Working dad/show mum.

[Rae]

Hi,

Sorry if this is a really stupid question to ask. 

If the dad was from a working line and the mum was from a show line, what "line" are the puppies going to be?
Is it possible that they're going to end up being from a working line?

Rae

[bajoleth]

Hi, someone with proper knowledge will be along soon I am sure but I think the answer is neither and both , it will be half show type half worker type. It will still be a 'full' cocker but half of each type. Good breeders usually breed either one type or the other as they have different traits and can look very different, Working Cocker breeders (the good ones that is) will be breeding for the things that make a good worker (you would have to ask someone up on Workers exactly what they are as I have Show ) and Show breeders (again the good ones) will breed for conformation to the Breed standard. Both will also breed bearing in mind temperament and Health testing.
There is no good reason to mix the two as far as I am aware, it is generally best to breed one or the other

[bajoleth]

Just to add, I see you are looking for a Cocker pup, what type did you have in mind? For more information use this link, it explains it better than I could
http://www.thecockerspanielclub.co.uk/cocker_faq.htm

Hope this helps

[Pisky]

They will be neither one nor the other.

They get half their genes from mum and half from dad and then it will depend which is dominant for any individual characteristic as to what you will get.

You could get dad's build, mums temperament, basically any mix of positives or negatives from both. You could have the worst of both ..

Unless the breeder can explain exactly why they chose that particular dog/bitch then I would avoid - a good breeder will breed for improvement of the line, not just because that was the dog that happened to live nearby.

[JaspersMum]

As said above, the majority of breeders have no good reason why they would breed one with the other.

However the resulting puppies are unpredictable as to which they follow genetically.  My Louie has a 50:50 mix Mum who looks and behaves more like a worker.  Dad is a show type.  In looks I would say Lou is almost the image of his show type dad, however he is genetically wired towards the working genes.

[Rae]

Sorry for not explaining better  It isn't a breeder, my friend has a rescue and they've never had cocker spaniel puppies in before, right now they have a litter of 4 that came in with the mum. The mum is apparently a showing strain and the dad a working. It's definitely a show puppy we'd be looking to get rather than working, I just wanted to know how it would work if the parents were one of each - thanks for the replies 

[JaspersMum]

Sorry for not explaining better  It isn't a breeder, my friend has a rescue and they've never had cocker spaniel puppies in before, right now they have a litter of 4 that came in with the mum. The mum is apparently a showing strain and the dad a working. It's definitely a show puppy we'd be looking to get rather than working, I just wanted to know how it would work if the parents were one of each - thanks for the replies 

Well I can only speak of Lou, there are many others with mixes here, but probably each of them are different. There are plenty of pics of my Louie on here (he's the blue roan) but he just has to run, he'd be incredibly frustrated if he didn't get his good runs off lead (so would the others but not to the same extent!) He has to work the ground all the time, he's obsessed with looking for rabbits... however at home, he barks the least and he just loves a cuddle.

[bajoleth]

Right , well thats a different situation but the same result, you need to be aware that there is really no way of telling if they are young pups what characteristics they will display. To be honest I believe that Workers can be difficult to manage in a 'pet' home, thats not to say it can't be done it has and many workers on this forum are not worked but for it to be successful they need a lot of physical and mental stimulation. That is why I would never entertain the notion of owning a Worker as I know my limitations and I wouldn't be able to fulfil its needs. Show Cockers need an active life too but on a more manageable scale. I would let your head rule this time not your heart, you will need to be completely sure that if it had worker traits that you could fulfil its needs, sadly many pet homes are finding that a Worker needs more than they can offer so more are ending up in rescue. Did you read the link I posted, that will give you more info
You may think you are saving this pup but if it turns out to have more working traits than Show and you can't handle it it will end back up in rescue, you must get as much info as you can and be sensible only you know your situation and which strain is more suited to your lifestyle
Good luck 

[maddy74]

Workers are lively we have one as a pet, not to work. She does like mental exercise and in relation to physical exercise most days we only take her out twice a day for half an hour or just over. She would go all day though if we let her. At the weekends we walk her more and take her to different places. We were new to puppy/dog ownership so its been a challenging experience however our Willow is now 14 months old and all our hard work is paying off. She is a very quick learner and a very loyal companion, apart from walking to heal she has been fairly easy to train. 
I have read one of your earlier posts and you say you live in a rural location and are at home most of the time, dont rule out a worker as long as you do your homework. In relation to a mix of both im not sure as its not something im familiar with but i know there are a few on here that own a mixture of the two strains.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Maddy

[Sarah.H]

Millies is half n half with Mum being a worker and Dad a show. She has a very pretty show head but a taller and more athletic build than a show. She also has much more drive than a show but with a very thick and long coat  .

[lisvic]

Fenton is half and half, he is an absolute star. He was great to train and is amazingly obedient, responds to hand signals as well as voice commands. Fenton is just a pet, but we did dog obedience for 2 years and agility for a year and he has at least 2 hours off lead every day. He is a fabulous dog, but i believe this is as a result of all the effort, time and training put in for the first 3 years of his life and a lot of off lead exercise. I was not aware of the difference when I got him and i do believe full workers , on the whole should be worked. I will never have another dog like him 

[supergirl]

I have two rescues that I think are probably half and half.  Lexi to begin with did look very workerish as a youngster but now I would say looks very much like a show type.  She defiitely has the brain of a worker, but sadly the body can't keep up with the head .  She is also quite small weighing in at 8.5kg.  Ellie my blue roan is a little bigger at 10kg - she definitely has the body and energy of a worker, she is incredibly busy.  Reason I think that she is a cross is that her head does look show type.  They both have their quirks, but the underlying personality is very sweet - think their main drawback was a lack of good training as youngsters.  Ellie especially finds it difficult to learn new things as she is always moving, bit like a moving target its a bit harder to focus her, but when she gets it she is brilliant.

Misha & Roly also have a bit of worker crossed in but this goes back about 4 generations and I have to say it hasn't done them any harm, both have very sweet personalities, love to learn, and are wonderful pets (but while they look very show type they wouldn't set the world alight in the showing arena) 

With regards to the pups I think until they are a bit older there's no way to say how their personalities or looks will develop and whether they will be more workerish or more show or just a happy combination of both, but do think as long as you put in the effort into their training it will help a great deal and I think that both Ellie & Lexi wouldn't have been in rescue if this had been done.