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I am getting a Sprocker. Am I mad?


JDog
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Labradors have been my shooting companions for forty years. I have had some splendid dogs, some better than others at game finding but all of which were decent companions both in the shooting field and at home.

 

Eleven years ago I got a Border terrier. Apart from chasing every mammal he ever saw, having a real tussle with a dog fox in the garden, going to ground for 8 days in the poor winter of three years ago and never doing as he was told he too has been a good friend.

 

I still have a labrador and the border but they are both aged 11 and I will need a replacement shooting companion in the next year or so. My choice is a sprocker out of working parents and he is quarter springer and three quarters cocker. I have never had anything to do with spaniels until now other than watching badly behaved dogs tethered into the ground at driven shoots or watching wild dogs work too far from their handlers on walked up grouse days or whilst shooting hedge rows.

 

I believe that I do have a natural affinity with dogs and that I can get the best out of them but am I bonkers going for a sprocker?

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No doubt it will have the traits of its parents,but how these will manifest is anyone's guess,hopefully you will get the working ability and nothing else.

 

If you wanted to be sure of what to expect you should have got a springer or a cocker,that way you would know what you were in for.

 

Good luck. :good:

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I've springers and I've had cockers but I'd genuinely like a quality Sprocker but only If i knew what the parents were like.

Even if you knew the parents you have no guarantees,with pedigrees they have been bred to a purpose and you can almost guarantee what it will do.

With sprockers you are starting all over from scratch,most of the time you will get a working dog but no certainty at all,plus when you are into the second or third line you will not know the percentage of either side being thrown into the mix as there is a huge likely hood that no records are kept.

 

And yes we all know,or some own some very good working sprockers,but it is a gamble on every cross.

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I am a firm believer that you should be able to train any of the working breeds to do the job you want then to do .

My Cocker was originally brought for the simple reason that the Mrs was dead against me getting another dog once my last one (a springer) was PTS .

 

I eventually wore her down and could have another as long as it was a cocker , because she liked them (yes she wears the trousers), as it was mainly going to be a pigeon shooting / hide dog , that is what he was trained for , he will happily sit in a hide all day long and is mad keen on retrieving even at 10 years old .

He is mad as a box of frogs though and everything is at 100 miles per hour even at his age, walking to heel forget it !!!, he short comings are all my own doing , but he is without doubt the most affectionate dog I have owned to date.

 

I have a tatty copy of Joe Irvings "training spaniels" book which is regarded by many as the best spaniel training book there is even though its a good few years old .

If you would like it PM me your address and I will post it out too you.

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As with any pup you need to know what the parents are like, other than that he'll act, train and work just like a cocker, only quicker over the ground, 7 out of my litter of 8 went to working homes, 6 of those are doing damn well and the 7th will with some luck be rehomed soon with 2 of his siblings and will be working, all have been easy to train!

 

Would I have another sprocker? Yes indeed, I'm well chuffed with the way mine have come on, first season coming up and I'll forgo a few days to ensure the dogs get what they need.

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The only reason i can see for anyone getting a mongrel is the pup may be cheaper than a pure bred dog. If money is tight i could possibly see the benefits of buying a mongrel, but personally i would save untill i could afford a pure bred animal. If money is not an issue i cannot for the life of me see why anyone would want a cocker x springer mongrel.

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The only reason i can see for anyone getting a mongrel is the pup may be cheaper than a pure bred dog. If money is tight i could possibly see the benefits of buying a mongrel, but personally i would save untill i could afford a pure bred animal. If money is not an issue i cannot for the life of me see why anyone would want a cocker x springer mongrel.

I can't why anybody would want to buy a mongrel with a daft name either, there are well bred springers being offered at less money than a lot of folk are willing to pay for a sprocker.

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You might get lucky, you might not.

Maybe you'll end up with the better traits from both breeds but just as easily you may end up with the worst.

As has been said, there are plenty of very well bred "true" gundogs/pups for sale out there for remarkably little money, why pay "possibly" more for a gamble, although it has to be said buying any dog is a bit of a gamble.

If your willing to take a chance fair play to you but think very carefully.... and I speak from experience having a Lab/Cocker cross (mongrel) here among my crew. Lovely natured dog but is it as good or better than my cockers, No. Is it as good or better than my Labs, No.

Life's a gamble .... it's your call.

 

DaveL

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Labradors have been my shooting companions for forty years. I have had some splendid dogs, some better than others at game finding but all of which were decent companions both in the shooting field and at home.

 

Eleven years ago I got a Border terrier. Apart from chasing every mammal he ever saw, having a real tussle with a dog fox in the garden, going to ground for 8 days in the poor winter of three years ago and never doing as he was told he too has been a good friend.

 

I still have a labrador and the border but they are both aged 11 and I will need a replacement shooting companion in the next year or so. My choice is a sprocker out of working parents and he is quarter springer and three quarters cocker. I have never had anything to do with spaniels until now other than watching badly behaved dogs tethered into the ground at driven shoots or watching wild dogs work too far from their handlers on walked up grouse days or whilst shooting hedge rows.

 

I believe that I do have a natural affinity with dogs and that I can get the best out of them but am I bonkers going for a sprocker?

 

What's a Sproker, is it some kind of new exotic fruit????:lol::lol: :lol:

 

I stick to my lemon...lol

 

ATB

Mark

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I have my cocker and my border and I think they are the perfect combination...they are currently charging around the living room like loonies wrestling and play fighting...a spaniel will be the perfect addition to the pack - I just hope you get a good one as I very briefly adopted a sprocker and it was the size of a lab and as mental as a spaniel with the bad bits of both and none of the good bits!

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a true sprocker from where i am , is a one time cross with a pure bred cocker and a pure bred springer........when you start crossing mixtures you havnt any garentee wot it is going to turn out like.......

spot on!! we have a first gen sprocker from a working springer sire and a working cocker bitch he is very good and is developing very well! he who dares Rodney ;)

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My issue would be why you would breed sprockers, most to my mind would be accidental matings and as such you have no idea of the lines they come from. You won't have a pedigree to go from any health tests done and ultimately it is a mongrel. It's a case of buyer beware but personally I'd buy one or the other

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i have a 1st generation Sprocker (not a fan of the name he is a spaniel) his parents were: sire a kc reg working springer and bitch a kc reg cocker he is very cocker like but a good bit beefier than a cocker he is turning into a capable dog (he is only 10 months old) he was from a genuine accidental mating. a mongrel is a breeding of two totally different breeds ie a labrador and a poodle where as two spaniels bred make a cross breed. and at one time in the cocker/springer breed history they were all the same breed so i really fail to understand why some people tip their noses up at the thought of a sprocker i know a good few keepers who are all happy to own sprockers they make very capable dogs

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Good point, beeredup.

 

Whatever he turns out to be like my dog will be my companion and friend. I have chosen to get a mix between a cocker and a springer because I want to get the best of both types of dog. If that does not turn out to be the case then so be it. Both parents are superb examples of their type and work well.

 

There have been some strong posts under this thread.

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i have a 1st generation Sprocker (not a fan of the name he is a spaniel) his parents were: sire a kc reg working springer and bitch a kc reg cocker he is very cocker like but a good bit beefier than a cocker he is turning into a capable dog (he is only 10 months old) he was from a genuine accidental mating. a mongrel is a breeding of two totally different breeds ie a labrador and a poodle where as two spaniels bred make a cross breed. and at one time in the cocker/springer breed history they were all the same breed so i really fail to understand why some people tip their noses up at the thought of a sprocker i know a good few keepers who are all happy to own sprockers they make very capable dogs

 

indeed, and all together well said :yes:

 

Al, mine were not an accidental mating and have traceable 'lines' of good pedigree

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Good point, beeredup.

 

Whatever he turns out to be like my dog will be my companion and friend. I have chosen to get a mix between a cocker and a springer because I want to get the best of both types of dog. If that does not turn out to be the case then so be it. Both parents are superb examples of their type and work well.

 

There have been some strong posts under this thread.

Mr JDog, if your pup turns out anything like mine you'll be more than happy :good:

 

you could of course put some more money to the pot and buy a 'proper' dog, which could be more likely to have health issues, and might turn out to be a highly strung fruit loop :whistling: ....................... because despite the breeding everything is really an unknown when it comes to pups no matter where they are from

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Mr JDog, if your pup turns out anything like mine you'll be more than happy :good:

 

you could of course put some more money to the pot and buy a 'proper' dog, which could be more likely to have health issues, and might turn out to be a highly strung fruit loop :whistling: ....................... because despite the breeding everything is really an unknown when it comes to pups no matter where they are from

Totally agree just because it comes with a piece of paper telling you who its great granny is dont make it a better gun dog does it? theres an element of luck involved with picking any working dog i had a KC reg dog previously and he was that in bred the poor lil sod only lasted till he was 7 years old

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Mr JDog, if your pup turns out anything like mine you'll be more than happy :good:

 

you could of course put some more money to the pot and buy a 'proper' dog, which could be more likely to have health issues, and might turn out to be a highly strung fruit loop :whistling: ....................... because despite the breeding everything is really an unknown when it comes to pups no matter where they are from

I fail to see how you come to your assessment that pedigree dogs are more likely to have health issues,i agree that with all breeds there is certain health issues,but in a pedigree this is also well documented and looked out for, and as the breed progresses the health issue is attempted to be removed by selective breeding.

 

A crossing of two breeds,even if they are of the spaniel family can raise more issues than normal,you are taking known health issues from both breeds and mixing them,who knows what the dna mixing pot will throw out.

 

I agree that there are some great working crosses out there,but ask yourself the question,if the cross is so great,why has it not gained huge popularity and become a breed in its own right?

 

Mongrels do make intelligent dogs and also great working dogs,but to kid yourself that they will be healthier than a pedigree is just rose tinted glasses time.

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