English cocker spaniel

[PNWGator]

Loved that dog….

Fantastically biddable and driven afield. Had an ‘off’ switch at home and as gentle and loving as could be.

 

[YoungGun]

I'd be careful about getting anything show bred. Lot's of long hair to collect burr's. I'd also think about what it is your really want. The Britt is a pointing dog, they are bred for that. The Boykin might work, they are retrieveing dogs so might have fairly good raange without being excessive. I had Spriger's years ago, Hunting/show they were called. the breeder hunted theirs a lot but also showed them. Never ran off. Springer's and Cockers are bred as flushing dog's and that is what you should consider looking at. They hunt birds generally within gun range but if not trained will chase off after the birds. Would do the same with rabbits I suspect. Be careful of the pointing breeds especially the field dogs. One of the things trial dogs are bred for in pointing dog's is run and some are really bad about it. A rabbit dog out 900yds won't do you much good! One thing you might consider is teaching a pointing dog to point rabbits. I've had pointing dogs that did point them, to them is just game! I'm surprised you haven't mentioned beagles and bassets! They are generally bred to hunt rabbits, But again stay clear of show bred dogs.

Ours in "Field Bred", and from the looks of @PNWGator's photo, I would say the same for that dog as well. I would also echo PNW's comment about the "off switch". Not that she doesn't need or want activity, but she is very happy to just "be" with us, and doesn't have to be "doing" all of the time.

 

[MarvB]

The answer to any dog question is Blue Heeler.

Or a mini version…

 

[Raisin Bran]

We are going back and forth between an English cocker spaniel or an American water spaniel. We’ve found breeders for both. This won’t be happening till next year either way.

What did you end up deciding? Just curious. We are on our 4th Boykin Spaniels and would not consider any other dog. They are the best family dog and are hunting machines packed in small bodies. Boykins have cocker and water spaniel in their close blood line. This is our current pair Casey & Gracie.

 

[brockel]

What did you end up deciding? Just curious. We are on our 4th Boykin Spaniels and would not consider any other dog. They are the best family dog and are hunting machines packed in small bodies. Boykins have cocker and water spaniel in their close blood line. This is our current pair Casey & Gracie.

Nothing yet. We are in the stages of moving into our new house and have a ton of projects with that going on I just haven’t had the time. Not sure it will happen this year as I just don’t have the time to train a pup this year

 

[Raisin Bran]

Nothing yet. We are in the stages of moving into our new house and have a ton of projects with that going on I just haven’t had the time. Not sure it will happen this year as I just don’t have the time to train a pup this year

Ya! It’s important to have the time to train them right from the start. Keep us posted if & when you get a new pup!

 

[getemdrake]

Nothing yet. We are in the stages of moving into our new house and have a ton of projects with that going on I just haven’t had the time. Not sure it will happen this year as I just don’t have the time to train a pup this year

If you haven’t looked yet, also consider the “American Cocker” which is hugely popular in the Southeast. Smaller than the English but a lot of great hunting lines down there right now.

 

[TangoAlpha]

We picked up Winifred- "Winnie", our Field Bred English Cocker, at the end of September from a breeder in Idaho. Her litter was born the end of July, so she's just hit 6 months.

The first photo below is from her first weekend at home- she came with a strong desire to please and was extremely social, and took to the house, neighbor kids/strangers, and other dogs immediately. Since day 1, her tail has not stopped moving, even wagging while she sleeps at times. After the last 4 months with her, I can say there is not an ounce of "buyers remorse", as she has been far more social than any pointer I grew up with, rivaled only by a lab/pointer mix I had as a kid. She will actively seek out kids, as she knows they will play with her. House issues have been basically non-existent, as she figured out the dog door her first day in the house, so we're probably at a grand total of 10-15 accidents in the time we've had her, with all of those being in the first month or so. And there hasn't been any destructive behavior. We crate trained her, but she's on week three of having full reign of the house while we are at work (10 hours typically), and has earned the right to continue this with no issues to date.

She missed out on hunting season, being a bit young/small in my opinion to really get out, especially with an early winter. She's my first go at training a bird dog on my own, and her enthusiasm to please and intelligence has made my life easier than I expected. Her retrieving instinct has been strong since day 1, and there is zero fear of gunshots/fireworks/noises. We're a noisy household to begin with. Her mouth is probably a bit too soft, so I've been working on having her hold on to objects to build on this, and it's gotten a lot better since losing her puppy teeth. She's extremely birdy, and her nose never stops. Right now it's all positive reinforcement, but eventually I'll need to work on reigning her in a bit so she can complete a neighborhood walk without becoming hyper focused on the smell of the day.

I included photos of her with some greenheads for a size reference. She's ~5 months old in the photo. She didn't hunt them, as 0 degree weather and an icy river were a bit much for what would have been her first hunt, but she sure liked "fetching" them after the hunt. She is currently about 17-18 pounds. Her mom was just over 20lbs, and her dad was about 30lbs. Her athleticism is insane without considering her size. With that as a factor, my wife and I are in always impressed in new ways.

She takes up hardly any space in the back seat of our vehicles, where she typically sits. But after going out and working fields for birds for training, she gets to ride center console, where she keeps an eye out for ducks, magpies, hawks, or planes. Anything in the air fascinates her. In the last couple weeks, she's worked ruffed grouse in a willow bottom during a ski tour, and sharp-tails in a sage/bramble flat on a dedicated 2 hour bird training session, in which she never slowed, quartering the open field in gun range, and hammering some of the thickest cover I've seen a bird dog work (think beagle working rabbit runs). The cold weather hasn't been an issue when she's working. It was -3 when we were working sharp-tails, and she loves going on ski tours. These being her first forays with upland birds, and with as little bird work as I've done with her thus far, I'm extremely happy, and hoping to pick up some quail/huns, or get to a game farm where she can not only find and flush a bird, but also work through the shot.

As a family dog first and always, we couldn't ask for a more loving companion, and honestly, an easier to train/biddable dog. As a future part-time hunting dog, she's on track to exceed my expectations as an upland bird dog and retriever.

@brockel - You asked for pros and cons. I feel like I hit the pro's. The only cons I can come up with through the limited time I've had with our Cocker is that I could see her small size limiting her if you ever decided to get on larger birds, like geese and even some of the bigger ducks on moving water, and a big, wounded rooster would give her a decent fight. But I know that deviates from the majority of pheasants/huns/grouse. Additionally, she is "clingier" than the pointers I've had- not separation anxiety/barking and crying when you leave bad, but given the option, she will lean against you while you do the dishes, sit on your feet while you read, and generally live inside your personal space bubble. The last con is that one sounds a bit pretentious answering "what kind of dog is that?" with "Field Bred English Cocker Spaniel"



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Your dog sounds like what I am looking for also. Would you PM me some info on the breeder, please?

 

[YoungGun]

Your dog sounds like what I am looking for also. Would you PM me some info on the breeder, please?

Hunttalk requires 10 posts before you can PM or receive them.

The website for our breeder is: http://www.idahoenglishcockers.com/

Brian is very friendly and I would recommend giving him a call if you have any questions about the breed as a whole. His info is on the site. Feel free to PM me once you hit your 10 posts!

 

[Deleted member 48080]

@YoungGun

How does she do in the woods while not hunting? Have you taken her backpacking or shed hunting much?

 

[TangoAlpha]

Hunttalk requires 10 posts before you can PM or receive them.

The website for our breeder is: http://www.idahoenglishcockers.com/

Brian is very friendly and I would recommend giving him a call if you have any questions about the breed as a whole. His info is on the site. Feel free to PM me once you hit your 10 posts!

I just saw this, sir. Thanks for the info.
I believe I have decided to get a treeing feist squirrel dog instead. But, I'm still a bit undecided, so I'm kinda waiting for some divine intervention on what to choose...or maybe waiting until an acceptable rescue falls in my lap.

 

[MTLabrador]

I’m biased, but the answer to any dog question is a big goofy lovable lab.

 

[MTLabrador]

This guy is a lab/GSP, and he’s been a hell of a good dog too.

 

[TangoAlpha]

I love those Labs, but at my age they are just too big to pick up and put on my ATV with me when I'm out at the farm.

 

[YoungGun]

@YoungGun

How does she do in the woods while not hunting? Have you taken her backpacking or shed hunting much?

She always seems to miss the memo that I'm not hunting, and is on the search for grouse. I've encouraged it, so am partly to blame. That said, she can reign it in great- we've bumped deer and elk with out issue of her giving chase, she's ignored every porcupine we come across, and gets bored with squirrels in about 3 seconds. Rabbits excite her, but she'll leave them on command. Birds.... if she flushes, she needs either 5 minutes of full-on hunt like sprinting and quartering, or a tone or vibrate on her collar to bring her back to earth.

She's not allowed to chew on the floor antlers in the house, so she ignores antlers in the woods unless you specifically give it to her as a treat, in which case, she'll gleefully destroy them in a couple days. She's been into the mountains around Bozeman on day hikes and backpacking without issue, and minds the trail with the exception of dropping a log in the middle of it sometimes. She heels exceptionally well, so if the goal is to keep her close, it's easily accomplished. In the rocks and scree, she's just bold enough to get my heart racing, but is sure-footed.

 

[Deleted member 48080]

She always seems to miss the memo that I'm not hunting, and is on the search for grouse. I've encouraged it, so am partly to blame. That said, she can reign it in great- we've bumped deer and elk with out issue of her giving chase, she's ignored every porcupine we come across, and gets bored with squirrels in about 3 seconds. Rabbits excite her, but she'll leave them on command. Birds.... if she flushes, she needs either 5 minutes of full-on hunt like sprinting and quartering, or a tone or vibrate on her collar to bring her back to earth.

She's not allowed to chew on the floor antlers in the house, so she ignores antlers in the woods unless you specifically give it to her as a treat, in which case, she'll gleefully destroy them in a couple days. She's been into the mountains around Bozeman on day hikes and backpacking without issue, and minds the trail with the exception of dropping a log in the middle of it sometimes. She heels exceptionally well, so if the goal is to keep her close, it's easily accomplished. In the rocks and scree, she's just bold enough to get my heart racing, but is sure-footed.

That's great info! Thank you.

 

[YoungGun]

From dress up, to scorching upland turf, to super-woman dives into January rivers for saw-bills, she's a very fun family member and typically the life of her own parties.

 

[brockel]

From dress up, to scorching upland turf, to super-woman dives into January rivers for saw-bills, she's a very fun family member and typically the life of her own parties.

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Bet that tail never quits

 

[YoungGun]

Bet that tail never quits

Perpetual Motion.

 

[vaversatile]

Find a breeder who does field-style English labs and get a female. They are smart, loving, great with the family, have strong noses, will retreive all day long, some have a natural point, calmer than typical American style and the field-style females only run around 50lbs.

Why female? Just due to the size?