Cocker Spaniel Review

Good Points
Friendly, happy, pretty, managable size. Very strokeable soft coats and floppy ears. Experts at welcoming you home.
They need company and will bond strongly with one person.
Adaptable enough to share a fireside as well as a joining you on a mountain bike cycle.
Good size for picking up and putting in the bath.

Bad Points
Very minor points:
- Learn to clip them yourself - not only to save money but also it is a gentle way to establish yourself as the dominent one.
- Be strict with food and exercise regularly.
- Their love of swiming and dashing through undergrowth means regular baths and the removal of burs and tangles.
- Very excited by the flap of birds wings in the park and it took me ages to train them to ignore the chickens.
- Will run after deer and ignore me but always came back so the danger would be them following one across a road.
- When they go - they leave a huge hole in your life.

General Comments
Big fan of Cocker Spaniels. I had two brothers 14 years ago who have now had to be put down and I have my new 'batch' who are now 15 months old.

They do need more than a quick walk. They are capable of walking for hours. Give them interest (new places) as well as time (1hr+) and they will be very happy to curl up and sleep for the rest of the day. They got on well with all the dogs round here.

My 'boys' told I was pregent before the pregnancy test by following me everywhere! soon followed by constant supervision of my morning sickness. Would come and worry me to come and see to the baby whenever he cried. Later on they would monitor bath time and then listen to storytime.

If you are sad they will come and sit with you.

They enhanced my life and I am looking forward to this next batch helping me through teenage childrearing.