Just picked a Golden Cocker Spaniel Puppy - advice appreciated

[Max10]

HI I am looking for advice, i just picked a gorgeous golden cocker spaniel puppy he is 5 weeks old. While i was picking I met the father and the mother, the mother was a lovely dog really friendly and had no problem with us being around her pups, however the dad was a bit of concern. He was quite aggressive in my opinion, in the sense he barked alot when we approached (which would have been normal) but when we came back into the kicthen he started to growl and got quite nervous this is kinda concerning me as now i am worried that my male puppy with have his traits, i did ask the owners what the dad was like as a pup and they said that he was lovely had his own personality, and just tried to assert himself over the female that apart from that he is lovely just protective...so i am just wondering what your advise is regarding this? The puppy is vac'd , papers & chip'd

[Bluebell]

Personally, I would walk away, and choose a puppy from parents with outstanding temperaments

[wrenside]

Hello, welcome to the forum 

I think that if you are unhappy with the temperament of either of the parents then I wouldn't have a pup from the litter 

Also have you asked the breeder if both the mum and dad of the pups have been dna tested for PRA (a genetic disease that causes early blindness) and FN (a fatal kidney disease that causes a very painful end at an early age). Reputable breeders at the bare minimum should be using these dna tests to ensure that any pups they breed will not be affected by these awful diseases.

If the breeder does do the dna testing then you should ask to see the certificates to show that both parents do not have/carry these diseases 

It simply isn't worth the risk having a pup from parents who haven't been tested because the financial and emotional cost of getting a pup with these diseases is just massive 

Hope this info helps you decide what to do 

Best wishes,

Mary xxx

[JennyBee]

I'd walk away too I'm afraid . Temperament is so important and I would only ever get a pup from a breeder who breeds from sound dogs. It's nothing to do with colour though . As has been said, check any breeder has had the appropriate tests done on the parents - here is a thread about finding a reputable breeder: http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=48072.0

ETA welcome to the forum

[6thSense]

I'm afraid it is very difficult, but with the signs that the sire is somewhat aggressive I would also walk away. I wouldn't even be sure that they had done all the proper health tests as they don't seem to have been mentioned. On the note of Golds having a worse temp. They do get a bad rep, but it simply isn't true. I have 2 golds and 1 red and have no problems with them what so ever. I think as long as you buy from a reputable breeder who has done all the relevant health tests and breed for temperament then you should be ok. You obviously have to bring them up right as well, but that's the same whatever breed or colour you choose.  I think it's very irresponsible of this breeder to breed from this dog to be honest. 

[Little-Miss-Molly]

Hi,  and welcome to the forum  , I know these replies are probably not want you want to hear, getting a new puppy is such an exciting time, but it's very important you pick a sound and healthy dog or you could end up regretting your choice. I also think it is irresponsible of this breeder to use a stud dog that is aggressive    I'm afraid I would also walk away.

[Hurtwood Dogs]

I'd walk away - there is no excuse for breeding from a dog with a questionable temperament and if she's prepared to do that it's most likely she's being complacent about other important factors too. Did she say why she'd bred this litter? It sounds like purely for cash to me.

What health tests have the parents had?

[Scarlett]

I also agree to visit another breeder even if you have to wait for the puppies...
I waited for about one year the breeder I trusted to have puppies!  
Dogs with agressive & dominant personalities should not be used for breeding...
I am sure you will make the right decision!  
Whatever you decide the COLs will support & help you on this! 

[Nicola]

Dogs of unsound temperament should never be bred from and it is most definitely not advisable to buy a poorly bred puppy from non health-tested and/or aggressive parents. Apart from anything else this kind of irresponsible breeding should not be encouraged. Sometimes people can be lucky and the pup is ok but equally sometimes they are not and the dog can end up with all manner of health and behavioural issues, those are the ones you don't usually hear about though. There are plenty of good breeders out there who put health, temperament and type first, if you need some advice on finding one have a look at the thread JennyBee linked to in her post.

[Pip and Co]

Very often you wouldn't get to meet the sire of a litter, and you have to go by the temprement of the mother and if a well know show/hobby breeder was used at stud their reputation for breeding only from happy, sound, healthy dogs.

Both parents temperaments could affect that of their offspring, personally I wouldn't want the father of a dog of mine to be anything other than placid and laid back. As you have had the opportunity to meet the sire of this litter and he seems aggressive I personally wouldn't take the chance!

As others have said health testing is also very important and so is the relationship you build/are building with the breeder and that the puppies are being raised in a happy, clean enviornment with all usual household noises and experiences.

Good luck whatever you decide.....

[AnnieM]

Another one that would walk away too.... sorry.     To me temperament is the most important thing along with health testing.  Have both parents been DNA tested for PRA and fn tested?  Even if they have if it were me personally, I would not want a puppy from unsound parents.  There is so much that can go wrong in bringing up a pup, so they certainly need the best start in life. 

[fifer]

Dogs of unsound temperament should never be bred from and it is most definitely not advisable to buy a poorly bred puppy from non health-tested and/or aggressive parents. Apart from anything else this kind of irresponsible breeding should not be encouraged.

Believe me that is the truth, sadly. 

Walk away while you can, there are other litters out there from tested and temperamentally sound parents.  Don't take the risk or you will likely be posting on the behaviour board within months. 

[dogsgalore]

Speaking from experience, albeit with a different breed, I too would walk away.  I have a 2 year old lab who is a very nervous dog.  When choosing her as a pup we saw the mother who was delightful and so friendly, but did not meet the sire.  We got her from a gamekeeper, recommended to us, but not a reputable breeder as such.

Her nervousness resulted in fear agression and we have had to work very very hard to overcome this with her.  She is now so much better and continually improving but it has taken 18 months of upset, hard work and not to mention the expense of behaviourists etc.

Lesson learnt for us, always use a reputable breeder and don't be worried to ask lots of questions, and walk away if your instincts tell you to.

[jools]

Please walk away! We went through the heartache of having our golden cocker put to sleep because of issues with aggression. As hard as it is, please don't let your heart rule your head. By the way, you can read about our experiences with Millie in the looking for a puppy section.

[Sarah.H]

I would walk away too. Many years ago when we didn't know any better we got a little blue roan pup who's mother was very nervous. Our pup was the same and although he was lovely and wouldn't have changed him for the world it made life very hard having such a nervous dog. Before we got Charlie (and before we joined COL  )we went to look at a litter at someone's house who had both parents. Something just didn't seem right with the older dogs and the whole set-up so we just walked away.