Does anyone have any experience with English Cocker Spaniels?

Question

I have a co-worker who is wanting to get his 2 little daughters a dog for Christmas....are they good with children? He's is wanting to get 2 pups from the same litter probably a brother and sister to keep eachother company while he's gone for work throughout the day....would this be a good idea? Any feedback would be appreciated....Thanks!

Answer 1

English Cockers are generally better natured than American. They have fewer inherent health issues such as, ear and skin problems. American cockers are also subject to more blindness and deafness. Asa rule I discourage giving pets for Christmas. If you must do so, consider the effort it will take to raise the puppies and make them fit company. Do all the homework in the specific breed before comitting lifelong to something.

Answer 2

I wouldn't do it if I were him.

Cockers may be sweet and fun-loving, but they have a lot of down-sides, especially with small children. They tend to bite and nip, and don't like the unpredictable- such as a surprise-petting from behind. They have thick hair that requires daily brushing, which children cannot be expected to be responsible for. They also require professional grooming every few months, which can be costly. Cockers are also notorious for skin problems, allergies, ear infections, obesity, cancer, and a number of other health problems that can both be costly and devastating for a child to watch her pet go through. Lastly, cockers are nearly impossible to housebreak! If you look through this forum, you'll see plenty of people begging for advice on how to get an adult cocker to stop peeing in the house- and the fact is, most of them just won't ever be totally housebroken.

I would advise your co-worker to do a lot of research and re-consider his choice in pets for his girls. There are many dog breeds that do wonderfully with children, but cockers typically are not among the best. As for whether to get one dog or two, just have him keep in mind that 2 dogs is 2x the food, 2x the vet bills, 2x the housebreaking, 2x the mess, 2x everything... and yes, in the end, they can be twice as fun, but it takes a lot of work to get there. And since crating dogs during the day is the best way to housebreak them, as well as keeping them from getting hurt in the house while you're gone, they really shouldn't be keeping each other 'company' during the day- they should be crated separately.

Answer 3

For one, a Cocker is not the best choice for kids, they tend to be nippy, although English not as much as American.

It would be much better for the pup if it arrives AFTER Christmas, when things have calmed down. He can give a collar and leash for the kids to open.

I would never suggest 2 puppies unless they are very experienced dog owners. Two is MUCH harder than one. They will also tend to bond with each other and not so much with the family. They will also need to be fixed, as a brother and sister will breed and the results can be disasterious.

I doubt most good breeders will even sell them littermates OR for Christmas, for kids.

Answer 4

First, I have to address the morons on here who are claiming that cockers are never good with kids. What a stupid, whitewashed generalization. Any dog can be good or not good with kids, it depends on how they are trained and introduced to the children. As for housebreaking, I have had cockers my whole life and not a single one of them has had housebreaking issues.

Let's try to not stereotype breeds so much. If you don't really know what you are talking about, leave it to the people who DO know what they are talking about.

And to the asker.....I would suggest that your coworker get NO dogs for Christmas. That is the worst time to add a pet to the household, for many reasons.

Answer 5

Bad & dumb ideas......

NEVER get 2 pups at once.
NEVER get pups for kids

& ***NEVER*** get live ANYTHING for X-mas!!!!