What's it like running a cocker?

[Merbury]

So currently I run my 3 yr old lab and soon will be starting my sheltie. I like speed, but accuracy, but with some ability to work ahead. At my display team I am currently a floating handler so I often stand in for people and have run other labs and a flatcoat retriever.

Cadbury is quite a tough nut and you really have to be on the ball with him, if you are late on commands or don't keep firm with him on certain equipment he can be a nightmare, but on the plus side he can do the weaves independantly and works ahead really well. I've yet to discover what Merlin is like on a course, but I suspect he will be less prone to running off, but faster and noisier!

So what is it like running a cocker? I imagine they tend to be more like my lab than a sheltie?

[supergirl]

I think it does depend on the cocker.  Misha is ace at anticipating commands (tho sometimes we do get it wrong) and is nice and steady.  Roly is bit like your Cadbury you need to keep him focussed as he is quite fast and given the opportunity does like to play the fool, but when he gets going he is just great, just wish I could run faster. I've never been able to get either of them to weave independently but they do quite well all the same.   Their main obstacle is their handler 

[Emilyoliver]

Mine (and other cockers I have seen) like to follow their noses and therefore can get distracted quite easily. So they can be quite erm...  challenging  as far as focus is concerned.

[Emilyoliver]

Apologies - just read your introduction post and see you were talking about workers.  Mine are show type, so probably less drive and more inclination to wander off (than worker) 

[black taz]

Emily - don't believe it -  i have to work really hard to keep Taz's focus (and he is a show).  He is quite fast which makes it difficult for me to keep up with him but if i don't work him all the time he does tend to loose focus and pick up a scent.  He is getting better (at 4 years old). 

I have been running my lab for the last 4 weeks, she had had about 8 sessions earlier in the year but then due to a shoulder injury had to rest form agility from most of the summer, and i must admit she is much easier to run as she focuses  more on me then trying to find a scent - dont get me wrong she is fast for a lab and despite only just going up to full height has not yet knocked a jump down.

I have to work taz ahead of me purely because he is too fast for me really  (i love tunnels where it make them change direction, i can send Taz quite away from a tunnel and therefore it gives me a chance to get ahead of him )

[JohnW]

So what is it like running a cocker? I imagine they tend to be more like my lab than a sheltie?

Just my observations BUT nope cockers are nothing Like Labs in agility, I do notice for some reason many labs struggle with jumps in agility and can appear clumsy   even those from working lines dare I say it, however I am sure there would be a few that thrive. Show cockers can be more vocal than workers but it doesn't stop them from doing very well. Handicaps in agility with a cocker especially workers is the Spaniel nose   .... they can be a little eratic at times and working cockers do jump and quarter naturally wider than other breeds again its down to breeding, this can be trained into them but it can take a little more time tightening up on corners and jumps, but please do not chastise your dog for this and especially sniffing, its what they were bred to do and they cannot help alot of it, simply move them forward, I do get annoyed with alot of cocker agility handlers who moan about the dogs sniffing but if they weren't high drive gundogs they would probably be no good at agility either and afterall all breeds have their handicaps in agility. You also tend to find the first run of the day will either be your best or worst run, as they tend to be full of energy first thing but as the day progresses they do slow down or become more steady as others may say. I have noticed many cockers make it to grade 6 and then just seem to have trouble getting out of that grade into G7 the highest grade as many just don't have the speed needed to beat other G6 dogs or maybe its the nerves of alot of G6 handlers   But cockers do take longer to mature than say collies for example Kevin Macintosh didn't win his 2nd cc with his little Wc until the dog was 7 years old I believe, but then again trialers and gundog people still work these little dogs way past 10 years old and in many cases even older so your little cocker should be competing for a very long time to come.   Hope you have a every success.

[Becky and Wilson]

I think it depends entirely on the dog! 

I run 3 show type cockers and all run differently, Paisley will NOT run ahead of me and so it's nearly impossible to cross behind her unless it's contact kit.  She refuses to do 12 weaves and I wouldn't trust her doing right hand weaves, not even 6!  And she's been doing agility for 3 years now! 

Isla my deaf girl, she stays close enough to me to keep an eye on my body language for directional control and amazingly does brilliant cross behinds and goes the right way after the jumps 9 times out of ten, she's now brilliant at weaves and I know she will go in and stay in for all 12! (just need to work a little bit on right hand weaves with 12 but she gets her entry really well now!)

Neither of the girls have ever been very sniffy so I never have a problem with them wandering off.....only if they're really tired and have basically given up for the day!

Obviously with them sticking my me they only really run as fast as I can go and sometimes I find myself waiting for Paisley! 

Merfyn is my youngest and so a bit of a live wire, with him being a boy his nose often takes him off to sniff and pee on things, I'm hoping as he gains focus on what he's doing he'll grow out of this.  He's only 16 months so not sure how he will be weave wise but he seems to be progressing quicker than my girls did but that could be my more experience now as a handler!  He is confident with all kit and is more than happy to run ahead and boy is he fast!  Because he's so fast he is prone to going wide on tight turns and therefore getting us eliminated but he is very young so that's one of the things I'll be working on with him during the winter! 

I find I also have to be more high pitched with him to keep his focus and have to keep commands and praise flowing to keep him interested whereas the girls just get on with it with little vocal commands from me at all!  (obviously none with isla!)  But this is probably because he's still so young!

Perhaps there is a difference between running girls and boys generally?!

[black taz]

thanks for posting JohnW - made me realise that some of the problems i have with Taz are probably a breed thing rather than a Taz thing - such an accurate reflection of Taz's performance.  We competed at our club agility fun day yesterday and his first run was a complete waste of time, following by a clear round and two rounds with just 5 faults (both jumping off the seesaw).  perhaps i should be less critical of him 

[SkyeandOllie]

mine is fast!!!!   We're around 3 months into training with Ollie (worker) and he flies! He really enjoys himself and luckily is so focused on jumping and his contacts he doesn't get lost with his nose.  He'll work away from me and is very eager to please. My GSD on the other hand wont work away from me.  As others have said, each dog is different 

[Max X 2]

So what is it like running a cocker? I imagine they tend to be more like my lab than a sheltie?

What's it like running a cocker?   ENTERTAINING!  & quite often the show cockers are vocal on the course
Seriously though, I'd have thought more like a sheltie than a lab, but JohnW has summed it all up IMO.
They all seem to love it BUT I have one where his nose will get the better of him, especially if people are eating ringside but when he's focused he does really well

Harry has HD so isn't doing too much but he gets thoroughly excited just watching (bit like the collies) whereas Max doesn't wake up til he gets to the start line - and even then if the weather conditions for example don't suit him then he won't always give it his all

[supergirl]

thanks for posting JohnW - made me realise that some of the problems i have with Taz are probably a breed thing rather than a Taz thing - such an accurate reflection of Taz's performance.  We competed at our club agility fun day yesterday and his first run was a complete waste of time, following by a clear round and two rounds with just 5 faults (both jumping off the seesaw).  perhaps i should be less critical of him 

This is so like Roly, the first couple of runs tend to be a waste of time  , but by his 4th he is running beautifully.  He is becoming more focussed as gets older (as you would expect), but every now and then has to play the fool.  He is quite entertaining when he's messing about and everyone can just see that he's enjoying himself, which for me is what its all about.

[Merbury]

Thank you all for replying, some really interesting comments. But, heck, I love entertaining else I would have pulled all my hair out with Cadbury! And I do agility for the fun of it and about bonding with the dog, I just love seeing them fly over the equipment.

JohnW, I know exactly what you are saying about labs, they can be seriously awkward jumpers, they are just not naturally suited to jumping that way. I notice a lot of working labs at shoots tend to 'climb' obstacles like fences rather than leap them and I have seen labs attempt this at agility, which of course does not work. They also don't tend to stretch out when they jump, causing them to clip the top pole - but aside from that they are good fun!

Thanks all!

[JohnW]

been a very interesting insight and at least my observations are not too dissimilar to others on cockers and labs. I love Labs btw and they are fantastic intelligent dogs but I have wondered why they seem to struggle with agility at times more so than other breeds. @Merbury thanks for a little insight into what might be the reasons. I have on occasion wondered why. 

[black taz]

i think most labs struggle because of the weight in comparison with something like a collie.  I have been pleasantly surprised with Kira, as i said early we compete on sunday, she has only been jumping full height for 3 training sessions and didnt knock a pole all in four runs. The only thing she struggled with on sunday was the A frame, but i think this is a confidence thing.  She will soon crack it.  I find that Kira works much closer to me, but that may be because she is still in the early stages of learning.

[Workingcocker]

The best I love running with my cocker Rio x