How far is it reasonable to travel?

[Bunbury]

Hi everyone.  This is my first posting on the site although I’ve been an avid reader for ages and I particularly love looking at all your photos.

Hope I'm posting in the right place anyway....

Work and home situations are finally suitable for us to welcome a cocker into our lives and in the first instance I have contacted our regional club to enquire about reputable breeders, and have provided them with lots of information about our circumstances.

(Incidentally, it’s been a week and we’ve not had a reply yet so I’m a teeny bit anxious.  I’m trying not to be impatient tho' – after all I’ve wanted a dog since I was about 11 and I’m now a fair way past 40!).

We are prepared to travel a considerable distance to get the right cocker so I will contact other clubs if necessary, but I’m not sure what is a reasonable distance from the puppy’s point of view?

What do people on here think is a reasonable length of time for that first journey so it is not too stressful for her/him?

I feel I’ve learnt so much from this site already and am really looking forward to getting more involved once we have our cocker.  My partner is an avid photographer so hopefully we’ll be able to share lots of doggie photos too!

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Emilyoliver]

It's totally up to how far you are willing to drive.  My eldest cocker was from a breeder a 7 and half hour drive away.  Middle one was 5 hours, and youngest was (luckily for me), only 2 hour drive away.  IMO the right puppy is weel worth the extra effort.  Puppies are very adaptable and two of mine slept most of the trip.  They all totally love the car, so no negative associations with travelling.  Good luck with your search.  I have always found phoning and speaking to clubs and breeders the best way to ensure you get a response.  Also, have you considered going to a show to meet breeders and have a look at their dogs (that is if you're looking for a show type?).  Good luck with your search - I always find this part very exciting.

[Geordietyke]

We collected Archie from South Wales (we are in South Yorkshire) and it took us 4.5 hours.  Pup was a complete star, he lay asleep on my knee and we stopped for a break half way and put a puppy pad on the ground for him.  We only travelled 2 hours for our previous cocker but he was such a fidget pants on the journey home    Good luck!!

[Ben's mum]

How exciting, its great looking for a new puppy 
We actually travelled to look at a couple of litters before we found the right one for us, the furthest was 4 hours away, but the pup wasn't right for us. In the end we found a breeder just 40min down the road! 
When Ben came home he cuddled into OH and slept on the way home 

Harry was sick from the minute he got into the car to the minute he got out !!
One of the things we discovered later was that his mum was always travel sick and one of his litter mates was a really bad traveller as well, so if you want a good traveller that's a question to ask - I would never have though of that before! Harry took some months to get used to the car and even now gets all hunched and miserable on long journeys and we give him travel pills to help

hope you get news of a pup soon - what colour are you looking for

[Bunbury]

Many thanks for your responses and very useful advice, everyone.

I had a feeling that the most important thing was to get the right puppy even if that meant traveling a long way but wasn’t entirely sure if that was selfish on my part, so you have put my mind at rest on that score.

Thanks also for the suggestion of asking breeders if their dogs travel well – it’s certainly not something I’d have thought of but it would be important for us, not just on the journey to their new home but for future holidays as well.  I always learn something new on this site!

In response to the questions about what we’re looking for – we’re looking for a show type, parti-coloured boy.  As to colour, we especially love orange roans and blue roans but to be honest I could probably fall in love with just about any other colour if it was the right puppy so we’re quite open-minded really.

[MIN]

as I think the puppies chose you, the colour is always going to be a lucky dip 

[Sharon]

Bristol to Scotland and back when we picked up Autumn 

[ShazzaC]

Our breeder was only 45 mins away, but I was willing to travel much further for the right breeder. For me the breeder (gosh lots of repetition of the word breeder here!) had to be ethical and put the dogs first and the colour of the pup was secondary. So we had the choice of a black boy or a black boy with a white smudge! I think you are right, you'll fall in love with any colour - Champdogs is a great starting point for litters. Ask the breeder lots of questions, expect them to ask you lots or to fill in a questionnaire, and good luck, it's such an exciting time! 

[lescef]

Yes, it is an exciting time. I think I used champdogs then just used to go straight on to several breeders own sites which will give you a 'feel' for that breeder. A good breeder will want to see you in person to. We were so nervous the first time we met her!
A good breeder will probably have had the puppies out for a car journey before they leave her (ours did)
If you decide on a particular breeder you may not get your choice of colour or you could go with colours advertised on champdogs or the accredited breeders on the KC site. For us temperament and health checks were very important considerations. Enjoy - you have waited a long time.

[Bunbury]

Thanks so much to everyone who has taken the time to respond.

Being new to having a dog, not just new to cockers, there’s so much to think about so it’s great to be able to come on here for advice.

Colour is definitely not a priority for us because, as lescef says, temperament and health are the main things.

I really am incredibly excited – after having waited so long to be in this position my mind is just buzzing now it could be so close!

[its.sme]

I went along to the local Cocker Spaniel show, if you do a search on the internet the dates and times will be on there site, I found this so helpfull.

It's best to sit back and watch for a while as showing is very competitive, they are busy getting there dog ready for the show ring and may not welcome the distraction , the one we went to had a break halfway through so we took the opportunity to say hi.

Many of them are breeders and most if not all of them are only to happy to talk about there dogs, I was given a couple of phone numbers and on the second visit to another local show I spoke to the breeder of my girls dad.   Bingo!!

I emailing all breeders on the KC list within 3 hrs traveling from home and didn't get anywhere, face to face worked for us.

Sorry long post, I just remember how long, frustrating and exciting a process it can be

[Bunbury]

Thanks its.me - that's really useful to know.

[Walshies]

How exciting for you and I hope it all goes well in your search.

We were of the opinion that travelling time was not going to be a factor in choosing our pooch. We tried to get him from a breeder close to us in Mid Wales but there was no availability apart from one so called breeder who was clearly doing it for the money - we walked away.

We then had availability from a breeder in Okehampton some 4 hours away from us - we travelled down to see their pups  at 3 weeks old - what a difference in conditions and a clear love for what they did. We then travelled down again to pick Fudge up 5 weeks later.

I will never forget the journey home. We put him in the back of the car in a comfy crate but he howled all the way to Taunton Services where we could take no more. My wife had him on her knee until about 10 miles from home when we put him back in his crate - he was fine from then. Regular stops for wee breaks etc all the way home.

Lucky you getting a new pup - enjoy the experience, you won't regret it.

[Robbie34]

Many breeders don't advertise their puppies.  I acquired Henry by a chance meeting at the Tebay services on my way to Scotland.  I then travelled from Lancashire to Falkirk to collect him when he was eight weeks old.  I stayed over night at a hotel with Charley and picked up Henry on Sunday morning.  I got Jamie from an accredited breeder on the KC web site just before Christmas.  I didn't have to travel far, just to St Helens.