Gun Dog Forum

So I have made the decision to purchase one of the two....either a Cocker or a Spring Spaniel.

I simply can't pick between the two dogs.

Can anyone give me thier opinion or advice on the two? I know they are pretty darn similar with the Spring setting slightly higher.

Standing by to answer any amplyfing questions

i have owned both and currently have a cocker. The cocker is somewhat more independant than any of the springer i have owned. he is does not respond to repetition drills as well but fortunately is a fast learner. my cocker hunts a little closer but will get out when i run him down wind. he may have a better nose than any of my springers. I enjoy field trials and my biggest beef with the cocker is i have to travel more to get to trials, as the breed is not as common as the springers. a good one from either breed will hunt pheasants and fetch anything you knock down, including rabbit.

JoePaTurfShoes wrote:So I have made the decision to purchase one of the two....either a Cocker or a Spring Spaniel.

As long as they are both from good hunting or trial stock you can't go wrong either way, My grandpa (mom's dad) hunted with a Cocker and she was a great little dog, not as Impressive as a Brittany of course but she was a great little dog. my vote would be cocker !!

I have 3 cockers and one springer . In Britain there are quite a lot of arguments as to which is the best breed ....... some of the arguments get pretty heated ! Both breeds often compete in the same trials. Both breeds produce trial winners when ran against each other . If you fancy getting a cocker you'd better have a good sense of humour, they really can wind you up ! There is a saying here that when a good cocker dies a monkey goes to heaven !

As a general rule Springers hunt nasty cover more thoroughly but maybe not better than cockers do. Most good springers pile straight into cover, most good cockers check for game scent from the fringe of the cover and go in if they smell game or residual game scent.
Hunting range is more dependant on the handler than on the dog. It's up to you how far out you let them hunt.

Cockers can carry any retrieve likely to be shot. Mines have retrieved pheasants, pigeon, snipe, woodcock, partridge, grouse, ducks and geese , hares and rabbits. One of them took off during a walk along a beach last summer , swam out to sea and came back in holding a dead seal by a flipper !

That was this little lad here ........ don't let the angelic looks fool you , he's a bit of a heck-hound !




Bill T.

Very nice looking dogs Trek and thanks for the response.

So I keep hearing that if I get a Cocker I better be prepared.....care to elaborate?

In Britain there are quite a lot of arguments as to which is the best breed

Bill, in the US there also are arguments as to which is the better breed, because grammatically, you're free to use better after "best" has been applied. And among spaniels, that distinction would go to the Boykin.

Even if the original poster's handle was JoePaCokeBottleGlasses, he could see that for himself at a distance or



up close - especially with a "white-out" backdrop, my Penn State friend...

MG

That boykin with the goose sure does look good..... But how can anyone beat this ....

JoePaTurfShoes wrote:
So I keep hearing that if I get a Cocker I better be prepared.....care to elaborate?

Here's a few examples. For a start it is said that you have a springer but you "wear" a cocker .......cockers are people dogs and they like to climb up on you.

Cockers learn very quickly but they also quickly change what they've been taught to suit them better. My cocker Charlie does a very fast sit to whistle but in training he was typical cocker and did the famous "cocker creep." They move in towards you looking miserable and pathetic.

Deliveries of bumpers are changed in style almost daily. One day Charlie might choose to do a perfect sitting present , the next day he may do the start of a present then turn at my feet to face the other way, next day he'll be doing a pirouette at my feet. Cockers love showing off ! Before competing with him a refresher course on deliveries is always a good idea and then I just hope it hangs together long enough to get through the competition ! So far it has but there's always the possibility that he will free shape the delivery , especially in front of an audience !

Personally I like the little devils and find that their good points far outweigh their bad ones. The top cocker lines in this country have courage, game finding ability and natural retrieving ability trickling out of their ears. The springers have that too but I like a laugh and find the cockers far more amusing.

My cockers at a grouse shoot.










Bill T.

Awesome lookin' dogs, Bill, thanks for sharing.

Red, how can you even see the dogs for - be still my heart - that verdant carpet of heather?

Just kidding, Bill - I think. Nah, them black devils be stone-cold killer flushers.

MG

SPRINGER

I had springers before I had britts(switched to britts because I liked pointing better than flushing!). The springers I've been around have been bird finding, retrieving machines, that really like to please their owners. Not so much, with the cockers I've seen and been around(IMO). The only thing you need to remember is get them from field stock instead of show stock---you'll have a lot better chance of getting a good hunter. Boykin would be another good choice. Good luck with whatever you choose.

I'd have loved to have a Boykin Spaniel but there doesn't seem to be any in this country. To be honest I find it hard to believe they could be any better than the cockers .......... but then I've never seen a Boykin in action.

Bill T.

Field bred Springer. Originally they came in the same litters, with short legs being called "cockers" and long legs being called "springers". Now, you have to check for the difference between bench bred and field bred.
Either one should do you well. Check out a couple of breeders of each to see what the dogs are like at home and in the field, and then decide.

Trekmoor wrote:I'd have loved to have a Boykin Spaniel but there doesn't seem to be any in this country. To be honest I find it hard to believe they could be any better than the cockers .......... but then I've never seen a Boykin in action.

Bill T.

Have you tried to Import one ?

I'm still saying you should look into the French Brit.......fits your needs!

gittrdonebritts wrote:

Trekmoor wrote:I'd have loved to have a Boykin Spaniel but there doesn't seem to be any in this country. To be honest I find it hard to believe they could be any better than the cockers .......... but then I've never seen a Boykin in action.

Have you tried to Import one ?

A very prohibitive and bureaucratic proposition - the pup would either have to be six months old to be sent over to the UK with a "pet passport," or else be shipped at 10 weeks old and then be in quarantine for the next six months. And for a Boykin that's to be trained as a retriever, those are the most important six months of its life.

A couple of Boykins have made it over, however I'm not aware of their being working gundogs.

MG

Personally i would go with a springer spaniel, but thats just me, although i would love to hunt over a cocker sometime. Here in Ireland the Springer is king and most hunting homes work this breed. Cockers are not as popular here as they are in America, but i have heard that they can keep up with the best of them. i would presume that springer are bigger they would have a little more stamina on a long days shooting, but course the choice is complety up to yourself. If you can get a look at the parents of the pup hunting and this should give you an idea of what you like.....

I own both .... my Springer wins hands down in the field.... much better in the water as well