Behaviour issues with cockers

[Jan/Billy]

There seems to be far too many posts being made which are off putting  

So whats the answer?? Don't post on col if you have a problem? only post if it's a good thing?  

but a lot of theproblem behaviour that is posted about here I consider to be "normal" behaviour for Molo, so I sometimes feel I am tolerating behavior that others would consider unacceptable 

i agree with you there Rachel. The level of acceptance on this forum really does vary. There are things Billy does, which to people on here are totally unnacceptable, but are acceptable to me  

[Mollycuddles]

Nobody is going to bother to post to say they're having no problems with their Cockers but perhaps we should do more often to balance things up a bit

I admit, I have avoided saying how "good" Molo is, even though I have never been disappointed with his behaviour - but a lot of theproblem behaviour that is posted about here I consider to be "normal" behaviour for Molo, so I sometimes feel I am tolerating behavior that others would consider unacceptable 

I suppose I could be at fault for that reason too Rachel ...and assume dogs will be dogs and am a bit more tolerant than some

[Helen]

nope jan, please keep on posting - you are working so hard with billy and you are definitely viewing billy from a dog perspective and not humanising his problems

sometimes i think we don't see the good things our dogs do for the bad....

i did consider (but not for long) taking jarv to a very well known field trialler (labs) for intensive training - when i took jarv for his 'lesson' i discovered that his labs were perfectly trained, PERFECTLY.....but had absolutely no personality or individuality.  i didn't want to diminish all the norty (or good) traits that make up the dog jarvis is....

he's rubbish on the lead (sometimes, not consistently),he get's overexcited, he rolls in unspeakable dead things,he gets a bit whingy, he's not that interested in other dogs in the park now and can be grumpy (he and buttons should meet gilly, they could ignore other dogs together), he's toooo excited around pheasants, not steady enough and so on and so on...

but for every thing that is not perfect about him, there are a dozen things that are, and i'm really lucky to be a cocker owner

[Cob-Web]

There seems to be far too many posts being made which are off putting 

So whats the answer?? Don't post on col if you have a problem? only post if it's a good thing? 

I'm not sure, but I know if I had read the more recent behaviour threads, combined with the Battersea Dogs Home review of the breed when I was researching breeds, then I probably wouldn't have a cocker spaniel 

[Gilly]

Of course no one is saying that Jan but sometimes there does need to be a balance  no one is saying dogs can't have problems , I just felt the need to emphasize the point that none of the issues are exclusive to Cocker's.

Livercake, Buttons is a dream to own and love just like your Jarvis sounds 

[jools]

Well, my 2 think they're human....I'm sure of it!  

I do think there is a lot of pressure on us to be the perfect parent....the perfect partner......the perfect dog owner....and we have managed to pass on a lot of that psychosis on to our dogs (just the last one  ) and expect them to be perfect too.

Having had experience of both ends of the dog behaviour scale, my view is that if you are careful when choosing a breeder, you're more than half way there.

It is well documented that the first 12 weeks of a dog's life are crucial in shaping it's future behaviour pattern.

[silkstocking]

my view is that if you are careful when choosing a breeder, you're more than half way there.

I really think this is very true

[Cob-Web]

It is well documented that the first 12 weeks of a dog's life are crucial in shaping it's future behaviour pattern.

I agree entirely - but also think that no matter how good the breeder, and how well the dog is raised in the first 12 weeks, it is quite possible to "spoil" a well bred dog from then on, by forgetting that it is a dog 

[Nicola]

I totally agree that dogs are dogs and should be treated as such but sometimes they do have issues that have to be dealt with - for example while I don't mind letting Alfie roll in all the fox poo he wants, jump in every muddy puddle he comes across, pull on the lead and bark like a thing possessed at the doorbell I cannot allow him to chase livestock and this is a problem he has. Similarly there are other issues that people have that can't really be ignored or tolerated and I think that people need to be able to post about these without fear of 'upsetting' others  However as I said in my first post this is not a cocker thing, all breeds and crossbreeds of dog can have behaviour issues.

Part of the reason I posted Alfie's training update last week was because I felt like I had posted more about his bad points re. the chasing than the many good things he does. I've said before, even if he never makes a working dog I will still adore him, be very proud of him and be very lucky to have him which is really how I think that all of us on COL feel about our cockers.

[lexi]

sometimes i think we don't see the good things our dogs do for the bad....
but for every thing that is not perfect about him, there are a dozen things that are, and i'm really lucky to be a cocker owner

Here, here! 

[Top Barks]

I agree that some of the posts on here might put people off a cocker.
The problems listed on this site are evident in most breeds I see and in fact cocker spaniels makeup a very small percentage of the dogs I see and help.
Please Jann keep posting your problems as some of us are on here primarily to try and help.

I was volunteering at the Leeds dogs trust today and i saw some of the dogs that had been overlooked because of the aggressive way they came across in the kenels and I thought to myself I'm glad they put people off because with a lot of rescue dogs you have to have the vision, knowledge and patience to see beyond the barky lungy dog in front of you.
Some dog owners just couldn't deal with such a display.
If people are put off by the posts on here  and look for another breed as they will only find similar issues somewhere else.
All dogs have the potential to have problems, it's how you react and deal with them thats the key.
What is the in catch phrase at the moment  punish the Deed not the breed. At the end of the day cocker's are dogs and do what dogs do.
The way humans deal with what dogs do and interpret it in my oppinion sometimes lets the dog down and eventually the breed can inadvertently have it's name blackened.
Cocker's are still one of the most popular breeds in this country and if you work through the issues as I have with mine they can be the most wonderful, loyal companion that a person could have and personally I wouldn't swap mine for the world.
Cocker's rule
Mark

[Cazzie]

I think this is a great topic. You're replies have been great reading. I think after reading it is true that treating a dog as a human is not a good thing.

ie: I got Daisy my first own dog after a really bad divorce and have treated her like a baby and 5 years on by gosh im paying the price.

After years now of being involved with pro trainers and working & training my own and my customers I have learned that a dog is a dog and does not think/act  like a human.

So really it's us humans that are to blame for naughty/unacceptable behavour as in kids?

Keep the replies coming as I am learning alot. One thing I have learned as said cockers are truly a wonderful & individual breed  

Thanks you guys.  

[Elisa]

I do think being the perfect owner and having a perfect dog puts us all under a lot of pressure at the moment.

I don't have the perfect dogs for some, but they are absolutely perfect for me 

[Penel]

Mod hat off for this one!

I seriously hand on heart think a lot of people on this forum must have a different breed of dog to me  I don't find mind challenging, bossy, manipulative or aggressive in ANY way shape or form. Yes they are DOGS! they do what dogs do....sometimes they even bark AND sometimes they are naughty...shock horror  BUT tell me one breed of dog that is 100% perfect!
Any new person visiting this forum must have a rather bleak opinion of this wonderful breed and I find that really sad  Visit ANY dog forum and any of the topics of discussion I am sure will be very similar if not the SAME as the ones talked about on here, please let's not make any of these discussions EXCLUSIVE to Cockers because they are NOT!

Wot she said!!! Ditto all the above

Apart from the hat bit

funny then that you agreed with me earlier today that cocker bitches can be bossy and manipulative 

I didn't say that was a bad thing though did I.  I love a spirited dog, they are far easier to train than a nervous dog.

I agree with IWLass that so many people do not realise what they are taking on with a cocker, be it show or working - and expect them to be like a Cavalier for example, because they are a small-ish spaniel.

Mind you we get people on the lurcher forum that don't realise lurchers were bred to kill things  so nothing surprises me anymore !

[Gilly]

I totally agree that dogs are dogs and should be treated as such but sometimes they do have issues that have to be dealt with - for example while I don't mind letting Alfie roll in all the fox poo he wants, jump in every muddy puddle he comes across, pull on the lead and bark like a thing possessed at the doorbell I cannot allow him to chase livestock and this is a problem he has. Similarly there are other issues that people have that can't really be ignored or tolerated and I think that people need to be able to post about these without fear of 'upsetting' others  However as I said in my first post this is not a cocker thing, all breeds and crossbreeds of dog can have behaviour issues.

Part of the reason I posted Alfie's training update last week was because I felt like I had posted more about his bad points re. the chasing than the many good things he does. I've said before, even if he never makes a working dog I will still adore him, be very proud of him and be very lucky to have him which is really how I think that all of us on COL feel about our cockers.

Nicola...exactly who have you upset? certainly not me  No one is saying that Dogs CAN'T have problems or for that matter that people can't post about them, there would be no need for a forum otherwise.  As a forum we are here to help each other.