I always wanted a ‘blonde’ cocker spaniel female I could name ‘Lady’. I wanted to groom her and train her and enter her in dog shows. Cocker Spaniels, just like any other full breed dogs, are very expensive. In the pet shops, they can often go as high as $1000.
Before you buy any dog, you need to decide what you want to own the dog for. To enter in shows or to breed, you definitely want a healthy dog complete with papers. I was willing to skip out on owning a cocker spaniel with paperwork because I wanted it more for a pet, and the rest wasn’t as important to me. I saved $700 I saved by buying my black, male cocker spaniel (Einstein) out of a classified ad in the newspaper. For only $300, I got the dog I had always wanted.
Before making the final purchase, I did a little research online as any smart soon-to-be dog owner would (or at least should) do. I found more about the history of Cocker Spaniels and general (instead of breed specific) pet training and care advice than anything else.
Cocker Spaniels were originally bred for hunting rabbits. Although it is unlikely you would use a Cocker Spaniel for a hunting dog today, you would still find that in the woods, they run a ‘perfect grid’ if taken off their leash. (Examining a large area surrounding you, although staying fairly ‘near’ to you.)
I will skip through many of the Cocker Spaniel facts and trivia that you can find elsewhere. I will tell you what I read but did not fully understand until I became an owner and noticed certain behaviors. You shouldn’t say “Oh, that’s what they meant!” There should be no sugar coating or subleties. Especially with cocker spaniels, and the first thing I share will explain why.
You may have heard that Cocker Spaniels are the most loyal dogs you will ever find. This is very true. It sounds like a good thing, and it is. When you own a cocker spaniel, you have a loyal companion, sidekick, and ‘slippers’ for the rest of it’s life. (Roughly 12-20 years.) You will know the real feeling of total and absolute unconditional love, and that is the best part of being a dog owner period!
However this also means that Cocker Spaniels are a one owner dog. It is important to encourage your entire family to play with the Cocker Spaniel, and not just one person. This will help the cocker spaniel become a family dog, and not just your dog.
It is also important to socialize your dog, continuously throughout it’s life. If you don’t, cocker spaniels can become fairly aggressive towards anyone who comes near you (they are very protective), anyone walking by, anyone knocking on the door, or even a car door closing that they hear down the road.
On the same note, Cocker Spaniels bark. And bark. And bark. Although I originally thought it was cruel, I did find that a shock collar helps, but it is important to use those properly if you ever have to resort to using one.
Another thing I must mention about cocker spaniels would seem fairly obvious, but you would be surprised at how it slips your mind. Cocker Spaniels are long haired dogs. They need constant baths and grooming. The fur on a cocker spaniel can become very tangled and knotted if not properly cared for. The ‘proper’ haircut for a cocker spaniel keeps their hair long, so you must constantly bathe them and brush them.
I will refer again to their loyal temperament. Cocker spaniels are absolutely wonderful. They are very loving. You will not be able to give them to a new owner if you decide you can’t take care of them. That should be the most important thing to know before committing yourself to a cocker spaniel. You should never get any dog if you don’t intend to own it for the entirety of it’s life, but cocker spaniels are especially a one owner only dog. They will be aggressive towards another owner if you ever have to give it away.
Cocker spaniels require constant attention. They get very jealous. I am sure you may be able to compare their ‘me-me-me’ needs to an ex boy or girl friend. (We’ve all had at least one of them.) Cocker spaniels can be just as bad. It is not wise to get a cocker spaniel if you are expecting a baby or would like to have one. While the cocker spaniel will be just as loyal to the baby and pose no threat, as your attention shifts to a baby and you will be unable to give constant attention to the cocker spaniel the dog will become depressed. Yes, dogs have emotions.
Although I give Einstein as much love as possible, he has been very ‘mopey’ ever since my son was born. He whines when I stop petting him for a feeding or playtime with my son. He has learned to be more patient, and that I still have some time for him but not as much as he would prefer.
Cocker Spaniels are very energetic. It is almost necessary to have a large plot of land and/or an area nearby so your cocker spaniel can exercise regularly. The more energy they have built up, the more aggressive they can become. Cocker Spaniels can be very hyper, and I still enjoy watching mine ‘crack out’ whenever I take him somewhere he can let loose. However, during the winter and the first few months of my son’s life I noticed a major behavior change in my cocker spaniel when the only time he went outside was to go into the closet sized kennel to go potty.
If you can handle the idea of having a dog always at your feet, to the point of almost being annoying when you trip over them 50 times a day... if that loyalty is important to you then a cocker spaniel would be a good dog for you. If you can handle the constant attention and care and grooming of a long haired, attention needy, energetically motivated dog, then a cocker spaniel would be a good dog for you. Above all else, if you can handle a full time commitment of 12-20 years, then definitely consider a cocker spaniel. If you can’t handle any of these things, maybe you should just stick with a cat.
