Sprockers....

[Tizzy01]

Fiancé and I have waited years to finally be in a position to get our own dog. We finally are (except for the utterly ridiculous lockdown prices- so in no rush) We had both been set on a working type cocker but recently have been recommended a sprocker. Having done some research we are fairly smitten but don’t know anyone who has one. Anyone with experience have any pro’s/cons or could recommend a reputable breeder in the North West or reasonable travel?

 

[meleeka]

The only one I know is absolutely bonkers. It’s just too hyper for the average family home. I’m not sure why this cross would appeal to anyone, but each to their own.

 

[Chiffy]

I have a friend with one, it’s a nutcase, there seems to be no turn off button. She works as a dog Walker so it gets plenty of exercise. It is trainable to a certain degree but I don’t see the point of them. Either a cocker or a springer can fit the bill.
I am not a spaniel fan as they are often too wriggly and hyper unless properly worked but I do know a few nice cockers in pet homes .

 

[scats]

I groom a couple. They tend to be very ‘busy’ and need a lot of mental stimulation as well as physical. Saying that, a friend rescued a sprocker about 15 years ago and he was a fabulous dog- remarkably relaxed in general. I imagine he was a rarity though!

 

[PapaverFollis]

I have a sprocker. Working bred. Active pet home. He's always had a fabulous off switch despite being a very busy bee out in walks. I had to give him a week off recently due to being lame everytime he free ran (he's 10 now and I think he'd just tweaked something)... by the end of the week he was a little bit norty paws but hardly unmanageable.

As a younger dog he needed a fair bit of exercise but no more than standard for an active breed. And appreciates brain games and find it retrieves etc. His concentration span is fleeting though so training can be challenging but he's always made me laugh rather than be frustrated. I think I was lucky in a way in that I managed to somehow train a solid enough recall, and he's always naturally been good for staying in sight of us, for him to be able to have plenty of off lead walking. His lead walking skills are minimal despite my best efforts!

He's a tea towel/sock/shoe thief... but he just fetches them to you like "excuse me, you left this where I could reach it" rather than instant destroy.

And he has a slight nervous edge that if we hadn't been careful could have tipped over into resource guarding aggression... it hasn't and he's got better with age rather than worse... and I've met both cockers and springers that are much worse so I don't think that's a sprocker thing. Just a spaniel thing.

I'd have another if I could offer a very active lifestyle to a dog again.

Good luck getting a sitting still picture of one outside though...

 

[Reri1826]

^^ could be describing my sister’s cocker. Busy, active but all in all a really good dog. Hers is really good with kids too (obviously with care!) but he more worries they are ok than anything else. He is obsessive about tennis balls so they have to be limited. Picked up a few random injuries here and there and gets fairly frequent ear infections. He’s a really lovely dog all in all.

 

[PapaverFollis]

Oscar is also lovely with kids, when he has interaction with them which hasn't been much. I have a sprollie too who behaved around kids but you can see he doesn't like them and will stare at me and pretend it isn't happening. Whereas Oscar thinks kids are great and will seek them out for cuddles.

We also have the tennis ball issue and he's just not allowed them. It's too much. ?

No ear problems here yet.

 

[Tizzy01]

Thanks for all the replies. I love the busy nature of cockers, always have so I fully prepared for that. We look after a few cockers but all happily settle in the house and make wonderful pets. Interesting to hear a few of the sprocker breed traits though.

 

[Clodagh]

I only see spaniels out shooting but I would say springers are more independent and cockers more clingy and handler orientated. Certainly if I ever had a fit of madness and got another spainel it would be a cocker.
As a crossbreed I imagine a sprocker could go either way.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I only see spaniels out shooting but I would say springers are more independent and cockers more clingy and handler orientated. Certainly if I ever had a fit of madness and got another spainel it would be a cocker.
As a crossbreed I imagine a sprocker could go either way.

Thats just made me think of when we went to "just to look" at the litter of sprocker puppies our friend had told us about 10 years ago. We arrived at the farm and met mum straight away, she was a cocker and was wiggling around her human's feet full of all the love.... human said "do you want to meet dad too?" "Yes please"... he hollered. There was a pause of about a minute before we heard a crashing of undergrowth in a bit of woodland across the field then this magnificent brute of a springer was charging across the field, skidded a halt at our feet and looked up at us with the most handsome, happy face "hi I'm dad, sorry about that... important spaniel business, you know?...pleased to meet you" ? We were pretty much sold before we even met the pups. Then we went into the pen where the pups were and this big fat dobber pup pealed away from the others immediately and came and plonked himself in a sit at my feet with all the lovingness of mum and the self-assurance of dad and it was just like, that's my puppy. ?

This was a couple of weeks later when we had him home... but this was the look he gave me...


2010! Holy cow. I want another one!

 

[Tizzy01]

Thats just made me think of when we went to "just to look" at the litter of sprocker puppies our friend had told us about 10 years ago. We arrived at the farm and met mum straight away, she was a cocker and was wiggling around her human's feet full of all the love.... human said "do you want to meet dad too?" "Yes please"... he hollered. There was a pause of about a minute before we heard a crashing of undergrowth in a bit of woodland across the field then this magnificent brute of a springer was charging across the field, skidded a halt at our feet and looked up at us with the most handsome, happy face "hi I'm dad, sorry about that... important spaniel business, you know?...pleased to meet you" ? We were pretty much sold before we even met the pups. Then we went into the pen where the pups were and this big fat dobber pup pealed away from the others immediately and came and plonked himself in a sit at my feet with all the lovingness of mum and the self-assurance of dad and it was just like, that's my puppy. ?

This was a couple of weeks later when we had him home... but this was the look he gave me...
View attachment 65613

2010! Holy cow. I want another one!

Wow absolutely adorable ‘important spaniel business’ ?? exactly what I love about spaniels, never going anywhere in a straight line

 

[shortstuff99]

I have a sprocker and he is just the best! Yes he is active but not ridiculously so, I had a collie before him so maybe that makes me used to it? He is super friendly, great with children and very well behaved.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I have a sprocker and he is just the best! Yes he is active but not ridiculously so, I had a collie before him so maybe that makes me used to it? He is super friendly, great with children and very well behaved.

Yeah, I don't think of the sprocker as particularly active or difficult to manage.... but my other dog is a springer x collie so maybe I'm just working on a different level of nutso over here. ?

 

[Karran]

I know a couple of sprockers, really happy little dogs, two are yard dogs and the other a retired flyball dog.
I wouldn't say no to one if I was looking again!

 

[Ceifer]

We have a sprocker. He’s brilliant. He’s also a bit bonkers but in the best possible way. I was a bit nervous as he’s my first dog, but he’s settled in really well and I haven’t found him difficult to keep entertained and busy.
The first day we got him home

 

[Reri1826]

I just realised, I meant sprocker not cocker! Even looks like PF’s dog. He’s a great dog.

 

[druid]

They're mad money for a mongrel usually.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I wouldn't call a sprocker a mongrel particularly myself. They are a very popular cross as a working dog. All mine's litter mates went to working homes. Plus he definitely wasn't "mad money". £200. 10 years ago, so may be different now. But I would say a sprocker is a slightly different protest on the "let's be grump about crossbreeds" scale than a cockerpoo or a jackauaua or even my accidental sprollie (£100 by the way)... they are closer to a lurcher in origin story I'd say.

 

[palo1]

At least Springers and cockers are both the same sort of dog, with similar physiology, mentality and function which makes for a much better cross-breed than a poodle-mute for example!! They are a very well understood and decent cross too, again unlike a poodlemute/akitauaha, Pugdane etc lol.

 

[Ceifer]

Ours wasn’t silly money either, considering how mad the prices have been this summer. His mum is beautiful and had a lovely temperament when we met her. Didn’t meet the dad but his owner has friended me on FB and seen lots of photos and videos. Both working dogs but mum had more of a family life.
I love our pup as he’s always happy to see us, he’s very sociable (sometimes too much ?) and has a very amiable personality.

 

[druid]

I've seen litters for 1k plus recently...at that point why not buy a Cocker? or a Springer?

I bred, work and trial Springers and I've had Cockers in for training - I just don't see much point in Sprockers as a working cross, when they're a cross of two breeds bred for the same job. Different from say a dropper - those make sense as a moor dog for many keepers by combining HPR/Retriever traits

 

[iknowmyvalue]

I don’t have experience of sprockers personally, but from other people who have them I think they are very typical spaniels, and can lean either way in terms of personality. I have to say that I absolutely love spaniels (as anyone who has met me will tell you ?). I’ve got a little cocker who is ace, and my parents have a cocker and a springer. Yes, they do have quite busy brains, and they do need their exercise, but they’ve made amazing family pets for us. Parents oldie is nearly 12 and he’s as nutty as ever, still charging around sniffing out pheasants and up for full day walking adventures.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

I've seen litters for 1k plus recently...at that point why not buy a Cocker? or a Springer?

I bred, work and trial Springers and I've had Cockers in for training - I just don't see much point in Sprockers as a working cross, when they're a cross of two breeds bred for the same job. Different from say a dropper - those make sense as a moor dog for many keepers by combining HPR/Retriever traits

I think you’d be lucky to find a cocker or springer for under £2K, looking at adverts currently. I’m not actually looking, mine are 11 and fortunately good currently, but I’m a nosy cow, forever looking at adverts!

 

[druid]

I think you’d be lucky to find a cocker or springer for under £2K, looking at adverts currently. I’m not actually looking, mine are 11 and fortunately good currently, but I’m a nosy cow, forever looking at adverts!

Depends where you buy my pup was significantly less than that and she's FTCh x Int FTCh breeding

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Depends where you buy my pup was significantly less than that and she's FTCh x Int FTCh breeding

Is that recent? Just looking at 7 pages on Pets4home (I have a breeder in mind, not going to be buying from there!) and there’s nothing under £1900! I think if you know people in the gundog world, you’re far more likely to find puppies at a good price/solid history. Our first two were from a hill farm just into Wales, FTCh galore on the pedigree, KC registered. It’s what I’ll be looking next time.

 

[druid]

Is that recent? Just looking at 7 pages on Pets4home (I have a breeder in mind, not going to be buying from there!) and there’s nothing under £1900! I think if you know people in the gundog world, you’re far more likely to find puppies at a good price/solid history. Our first two were from a hill farm just into Wales, FTCh galore on the pedigree, KC registered. It’s what I’ll be looking next time.

She's 5 months old so yep very recent. None of the litter was advertised

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

She's 5 months old so yep very recent. None of the litter was advertised

Have we had photos?! I think you’re a gundog type, aren’t you, so you probably know some fab breeders.

 

[druid]

Have we had photos?! I think you’re a gundog type, aren’t you, so you probably know some fab breeders.

No photos. she's mostly a blur. She's from one of the top Irish kennels, yes - multi championship winner.

 

[druid]

Photo from back in November when she arrived

 

[Clodagh]

See, that’s the thing about spanner’s, they are all big eyes and gooey love ness, the next thing you see is their backside disappearing over the horizon.
She is gorgeous!