getting a cocker pup ..........but when x

[weerachxx]

hi everyone not sure if there is a right or wrong answer here but would welcome advice and comments
i have had a cocker before the best thing i ever did she was my best friend sadly whilst out walking a NASTY farmer (and i refrained there from using bad language) put poisin down for rabbits wel thats what he tole the police and the rspca but it was right on the bridal path and in my opinion ment for dogs any way she got very poorly very quickly and had to be PTS as all the internal organs were enlarging very rapidly and she was suffering so the decision was made ...............
right back to the reason i am posting i have after 5 years decided i am ready to get another cocker but here is the dilema my husband is in the navy and away till till the weekend before christmas but i am ready for my puppie now would it be farer on the dog to get her now and introduce a stranger in a few months or wait till he is home and get one when we are both going to be round he will be land based from the new year and so will be home am i making sense would welcome your thoughts xxx
also i am in scotland and if i get one from england would it be unfair to make it travel a long distance
ooohhh and another thing we move in jan from glasgow to portsmouth would the move be harsh on the pup or should i just wait ......... advice greatly welcomed xxxx

[Neon]

Hi
I'm so sorry you lost your previous cocker in such a terrible way.  From what you have said, if it were me I would def wait until January before I got another puppy.  I know it seems like a long wait but it will soon be here.  Otherwise the puppy may have to travel all the way up to Scotland, only to come all the way down to Portsmouth in the New Year.  Also, your OH will be with you so you can all bond with the new puppy at the same time.  That's what I would do anyway.  Good luck.  Keep us updated on what you decide to do.

[Goggins]

  Im so sorry to read about your cocker spaniel...what a terrible time you must have had...so very very sad

  I think I agree with Neon's post and I too would wait until the new year...I wish you the best of luck finding your new best friend x

[BobnDot]

Humm, nice farmer, he could probably benefit from the insertion of a splintered fencepost into one of his bodily orifices.

Really glad that you've decided on a new cocker but I think you'd be much better waiting until you move. The move will probably be traumatic enough without having to consider the puppy as well.

Once you've settled you'll be able to make sure the house and garden is well cocker-puppy-proofed and then you can both be involved in choosing and bonding with the new puppy.
The time need not be wasted, you can start researching breeders online and have a list ready for when you move. There's no better place than COL to get advice on breeders in the Portsmouth area and I'm sure there's lots of members only too willing to share their local knowledge.

Best of luck with the move and the new family member and please keep us updated on developments.

[elaine.e]

Hello and welcome to COL

I'm so very sorry about your previous Cocker  . Friends of ours lost their Corgi the same way earlier this year and it was totally devastating for them.

I have 2 Cockers, aged 7 and 2 years, and got both of them when my husband was working abroad on long term contracts and I was home alone.

When I got William, now 7, my husband was home for two weeks almost immediately so he and William got to know each other a bit. After that they didn't see each other again for several months but as soon as OH walked in the door William knew exactly who he was and greeted him happily as if he'd only been gone for a couple of hours.

It was similar when I got Louis, now 2 years old. My husband was home for a week when Louis was about 3 months old then away again for several months. He doesn't have as close a relationship with Louis as he has with William, but that's down to Louis' temperament and character and nothing to do with my husband being away while Louis was a puppy.

I wouldn't be worried about doing the same again as it's worked out well for me. In fact I know that my husband was glad to have missed the sleepless nights and toilet training bit both times, although that period was hard on me as I was coping with it on my own with nobody else to get up in the middle of the night or give me a break in the daytime. If you were to get your puppy in the next couple of months he or she would still be young enough to adjust easily when your husband comes home. I think it might be trickier with an older dog where jealousy could be a problem, but not with a young puppy eager to meet and love everyone.

I wouldn't worry too much about the long journey when you move, but it could be unsettling for the puppy to move to a new home when it's only just found it's feet in your current home. I'm sure it would work out in time, but maybe toilet training and general training would go backwards for a while until you'd all settled in.

So overall if you find the right puppy soon and you know that where you're moving to will be suitable for a puppy I'd be inclined to go for it

[Ben's mum]

so sorry about your cocker   

Have to say I agree with Elaine, although stability is good for a puppy, you would be a constant in the life of your pup regardless of where you live and when your husband comes home. When Ben was 16 weeks old we took him to Scotland for 2 weeks holiday, and he coped well both with the journey and being in a new place when he got there, we just kept him with us all the time and he seemed to take it in his stride.

As you know it can take weeks or months to find the right pup, so planning now is not a bad thing then you will be ready when he/she turns up   

[karen488]

Think you get a puppy when you feel happy but like other post when you find the right puppy. We moved house not long after getting Darcey. Not sure she even noticed  regards to OH being away. I would find a puppy a welcome distraction. If he gets really involved gradually when he's home can't see a prob?? Only downside I can see is if the pup would be able to be well socialised with men (pre injections) I have heard that some dogs can be wary of men if they're not used to them but this is not personal exp. Just hearsay.

[Carolynleah]

My son recently travelled up to Scotland to get a puppy (springer spaniel) - a five hour drive - the puppy was absolutely fine so I don't think travel would be a problem. 

[Nelly]

Sorry to hear about your previous cocker - its shameful.....
I would get your new pup just as soon as you are ready , regardless of when it is. Pups are adaptable, and i am sure it would be blissfully happy as long as it has you around
xx

[Jan D]

One thing worth consideration perhaps - house training in winter

I am getting my 15 month Roxy spayed in a couple of weeks and I'm desparate for another pup to keep her company. Obviously I want to wait until she's over the op but by then it will be October and I am not sure if I can face standing in the garden for 15 mins at a time waiting for the pup to 'go' when the weather is bleak and the nights are dark.

Clearly not everyone feels this way otherwise no-one would take all the lovely pups born during the winter months but...

I bet within 2 months I am posting a pic of our new additon though 

[penfold]

One other thing to bear in mind is that sometimes Jan is not the greatest time to get a puppy as there are often not too many available then.  You may be restricted by puppy availability (from the type of breeder you want) rather than a strict window of your own choosing. 

However, cockers are very adaptable and would soon adapt to any changes you may throw at them.

Good luck with the search and the move