Well done for getting advice first!
You'd be surprised at the number of people that don't!!
You know alot depends on the individual dogs. You can get a blanket description for a breed but not all dogs in a breed conform to it, so that's something to bear in mind.
I have an English Cocker (male), American Cocker (male), a Lab (female) and a Golden Retriever (male).
I'll try work through your questions in order.
ANY dog of ANY breed can suffer separation anxiety. Some breeds generally are better than others but there's no guarantee's.
When my lab was younger she did suffer from separation anxiety which we resolved once we realised what was going on.
My English cocker can be very vocal when I'm out according to my neighbours, though is much better when left together with my other dogs.
You may fall into the same trap as I did. My lab was my first pup. I'm at home the vast majority of time as I'm medically retired, so I spent lots of time with Sapphi and I only went and got on with jobs when she went to sleep. BIG mistake, I should have made sure that I put distance between us during the day so that she got used to spending time apart from me. You would have to watch that you didn't fall into the same trap.
My English Cocker doesn't like very young children. I don't have children myself but I have a young niece and nephew. My niece when she was three and Barney was four months old hurt or startled him or both when he'd tucked himself away under a table to go to sleep. Her parents weren't supervising her.
Barney snapped at her. Since then he doesn't trust her at all so I've taken the decision never to mix them again together.
He's not very tolerant of how very young children behave whereas children that are above 6 he absolutely loves.
Barney has a lovely personality, he's loving and tries hard to please me.
My lab, who is a working line, was a nightmare puppy. She virtually bounced off the walls 24/7 and was very mouthy (as in play biting) which I really had to watch with my niece and also that she didn't knock her over all the time. Working lines, as you know, are full of energy.
Now she is three, is very calm, can be left alone. She is wary of men that she doesn't know. She has been since we got her at 8 weeks. We worked very hard with her and we'd more or less resolved it until she was knocked down last year and she reverted back. This we think is in her breeding, we discovered later that she really wasn't well bred and that was down to our naivety when looking for a puppy.
Out of all my dogs my lab tolerates my cat the best, and the cat tolerates her too.
In general my English cocker, who is show line, can be really quite vocal. I knew this was likely to be an issue so I taught a Quiet command from a pup and he will be quiet when told. He and my American seem to be very much a watch dog so will bark as soon as they see anyone but thats more to let them know that they're hear and waiting for a cuddle!
I wouldn't leave my dogs alone for a full day, so perhaps you could look at using a reputable day creche or dog walker on the days you're away from home. At the very least a neighbour or friend to pop in and let them out for a wee and spend a little time with. Be very careful leaving a dog in a garden its not something I'd ever recommend there are too many dog thefts from gardens happening.
My Golden Retriever, who is show line, was a very gentle pup and is an exceedingly gentle dog. He was dream pup and is a dream dog. He loves everyone from babies to older people, he loves every dog he meets. He can be left on his own and has never had a problem and loves going dog training. He is exceedingly tolerant of very young children and will just lie down for them as soon as he sees them and will allow them to do anything to him.
The only reason my cat doesn't like him is that he gets excited when he sees him and the cat disappears quickly!
This doesn't mean all Goldens are the same, there is one in Morgan's puppy class who is a bit willful at the moment but she still has the same gentle character as have all the goldens I have met with the exception of one.
My American cocker is only 5 months old so a bit young to give you an overview of what he's like. He's been very good with my niece and nephew and other children. Loves everyone he meets. He's quiet when he is left, though so far its always been with at least one other dog. He can be vocal when he hears a sound he doesn't know but he's learnt to be quiet when told. He's a lovely character and very loving.
On the whole my boys are much more relaxed than Sapphi, which is the opposite to what you found! But again you will get girls that are laid back and boys that are highly strung, again there's no guarantee's.
As has been pointed out the show line do have coats that have to be groomed much more so than working line. However I wouldn't just use that as the basis of your decision. Living with working line and living with show line can be very different. I've certainly found that and since my working lab have stuck with show lines!
Whatever you decide be very careful as to where you get your pup/dog from. If you decide to get a pup make sure you choose a reputable breeder, it makes all the difference as I have found out.
Not sure if all that will help you, after all that! Hope it does a bit.
