Cocker Spaniel Dog Breed

A well-bred and well-raised Cocker can make a lovely family pet. But, if their needs aren’t met, they can show aggression and get defensive over their things. 

This breed loves to run and play, which can be endlessly fun for children! Like all dogs, it’s important to actively supervise them around children to prevent any accidents or inappropriate interactions.

Young Cockers need lots of their owner’s attention and are quite mouthy. So, parents of small children need to check they have enough time to devote to both their children and a puppy. It’s a lot of work!

Happy Cockers have a lot of love to give to their families and will gladly curl up on the sofa with you.

Their affectionate and loyal nature makes them great to be around. They’ll be following you around in no time with their tails happily wagging behind them.  

Cockers need to play! They were bred to sniff out and retrieve wild animals, so it’s vital that pet owners play games with their Cockers that use their expert skills.

They’ll love it if you hide toys in long grass or the undergrowth for them to find and bring to you. 

Keeping your Cocker happy is a daily commitment. If your life is too busy to meet their needs, this isn’t the right breed for you.

Yes, Cockers are an excitable little breed and like the sound of their own voices!  They find it difficult to contain their emotions without making noise. 

Attention seeking, distress at being home alone, frustration, and over-excitement are all triggers for barking.

These adorable dogs need to use their brains, so giving them things to do will help them to bark less. However, some potential owners may prefer to choose a quieter breed.

It is so, so important to meet a Cocker’s needs. They have lots of positive traits, but things can go wrong.

Cockers have a natural instinct to have something in their mouth. A bored, frustrated or attention-seeking Cocker is likely to pick up things their owners don’t want them to have. Owners then end up constantly taking these things off them. 

This often leads to the Cockers being defensive and guarding their items (called resource guarding). Cockers can also guard their food and even their owners because of their strong family bonds.

A Cocker’s barking can also get out of hand if not managed in the right way. 

Sometimes, owners think their Cocker is being hyperactive when they’re just being their fizzy, excitable, true selves.

Cockers would be happiest in a house with a garden. They also need access to open green spaces where they can run, sniff, and retrieve their toys.

An outdoorsy, family with school-aged children or above would be ideal, or active owners and retired people. A Cocker who has properly learnt about other people and animals can live with dogs and small pets.

These handsome dogs sometimes like to make themselves heard. Neighbours may not like them barking, which is particularly difficult for owners who live in flats. 

This breed needs owners who have plenty of time for them. They wouldn’t be happy in a home where they’re regularly left on their own for long periods.

Cockers like plenty of exercise, which can take up their owners’ time. They need a minimum of two good walks a day. 

A Cocker’s ideal walk would be somewhere with rough ground where they can get their nose down to chase fun smells and find and retrieve their toys. They also love paddling in streams and swimming.

This bouncy breed will want their walk rain or shine! Cleaning up a wet or mucky Cocker is all part of the joys of being their owner. You’ll also need to calm them down during hot weather, as they just don’t know when to stop.

All puppies need to learn how to be around people, pets, and other dogs, calmly and politely (known as socialisation). They also need help to feel calm, comfortable, and confident in everyday situations like travelling, the sound of traffic, and being in busy places (known as habituation). This is essential to prevent tricky behavioural problems in the future, and you'll be off to a great start with your ongoing training.

Cockers are moderately easy to train. They’re motivated by food and toys and want to please their humans.

However, these busy dogs are very easily distracted by their own noses. Following smells is at the top of their list of things to do. 

Training should be started when you first get your pup home. It’s easier to do their basic training and get them used to people, animals, and different experiences when they’re young.

Start your recall training right away (teaching them to come when called). As a hunting breed, they tend to have selective hearing when they’re off chasing smells. Cockers can also struggle walking on a loose lead when they really want to follow their noses.

Teaching a retrieve to hand (when a dog presents an item to their owner's hand voluntarily) early on will help reduce the risk of them guarding things when they get older.

Cockers are shed a moderate amount. They need regular grooming to keep their coat in tip-top condition.

You’ll need a pin brush, rake comb, dog comb, scissors and in some cases a pair of clippers. Cockers love to swim and run through muddy puddles so be prepared to give them baths.

Always check eyes, ears, and paws for grass seeds during the summer months.

Cockers have big floppy ears so monthly ear cleaning can help prevent infections.

A good breeder will have tested both parents for health conditions their puppies can inherit, including eye problems, kidney problems, and hip dysplasia. Cockers can also suffer from autoimmune diseases.

Owing to having long floppy ears, Cockers can be prone to ear infections.

Because they like to run through fields and hedgerows, their silky coat attracts grass seeds which can go through their skin – this can be very serious, resulting in a hefty vet bill.  Be sure to check ears, feet, eyes and ‘armpits’ after each summer walk.