Cora
Working Cocker Spaniel bitch.
Liver and White D.O.B. 06/08/06
Wormed and Vaccinated. Not Microchipped.
Unspayed at present,
Cora will be up for rehoming soon but anyone who is interested in potentially applying to adopt her is welcome to speak to me now and come forward for homechecking etc.
Sadly her owner died very suddenly, and his mother in her 90's was eventually admitted into a care home and the younger brother was struggling a lot. she was totally unsocialised, had lived on an isolated croft for all her life, seen no one but the family and the postie. she hadnt even been on a lead or out of the garden, since her owner died when she was around a year old. shes over 3 now. Was not used to being handled by strangers at all. and if she got away would run off in a panic and would be very difficult to get a hold of as she wouldn't approach humans.
Cora is very timid until she gets to know and trust you, she is afraid of strangers, , but is getting better as she meets more people. Cora will try and hide in corners until she has learned to trust you , once you have gained her trust she wont leave your side indoors. She becomes a different dog entirely loving and wanting to please. At present, She requires a fair bit of basic training and must have a reliable recall before being allowed off lead.
I use a long line, as that gives Cora the ability to run around and can aid in her recalls. She can and will take fright and run away so it is vital she does not get loose and that the garden she is let out in is secure. Ensure that fences have no holes in them where she can escape from.
she has now been off lead with me and her recall is good for treats but this is ongoing training.. she is now answering a lot better to her name..
Cora is not afraid of the hoover , washing machine or cars, or horses or trains.
She is not a naturally nervous dog, just an unsocialised one with little training. She recently met an equally inquisitive shetland pony and licked his nose!
She is unafraid of the hoover, the washing machine , cars ,trains, lorries, loud noises and now appears to be fine meeting people and dogs on walks. She has a quick bark, I call her back to me ( long line v handy here) and I give whoever a treat to give her.. as she is very food motivated its a great training tool . ( as long as its part of her daily diet dont want to undo my good work!)
She has met my mothers cat who is a big boy and wont run from dogs,, she was a bit wary of him . my daughter is coming up for new year with her 2 housecats who are skittish so that will be a big learning curve for her.
Cora alarm barks to let you know someone is passing or at the door. This is not always a bad thing. To start with she was very subdued but as she has become more confident she has found her voice. She playbows and barks to get you to play with her, throw a toy or just give her attention, this is a happy bark and easily hushed.
She also barks at strangers. That’s down to fear once she gets less stressed and more socialised, that should hopefully stop.
She now barks when in the house at sudden noises. To get her to stop I redirect her with a toy or a treat which has to be part of her daily diet as Cora is overweight. Her previous owners used a spray collar on her It wasnt effective. Retraining will be of more use using positive methods. Teach her to “be quiet” and use that instead. Shouting at Cora just makes her bark louder she thinks you are joining in! her owners were deaf and all shouted at once so she pays no heed to that!
So far Im working towards trying to stop Cora from barking in the house by calling her to me and getting her to do something else. and rewarding the quiet.
Also when she runs out into the garden with my 3 she is so excited she was beginning to bark just out of excitement, I put her on her long line and she went out quietly ( handy at 6 am).
I have sent away for mekuti calming bands to see if they will help reduce her barking.
Cora is on a diet, her waist is now 17.5 inches. It was 23 when I got her 1st.
she will try and scrounge food from your plate. She has also learned to jump from furniture onto worktops to steal food. She cant do this in my house but did it on a visit to a friends.! She is a bit of a thief and a scrounge.. Cora will eat anything she finds dropped on the ground. Any training treats given should be part of her diet or she will gain weight. However for training recall I use something like livercake cut into tiny pieces as the smell and taste to Cora is a great incentive to come back to you. And the extra exercise will burn up calories as well.
She isnt food aggressive at all, in fact she will easily be put out of her bowl by another dog. Initailly I had to feed her separately as she was too nervous to eat in front of the others, now she eats her meals with the rest.
Cora’s claws were very overgrown , to the point of digging into her pads and her fur was matted especially around the ears and feathering of legs and feet.
It has taken a while but her coat is smooth and silky now and she likes being brushed while lying beside you relaxed. It has taken 2 weeks for her to trust me fully to groom her all over. I just did little bits while she was lying beside me on the couch!
She hates having her feet touched and will react at the sight of scissors near her toes. A reminder of painful feet. she is capable of growling and snapping ( as all dogs are ) if pushed into defending herself from something she finds scary.
she is better than she was as I stroke her feet and paws as she lies beside me to de sensitise her..
However she has allowed me to clip the hair around her feet with nail scissors and regular walks on hard ground will keep her nails short. None of my spaniels has ever required a nail trim.
She had never been walked so wasn’t used to the lead but is much better now and loves her walks. She does flatten herself to the floor when the lead is being put on but again is slowly getting better at this as well.
If Cora finds something like a sock, and goes under a chair with it. I do not follow her to get it back. That will trigger her anxiety and she likes to hang on to her “stuff”, Rather, I get her to swop it with a higher valued item such as a favourite toy or a treat.
I try not to put Cora in a position where she becomes defensive.
She is much better about this now but she still loves socks and it turns out her previous owner played tug of war with her. Thats why she hangs on to stuff!
Small children should be supervised around Cora . As with all dogs she may be unpredictable around them, and they with her. She isn’t used to children but has been very good with my friend’s child who is very dog savvy, and was quiet around Cora. In fact now a few weeks on she absolutely loves my friends granddaughter but still will be wary of strange children until she feels secure with them.
A lot of this is common sense which unfortunately isnt very common.
Initially on rehoming, she may benefit from being left on her lead for the first while, both outside and when running loose in the house, so you can catch that easily and avoid confrontational situations. Such as Cora has hidden somewhere and its less stressful for her for you to lead her out than go towards her when she feels cornered. until she has bonded with her new family. It took me 6 weeks to let her off lead outside in an unenclosed space.
Cora is very sweet tempered, she loves her cuddles. Wants nothing more than to lie beside you on the couch, having her tummy tickled.
Cora absolutely loves old plastic bottles, I put some of her kibble in and let her play for hours trying to get it out.
she prefers the couch or chairs to the floor.. unless the fire is on then theres a Cocker mountain in front of it!
She sleeps in a crate here but is never keen at going in although is getting better. tho funnily enough she leaps into the car crate..she associates it with lovely dog walks.. She is very quick on the uptake.. would rather sleep on the couch overnight, I think than go into the crate. But go into the crate she does.. I still pop her on the lead and walk her in, to avoid fuss. She was used to sleeping wherever she chose before.
I think she likes human company, she appears more fearful of men but once she’s made a friend she doesn’t forget them.
Cora has started basic training with me and is learning to do sits and stays for rewards. I think she has learned to ignore someone shouting her name but she is improving and Im starting to teach her to answer to a whistle.
Her recall is already improving on a long line for smoked sausage treats/ livercake. ( tiny bits at a time)
I have a 15 foot line for in the garden and around the house and I also have a 50 foot line which I also used to train the croft collie. Its best in open spaces, eg beaches, fields, where she can chase a ball but still be on the end of a long line, so not in danger of running away or not answering.
She is left alone while Im at work, the others go up to my mothers croft.... I have friends who let her out and walk her.. she curls up on a chair and goes to sleep , she does not chew the furniture. I keep doors shut of rooms she shouldnt be in as she will raid bins , steal socks etc. I leave different toys for her to play with. She has the run of the hall the stairs living room and kitchen. I put tin foil on top of tables to stop her climbing on them. she has and the tinfoils away now.
Cora has learned to live with other dogs and has bonded with mine ..
she has been on multiple dog walks with up to 13 other dogs and coped well..
Id love to see her go to somewhere in the country, not a town as she isnt used to or suitable for town life. .
If anyone is interested in finding out more about Cora and the adoption process for her please contact me either via this thread or by PM and we can talk in more detail about her, what you're looking for and the kind of home you're offering.
http://www.spanieltrust.co.uk/
