try.
Green alcohol I have never heard of. Mixed with aloe, is it? I'll google it, see where we can find some.
eta: Near as I can tell from googling it, green alcohol is wintergreen mixed with isopropyl alcohol. That makes sense.
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Not only does he like carrots, he likes dill pickle slices. Go figure.
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Not only does he like carrots, he likes dill pickle slices. Go figure.
A lot of dogs like carrots. My mom's old hound Sadie used to love baby carrots. She and my stepdad could go through a big bag rather quickly.
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SWMBO was just now making nachos. She accidentally dropped a sliced pickled jalapeno pepper. Rocket sucked that thing down before she could retrieve it. He absolutely refused to let go of it. Now he's waiting in the kitchen for her to drop another slice.
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SWMBO was just now making nachos. She accidentally dropped a sliced pickled jalapeno pepper. Rocket sucked that thing down before she could retrieve it. He absolutely refused to let go of it. Now he's waiting in the kitchen for her to drop another slice.
Better watch that. He sounds like a food hound. Teach him "drop it" so you can keep him from eating something he shouldn't.
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Yep, we're working on the "drop it" command. It is just starting to take hold with him.
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Better watch that. He sounds like a food hound. Teach him "drop it" so you can keep him from eating something he shouldn't.
I'm still trying to get the wife to agree to renaming the chihuahua hoover. The floor has never been so clean since he came around.
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Not only does he like carrots, he likes dill pickle slices. Go figure.
And cabbage. Very weird...
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Tired dog is tired. This photo gives one a sense for how much he has grown...
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi480.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Frr170%2Fswestby%2FRocket%2520Dog%2FIMAG0159.jpg&hash=9989c81569758d3a63ca826f7fc876f54782941e) (http://s480.photobucket.com/user/swestby/media/Rocket%20Dog/IMAG0159.jpg.html)
...especially when compared to this one.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi480.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Frr170%2Fswestby%2FRocket%2520Dog%2FRocketonDadsbelly.jpg&hash=aa9210c3fa4a4fd758030d0ede9ffa72b75920a2) (http://s480.photobucket.com/user/swestby/media/Rocket%20Dog/RocketonDadsbelly.jpg.html)
This one I included just for the cute factor.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi480.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Frr170%2Fswestby%2FRocket%2520Dog%2FRocketclose-up.jpg&hash=ea38688fe8a0b24e49d48b4fec3cdb40722b80ab) (http://s480.photobucket.com/user/swestby/media/Rocket%20Dog/Rocketclose-up.jpg.html)
One more, just because. This one was taken during the first week we had him, IIRC.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi480.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Frr170%2Fswestby%2FRocket%2520Dog%2FRocketinkitchen.jpg&hash=f9a6cf9ec593715a0b3a8a588942dbab6da259b6) (http://s480.photobucket.com/user/swestby/media/Rocket%20Dog/Rocketinkitchen.jpg.html)