cocker spaniel

stevoman

Hi lads,

Has anyone got one of these dogs for shooting or would recommend this breed. im thinking about buying one in the new year or either a springer either, but these seems a smaller breed and i would prefer that. any info or help would be great.

liamdenn

hi
I have a working cocker and he is grand as a gundog. they take a fair amount of time to get them right and are maybe a bit more difficult to train than a springer but are a grand dog. make sure u get one from a proper cocker man so it is fit for task

stevoman

liamdenn wrote: »

hi
I have a working cocker and he is grand as a gundog. they take a fair amount of time to get them right and are maybe a bit more difficult to train than a springer but are a grand dog. make sure u get one from a proper cocker man so it is fit for task

thanks for the reply. how to they work on water and are they good for rabbits also. are the as avid a retreiver as the springer? sorry now im not too familiar with the breed as i have never shot over one before.

i have a setter at the moment but i think im going to get a spaniel in january to keep me busy for the summer as i enjoy training a dog. would you consider the cocker as versatile as the springer?

J.R.

stevoman wrote: »

Hi lads,

Has anyone got one of these dogs for shooting or would recommend this breed. im thinking about buying one in the new year or either a springer either, but these seems a smaller breed and i would prefer that. any info or help would be great.

I've a black cocker spaniel - 4 years old.

I find them a brilliant rough shooting dog. They will beat cover all day and have plenty of energy. They will also retrieve on land and water. They can get through the tightest of cover ....brilliant for woodcock shooting. You would be surprised what they can get through - mine is able to slip in and out through the square sheep wire...believe it or not!

I went for the cocker as I live in the city with a small garden The cocker is also very good with the kids and makes a brilliant pet. The reason I went for all black is the duck shooting...ducks can't see her in the hide at dawn or dusk as she blends in so well.

A word of caution ....the working strain can be hard to get...there are a lot advertised that are the show breed....some unscruplous sellers promise you they are a working breed just to get the sale....pretty looking but useless for shooting.

I wouldn't buy one unless I saw the parents and spoke with the breeder to see if he knew anything about shooting. A bonus would be to see the parent(s) working.


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wolfpawnat

Ok I'm not a supporter of shooting but I am a dog person.
Cockers can be selective listeners and selective learners, but no matter how hard you try, you never can take the hunter out of them.
As soon as my guy see a bird, good luck, he's gone!
He isnt as well exercised as a worker spaniel but when it comes to rough terraine and swimming he is brilliant!
They cannot be beaten!
It is what they were created for

clivej

I read somewhere to ask if the dog is a "Good show dog" if the answer is YES then look for one elsewhere.

whitser

from what i've read,no personnal experience, the cocker doesnt have the stamina or body mass for long hard days hunting especially in cold and wet. but im sure cocker men would disagree.

pullandbang

JR I'm looking at your pics and thats a fine looking dog. I'm also looking over the back wall at my neighbour's cocker spaniel and he's tiny compared to yours. The lads next door have him for shooting but he's still a bit young this year so I don't know how he's doing.

smc001

steveoman, i'm a bit of a convert from springers to cockers and i would have to say

1. great on rabbits
2. loves retrieving although took more work than the springers to train as the hunting instinct is so strong they get distracted.
3. can't keep it out of the water, last week it was breaking the ice on a mill pond to a retrieve
4. as for stamina, put it this way you will be tired before he is!

liamdenn is right though has to be from working stock any showblood in the pedigree walk away

legalmillie

Hi JR,

Just wondering where you trained your dog for shooting?

Thanks.

J.R.

legalmillie wrote: »

Hi JR,

Just wondering where you trained your dog for shooting?

Thanks.

Trained her myself .....walking her twice a day with training incorporated.

ronn

what about a sprocker mix between a cocker and a springer, the father in law has one. he hasnt done a lot of training with him he does a lot of beating, the dog thought himself more or less, i shot two cocks last year L/R barrel the dog reterived both birds to me, never seen a dog do that, he s a bit shy of water, he fell into a frozen lake so reckon that put him off it but hes getting over that now.

td5

Drumnascamp Cocker Spaniels are worth checking out.They can be viewed on Drumbanaghershoot.co.uk Great breeding from top field trial lines

legalmillie

Thanks for that, I'll have a look at them.