Your Cocker Spaniels' behaviour

N
Nosliw Icon representing the flag French
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Hi everyone,

I’ve got a little Cocker puppy who’s just turned 4 months old, and I was wondering what yours were like as they grew up—specifically their behaviour from 2 months to a year old.

Right now, she’s a total bundle of energy, a bit skittish, and she’s nipping quite a bit.

I do ignore her when she nips and try to redirect her with a toy instead.

Is this just a normal phase? Does it get any calmer later on?

Thanks for your replies!

Translated from French
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7 answers
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    • L
    Ladygaga Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi there,

    Yes, it’s completely normal at 4 months old. Cockers are lively, playful and do a lot of mouthing because of excitement and teething.

    You’re doing the right thing: ignoring the behaviour and redirecting them to a toy. The most important thing is to be consistent. They gradually start to settle down as they get older and with training, usually after 8–12 months.

    A puppy isn’t instantly “easy” — much as we’d like it to be as simple as Cool Games Free. With patience and consistency, things will improve.

    Translated from French
    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    Evening! I’ve had a whole pack of Cockers over the years. It’s perfectly normal that she isn't house-trained yet at four and a half months. Puppies are rarely fully clean at that age. Keep at it, take her out plenty, and give her lots of praise for every bit of business she does outside. A puppy just can't control their bladder or bowels at that age, so you can't be cross with her. It just takes patience, a bit of elbow grease, and some white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. If she hasn't quite grasped the poo situation yet, you have to show her. You can even move the poo outside and then act all delighted to see it there. You'll have to forget about being seen as a normal person in your neighbourhood, though! 🙄 House-training is just a bit of fine-tuning. To have a brilliant Cocker, it’s more than worth the effort.
    Translated from French
    Docline
    Docline Icon representing the flag French
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    You need to use the right words during walks (like "good wee-wees" or "good poos") to help them realise that doing their business in that spot makes you absolutely over the moon, lol.

    You must give them the chance to play and burn off energy with other dogs every single day, without fail,

    and you really must go for walks in areas full of scents from little critters in burrows; even a really long walk in a "manicured" park will never satisfy their need to sniff the soil, ferns, bushes, brambles, and so on.

    Choosing the right walking spots will result in a calm and well-adjusted dog.

    Every puppy in the world needs to mouth and chew things,

    and all young mammals need to play – it’s essential for healthy brain development.

    You can't just "give" a puppy a toy: you need to get down on the floor and play with them!!! Just for a few minutes, several times a day. And that includes a bit of rough and tumble.

    Translated from French
    Flip-Cockwood
    Flip-cockwood Icon representing the flag French
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    Also, I wouldn't recommend waiting for her to calm down on her own, or you'll be waiting a long time! To start with, you can just stand up and ignore her. If she doesn't calm down, send her to her bed and keep putting her back until she stays there. I’ll be honest, with my boy I quickly moved on to the final step and skipped the first few—it was straight to the loo for him for a time-out. After a minute or two, the whining starts. You open the door and if she's calmed down, give her a massive cuddle. If she charges out and is still just as hyper, it’s straight back to the loo. I remember at the start, Rio was in and out of the bathroom four or five times in one go. He’s 18 months old now and I’m amazed at how calm he is, considering where we started. Mind you, I’ve still got a few battles to win when it comes to certain dogs that he just can’t resist! As for the pooing, are you taking her further than just the garden? I think she’d be more likely to go where there are fresh scents; plus, she needs to be meeting other dogs off-lead. Cockers need daily walks because using their nose is such a massive deal for them, as is socialising with other dogs. It’ll completely change her overall temperament. But if she does start having an accident indoors, don't hesitate to scoop her up and pop her outside so she finishes off there. You can then give her loads of praise. She’ll soon make the connection between her actions and your reaction. Rio was house-trained with just the odd accident by 4 months, and completely sorted by 4 and a half months. Best of luck with it all!
    Translated from French
    Flip-Cockwood
    Flip-cockwood Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi Nowliw, I’ve got one of those high-energy dogs. He’s the type that would become the absolute caricature of a Cocker Spaniel that people imagine if he were poorly trained. Before him, I had a girl who was like an old soul even as a puppy, because she was incredibly calm and had a rare natural obedience. Rio’s just turned 18 months, and what I can tell you is that this breed is very clever and they'll wrap you around their little paw if you let your heart rule your head. The key with this breed is consistency and perseverance, as they’ll definitely test your patience and take up a lot of your time. Personally, I only use play as a reward or for mental stimulation. For the first 3 or 4 months, I made a point of not giving him anything (no play, no attention, and no fuss) until he was completely settled. Everything has to be on your terms, and I think it’s wise to limit their freedom at first and then loosen the reins later on. For the nipping, for instance, you can stop him from biting people with a firm 'NO' but then swap it for a rope toy or a chew, for example. There are a few different schools of thought on nipping: those who say it’s natural and should be allowed, and those who forbid it entirely. In my opinion, it depends on your situation. Personally, we’re a couple without children, and Rio loves a bit of rough and tumble with us, even though I didn't let him mouth us until he was about 7 or 8 months old. I only allowed it once I felt he’d really mastered his bite inhibition. However, if you have young children, it's more complicated. Once you’ve allowed it, it’s hard for the dog to understand when they can and can’t nip. Either way, my advice at 4 months would be to stop the nipping and see how she behaves later on.
    Translated from French
    N
    Nosliw Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi Sarah, Thanks so much for your reply, it’s put my mind at rest a bit. You’re right, they really don’t like being on their own, always stuck to your side! She’s been calming down a bit over the last few days and has been much more pleasant to be around. I’ve got another question about house training. She’s nearly four and a half months old now and I’m really struggling to get her house-trained. Basically, nights are going fine, but the daytime is a bit of a struggle. I take her out every two hours from morning till night. She’s doing her wees outside no problem, but when it comes to pooing, she waits until we’re back inside to do it! Plus, she hardly ever asks to go out; if I didn’t take her every two hours, she’d just go in the house. What advice can you give me, and how old was Skippy when he was finally house-trained? Thanks in advance!
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    S
    Sarah_fr Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi there!

    I’ve got a Cocker Spaniel who’s nearly 6; I’ve had him since he was 8 weeks old. His name’s Skippy and he definitely lives up to it, haha! (Like the kangaroo).

    From about 2 to 3 months old, he slept loads, which is normal for a tiny puppy. But after that... well, that’s when things got tricky!! From 4 months to a year, it was the worst period! He was nipping, destroying quite a lot of stuff, and was completely bonkers! It took a huge amount of patience, especially with the training. I taught him the basics quite early on: "No", "Down", "Wait", "Come here", and plenty of other little things. I also worked on being able to take away his food bowl and toys, to teach him that he could trust me.

    Walking him on the lead was also a nightmare!! (I’ll come back to that)

    Training is vital because (if yours is anything like mine), if I give him an inch, he takes a mile 😅. An iron fist in a velvet glove... no aggression, just keeping it all about play and bonding. And they’re stubborn, aren't they! Even now, when he doesn't feel like listening, I can go whistle 😂 You have to win them over with affection ;p

    Cockers need a massive amount of exercise to burn off steam. And they hate being left alone... When he was little, I was at uni, so I really wasn't home that often, which probably played a part in him being so hyper.

    Ignoring her when she nips and giving her a toy instead is a really good move. It’ll come with time; she just needs to understand and she’s still so young! It’s just a bit of a nightmare stage for the owner, really 😁

    Mine only REALLY started to settle down when he was around 4 years old... But then again, his personality and the breed itself mean he has looooooads of energy (mind you, it depends, as some Cockers are very, very calm. I think dogs often reflect their owners!!). He still nips sometimes, but only when he wants to play—he’ll come and have a nibble at your shoes or feet... but it’s not that often. As for the lead walking, it’s only recently that he’s stopped pulling (to be fair, that’s my fault, I didn’t stick with the training enough earlier on....).

    It depends what you mean by "calm"! They’re gundogs.. they love burning off energy, sniffing, playing, swimming, running on and on.. But don’t worry, she’s only 4 months old. Stick with the training, make sure she gets enough exercise, build a lovely bond, and things will improve.

    Mind you, the hardest bit will be from 6 months to a year. Right in the middle of adolescence... she might test you and bare her teeth once or twice. But if you correct her properly, she’ll understand where the boundaries are ;p

    I don’t know if that helps at all.... but I wanted to share what I went through with my little rascal!

    Good luck and keep at it, it’s nothing but joy and love (with the odd bit of frustration xD)

    Translated from French

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