Powerscourt Cocker Spaniels - Are You Ready For A Cocker Spaniel

Are you thinking about owning a dog? You will hopefully have thought of all sorts of questions you would like to ask the breeder of your chosen companion; have you asked yourself some equally hard questions? Are you ready for a dog?

	LIFESTYLE: Are you home for most of the day? Cockers are high on the sociable scale - most really want to be with people, they aren't very independent! Cockers love attention and human company, even the simple act of going to the bathroom is not an excuse, as far as they are concerned, they must go too! All dogs are pack animals - they want to be with their pack (you and the family!) but in our experience, Cockers seem to be more reliant on "their" pack than many of the other breeds. Please don't get a Cocker if you are looking for an outside dog or an aloof character. If you don't like a dog following you around and always wanting to be in the same room as you - Cockers aren't for you. It's best not to consider a Cocker if you work full time, or are out of the house for more than four hours per day as dogs do need human company throughout the day. Puppies should not be left for more than 2 hours in any working day! Work commitments If you have a demanding job, you may be too tired to exercise a dog twice a day, to groom him and to train him. You will need lots of patience with a new puppy or an adopted dog for house and obedience training. Before considering owning a puppy/dog you should consider the following: Do you actually like walking? Cockers are a busy, active breed originally bred to work all day as a gundog. They are not a "couch potato" breed and will do best with owners who can offer plenty of opportunities for regular exercise, a 10 minute walk around the "block" is not sufficient. Having said that Cockers are very adaptable and do not expect 6 mile hikes every day! Please remember though that young puppies should not be over-exercised and care should be taken to not to overdo walks to begin with (up to about the age of 9 months). Does everyone in your household want a dog? All members of the family (but especially all the adults) need to be 100% committed to the idea of having a dog. Having a dog in the family is a serious undertaking and it's not fair on other people if they have to be "talked into" having a dog and it's certainly not fair on the dog to find that he/she is soon re-homed because someone in the family feels the dog's been "foisted" upon them! Please don't buy a puppy at the request of your children! If you don't want a dog then say "NO.” Whilst it's true that dogs and children do and can get on well it's quite probable that your children will tire of the responsibility of having a dog in the household or indeed begrudge the change in your routine/lifestyle needed in order to accommodate a dog in your lives. Find out if any of your family is allergic to dog hair or dander before getting a dog. Cockers do shed coat, there are breeds that don't. Do you have a safe and secure garden? A securely fenced garden is very important as it provides a safe area for play and exercise while a puppy is too young for long walks. A garden is also essential if you want a house-trained puppy - it is so important to have an area where you can teach a puppy to relieve himself. Your home and garden Cockers are keen "gardeners." You will need to be prepared for the fact that your beautiful garden could be reduced to a barren landscape in very quick order! If this worries you then you should either fence off a portion of your garden and make a "dog area" or perhaps get a different breed! You should also make sure any plants in your garden are not poisonous - see here for a list. If you are particularly house-proud and do not have time or the inclination to clean away dog hair (and muddy paw prints) do not get a Cocker! In addition, young puppies are also prone to the occasional nibble of whatever is close to hand - this could be your furniture and personal belongings! Do you have young children? Cockers make excellent family pets because of their friendly, sociable natures and size. However, it must be remembered that puppies are hard work and someone who already has their hands full looking after young children (under 5's) may find they don't have the time or inclination to look after a puppy. Very young children must be taught that puppies are not play things, so they must leave the puppy to rest if asleep, they must not poke or prod or tease and they must not be left alone unsupervised with any puppy or adult dog. You should also remember if you have children not to allow the children to teach inadvertently the dog bad habits. Puppies like to explore their environment; they use their mouths to do this. In order to be sociable members of the family they need to learn quickly that is not acceptable to place their teeth on people or nip them. Some new puppy owners do not realise that nipping and mouthing is not good behaviour, and that they should discourage it immediately. In particular, young children are not able to recognise that their play and excitement will encourage a puppy to "mouth" them and a situation soon arises where the children of the family are inadvertently encouraging mouthing and nipping by their new family member.
	TIME: You will be responsible for the dog for the next 10-15 years. Dogs often like to get up and about early in the morning (especially if they go to bed early!), do you? Having a dog is like having a child! Can you cope with the responsibility? Are you prepared to sacrifice quite a lot of your "free" time to devote to a dog? Will you still want to do this when you are tired, ill or if and when you add a child to the family? Puppies require more time than adult dogs. You will have to house train him/her, provide obedience training and play time. Adopted dogs may require further training and lots of patience. Cocker puppies are lively and demanding of your time and attention. They need lots of company and are not suitable for people who are away from home for more than a few hours at a time, unless of course arrangements can be made for someone to look after the puppy for the duration. Another factor to consider is your other commitments (not work related). If you are at home most of the day, how much "spare" time do you actually have? Are you at home looking after a demanding family (young children, frail or elderly relatives etc.?) Do you have as much time in your day to devote to a puppy/dog as you think you have? All puppies like to chew and a bored, lonely puppy will chew even more to relieve his boredom - this is why puppies left alone for long hours can become destructive and/or noisy. In their first year, dogs will need 3-4 twenty minute play sessions a day. Adult dogs require lots of exercise - about an hour per day. Large breeds, terriers, herding and sporting dogs require 2 to 4 times as much exercise. All dogs require grooming. Cocker spaniel will require grooming once a day as they have coats which can tangle and mat very easily. Short and medium haired dogs (clipped dogs) need to be groomed at least once a week.
	COSTS: Buying a dog: Well-bred cocker puppies can cost anything from £750 upwards (prices are regional to some extent). If the price of a puppy is a struggle financially for you then you should also be aware that there are on-going costs associated with dog ownership and you should seriously consider whether your budget would accommodate these costs. Health care: All puppies need to be vaccinated with primary vaccinations. They will also need annual booster vaccinations (as appropriate). Please check with your local veterinary surgeon to find out these costs before you buy a dog. Your dog will also have to be wormed regularly. Even with the best of care and attention dogs can occasionally have accidents or suffer various illnesses, and as they get older some may develop age related health issues - get your dog a veterinary pet insurance plan to help with these costs as even a simple visit to the vets can amount to hundreds of pounds by the time a consultation fee is charged, any tests (blood tests/X-Rays) undertaken and medication prescribed. Food: Ideally, dogs should be fed a premium quality food (not supermarket brands) which are costly and remember the cost of feeding increases as the dog gets bigger! Older dogs may require special diets and medications. Grooming: There will also be grooming parlour fees (approx. every 6 weeks) - coat trimming, toenail clipping and ear cleaning etc. Holidays: If you do not take your dog on holiday with you and your family cannot take care of him while you are away, there will be pet sitting/boarding kennel costs. Equipment: You will need a dog crate, beds, bedding, feeding/water bowls, collar and lead, toys, grooming equipment. You may also need a dog run or modifications to your garden. For approximate costs visit our 'cost of dog ownership' page.
	SELECTING A DOG Think about how the dog will fit in with your family, lifestyle and other pets. Get to know the general breed traits of dogs (our website will give you an idea about Cockers!) before you make a selection. Once you have decided upon a particular breed, please do not go around every breeder looking at litters. By visiting several breeders, you will be transferring potentially harmful germs between "kennels" and this could pose a serious threat to the lives of the puppies you visit. Conscientious breeders put a lot of time and effort into their litters and are busy people. Once you have made contact with a responsible breeder, go and view their puppies but unless you see something to cause concern, you should consider your search for a puppy over! Be prepared to contact a reputable breeder weeks/months in advance, they often have long waiting lists! Obtaining a good quality puppy from a reputable breeder is not as quick or simple as "popping to the shops for a tin of beans"! Do not buy a dog as a surprise for someone else as they may not like your choice or be as ready for a dog as you think they may be. Reputable breeders would not sell you a puppy under these circumstances. If you are adopting a dog, find out about its background. If you are selecting a new puppy, find out about the parents' temperaments. Before you bring a new dog/puppy home, make sure you have all the required food and equipment. Also, ensure that you have "cleared" your diary to allow time to settle the puppy, play with him/her and generally "get used to each other.” If you work part-time, it's a good idea to plan annual leave to coincide with bringing your puppy home. Getting off to a good start will ensure you lay good foundations for the relationship with your dog! Don't plan to get a puppy/dog when you know there are busy times ahead i.e. Christmas, house moves, changes in employment or when a new baby (human) is expected! Put expensive items in safe places so the dog cannot break them in play or chew them! Dog proof your home and garden! Identify any hazards and deal with them i.e. household chemicals/cleaning materials, trailing wires etc. Are you considering buying two puppies at the same time? Many would-be owners have the idea that two puppies will be company for each other, but underestimate the hard work needed to train two puppies successfully and the chaos two young pups can cause. Puppies the same age will tend to bond less with the owner and more with each other. They can often become dependant on each other and look to each other for company and security, this can mean they are unable to cope if separated (as is sometimes necessary e.g. for veterinary treatment or when one is in season and can't go out with the other). As dogs are pack animals, two pups of the same age (especially of the same sex) will not have established a "pack hierarchy" amongst themselves. Pack hierarchy is normally established by dogs being bigger/older than other pack members i.e. the older dog in the household will automatically be alpha pack leader (amongst the dogs) and the new dog will be younger/smaller/different gender and will assume the role of follower. When owners have two pups of the same age, arriving in the home at the same time the role of pack leader amongst the dogs is not established. Whilst they are young this will be fine, however at or around the time of puberty, one or other will seek to establish dominance over the other. This gives rise to the likelihood that they will fight! Neither will respect each other and neither dog has any obvious reason why they shouldn't be the dominant dog and the fights tend to become more and more aggressive, each dog is literally trying to intimidate/hurt the other in order to capture dominance. Once dogs start to fight for dominance it is almost guaranteed that there will be no clear winner and the fights can and do reach levels where the dogs risk seriously injuring themselves. Normally the only solution is for owners to re-home one of the dogs. You will find that many reputable breeders will not sell two puppies (especially if they are the same sex as each other) from the same litter to one home for these reasons. Please think very hard about the possible problems associated with buying to puppies at the same time. Consider the view that it is better to buy one puppy and then add another to the family when the first puppy is trained to a level you are comfortable with and has settled into your family and that you have the time and resources to devote to another dog. Owning more than one dog is a delightful experience, in general day-to-day terms having two dogs are not double the work i.e. if you are walking one you can easily walk two at the same time. However, there will be double the expense (in caring for them) and double the work involved in grooming, bathing etc.