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Cocker Spaniels


bobshooting
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I went beating last Friday near Brancaster, on the North Norfolk Coast and was so impressed as usual by the cocker spaniels, it reminded me what cracking dogs they are.

 

I want one, but my shooting is mostly on the salt-marsh, from choice, I love it, so always thought the idea fraught with problems and that I needed the dual purpose Lab that I currently run.

 

Would it be fair to take a cocker down the Marsh? Fair on him I mean, it's a rough old place sometimes and he would have to be still most of the time as you'll know.

 

Anyone out there have any experience of doing so, or seeing it done?

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I went beating last Friday near Brancaster, on the North Norfolk Coast and was so impressed as usual by the cocker spaniels, it reminded me what cracking dogs they are.

 

I want one, but my shooting is mostly on the salt-marsh, from choice, I love it, so always thought the idea fraught with problems and that I needed the dual purpose Lab that I currently run.

 

Would it be fair to take a cocker down the Marsh? Fair on him I mean, it's a rough old place sometimes and he would have to be still most of the time as you'll know.

 

Anyone out there have any experience of doing so, or seeing it done?

I'm tempted to try a cocker but am a coward as I've only ever kept labs and no nothing of them but they are great to watch whilst working, little mini tanks that just keep going, maybe I should break the mould and try one.

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I believe it depends on what kind of retrieves you will be expecting the dog to make. I take a springer but I wouldn't shoot a shore line flight with him or anywhere near fast currents but his great on the merse and negotiates creeks like a mountain goat. No problem with a Pink but never tried him on a Canada. I don't shoot them anyway.

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You would just have to keep telling everyone it was not a poodle cross same as curley coated labrador owners have to tell folks its not a labradoodle.

We had a guy bang on our door and ask us if we had 2 brown bears from somebody seeing our water spaniels looking over the gate !
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I am not sure a cocker will do the job you want. I had one briefly ( looking arfter it for a friend for a year ) and they are bonny little dogs working until they drop , but what they are not good at is sitting in the bottom of a muddy creek for hours on end with no work in the cold. labs and retrievers have double coats that keep them warm , and most are very patient , happy with long priods of inactivity. I know of cockers who can retrieve geese in good conditions , but many will realy struggle dragging one back through a deep muddy creek. My advise would be if you do a lot of rough or game shooting then a cocker will do all you want , but for wildfowling you realy want a bigger and stronger dog. Perhaps a big springer may be the answer for you , but I still think to ask one to sit in the wet and mud for hours on end in freezing conditions is asking too much.

 

There is a very good reason why labs are the most poplar dogs for thewildfowler.

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I had a cocker up until Monday .

As good as a dog he was I soon realised he would not be up to fowling.

 

Yes he managed to retrieve the odd goose over the years inland , normally more of a drag than a retrieve , he would have stood no chance picking up a goose in a strong tide .

Their coats are not as waterproof or insulated as a Lab and I do not think you would be doing right by them having them on the marsh in the middle of winter.

 

Cracking dogs always wanting to please but not cut out for fowling IMO

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I had a cocker up until Monday .

As good as a dog he was I soon realised he would not be up to fowling.

 

Yes he managed to retrieve the odd goose over the years inland , normally more of a drag than a retrieve , he would have stood no chance picking up a goose in a strong tide .

Their coats are not as waterproof or insulated as a Lab and I do not think you would be doing right by them having them on the marsh in the middle of winter.

 

Cracking dogs always wanting to please but not cut out for fowling IMO

 

I know what you mean if its a full time fowling dog, the lab is the favourite for cold weather, however if I went on the marsh without mine and she found out she would chew my ankles off no matter what the weather she would sooner be out with me than in. I have took ping pong out on the marsh when its very cold and her coat has turned from black to white with the frost and had to smash the ice out of the cattle trough to wash her down before towelling her off.

I have often thought my next dog would be a working roan cocker as it would be a multi purpose dog ie house/pheasants/pigeons/fowling.

The amount of quarry I shoot I am sure I would be happy with it. A lab for me would be too big laid on the hearth farting, I used to have a boxer dog that had loads of flatulence and I dont want that again.

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Harry as for dogs and wind thats got more to do with diet than breed. The cocker I had years ago was very windy to say the least and when a teenager my girlfriend had a jack russel that would stink the house out. My present lab very rarely dropps her guts , nore did my old golden retriever. However snoring can be a problem with some labs.

Edited by anser2
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My cocker loves fowling but he is not a small little cocker he is a good sized muscly chap that has no problem retrieving Canada geese.

 

He will sit still to a point and in hard frosty weather he sits on my feet and has a neoprene coat. Trying to get out the door and not take him with my gear would be fruitless. My wife would phone me and make my ears bleed as my dog would go mad.

 

Figgy

Edited by figgy
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Robbie the rimmer not all Cockers have this affliction, don't think Jasper3 cocker has this or his Vet would have offered different advice.

 

Same as not all Labs suffer from hip dysplasia or elbow problems amongs a host of other in bred problems.

 

I have had both breeds and yes the labs are very good at retrieving from land or water, not all have the double coat.

 

I personally love my Cocker over Labs.

 

If you want a true water retrieving dog there are still some dedicated breeds of water spaniels.

 

Figgy

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My cocker loves fowling but he is not a small little cocker he is a good sized muscly chap that has no problem retrieving Canada geese.

 

He will sit still to a point and in hard frosty weather he sits on my feet and has a neoprene coat. Trying to get out the door and not take him with my gear would be fruitless. My wife would phone me and make my ears bleed as my dog would go mad.

 

Figgy

 

My cocker definitely does not have a waterproof coat or any fat about her at all. Where did you get your neoprene coat from?

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I went beating last Friday near Brancaster, on the North Norfolk Coast and was so impressed as usual by the cocker spaniels, it reminded me what cracking dogs they are.

 

I want one, but my shooting is mostly on the salt-marsh, from choice, I love it, so always thought the idea fraught with problems and that I needed the dual purpose Lab that I currently run.

 

Would it be fair to take a cocker down the Marsh? Fair on him I mean, it's a rough old place sometimes and he would have to be still most of the time as you'll know.

 

Anyone out there have any experience of doing so, or seeing it done?

 

Every spanner I have seen on the marsh in winter shivers after a soaking (and its not excitement despite the claims), cockers cant handle big geese that might weigh as much as them over land.

There are some cracking ESS fowling dogs but they do need a jacket and IMO need to be on the large size

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2 words - COCKER RAGE

read the post earlier today about the guy whos dog attacked him and put him in hospital- get a lab

 

its in other breeds as a link to epilepsy, its just epilepsy is prevalent in common ancestor breeds. So that's pretty much most of our gundogs, I experienced it in GWP.

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