Am I going mad !!!

[hodge911]

Well I'm thinking that my may be losing my marbles .

But can some of you intelligent folk give me some guidance PLEASE....... 

It's 2.5yrs since I lost Jess unexpectedly .

She was Springer X gwp and was the First gundog I've had and easiest dog I had ever trained .. 

Now the interesting bit 

Yesterday I got offered a cracking little dog cocker honey & white 

 

My Mrs is still saying no but I'm well on the way to having another .

So I'm wondering how much harder they are to train .

If anyone has WhatsApp and knows how to upload videos I can send a video of it running around our sitting room ....

Oh and any ideas on how I can convince the boss on getting him 

Thanks 

Hodge

Edited September 3, 2021 by hodge911

[Old farrier]

Cockers can be a bit of a challenge 🤭

however go for it as your obviously the boss 

or 

the wet sack trick works ever time 

[Mr grumpy]

They mature slowly and yes they can be a challenge. Nothing like a springer but boy do they have the heart of a lion. I went from a flat calm,biddable labrador to a cocker.🤯 i love him and wouldnt be without him. Just give it serious thought though.

[hodge911]

6 minutes ago, Old farrier said:

Cockers can be a bit of a challenge 🤭

however go for it as your obviously the boss 

or 

the wet sack trick works ever time 

Lol I'd just go and buy it now if it wouldn't cause her problems with her epilepsy . Stress and arguments trigger them off so I have to work very diplomatically around things .

I have however got the seeds planted as today she said " if we were to get another I'd prefer a spaniel over a  labrador either a Springer or cocker" 

So time will tell hopefully

Edited September 3, 2021 by hodge911

[Dougy]

When you get your new puppy dont put new battery's in them, use 1/2 empty ones, it tends to slow them down a bit. 

One of the shoots we pick up on have 3 picking up, there just all CRAZY, if their little tails where propellers they'd take off backwards. 

[London Best]

I had labradors for nearly forty years before I was given a cocker pup, then two years later I was given another one. To be fair, both cockers trained much easier than I expected, and certainly much easier than my current lab. I wouldn’t hesitate to have another cocker tomorrow.

[bigbird]

I love cockers but they’re so damned NEEDY 😂😂

Also yes definitely get the cocker - it’ll cuddle up to your OH and reduce stress 😉

[Old farrier]

28 minutes ago, bigbird said:

I love cockers but they’re so damned NEEDY 😂😂

Also yes definitely get the cocker - it’ll cuddle up to your OH and reduce stress 😉

This ^^^

also it’s recognised that dogs can sense seizures and fits in humans before they happen 

and of the two springer or cocker the cocker would be the one I would have and I’ve got both by default as really I’m a golden retriever person 

[ilovemyheckler]

Cockers can be a bit crazy and I wouldn't recommend one as a first gundog but as ypu have had gundogs before I would go for it. I have always had springers but love cockers

[bruno22rf]

Take it home and let the Mrs spend a couple of minutes with it .....job done.

[Rob85]

Buy the pup, you won't forgive yourself if you don't.

Never mind the missus, I think she will forgive you the second he snuggles up to her.

[oowee]

I have one and trained for basic stuff the rest he learnt on the job. I would not let him loose on a shoot but in a hide or walked up phesant he will work till he drops. Deals with crows, rabbits and hare and I have also used him as a scent hound to find lost quarry (truly amazing). He is everything I need despite the lack of input from me. 

 

[hodge911]

12 hours ago, Old farrier said:

it’s recognised that dogs can sense seizures and fits in humans before they happen

Yep Jess would jump up on sofa and lie with her head on the wife's lap about 2-3 mins before she had a fit and not move until she came out of it also if I wasn't in the room she'd bark to get my attention ... All of her own accord no training in any way 

 

I've got a video of the pup running round our sitting room but can't upload it  so if any kind person has WhatsApp and would upload it let me know ( pm me your number).

It's KC reg microchipped vet checked and had 1st jab 

Edited September 4, 2021 by hodge911

[Jim Neal]

On 04/09/2021 at 09:53, hodge911 said:

I've got a video of the pup running round our sitting room but can't upload it  so if any kind person has WhatsApp and would upload it let me know ( pm me your number).

Hi mate, further to our exchanges of messages today I'm afraid I don't have the required techno-whatsittery to reduce the file size and upload it to the forum.

So I've stuck it on a sharing platform, not sure if I can embed it to play in my post but can link to it at least.  Maybe someone with more skills than I in the computer department could do it...

https://imgur.com/a/S49JuuA

 

[Jim Neal]

He's a chunky little chap, is he from pure working lines?  I'd be considering the full tail as a slight disadvantage but not a deal-breaker, just have to hope he wouldn't smash it to bits on door frames, kitchen cupboards etc plus the issue of getting snagged up in heavy cover but that can be mitigated against by keeping it trimmed.

He's a busy little fella!

[bottletopbill]

Got the same problem no more dogs .When I want the garden dug up calling  the Met  police they will think Fred west lived here.  Six laid to rest

[hodge911]

4 hours ago, Jim Neal said:

He's a chunky little chap, is he from pure working lines?  I'd be considering the full tail as a slight disadvantage but not a deal-breaker, just have to hope he wouldn't smash it to bits on door frames, kitchen cupboards etc plus the issue of getting snagged up in heavy cover but that can be mitigated against by keeping it trimmed.

He's a busy little fella!

Yea if you listen to the video I say it's the only downside to him by that I mean the tail ... 

Yea his siblings are all black and white pure working cockers.

He's the Only one that colour .

I probs won't be getting him as I'm struggling raising the funds and the lad is selling them quite quickly... 

[Jim Neal]

I'm a great believer in fate when it comes to things like buying dogs.  At some point, the stars will align, an opportunity will present itself and you'll find yourself with that inner feeling that you know it's right.  The rest just follows naturally

Edited September 6, 2021 by Jim Neal

[hodge911]

On 06/09/2021 at 23:37, Jim Neal said:

I'm a great believer in fate when it comes to things like buying dogs.  At some point, the stars will align, an opportunity will present itself and you'll find yourself with that inner feeling that you know it's right.  The rest just follows naturally

Fingers crossed .

Unfortunately due to caring full time for my disabled wife since having to close my garage in 1996 to look after her my funds are VERY VERY limited and the rediculous prices are paying for pups rules me out at the current time & foreseeable future

[Lloyd90]

I would never get a spaniel with an undocked tail. 
 

There was a thread on FB running last night and whilst a handful of people said they never had any issues with it, there were a LOT of people who did have issues with tailing splitting and damage and ended up paying thousands in vet fees, and ended up having tails amputated. 
 

 

If I was ever buying a spaniel and the owner told me he/she worked their dogs but didn’t get them docked I would genuinely question if they actually worked them or if they just took them for a walk in the countryside and thought they are “working”. 
 

 

 

Re prices, the market is flooded and many people are getting stuck with several pups. 
 

How much are they? Give it a few months and prices will be right down. 
 

I have already seen people selling Spaniel pups for old prices (£600-£800) roughly. 

[London Best]

I have limited experience with spaniels.  
I have had two. Both given to me as pups. Both cockers.  
The dog was docked, the bitch undocked.  
Both were worked. Worked hard. Picking up, up to 4/5 days some weeks in often thick cover.  
I never had a moments bother with the undocked bitch’s tail.  
I have had a lot of labradors and have had split tails on several over the years. This was due to them wagging against kennels/doorways/etc. Each one took months to get right. In fact, the vet wanted to amputate the tail on the best bitch I ever had. I declined and persisted with a cut off pop bottle taped in place for months and months until she was right, but the hair never grew back properly.

[hodge911]

I completely agree that working spaniel tails should be docked I've seen a couple of horrible injured tails over the years 

More on labs but there was 1 Springer that hadn't been done and it was a real mess .

But looking around there's loads of KC reg litters of " working type" cockers but they're all undocked ( and an exorbitant price) there's a litter in the for sale section at a belter price but unfortunately out of pocket range unless anyone wants to buy a kidney 

[Saltings]

if you are a calm soul and quiet        you will be fine you will train anything     ive had my fair share of sheepdog from the age of about 6 under grandads eye   inc spaniels and labs    pointers    red setters  irish water spaniels  and muts  etc    each one is different and i dnt mean breed  you got to find what makes them tick       humans are the same          praise / scold / reward  i find praise the best      or shut up  most dogs cant handle when you turn your back on them for bad behaviour  and run away as fast as you can vehicle its all over  the tone of voice is key  you will be fine       if you are having a bad day a cocker will lift you  like none other   a heart of a lion is just about right  after a heavy day pigeon shooting on laid wheat 260 to me and another 30+ his dog didnt pick  my cocker didnt have breakfast  but evening meal bouncing of the walls good to go again              go now once in the house no sending back   trust me    go now 

 

[holloway]

My first springer was a 7 month old free to a good home job,she had a full tail ,very quickly it got damaged the vet took the last 3 inches off ,and we never had any more problems but the healing process after the op is a complete nightmare,the vet suggested that I tried to stop her wagging it until it was fully mended .(no I'm not joking he really did.)