Cocker Spaniel 101

I had intended to do my research. I really had. I talked to my vet and to my friends about what breeds they had owned and liked. This trip to the pet store was only meant to give me an idea of what was out there. I didn't intend to come home with a dog -- and certainly not one from a pet store. My vet and I had this conversation already. I would find the breed. He would hook me up with the breeder. There would be research, interviews, visits, and deep intellectual discussions. This trip, I was only coming home with a breed book.

My plan crumbled. There, behind the glass, was the cutest ball of red and white fluff with big brown eyes and long floppy ears that I had ever seen. He reminded me so much of my beloved mutt, Patches, who had passed away nearly 10 years earlier, that tears welled up in my eyes. I was so caught up in the moment that I just stood there and cradled the beautiful puppy in my arms as a young sales clerk went on and on about how he had Cockers all his life and they were the best dogs on the planet. It wouldn't occur to me until months later that the clerk was probably all of 17 years old and the beloved "mellow" Cockers that he spoke of probably weren't much younger.

Don't get me wrong. My husband and I love Sammy. Coming home to the love of a good Cocker Spaniel is one of the things closest to heaven in this world. We joke, however, that, hopefully, there's less dog slobber in heaven. To have a Cocker befriend you is to truly know unconditional love. You will also never have to spend another moment alone. There are times -- like when you're feeling down -- that it's a good thing. Other times, it's not. For example, when we're trying to get a boiling pot of pasta from the stove to the sink, Sammy, without fail, always decides at that exact moment that he wants to play fetch.

I will also tell you, up front, that we lucked out in the biggest possible way. We got Sammy from an unusually reputable pet shop that pulls their stock from only exceptional breeders. But buying any dog from any pet shop is dumb, and the risk I took in bringing a Cocker Spaniel home from a pet shop was insane. It wasn't until later that I found out about the hell some people go through after buying a Cocker that came from a backyard breeder or a puppy mill. If I had understood the risks, I probably wouldn't have laid out my VISA and brought him home.

I immediately took Sammy to have him checked out at my local animal hospital. My usually talkative vet was stoic as he first checked Sammy over. He poked. He prodded. He asked about his origin. He poked some more. Then, after what seemed like forever, he said, "He seems like a healthy little fella." It was then that I asked about Cockers as a breed and he gave me the hard cold Cocker facts. He told me they weren't known for being an easy breed. He said that he wouldn't recommend them for amateurs. He predicted that I had my work cut out for me. And… that they were hard to housebreak. Just what every new pet owner want to hear, right?

I had been checking out information about Cocker Spaniels on the Internet and still knew very little about them. I knew that Sammy was a red and white parti-colored Cocker Spaniel. From the descriptions, I wasn't even sure if he was an American or English Cocker. My vet chuckled a little and said that he was an American. The English are larger and still used for sport, while the American, with a high, domed head, are small and bred as pets.

I had been reading the AKC (American Kennel Club) Standard on Cockers, but other than facts like heights, weights, colors and disqualifications, I found that I was pretty ignorant. I searched and searched for a good breed book that would be right for a first-time Cocker owner. I never found it. The books that I did find were either too general, giving information that could apply to just about any breed, or they were for hard core breeders.

Sammy cried for his littermates for the first couple of weeks. Maybe "cried" isn't the right word. It was more like some unearthly moan from Greek folklore. We tried everything that anyone would recommend to quiet him. He finally ended up sleeping in a cat bed, with a Pound Puppy stuffed animal and a little electronic box that makes the sound of the mother's heart beating.

He was not the least bit housebroken. He walked through his feces, his food, and his water. We had to bathe him nearly every day. He broke out in a rash, even though we were using puppy shampoo. So we switched to a hypo-allergenic shampoo.

We were severely sleep-deprived. When we thought we had reached the height of our own personal Hell, he decided that, not only would he scream at night, but he would also scream when we left the room. If I was home alone with him, I had to carry him to the bathroom with me or he would scream. His screaming set off the neighbor's dog screaming and then other neighbors' dogs, until the whole condo complex was wishing me harm. Suddenly, friends with Cocker horror stories came out of the woodwork. This was just the first week, and he was already training us!

It was then that I first called Kate Nehrig, an accomplished obedience and agility trainer, and co-owner of a local dog training school. She and her business partner, Jan, are still Sammy's trainers to this day. Kate sympathized with us. Most importantly, she was honest with us. She gave us information that the books hadn't. We learned that Cockers have no substantial bladder or bowel control until about four months of age, and that they're a breed better left with their mother until about 12 weeks of age (we got Sammy at 9 weeks). We had Sammy vaccinated against everything that we possibly could (as required for class), and he started puppy pre-school that same week.

Though Kate never under-emphasized the burden that we had taken on, she also never failed to give us hope. She trains Champion Border Collies, which are known for their high energy level. Before class, Kate would run her dogs through their exercises, and it was the most impressive thing I've ever seen anyone do in person. If anyone could turn this puppy into a decent dog, she was the one. She helped us to see that what we initially viewed as hyper and annoying, was personality, character and spunk.

Under her guidance, Sammy passed his puppy pre-school with flying colors, went on to receive his AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate, and even got a certificate for completing a small dog agility course class called Back Yard Games. He accomplished all that before he was even a year old. All I can really say is God bless Kate and the other dog trainers who love what they do and are willing to take on the Sammys of the world.

From birth to grave, Cockers are eternal toddlers. The world is always new and exciting for them. There are adventures to be found and explored every day. Like small children, Cockers need limits and boundaries. Once you accept that and learn to set those boundaries, you've won half the battle.

Recognized by the AKC as the smallest of the Sporting Group, Cocker Spaniels have brains as well as beauty. Originally bred to "cock" (or flush), birds out from the under brush for sportsmen, they still retain much of that sense of sport today. Their long floppy ears, which were developed to gather scent, still make them excellent trackers. Sammy uses his sporting genetics every day. He puts his nose to the ground, uses his ears to locate the scent of our cat, Noah, and then cocks poor Noah out from whatever piece of furniture he's hiding under at the moment, usually the bed.

When we first began class, I was horrified to find out how much less other Cocker Spaniel owners had paid for their dogs. We paid $700.00 for Sammy as a pet quality Cocker. His breeder receives two to three thousand for a show quality dog, and even more for a proven breeder. I sat there surrounded by $200.00 to $400.00 dogs. I thought I was the biggest sucker in the world. But as the weeks went by, Sammy became healthier, shapelier and more beautiful than ever. The others did not. They developed various problems. And their proportions weren't right. In private I asked his trainer why Sammy was so much more robust. She told me that he's what a well bred, pet quality Cocker looks like, and the others were produced by backyard breeders.

Both a Cocker in Sammy's class and another that belonged to a personal friend of ours, developed a condition common in Cockers called Cherry Eye.* This is when the tear gland of the inner surface of the third, protective inner eyelid enlarges because of infection. As it swells, it's forced out from beneath the lid, exposing a red, cherry-like growth at the nasal corner of the eye. Usually, this has to be surgically corrected, as it was in both of these cases. And it cost far more money than what they would have spent had they gotten a well-bred puppy to begin with.

Also, a pair of the dogs -- in a class that followed ours -- started leaning funny in the rear. That's how we learned about hip dysplasia,* which is also common in Cockers. It's a condition which, simply put, is the dislocation of the rear hip joints due to different causes. Although it's often not noticeable in a puppy without an X-ray, it can lead to an extremely painful and difficult life for the dog. It's usually corrected through costly and painful surgery, which sometimes includes total hip replacement.

All Cocker pups should have their hips X-rayed when they're put under anesthesia to be spayed or neutered. Even though our trainers didn't think Sammy was dysplastic, we still had him X-rayed when he was neutered. We held our breath until the results came back. Again, we were lucky. Sammy shows no signs of dysplasia. It was dumb luck, but we would take it.

We're also fortunate in that Sammy is such a well-mannered, friendly dog. While credit should be given to the fact that we made every effort to socialize him into a "good dog," an equal amount of credit goes directly to his breeding. Well-tempered Cocker parents usually produce well-tempered puppies. As I've said, it was the toss of a coin in our case. I'd never again take home a Cocker (or any puppy) without meeting his parents, first.

If you're going to take on a Cocker Spaniel, you have to understand that they're not low-maintenance dogs. Special care has to be taken that their ears and woolly paws don't get infected. Also, Cockers are not easily groomed at home. Remember those bowl-like haircuts your mother gave you when you were a kid? Well, let's just say that it's a good thing the other dogs in Sammy's obedience class couldn't point and laugh at him after my first (and last) attempt at home grooming.

You should also understand that Cockers aren't for the faint of heart or for those who take pride in their pristine white carpet. Cockers are known for a behavior known as submissive urination. In classic submissive urination, the dog rolls over on his back and pees on himself. He does this whenever he encounters someone or something that he considers to be dominant, as though to say, "I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!"

Sammy hasn't had that particular problem, but he does have a behavior which I lovingly refer to as the Wee Wee of Joy. It consists of peeing on people he's excited to see. Thankfully, he's gotten over doing this to those of us who live with him, but he still does it to my mother and a neighbor, Linda, who adores him. He also does it in strange new circumstances and the vet's office.

We found a product called Designer Doggie Diaper™. It's basically a belt fastened with Velcro® that holds a maxi pad to catch the urine. For more information, call Designer Doggie Diapers at (530) 749-9310. The diapers have given us much confidence when taking Sammy to strange, new and potentially exciting places. It so ruins the moment when someone comes over and says, "Oh, what a cute doggie!" and then the 'cute doggie' pees on her feet.

I hope I haven't scared off those of you who would make wonderful Cocker parents. I can honestly say that out of all the dogs I've had in my life, he provides the most companionship. A Cocker is truly a little fur person with likes, dislikes and a unique personality. It's a little weird when Sammy props himself up in the corner of the sofa like a toddler and watches television with us, but we've gotten used to it. He even has favorite music, like the theme from the "Rugrats." No matter what he's doing, he'll stop when it comes on and sit mesmerized in front of the television until the theme is over. And he lives to walk out to the mailbox with us. And I am not entirely sure whether we have him playing fetch, or he has us playing throw. But what the heck, we're both having fun.

Although I wouldn't recommend a Cocker to anyone as a first-time dog experience, you'll never hear me say that they're untrainable or that you should give up on an existing one. With enough love, time, patience and understanding, any Cocker can become a good Cocker. For more information about Cockers in general, the AKC has an excellent web page at http://www.akc.org/cockersp.htm. There's also a beautiful website dedicated to placing "slightly-used" Cockers in the U.S. It's called The Cocker Spaniel Adoption Center at http://www.cockeradoption.com.

* Descriptions of Cherry Eye and Hip Dysplasia from Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook by Delbert G. Carlson, D.V.M. and James M. Giffin, M.D. Macmillan General Reference, 1992.

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