Working cockers, do you think they adapt to 'pet' or 'work' life?

[johndoran]

Surely we are straying from the original post which was. Working(type) cockers,do you think they adapt to 'pet' or 'work' life?. The answer has to be yes.Dogs don't know they are a worker or show type so the responsibility will be with the owner to make sure that dog has a happy life which, yes, if you want to work the dog in the traditional sense fair enough but it can also be happy with a life that doesn't involve that lifestyle.
 There cant be many breeds of dog out there which weren't bred for a purpose. Think of terriers,pointers, GSD, dobermans, collies to name just few. The same argument can be made about these and other breeds.The fact is that many people take on a dog,any type of dog and don't appreciate the amount of time and effort involved in giving that dog a happy life.
 So whilst appreciating the point of view of folk who are in a position to work their dogs in the traditional sense I wont feel guilty at all that Bonnie Boo has the life that she has.

[Nicola]

Surely we are straying from the original post which was. Working(type) cockers,do you think they adapt to 'pet' or 'work' life?. The answer has to be yes.Dogs don't know they are a worker or show type

Does it though? As has been stated already on the thread the number of working Cockers in rescues and being rehomed because their pet homes can't cope with them or meet their needs would suggest that the answer is that some might be able to adapt to the right pet home, because not all pet homes are the same, but not all would/do. Dogs may not know the definition of 'working' and 'show' type but my dogs are certainly very aware of their drive and instincts. If the owner wants and appreciates that and is prepared to work with it then great, but the fact is not all do and are.

Many if not most breeds were created for a purpose but some of those purposes and the traits they create fit better with the life of your average 'Joe Bloggs' pet than others. Of the more common other breeds/types that you listed there too - the terriers, GSDs and collies - they are among the most common breeds that end up in rescues, if not the most common in the case of collie and terrier types.

[Hurtwood Dogs]

Whilst I believe very firmly that the responsibility for any dog and owner lays between the breeder and the puppy buyer, at the end of the day it's the breeders that have more experience and if they were more ethical about what they were breeding and where it was going... then the scale of the problem would be a lot less.

If only it was true that the breeders always have more experience - of course some do but so many litters are the product of someone with a pet bitch deciding it would be nice to have a litter or two; they have no idea what they are doing or that they should vet future owners and as for taking back a pup if something goes wrong, that wouldn't even occur to them. I think someone has already mentioned about stud dog owners on this thread and they should definitely share a lot of the blame for some of the irresponsible breeding going on - some owners (show and working) just do not seem to discriminate at all when it comes to allowing their dogs to be used and their only requirement seems to be payment of the stud fee

No I do appreciate that, and none of us really know the answer to the thoughtless pet breeder, BYB or puppy farm is as these debates go on and on and the problem gets worse and worse. I was talking more specifically about knowledgeable working cocker breeders to stay in line with this thread about working bred working cockers adapting to pet homes. The Working bred working cocker breeder is the 'start' of the life and potential problem for the pup/dog and if anything is to be done to improve the situation of high drive working pups ending up in unsuitable pet homes, then surely as well as educating potential puppy buyers, it's fundamentally down to the breeder rather than the blame of the optimistic but naive puppy buyer?

[johndoran]

Does it though? As has been stated already on the thread the number of working Cockers in rescues and being rehomed because their pet homes can't cope with them or meet their needs would suggest that the answer is that some might be able to adapt to the right pet home, because not all pet homes are the same, but not all would/do. Dogs may not know the definition of 'working' and 'show' type but my dogs are certainly very aware of their drive and instincts. If the owner wants and appreciates that and is prepared to work with it then great, but the fact is not all do and are.

Many if not most breeds were created for a purpose but some of those purposes and the traits they create fit better with the life of your average 'Joe Bloggs' pet than others. Of the more common other breeds/types that you listed there too - the terriers, GSDs and collies - they are among the most common breeds that end up in rescues, if not the most common in the case of collie and terrier types.
[/quote]

I'm not for one minute disputing the fact that a lot of dogs of that type end up in rescues which is a disgrace.All I was saying was that given the right owner and the right environment a worker bred dog will adapt. Surely the answer is to educate people more and have much tighter controls on dog ownership. I realise that would only happen in cloud cuckoo land. If the powers that be cared one jot they would ban the indiscriminate breeding of dogs in puppy farms and the like

[fifer]

What we are in danger of losing sight of here, is the huge distress of the owner who finally has to admit that they cannot meet the needs of the working type cocker with high drive, or equally, the upset to the dog itself when it cannot adapt to a more "normal" pet household routine and has to be rehomed.

It's all to easy to criticise these owners if you have never been in that position.  Lucky you! if you have a working type cocker which has adapted to a pet existence.  Most people have to work or sometimes circumstances change, they  may not be in the fortunate position of being able to afford dog walkers and may have to work longer hours.  It is certainly no disgrace to admit defeat!

I take my hat off to the owners (some of whom are on this forum and who are probably reading this thread!) for having the courage to admit they cannot fulfil the needs of their dog and sensibly rehoming the dog before it develops some behavioural problem through boredom/inactivity.  It is far from an easy decision for the owners who have to surrender their dogs, and also extremely distressing, they have my thoughts. 

[Coco]

Surely we are straying from the original post which was. Working(type) cockers,do you think they adapt to 'pet' or 'work' life?. The answer has to be yes.Dogs don't know they are a worker or show type

Does it though? As has been stated already on the thread the number of working Cockers in rescues and being rehomed because their pet homes can't cope with them or meet their needs would suggest that the answer is that some might be able to adapt to the right pet home, because not all pet homes are the same, but not all would/do. Dogs may not know the definition of 'working' and 'show' type but my dogs are certainly very aware of their drive and instincts. If the owner wants and appreciates that and is prepared to work with it then great, but the fact is not all do and are.

I agree with you both here. I'm not suggesting that all rehomed workers have come from homes that haven't tried to adapt or have given up too easily but I guess, as you say, it depends on what we could agree was a pet home or a working one. To some a pet home is one that wants a dog that will be happy with a run around the garden and a walk on a Sunday. Others, it's a home where the dog goes everywhere, gets daily off lead walks and just doesn't have the opportunity to work in the formal sense. A working home could be one where the dog is kenneled and out every day of the season or one where the dog gets gundog training and the odd beating day.
I suppose we can say that dogs are adaptable creatures but it depends on to what level we are suggesting they adapt to. 
We could have the same debate as to whether dogs will adapt to being neglected or dressed up in clothes. It's the extreme to which people expect their dogs, of whatever breed, to stray from what their natural instinct, size, physical compositions etc dictates

[emms]

I think it is worth bearing in mind that this forum is not representative of most dog owners  .  We are all here as we are pasionate about the breed, its traits and are here to share our knowledge and learn.  The majority of 'pet homes' on COL are a pole apart from most.  Looking at peoples training programmes, the activities they take part in with their dogs; these are not the dogs being left for 9-10 hours a day with no stimulation, with a walk at the weekend if its nice.    

Are the average family going to be able to meet the needs of a working cocker? Probably not IMHO, but I believe if people can adapt their lifestyle to the working cocker then most (I understand there will always be exceptions) can have a sucessful pet lifestyle.

Having worked in rescue most people want a particular dog breed because of the way it looks  , little thought is given to its needs and breed traits.  While we can try our best to educate people to the needs of a dog, it frequently falls on deaf ears.