is a show type cocker good for a novice dog owner??

[Clare B]

I think they are, although needy (needing love and company that is) and naughty, intelligent too.  I just think the new owner needs to be aware of the traits of the breed.  Just wondering because a friend is thinking of getting a puppy and is looking at options.

[Toni-UK]

Funny enough i said to my OH do you think a cocker is a dog for a novice,but then again what breed is,they can all have traits,issues etc to be managed.Ruby has never been a naughty dog,but will follow us around everywhere and can be stubborn,so they are all quite different.

I think if Ruby had turned out to have guarding tendencies,had she been my first dog i don't think i would have known what to do or how to manage it.I think knowledge is key and researching any breed you are hoping to own is a must,this is where a lot of people go wrong.
If your friend goes through a reputable breeder,breeding for sound temperament should go hand in hand with health testing and there is always COL should any problems arise. 

Edited to add-and as much as i read up on the breed i still wasn't quite prepared for how much grooming a cockers coat needs which some people might not want or have time for.

[Redked]

My OH and I are both in our 40s, have had 2 previous dogs-a lab and a collie x (who was mental!). Our lab died aged 13 and collie x died aged 16. Our lab was a perfect lady all her life, collie x was a dominating little madam with lots of issues. We've read books, researched and thought we were experienced dog owners....nothing can prepare you for a working cocker puppy But with determination, patience and a willingness to learn and put the time in then I'm sure even a novice owner would get there in the end -I'm told they are worth it in the end  If your friend does get one tell them it's compulsory to join COL because the knowledge, experience and help on here is unbelievable 

[supergirl]

Well I was a novice dog owner once, but always loved dogs. My parents had a dog but I had already left home by then.  I think if someone just gets a dog on a whim then I don't think any dog would be suitable no matter what breed.

I did a lot of planning, read up on the breed and felt that show cockers would be better for me as a first time owner.  I'd always planned to get a dog at some point and waited until I was working from home so that I could devote more attention to a puppy. I also did a lot of obedience classes ( not that you can tell with my lot  )

I do a lot with my dogs and the next dog (a few years to wait  ) will probably be a working cocker as I now feel it would be more suited to the activities that I enjoy.

[JohnK]

Having owned 1 mongrel, 1 springer 6 show cockers and 1 working cocker ( we still have the working cocker and 2 of the show cockers), I have to say Minnie our shortly to be three year old worker has been the hardest work.  Having said that, when she became "top dog" last year, when Danny died and we got Dennis, she has been a lot calmer. That may have also coincided with us starting agility training with her. Our Springer Danny and all the show cockers have been so easy. 

[minimoo]

I think that its got alot to do with how much effort a dog owner is willing to put into owning a dog , if they have thought about the costs and exercise and time spent training a pup then yes

[wendall]

Although I had a rescue dog many years ago, Rosie was my first puppy. I think getting any puppy is a culture shock. It takes a lot of commitment, tears, love and hard work! If your friends are prepared for this then they will reap the rewards

[Ben's mum]

I think cockers are fantastic dogs and now would not have any other breed  however I don't think they are easy dogs for a novice  having come from a family that always had dogs mainly collie crosses I thought I was prepared for a puppy. We also spent a long time reading books about cockers, but nothing prepared me for Ben  the amount of biting, the temper tantrums, guarding behaviour etc really made me question having a pup.  I also was not prepared for the amount of grooming a cocker needed, even though 'books' tell you they need a lot of coat care, it was harder than I expected to keep on top of his very long puppy coat.  And finally the obsession with food, rolling in horrible smelly things, and eating whatever he could find when we were out was a complete shock   

What would have made a difference is if I had known about COL because I would have understood that most of these are normal cocker traits and not me being a failing cocker owner. Also I had to deal with other people's misguided thoughts about 'cocker rage' which everyone said Ben had. 

If your friend is serious about having a cocker I would suggest she reads the puppy board to get an idea of what to expect with a happy naughty cocker. Also if she knows about buying from a good breeder she shouldn't have to worry about health or behavioural issues.

Sorry for the long reply, but so often on the rescue boards there are adolescent cockers looking for new homes because people haven't realised just how much time and attention a cocker pup needs and it's heartbreaking.  Obviously if she does go for a cocker she will be rewarded with a lifetime of love and fun 

[Chris+Fudge]

I would say show types yes, workers NO definitely not.

Yes you need to look at the breed and make sure that they know how much work is involved but no book will prepare you for your first puppy.

As the owner of a worker I can say how much hard work they are as puppies. I read with envy sometimes the stories of cockers cuddling up to their owners or cockers who look out of the door and its freezing cold/raining and say "not tonight" Fudge doesn't stop. Even on a night she will maybe laydown for a minute or two before getting up and wandering around the house. Sometimes its exhausting just to watch! At 16 months I can now open a door without a mad cocker bouncing you out of the way or open a cupboard door without having a cocker sticking her head in first.  

The first year was very hard work. The biggest advice I could give would be work the brain not the legs and start training from day 1.  Still wouldn't change Fudge for the world.

[Nicola]

I don't think Cockers are the easiest breed no, we don't tend to give show Cocker puppies to first-time socialisers at Hearing Dogs unless they are already dog savvy (we never give first timers working Cocker pups unless they've previously owned working type gundogs!). They can be stubborn and bitey puppies and we see a higher tendency to developing resource guarding and poor handling (mouthing/biting when being groomed or examined) than in our other breeds and if this isn't handled correctly can escalate and be difficult to manage. They are by and large vocal dogs and inappropriate barking, usually for attention, can also be an issue with them. Obviously you get difficult pups/dogs of every breed and we get some easy show Cocker pups too, but generally speaking I wouldn't say they're ideal novice dogs. If you know what to expect and go to a good breeder then most people will cope and be fine, but we definitely find that our first time socialisers have an easier time with the Poodles and Labradors.

[Jane S]

The question isn't really whether a show type Cocker is suitable for a novice dog owner, but what kind of dog is that novice dog owner looking for, what is their lifestyle like, what kind of traits do they want in their dog and what are their expectations of what living with a puppy is like? A good percentage of my own puppies go to first time owners and all have coped well and many will go on to have another Cocker once their first one has gone. However all have done their research and know what to expect from their own research and from talking to me - if they don't do their research and have perhaps a rosy tinted view of what a puppy will be like or what a Cocker is like to live with, then there might be problems further along the line. All puppies are demanding of their owner's time and patience at times and every puppy is also an individual so some Cocker pups may be slow to house train or more bitey than others but all these issues are seen in puppies of other breeds too. I don't think any puppy is "easy" and there are owners who will struggle with any breed of puppy including Labradors (going by the number of badly trained young Labs I see around our area )

I'm really quite sad to read some comments suggesting show type Cocker puppies are not suitable for first time owners and can only assume that either the breed has changed or that our expectations of what living with a puppy should be like has changed or perhaps it's a mixture of both

[elaine.e]

I've only ever had Cockers so can't compare with anything else, but we did our research before getting our first one in 1987 and knew that we would be getting a lively, inquisitive, intelligent dog and that perhaps some other breeds would be easier. But a Cocker was what we wanted to fit in with our lifestyle and love of walking in the New Forest.

We weren't prepared for the sheer hard work that comes with owning and training a young puppy, but I think that's the case with most first time puppy owners. Josh wasn't bitey (luckily none of mine have been) but house training took ages and he was a demon for digging in the garden and beheading plants . He had slight guarding tendencies with high value food items, which came as a bit of a shock, but we had good advice from his breeder and the local dog trainer whose classes we took him to and it never became a major issue.

We also had good advice about grooming and as I intended to show him I started him off with gentle brushing and lots of kind handling from the day we got him. I've done the same with all my subsequent Cockers and it's paid off as they've all been easy to groom.

I think Cocker puppies are harder work than some other breeds that have shorter coats and a less active nature. But if owners have done their research and have the time and dedication I think they're suitable for first timers.

[8 Hairy Feet]

I think you are right Elaine.
I cannot see why not, if you
know what's coming by doing your
research. 

[Toni-UK]

I think you are right Elaine.
I cannot see why not, if you
know what's coming by doing your
research. 

This can be the problem though,many people DON'T research a breed before they buy it  and i have read a col member say before that they wonder if one of the reasons so many cockers end up in rescue is because people don't know how to handle guarding behaviour and end up making the dog worse.
Same with working cockers who end up in rescue,people who haven't done their research can't cope with their high energy and drive. 

[8 Hairy Feet]

Hmm does this then beg the
question...
"what is an ideal breed for a
novice new owner?"
steffxxx