before you get your Cocker Spaniel

Consider a Retired Show Dog!

Winnie and Mal

© Terri Draeger

So you want a Cocker Spaniel.  Congratulations on choosing one of the most delightful, spirited, talented members of the canine family!

However, there is a nagging doubt in the back of your mind.  Do you really have the time, patience, and stamina to deal with a puppy? With housebreaking, feeding, grooming, and training?  The challenges of raising a puppy are never ending — going out for potty breaks several times each night and during the day, coping with the trauma of teething, training to lay still while being groomed to tolerate baths and trims, clipping nails, when to bark or not to bark, socialization with other dogs and people in public.  Let me offer you an alternative suggestion — consider an ex-showdog!

They don't all make it to the top, to the coveted “Champion” Title, and even those who do will not always possess the necessary characteristics to be included in a breeding program.  There are also many younger dogs who develop bad bites or other minor conformational qualities which will preclude them from competition in the conformation show ring-even though the untrained amateur eye may never notice the difference.  

The advantages of bringing an ex-show Cocker into your family are many. For one thing, they have been intensively socialized from birth. They have been trained to remain calm for grooming, and are accustomed to . . .