Spaniels - concentration span of a gnat! Discuss...

[turbobert]

So said my dog trainer at our first class.  Now admittedly our working cocker puppy is exuberant and wants to play with everyone and anyone but he is only 6 months!  Is this a little harsh???

[Beth]

Unfortunately true for Jarvis. He knows his stay command and is REALLY good at it when he wants to be, but we'll have days where i put him in a stay, walk away a few metres, then turn around to realise he's followed me 'cos he got bored

[louis mum]

No not when addressed at my Alfie   I say it all the time about him  

[Annie's Mum]

so true of Annie..she will go out into the garden for a wee then forget why she's gone out there 

[LurcherGirl]

Well, my American Cocker was able to concentrate for ages from 8 weeks old! I'd easily do 10 or 15 minutes training with him and he'd still want more. These days (2 years old), I can do an hour's training with him without him ever taking his eyes off of me... He keeps going for as long as I do.  

It is also a matter of training! Start clicker training and the attention span of a gnat suddenly increases drastically!  

Vera

[louis mum]

so true of Annie..she will go out into the garden for a wee then forget why she's gone out there 

I do that too though  not in the garden mind 

[Elisa]

It would be quite a complement if it was directed at my two 

[louis mum]

Well, my American Cocker was able to concentrate for ages from 8 weeks old! I'd easily do 10 or 15 minutes training with him and he'd still want more. These days (2 years old), I can do an hour's training with him without him ever taking his eyes off of me... He keeps going for as long as I do.  

It is also a matter of training! Start clicker training and the attention span of a gnat suddenly increases drastically!  

Vera

Ahhh so it is the cocker owner who has the gnat like attention span then  In my case, yes  Maybe thats why we own cockers then 

[6thSense]

I would say that pretty much describes my lot. 
Although when they do concentrate they pick things up very quickly and they remember things fantastically. Which is lucky really I guess. 

[Joules]

Not true in Coco's case - she is too smart for her own good and I reckon if I am not able to hold her attention it is probably because I am not doing anything exciting enough to interest her!    I often wish she was a bit more dim - I think life with her would be a lot easier 

[Annette]

Buddy is very attentive if there's any hint of food!

[elaine.e]

so true of Annie..she will go out into the garden for a wee then forget why she's gone out there 

William does this too. I know that he needs a pee and have to send him back out again and tell him "go pee". Then he remembers!

In his defence though, he's very focussed when we do agility. He wasn't initially and everyone else at the club (mainly collie owners) used to say "what can you expect, he's a spaniel". It made me very disheartened. But he was so quick to learn that we soon proved them wrong and they stopped saying it. The club now also has another very focussed Cocker Sapniel and I think between us we've made a few owners of other breeds revise their opinions about Cockers.

[M4ndy]

Ahhh so it is the cocker owner who has the gnat like attention span then

What was the question again?

[Hurtwood Dogs]

Having owned cockers for over seven years... and a Weimaraner for just a year and a half. I'd totally agree 

Both my spaniels have picked things really quickly, been up for as much training as I can give them, loved it and been great fun to work with. However, they have both been all over the place when it comes to concentrating for any real length of time on a single command. My Weim although extremely bright is also very stubborn so was much harder work initially but soooooooooo steady once we've cracked something.. and obviously once she'd decided to graciously lower herself and do things I asked 

But it's nice to have the contrast and one of each to play with 

Hannah xxx

[Helen]

I think it's because they're eternal optimists and are always looking for the next exciting thing to do - Jarv is like Coco but with boy traits (ie he's not as calculating as a girl). 

Training classes with lots of other dogs are incredibly difficult for some dogs - especially busy little dogs who have to see and do everything like working cockers.

When Jarv was 6 months old training turned to mud - my breeder said it would and it  - he said to just re-affirm your existing training, only train for very short bursts, and look forward to post-adolescence    I noticed at around a year I was getting way more eye contact and he was checking in with me loads more, and that's when I started training him again properly. and that's when he started training ME properly....


TBH I love the way working cockers act - I even love the fact that I directed Jarv in one direction today - he looked at me as if I was a total idiot and went in completely the opposite direction .... and flushed a pheasant right over my head.  He came back sat at my feet and looked at me with a look that said 'the working cocker knows best'....