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Working cocker spaniel


Andy the 6th
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Just discovered the black curly headed cocker spaniel I inherited from my dad is a working cocker spaniel. He has enormous energy and no matter how far I walk him he has more to give. So what to do in a bigger suburban yard than usual and a river and beach to run along for outings. He loves swimming. He doesn't want to give the ball back when you throw it to him. He's just turned 2 - any advice out there? He's Andy and the sixth black cocker spaniel through a couple of generations - but never this energetic!

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Walking just makes him fitter .

You need to do brain games but also start teaching self control / off switch .

 

We board a few working Springers who live in the burbs and do no work they where bred for but there owners create brain games ,if they don’t they go bonkers and no fun to live with ,some are higher drive than others .

Hiding eggs,rewardable objects .

walks aren’t about getting fitter or wearing them out as it won’t happen,walks are turned into adventures .

Many working Cockers compete in agility and do tracking .

You just need to be creative 

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Oh thank you Dogsfevr. That hiding eggs sounds really good. He's hugely loving dog and attentive. I just went and sat at the beach this morning and let him go all about and rewarded him to keep returning to me. Its just a waste that he can't put that intelligence and motivation to use - so will think about the agility and tracking more.

 

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From what I know from a couple of people who have them. the Working Cocker is a very smart, trainable dog.  Training for things like obedience, rally, tracking, and the new dog sports that are coming on the scene .. tricks, and Scent Work would definitely help to keep him a thoroughly happy chappy .. and a lot of those would be ideal for training at home, especially in a big backyard.  If you could give us an idea which part of Queensland you're in, we could maybe suggest some places to start inquiring about starting training.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Oh Barb that would be really helpful. I am on the Sunshine Coast and live in Twin Waters near the Sunshine Coast airport. I just went to the Yandina market. I took Andy last week and he was pretty good. But this week he just was so active and slipped his collar and ran through and around lots of stalls. Everyone loves him and helped me get him. The Greek man selling olives said he was head down and sniffing and he'd seen this before. He really could be taught some great things. But it was very hard as I want him to get used to being around people in all sorts of situations but I guess untrained he just got so excited with all the action. He is two years old this month.

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I hope some people with more Queensland/ local  knowledge might look in … but for a start, there is a training club (affiliated with Dogs Queensland) at Buderim  https://www.thesunshinecoastdogobedienceclub.org.au/.  They might get you started .. although I notice their next intake is Febryary 2020 .. but you could maybe contat them.

I don't know how far you're prepared to travel, but there is a great club at Pine Rivers in Brisbane, and I think the Caboolture Sports Dog Training Club is OK too.

In the meantime, I would be inclined to get a martingale collar or a well fitted, non restrictive harness .. Ruffwear Front Range is good..for times when it would be dangerous for him to slip his collar.

He sounds like he'd be an ideal candidate to learn some tracking with, but no rush ,, get some basic obedience and relationship training with him first, so that he wants to work with you.

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3 hours ago, Andy the 6th said:

Oh Barb that would be really helpful. I am on the Sunshine Coast and live in Twin Waters near the Sunshine Coast airport. I just went to the Yandina market. I took Andy last week and he was pretty good. But this week he just was so active and slipped his collar and ran through and around lots of stalls. Everyone loves him and helped me get him. The Greek man selling olives said he was head down and sniffing and he'd seen this before. He really could be taught some great things. But it was very hard as I want him to get used to being around people in all sorts of situations but I guess untrained he just got so excited with all the action. He is two years old this month.

Good in theory but you need to take a step back & go through a process.A process where you have the dogs respect & the dog has the confidence in you to guide it to the right manners & knowing when to back off for a time out or continue as the right behaviour is being shown in a happy comfortable way
Going to over stimulating places with any dog can make or break it when you go with no training plan or behaviour plan .
First off the dog doesn't have to accept people ,that is something humans push without keeping a safe wall to the dogs threshold compared to your expectations .
He may not have been excited he may have been totally overwhelmed .Dogs can show various behaviour that some think is active but infact is a dog lost in a world of legs,activity & feeling like the little ant being stomped on
 

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Thank you. I have a harness but he was so active it was hard to put on. So will use it again and, instead. So get these good weeks then what happened at the market. Its all very helpful advice and can wait for the February intake of the Buderim group. Ill look in at Pines River too and see what works best. I think sometimes when I put him in the car he thinks he's going to be given away again as he made a big journey up from Victoria in a trailer over 3 days when I inherited him. I think the plane would have been much better but at very least he feels secure in the crate they travel in when had to make one more journey back for a bit. So will get there and made lots of progress but there are these days when it all reverts as if you achieved nothing. Thank you lots sandgrubber, Tassie and Dogsfevr. He is a beautiful dog and he is eager to do well and just enormously happy.

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