Another recruit

poptart

Scottish, not British.
Owned by
1 cocker
A big wave from a cold wet Scotland!

My new baby is Tiree, a 13 week old working cocker spaniel. Also have an elderly cavalier called Theo, just to complicate things.
Looking forward to getting to know you all and learn lots.

Sandra
 
Fi is my first cocker and I have fallen hard for cockers. Lately I have been looking at working cockers and was wondering about their general temperament and how they differ from the show lines. Any information you have to share on the subject would be greatly appreciated. I am interested in their trainability and ability to focus, are they resource guarders, etc. Does your dog come from actively hunted lines?
 
Yes, both his parents are working gun dogs. He's my first cocker so I don't pretend to be an expert on the breed, I'm just learning myself. I've had two cavalier spaniels and they are similar but there are differences. Even at his young age Tiree is full of energy, he's very lean and athletic in build. From what I've seen show cockers are more squat in build as well as having longer, high maintenance coats. So far I've found Tiree very willing to learn and very keen to come when he's called (although I haven't plucked the courage to let him off the lead on walks yet!). I'm home with him all day and he's intensely interested in everything I'm doing. My impression is the breed is very oriented to people and needs human company. That's what makes them so useful as working dogs I suppose. He's also an odd mixture of boldness and timidity.
 
One thing all cockers seem to have in common is devotion to their people and they are so very endearing. If Fiona is awake, her backfield (rearend) is usually in motion. Will Tyree need grooming, like trimming, thinning, that sort of thing? That intense interest is something that they definitely have in common: Fiona is always with me and looking for a way to participate in whatever I am doing.....I read somewhere that having an English Cocker is a lot like living with a toddler and I find that to be very true. My dog is undersized for the breed standard and when she is wet, looks like a small wiry dog without the bulk of her coat which kind of obscures her girlish figure and you are right, that coat requires a bit of maintenance. I have watched field bred cockers during a hunt and love the way they whirl on a dime and dash off into the brush and was also quite impressed at their responsiveness to their human hunting companion.
 
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