Older people and spaniels

Clodagh

Clodagh

Playing chess with pigeons
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My mum has been offered an 11 month old rescue spaniel bitch, she was rehomed to be a gun dog but is too nervous so needs a quiet home with older people. Mum likes dogs like that, both of her last two rescues have been very nervous and have blossomed into lovely dogs.
BUT neither of her other dogs were spaniels, the one she has now is a smooth collie and the one before was a staffie x whippet. I don't know whether a spaniel would want to hunt all the time? Mum has always had dogs and picked up on some big shoots in her youth so does know what she is doing, although this one would just be a pet.
Mum is 75, fit and active and walks a lot, the dogs are her children and are never left at home - or rarely. She is also a full time carer for her partner, although they cope fine when they have my mad lab over. She lives next door to us.
Thoughts?
I have suggested she goes to meet it and then decides, although as you know when you see a poor little thing cowering in a corner you want to take it home.
 
Mrs Spaniel - although a great sniffer - is most definitely not a hunter. I think if she can cope with the collie she should be fine with a spaniel! The only thing about Mrs Spaniel and I don't know if this is the same for all spaniels, is that she is very clingy and frets if I suddenly vanish, although she is happy for me to go to work or leave her in the car while I ride, but I guess she is used to that as part of her routine now.
 
Your mum will cope fine. I assume it is a working cocker. Love them to bits and they are great characters and companions. If I can cope with four GSDs at 76, you mum will certainly be able to cope with one cocker! (Now I'm envious! :)).
 
It is a springer. Does that make a huge difference? Yes to working bred.
Thank you both for your input. Will report on...
 
Gawd, my springers would love it :)

They are gundog trained but favourite activity is sleeping!

Tell your mum to go and meet her properly and disregard that she is a spaniel :)
 
I opened this thinking you were posting about me!

Beans is the most loving dog I've ever owned. I find the best way to stop him disappearing and hunting is to make myself more interesting by making sure I put dummies out near me as I walk.

The only thing I would check is what sort of nervousness? Is she gun shy/nervous. If so you may have a very worried and miserable dog when you have shoots at home.

The lady I train with uses her vast knowledge of Spaniels to quieten the hunting instinct for those that are wanted as pets. She will always have the desire but it can be channelled in other ways. What's the worst that can happen.

The dog gets a caring foster home and some training from your mum who can rehome her to a more suitable home down the line if necessary. They can be extremely loyal and fun dogs.
 
My OH - the voice of reason - says she would be mad. If her partner is ill or the weather is awful a spaniel is not going to be happy with a quick whip round the fields. We have a shoot here so there is a no hunting blanket ban pretty well all year, well Feb - end March perhaps they can do what they like.
It doesn't say gun shy in mum's email, just nervous. My lurcher copes on shoot days now that she is deaf but did used to stress about it.
I'm like mum and would just go and pick it up tomorrow...now undecided!
 
On the days when physical exercise has to be kept to a minimum, then exercise the brain via training, hide and seek games around the house etc etc. I also use such days to catch up on all the 'tasks' that I am crap at keeping on top of: grooming, ear cleaning, nail clipping etc etc.

Go and assess the dog to see how strong its hunt/prey drive is. If it is rampant it may get very frustrated in an environment where it can't utilise its instincts. It depends why it is described as nervous as to whether it would fit in. Is it nervous due to harsh handling, is it nervous due to aversion to gunshot, is it fearful of strange humans or dogs? You need to find out more ideally.
 
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As you know, I have three, one working bred, two pet bred. The worker is happy with a full hour trotting round the woods or 20 minutes mooching round the field or 30 minutes swimming and running up the path. Springers are not nutters, I know a lady in a wheelchair who walks her two down the main road, no problem.

I'm not sure where this whole 'springers/Cockers are mad' thing comes from, but my lot are calm and lovely at home. The youngsters are perfectly happy retrieving dummies/balls for half an hour then being on my knee or staring at the pond. They were harder work than I realised as babies, probably because they are littermates and we didn't train separately.

With firm boundaries, the pup will be fine, particularly as your mum is very experienced.
 
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Will have a chat to mum tomorrow, it may be worth going to see it and seeing what it is like on a walk.
 
I always think Springers are saner and easier to train/manage than cockers. All my dogs are and have been kennel trained, so they can go into their kennel and out of the way when needed. I don't give in to whining either!

When I lived in the Outer Hebrides (one TV channel IF the wind was right, horizontal rain, etc), I'd devise indoor training for my cocker. That involved shutting her in the porch while I planted small pieces of cheese around the room. The dog was then let back in and directed to the cheese using hand and voice signals. Great fun and good mental exercise. I am not a fan of ball chasing, unless it is used as a temptation in training the instant Sit to command as it will encourage them to chase. But it is very satisfying to see a dog in full chase mode skid to a halt at the pip of the whistle! (And, yes, it can be done).
 
I've had springers and didn't have hours and hours to exercise them. Challenge their brains, like DR says, keep them thinking and learning - clicker training is fun and the concentration tires them out. They are loyal, focussed and trainable - what's not to like? Yes, they do bounce a bit but so do most working breeds until they are trained to sit or down and stay. She'll have fun training it, it will keep her young and active and often highly amused.
 
I suppose when I see springers they are being unloaded on shoot day, so understandably are wired up to the moon.
 
Mine aren't wired to the moon (trialing and working) but they do need two training sessions a day for everyone's sanity or they're bouncing off the walls. They swim in the morning as a "tire them out" type thing, water retrieves off a dock, and do a proper training session in the afternoon/evening. I did buy hot bloodlines though!
 
cinnamontoast said:
As you know, I have three, one working bred, two pet bred. The worker is happy with a full hour trotting round the woods or 20 minutes mooching round the field or 30 minutes swimming and running up the path. Springers are not nutters, I know a lady in a wheelchair who walks her two down the main road, no problem.

I'm not sure where this whole 'springers/Cockers are mad' thing comes from, but my lot are calm and lovely at home. The youngsters are perfectly happy retrieving dummies/balls for half an hour then being on my knee or staring at the pond. They were harder work than I realised as babies, probably because they are littermates and we didn't train separately.

With firm boundaries, the pup will be fine, particularly as your mum is very experienced.
Click to expand...

This! Mrs Spaniel is Working Cocker. She loves an active walk and you can certainly tell when she hasn't had enough exercise but she also loves curling up for joint weekend naps on the sofa, lots of affection and entertains herself happily while I am at work fulltime.

Once we got the idea of walking to heel and not dragging me everywhere she is a lovely obedient companion.
 
Those guns that shoot a tennis ball are a wonderful solution if you just want to take life easy. You sit down and shoot the ball - dog fetches it and brings it back to you and you repeat the process all over again. We've got the gun - now we just need the dog!
 
Patchworkpony said:
Those guns that shoot a tennis ball are a wonderful solution if you just want to take life easy. You sit down and shoot the ball - dog fetches it and brings it back to you and you repeat the process all over again. We've got the gun - now we just need the dog!
Click to expand...

See above. If you must let them chase balls, make sure you also intall the brakes. To my mind, a spaniel needs to start learning to Sit on command within weeks of birth. That can be done by showing them the feed bowl but only putting it on the floor when there is an instant response to "Sit".

Then they should be taught to sit when they see a rolled tennis ball and so on with live game. Sit to flush.

Unrestricted chasing = dog out of control = non-existent recall and a wild dog. If you can't stop your dog instantly within 20 yards, it is not trained. It is extremely difficult to teach an old dog new tricks, so start when they are pups with food -- and keep them away from the kids! :)
 
I have taken on an ex working clumber, I am 68, so probably an older person ( not in my head ). He is a brilliant dog, he has fabulous recall. Don't know if the spaniel would have had any training ? He gets an hour to hour and a half a day split into three walks and is otherwise to be found belly up in his bed ! Training is the operative word I think !
 
I have two springers, one of my sister's has two cockers and another sister has a clumber spaniel, they are all very different. My two are very active and need a good five mile walk up the mountain every day to keep them sane. The cockers are happy having short walks but are very demanding in the house and yappy towards other dogs. The clumber is a star, he will walk for miles but just as happily laze in his bed all day if it's raining. He loves everyone whether it's human or another animal, he really is a sweetie. My mum is 82 and walks the cockers and the clumber everyday with no problems so if your mum is fit and healthy I can't see a problem. They really are lovely dogs.
 
My two littermates need to train when out. Maybe I'm paranoid, but after one episode of zooming off and me dragging my sorry ass round pitch black woods at silly o'clock, I'm not keen to let them rip in a pair. Balls are easier to chuck than dummies, although they love both. They aren't working, so I don't care if they chase balls. They don't move unless told, I have no problem with obedience, they do double or individual retrieves and only go off to names.

They have never been naughty since the woods episode. Bear can be let off anywhere as can Brig, but Zak (werewolf dog) is not let off without a ball in sight. Given how easy my first littermates were, these two were a bit of a surprise, but we've already decided we'll have two more eventually. They'll be trained separately!
 
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