Frequently Asked Questions Here are the answers to the most common questions that people ask me about Cocker Spaniels

In a typical month, this web site gets over 50 thousand visitors...  so I end up getting a lot of email!  Here are some of the most frequently asked questions, along with a reply from my team of experts.  (The team being comprised of me, myself, and I.)  I'll start with the most common questions that I get (questions about buying one of our puppies) but if you want to skip ahead you can go directly to general questions about Cocker Spaniels (including training and health questions), questions about buying Cockers from other breeders, questions about getting in to breeding dogs, and questions about our web site.

• Do you have any puppies available?
  
  I'm afraid not.  Our next litter of pups isn't expected until September, 2008...  and are already spoken for.  This is fairly typical for us...  most of our puppies are spoken for long before they are born.  This is just a hobby for us, not a business, so we don't have litters very often...  and the demand for well-bred puppies is huge.  That makes the availability of our pups very tight most of the time.  See our puppy page for more information about puppy availability, and how we choose homes for our pups.
  
  
  
• How often do you usually have puppies available?
  
  We typically have one or two litters a year.  It's important to understand that most of our puppies go to people we already know...  from our forum, our Pupapalooza events, and people who already have one of our dogs.  We're not running a puppy mill here, so you can't just browse our web site, find a pup you like, give us a credit card number, and have us ship it to you.  (There are web sites like that, but shame on you if you give them your money!)  Most of the people that end up with one of our pups have waited a long time.  You have to be patient, and think long-term to end up with one of our puppies.
  
  
  
• I'm willing to wait for one of your upcoming litters.  Can I get on your waiting list?
  
  Only if you fit the profile that I mention on our puppy page.  Basically, we place our puppies in California only, with people who have had Cockers before, and in situations where they will be with people most of the time...  not left alone all day.  Also, our puppies never go to people who live in apartments, people with kids younger than six years old, people who haven't had kids but might someday, or people who hate country music.  Just kidding about the country music...  but if you'll agree to name your puppy after a country song, you'll give me a good laugh!
  
  If you go to the trouble of coming to one of our Pupapalooza events and you get involved in our online forum, I'm much more inclined to be interested in placing one of my puppies with you than if I've never had any contact with you before.
  
  If you live in the Southern California area, you're looking for a puppy, and you don't want to wait for one of our upcoming litters...  check out the web site of a breeder friend of mine that has much more frequent litters than we do.
  
  
  
• I'm interested in a buff colored puppy.  How long until your next litter of buffs?
  
  I don't expect that we'll ever have any solid color puppies, let alone any buffs.  All of our puppies are parti colors.  We generally have black & white partis, red & white partis, and chocolate & white partis.  We may have some sable partis once Reese starts having puppies.
  
  If you like buff colored Cockers, you'll probably like the coloring of the red & white partis, such as the two boys you see here from Abby's 2004 litter.  But if you absolutely must have a solid buff Cocker, we aren't the breeder you're looking for!
  
  It shouldn't be too hard to find buff colored Cockers from other breeders, though.  It's one of the most common Cocker coat colors.
  
  
  
• I live in (name of distant state or country) and there are no Cocker breeders here.  Could you ship me a pup from your next litter?  I'll pay you a ton of money.
  
  Not a chance.  I would never do that to a puppy.  Can you imagine how traumatic it would be for a pup to travel in a crate in the cargo hold of a jetliner?  The only people I consider selling puppies to are people within driving distance of my home in Grover Beach, California.  If you think I'm exaggerating the cruelty of shipping dogs by air...  read some horror stories here.
  
  
  
• Grover Beach?!?!  Where in the heck in California is THAT?!?!
  
  On the coast...  about halfway between L.A. and San Francisco...  about 20 minutes south of San Luis Obispo.  If you're coming from the north, it's  slightly more than a three hour drive from San Jose.  From the south, it's about a three hour drive from Los Angeles...  if you don't hit any traffic!
  
  If you're going to be in our area and you're looking for a great place to spend the night, allow me to introduce you to some dog-friendly hotels in the area.
  
  Can we interest you in some great food while you're visiting our area?  Check out some of our favorite restaurants!
  
  
  
• What is your phone number?  I want to call you to ask you some questions about Cocker Spaniels, but I don't see your phone number anywhere on your web site.
  
  It's not posted here for a reason.  Several reasons, actually.  First, people tend to make calls when it's convenient for THEM, and that's inevitably not at a convenient time for ME!  Second, I talk to so many people about Cockers that it gets confusing.  I prefer you to contact me via email because it allows me to answer your questions at my convenience.  If I get a little confused over who is who, I can go back and look through all my old email and sort it out to make sure I've got it right before sending off my reply.  Plus, with those really frequently asked questions, rather than having to type a new answer each time...  I can cut and paste some of the classic old ones and you'll never know!  Besides email, another good way to get a question answered around here is to post it in our forum.  Pose the question to the entire group, and you'll get not just my opinion, but the opinions of many other Cocker owners.
  
  An easy way to irritate me is to do a little detective work, find my phone number, and call me with a question about Cockers.  You'll find that I'm much more helpful if you ask those questions via email.  And don't even think about showing up at our front door "because you're in the area" and you'd like to see our dogs!  You're welcome to join us for one of our "Pupapalooza" events, where you can meet not only our adult dogs, but many of the puppies we've bred over the years...  but we're not interested in entertaining every Cocker lover that happens to be passing through our area on vacation!
  
  
  
• I am looking to get in to breeding puppies.  Can you supply me with a good quality puppy for breeding?
  
  No.  We prefer that our puppies go to homes where they will be pampered and loved as pets...  not used for breeding.  The new owners of our puppies must sign an agreement stating that they will spay or neuter their dog.
  
  Also...  while we do offer AKC registrations on all of our puppies, we use the AKC's limited registration option.  With a limited registration, your dog is AKC registered...  but the AKC will not register any puppies produced by that dog.  Because puppy mills want dogs with full AKC registration, our policy of using limited registrations tends to keep our puppies from falling in to the wrong hands.
  
  
  
• I have a female Cocker, and would like her to have a litter of puppies.  Do you have stud service available?
  
  Our boy, Dodger, is available for stud service.  However, there are several conditions you and your dog would have to meet if you want to breed with Dodger.
  
  The most obvious condition is that you have to live close enough to San Luis Obispo county, California, to be able to get your dog here when she is in the fertile portion of her heat cycle.  Because we don't want to make a litter of puppies that will grow up to have health problems, we also require that your dog complete the same health tests that all of our dogs go through...  O.F.F.A. and C.E.R.F. testing, plus a brucellosis test.  Your dog also has to be a parti colored American Cocker Spaniel.  We are not interested in breeding Dodger to solid color Cockers (because the result would be mismarked puppies) or to dogs of other breeds.
  
  
  
• When someone gets a puppy from you, is there any kind of guarantee?  Is there a contract?
  
  We give all of our new owners a two week period to evaluate their new puppy after they take it home, and to get their veterinarian's evaluation of the quality of the dog.  If they are unhappy with the puppy, or if their vet finds some kind of health problem with the pup, they can bring it back to us during the first two weeks for their full money back.  There are a few exceptions, such as if the new owner were to accidentally run over the dog with their car...  but we're confident that if you surf the Internet and check other breeder's guarantees that you will find ours to be one of the more generous.
  
  Also, if at ANY point in the lifetime of a Zim dog the owner decides that they can no longer keep the dog, we will help them find a new home for him.  We don't ever want to find out that one of our dogs had to be taken to a shelter because it was unwanted.
  
  In order to avoid misunderstandings between buyer and seller, we do have a document that spells out the terms of our agreement with the new owners of our puppies.  We let our new puppy owners get a look at it well in advance of asking for their signature on it at the time they leave a deposit for one of our puppies.
  
  
  
• I was told by another breeder that the Zim Family doesn't do health testing to their dogs.
  
  That's an old rumor from the very early days of our breeding program before we knew a lot better.  I guess it would be like assuming George Bush is a drunk in 2008 because he used to party in his frat days.  People do learn and grow.
  
  Now that we're older and wiser, we do genetic hip and eye tests on our dogs prior to breeding.  For example our boy, Dodger has an "excellent" rating from the Orthopedic Foundation For Animals.  All five of our dogs have passed their OFA tests as well as eye examinations from a Veterinary Ophthalmologist.
  
  While we're on the subject of health issues...  I would also like to point out that we do NOT do our own veterinary work.  Many breeders keep their costs down by administering their own shots, do their own tail docking, etc.  We prefer to leave the veterinary work to the veterinarians.  Our puppies are usually seen by a vet two or three times before going to their new homes, and our adult dogs are regularly seen by our vet, too.  Yes, I'm sure we could lower the cost of our puppies by trying to avoid seeing the vets except in emergencies...  but that's not how we want to operate.
  
  
  
• Can you give me any tips on how to give my Cocker a proper hair cut?  I'm getting tired of paying the big bucks to a professional dog groomer, and I'm thinking about trying to do the job myself.  Is there a step-by-step instructional video I can buy somewhere?
  
  So many people have asked me that question over the years that I finally decided I couldn't stand it anymore!  In January of 2007, I created an instructional video on how to properly groom a Cocker Spaniel, and now it's available on DVD.  It's even fairly reasonably priced.
  
  On the DVD, I show you the tools you need to do the job and how to maintain them.  Then I show you the complete process of giving a haircut to a Cocker Spaniel, including the tricky part...  blending the short hair along the dog's spine with the long hair on the dog's side and legs.  I also show you how to deal with a dog that doesn't really want to be groomed.  Next, there's a special guest appearance by my friend, Julie Hydro, who is a former professional dog groomer.  Julie shows you her method for trimming a pet Cocker, and then demonstrates the differences the pros use when grooming a dog for the show ring.
  
  For more information on my grooming DVD, including how to order it, click here.
  
  
  
  
• How can I find a Cocker Spaniel breeder in (name of state)?
  
  I edit a list of Cocker Spaniel breeder web sites for the Open Directory Project. 
  Click here to see the list, and look for a breeder located near you.
  
  A tip for finding breeders near you in the Open Directory Project listings:  The listings are broken down in to sub-categories by states and regions of the world.  Click on the heading for your state to see a list of breeders near you.  If there are no breeders in your state, try checking neighbor states.
  
  Example:  to find Cocker breeders in New York state...  click here to go to the Open Directory Project's Cocker breeder section.  Then click on NORTH AMERICA, followed by UNITED STATES, followed by NEW YORK.
  
  Important disclaimer:  Even though I am the editor of the Open Directory's Cocker breeder list, that does not mean I am personally recommending the breeders listed!  The Open Directory Project's rules obligate me to include ALL Cocker breeders that I am aware of, so you will find a wide range of breeders listed...  from good to bad.  Proceed at your own risk, and ask lots of questions to any breeder you contact.
  
  If the Open Directory Project's listings don't yield any good results for you, check the American Spaniel Club web site for ASC members who breed Cockers in your state.  But be forewarned...  most of the breeders that the American Spaniel Club recommends are breeders of show dogs...  and they tend to like to place their puppies with other people who are involved in the show world.  Your best technique for success with a show dog breeder is to let them know that you are not looking for a show dog, just a pet...  and to ask if they know where you can find a good pet Cocker puppy in their area.
  
  If you have trouble viewing the ASC's listings online, you can contact their breed referral representative and ask that the list be sent to you.  You might also want to request lists for any other states within driving distance of your home.  The person to contact is:
  
  Theresa L. Frye
  American Spaniel Club Breeder Referral Chairperson
  7750 Hollow Corners Road
  Almont, Michigan  48003-8019
  
  
  
• I have heard that it's not a good idea to buy a puppy from a pet store.  Why not?
  
  There are several reasons.  First, almost all pet store puppies come from puppy mills...  very large commercial breeders with huge numbers of dogs bred strictly for profit.  If you saw the conditions the parent dogs live their entire lives in...  you would be very upset.  It's awful that these type of operations are allowed to stay in business.  You keep them in business when you give your money to pet stores that sell puppies.
  
  Besides the conditions the parents are kept in, you need to also consider the puppies.  A puppy should be spending lots of time with people...  so it gets properly socialized and ends up calm and well behaved when people are around.  Pet store puppies live in cages...  they get almost no attention at all...  and by the time they get to their new owners they are so starved for attention that they tend to be hyper, misbehaved, and so excited to finally see someone that they lose bladder control.  Also, pet store puppies generally tend to come from lower quality breeding lines than the dogs from a reputable breeder who sells directly to the public.
  
  The other reason we are just completely philosophically opposed to pet stores that sell puppies is because they will sell a puppy to anyone.  If someone's got the money, a pet store is going to sell them a pup with no questions asked.  The sad truth is that not everyone should be a dog owner.  Good dog breeders will make a good match between a dog and his new owners...  and will refuse to sell a puppy to people who don't have what it takes to take care of that dog every day for the next fifteen years.  Certain people...  college students, people who live on the 3rd floor of an apartment building, people operating pre-schools out of their homes...  should probably not own a dog, at least not a Cocker Spaniel.  There are many times that people will email me about buying a puppy and I'll write back and politely suggest a cat instead.  Would a pet store have turned their business down?
  
  
  
• I bought a purebred puppy from a pet store, and when they gave me his registration papers it wasn't an AKC registration, it was a UKC registration.  What's up with that?
  
  Most reputable breeders will use the American Kennel Club for registration.  A lot of the puppy mills can't pass the AKC's inspections, so they register their dogs with the Universal Kennel Club or the Continental Kennel Club instead.  I'm not saying every breeder that uses the UKC or the CKC is un-reputable, and I'm not saying that every breeder that uses the AKC is reputable...  I'm just saying that one red flag indicating that you might be looking at a puppy from a bad breeder is registration with someone other than the AKC...  or no registration at all.
  
  Please note that for dogs bred in Canada, the Canadian Kennel Club is the organization that most reputable breeders use for registration.  Be sure not to confuse the two CKC organizations...  the Canadian Kennel Club and the Continental Kennel Club.  I'm sure one of the reasons that the Continental Kennel Club chose their name is to try to ride on the coat-tails of the Canadian Kennel Club.
  
  
  
  
• Why is there such a wide difference in the pricing of Cocker Spaniel puppies?  I've talked to some breeders who sell their puppies for over a thousand dollars, yet I've seen others advertised in the newspaper or on the Internet for as little as four hundred.
  
  Reputable breeders usually charge a lot more for puppies because they have incurred costs that the backyard breeders and puppy mills have not.  For example, the cost of doing proper hip and eye exams on each and every dog in their breeding program.  Do you think the guy advertising puppies for sale in the local newspaper has gone to the expense of having hip x-rays taken to ensure that his dogs are not passing along genetic hip problems?  Not a chance.  Doing just that one test can cost several hundred dollars if the vet needs to anesthetize the dog to get a good x-ray.
  
  I'll give you another example of the expenses involved.  Several years ago, we decided to import a dog from one of the top Cocker breeders in the world.  We paid the breeder to personally bring the dog to us all the way from Buenos Aires, Argentina.  We raised that dog until he was two years old...  at which time we paid for hip and eye testing to ensure that he was free of genetic defects before breeding.  Unfortunately, a genetic hip defect was found, and the dog had to be neutered without ever creating a single pup.  So we managed to incur a lot of costs over the two years we spent with the dog, but he never made a single puppy.  And that's OK with us...  we'd rather do things that way instead of not doing the testing and then finding out ten years later that we've made large numbers of puppies who grew up to have lifelong hip problems.
  
  Trying to keep our puppy prices low is not our goal.  The goal is to breed healthy puppies that meet the breed standard and that make excellent pets.  I won't bore you with a full accounting of every expense we've gone to over the years in order to meet that goal, but I will say that it's been an expensive journey.  Breeding puppies is not our business, it's our hobby...  so we're not looking to put our kids through college on profits from selling puppies.  But given the expenses involved in breeding puppies the right way, we have to sell our puppies for more than a few hundred dollars if we ever want to come close to breaking even.
  
  
  
  
  
• You used to have a page where you posted cute Cocker Spaniel pictures that other people had sent you.  What ever happened to that page?  I can't seem to find it anymore.
  
  After we added the forum to our web site in the Spring of 2005, there wasn't any real need for that page of "other people's Cockers" any longer...   because now people don't send me very many pictures in email, they post them to the forum instead.  So, I deleted that page.
  
  If you want to see lots of pictures of other people's cute Cocker Spaniels, just head over to our forum and look in the section titled "Cockers, Cockers, and More Cockers".  You'll literally find HUNDREDS of pictures there...  posted by Cocker fanatics all over the world.  I think it's the best part of our entire web site.
  
  
  
• I'm interested in publishing a web site.  What company do you use to host yours?
  
  I've tried several different web hosting companies over the years, and the one I'm with now is called LunarPages  We had been with a web hosting company called PowWeb for several years, but there were too many technical problems with their service, in spite of their claim about "99% uptime".  Their customer service, outsourced to a call center in India, was also really poor.  Our son, Jeff, has had a site hosted by LunarPages for quite a while, and he convinced me to move this site over from PowWeb.  Good advice.
  
  
  
• I'm impressed with all the beautiful pictures on your web site.  What kind of camera do you use?
  
  I have owned six different digital cameras over the years.  So, the pictures you see here on the site have been taken with many different cameras.  The camera I'm currently using is a Canon Digital Rebel XSi...  which is a digital SLR camera which uses interchangeable lenses.  It's an amazing camera...  but not for everyone.  It's bigger than most digital cameras, and expensive...  when you factor in the lenses and accessories.  But, if you're a serious amateur photographer...  it's one heck of a great tool.  Click here and I'll tell you all about it.  The XSi is the latest in Canon's Digital Rebel series...  it just came out in the Spring of 2008.
  
  If you can't afford a Canon digital SLR...  a more affordable line of cameras that I recommend is the Panasonic Lumix line of cameras.  I had a Panasonic Lumix FZ10 for a year, and liked it so much that I upgraded to the FZ20 as soon as they introduced it.  Both of those models have long since been discontinued, but you might want to look at the current models in the Panasonic Lumix line.
  
  
  
• One of your pictures is just perfect for a project I'm working on.  May I use the picture?  I'll give you full credit as the photographer!
  
  Maybe yes, maybe no.  What I'd like you to do is send me an email and explain to me who you are, what photo you're interested in, what you want to do with it, and whether or not you are prepared to send me anything in return for use of the photo.  Right-click on the photo you're interested in, select PROPERTIES, and copy the URL of the image.  Paste the URL in your email so I know what photo we're talking about.
  
  When a very large company wants to use one of my photos, I expect to be paid a for use of the photo.  When a non-profit group wants a photo, or when a student wants to use a photo in a school project...  I don't expect anything but a "thank you".  It's the small businesses in the middle that fall in to a grey area.  Small businesses, by their nature, are looking to make a profit.  It's just not fair to expect me to give you my photo for free so you can make the profit...  so, I do always ask for something in return.  Sometimes we agree on a small amount of money...  enough to take Mrs. Zim out for a meal somewhere...  or sometimes I just have the person send me a small piece of merchandise, such as one of their company's products or something with their company logo on it.
  
  
  
• That "Cocker Street" sign is wonderful!  Where did you find that?!?
  
  You think I would live anywhere else?
  
  Actually, I hate to take the mystery out of it...  but it's a fake.  I spotted CROCKER Street one day in the city of Templeton, California, and snapped a photo of the sign.  It took about two minutes of digital manipulation on the computer to "fix" the sign the way I think it should have been!  By the way, if you see this photo anywhere else on the Internet, you'll know who they stole it from.
  
  
  
• There are so many puppy pictures on your web site...  it looks like you've had a LOT of puppies.  The truth is that you're just running a glorified puppy mill, right?
  
  If we're running a puppy mill, we're doing a terrible job of it!
  
  We've had only had one litter in 2006, one litter in 2005, one litter in 2004, and one litter in 2003.  While I have taken lots of pictures of our puppies over the years, the litters have been few and far between.  This is just our hobby, not how we make our living.
  
  We also do hip and eye tests on all of our adult dogs before breeding.  Puppy mills never go to the expense of doing that to their dogs.
  
  If you go to a breeder's web site and you see that they have puppies available from several different litters at the same time...  this is a red flag that you may be looking at a puppy mill.  Other red flags include the Visa/Mastercard logo on their site, a willingness to ship a puppy to anywhere in the world, or that they offer several different breeds of dogs.  Generally speaking, if you see that a breeder owns a champion show dog, or they talk about OFA or CERF testing...  you can figure right away it is not a puppy mill.
  
  
  
  
• I found a stray Cocker just wandering the streets.  I can't find his owners, and I can't keep him any longer.  If I drive him to your house, can you take care of him?
  
  No...  I'm sorry, but we can't.  It's not legal to have more than five adult dogs in the city we live in.  We are already at the legal limit, so we couldn't take any more even if we wanted to.
  
  There's a rescue section on our forum where you are welcome to post a picture of the dog and his story.  Perhaps someone in our forum would be interested in adopting him.  However, I think you'll find that the most successful method for finding a new home for a homeless Cocker is to place a classified ad in your local newspaper.
  
  
  
  
• We're going to be in Grover Beach for a vacation and, while we're there, we'd like to stop by your house and meet your dogs.  Can you send us directions?
  
  We'd love to have you join us at our next Pupapalooza...  a big beach party for Cocker Spaniel lovers.  But as far as having you over to the house...  sorry, we're going to have to pass.  Our weekends are too short as it is...  we have no interest in opening up our home to every Cocker lover that happens to pass through town.  Enjoy the web site, and join us for the next Pupapalooza if you can.
  
  
  
  
  

• I have a solid buff colored female Cocker and my neighbor has a black & white parti colored male.  We would like to make some puppies.  What colors would the puppies be?
  
  Mating those two dogs would be a bad idea.  The general rule is to breed partis to partis, and solids to solids.  If you breed a parti to a solid, the result will be what the show breeders call "mis-marked" puppies.  In other words, mostly solid color dogs that have goofy patches of white in places where they shouldn't be.
  
  If you're going to get in to breeding Cockers, you have a moral obligation to create puppies that meet the breed standard as set forth by the American Spaniel Club.  If you breed a solid to a parti, you will almost surely get some puppies with markings that don't meet the standard.

A mis-marked solid color.
This is what happens when a parti is bred to a solid.
See the white markings on the snout, neck, and feet?
That's a no-no...  according to the breed standard.

• I have a female Cocker that is pregnant.  I don't know anything about helping puppies to be born.  Can you give me any tips?
  
  We've learned a lot about delivering puppies over the years.  Check out our whelping page for some information that we think you'll find really useful.  But be forewarned...  we've got a very graphic picture there of a puppy being born...  and if you get grossed out easily, it might make you uncomfortable.  Personally, I think it's an amazing picture, but others have said it was a bit of reality that they didn't necessarily want to see!
  
  If you'd like more details about whelping and rearing puppies than can fit on a simple web page, we'd like to recommend a great book written by Muriel P. Lee.  It's called The Whelping And Rearing Of Puppies.
  
  Another way we've learned a few tricks about puppy births is by watching the Animal Planet cable TV channel...  especially their show "Emergency Vets".  Thanks to that show, we learned a great technique for reviving a newborn puppy who was choking on fluid in his windpipe.  If not for that simple technique, Riley, a red & white puppy in our 2003 litter, would never have survived.
  
  Feel free to send me an email with any specific questions you have regarding whelping puppies, and I'll be happy to respond.  Just remember, I might not respond for a day or two...  so don't send emergency questions!  Call your vet with those.
  
  
  
• I have a one year old male Cocker that I am interested in breeding.  Would you like to use my male dog as a stud for one of your females?  If not, how can I find someone who would?
  
  First off, your dog is too young to breed.  Sure, he is certainly physically capable of breeding at that age, but responsible breeders generally don't breed dogs that are younger than two years...  for several reasons.  Without waiting at least until the age of two, you have not allowed enough time for health problems to pop up.  The idea is to wait at least two years to make sure that your dog is generally healthy.  The other issue is genetic health tests for eye and hip diseases.  The Orthopedic Foundation For Animals will not certify hip tests on any dog younger than two years of age.
  
  Realistically, the chances of finding a female in need of your male's services are low.  Any serious breeders would already have a male of their own and even if they didn't they would probably be looking more for a champion show dog for a stud, rather than using someone's pet.
  
  Which leaves you with the non-serious breeders.  The thing I would like you to think about, though, is that perhaps it would be better to leave the breeding to the serious breeders.  The serious Cocker breeders do the appropriate genetic health tests before breeding to make sure that they are not creating new generations of Cockers with serious genetic defects such as eye and hip diseases.  The serious breeders generally also make sure that they are breeding the right Cockers...  ones that fully meet the breed standard...  not just whatever pet quality Cocker that they happen to have around.
  
  Finally, the serious breeders are experienced enough to know what to do to ensure the health of both the mother dog and all of her puppies.  Puppy birth is a serious situation and is full of dangers to the pups.  There is a reason that dogs have such large litters...  it is quite normal for several puppies in every litter to die during the first few days.  Experienced breeders will know how to minimize or prevent this.  Believe me when I say that if you are interested in breeding your dog because of "the joy of birth"...  nothing will burst your bubble like watching several puppies die in the first few days...  especially if that happens after you've paid $500 or so to the emergency vet in a futile attempt to save them.
  
  
  
• We have a two-year-old female Cocker and an eleven-month-old male.  We have several friends and family members who are interested in a puppy.  My question is:  is our male dog old enough to breed?
  
  Your male dog is probably old enough that he could physically do the job of getting your female dog pregnant... but most good Cocker breeders do not breed a dog until he is much older. The good breeders usually wait until both dogs are at least two years old before breeding. There are two main reasons for this...
  
  First, you want to allow some time for any major health problems to show up. You don't want to breed a dog with major health issues, and at your male dog's age you might not even realize it yet if he has any. For example, cataracts. They almost never show up at eleven months.
  
  The bigger reason has to do with testing to determine if the dog is a carrier for genetic hip diseases. There is a very simple x-ray screening that you can do to determine if the dog has genetic hip dysplasia that might be passed along to the next generation. You have your vet take the x-ray, then you send it off to an organization called the Orthopedic Foundation For Animals and they have their panel of hip experts evaluate it. Again, it takes a while for hip disease to show up... so the OFFA will not do evaluations on any dog younger than two.
  
  So, the way it works with most good breeders is that they wait for their dogs to turn two years old, then they have a Veterinary Ophthalmologist do an eye exam to check for any hereditary eye problems which might be passed along to puppies.  If the dog passes the eye test, the breeder has their vet do hip x-rays to look for hereditary hip defects.  The hip x-rays are sent to the OFFA, and if they get a good evaluation back (and if no other major health problems have cropped up) they then proceed with breeding the dog.
  
  Of course, most backyard breeders do not do any of this... and no puppy mills do this... and this is why it is generally much safer to buy a dog from a reputable "hobby" breeder than from a backyard breeder or a pet store.
  
  
  
  
• Are Cockers good with kids?
  
  It is a very kid-friendly breed.  Cockers love people...  it's as simple as that.  A kid that will throw a ball and take the dog for walks is bound to find a very good friend in a Cocker Spaniel.
  
  There are a few things to watch out for, though.  First, if you're buying a puppy, get one that has been properly socialized with kids.  Second, an exuberant Cocker can easily knock down a toddler, so adult supervision is definitely suggested with very young children.  Finally, if you're thinking of adding a new puppy to a family with a pre-schooler, I'd advise you to wait just a few years.  My experience has been that kids under the age of six just do not understand how gently you must treat a young puppy.  After the kids are six or older, they make a perfect fit with a Cocker Spaniel.
  
  
  
• I'm having a hard time potty training my Cocker Spaniel.  Can you give me any tips?
  
  Make sure you are taking him to the same place outside every time.  Find a nice patch of lawn, and make that his designated potty spot.  In time, as he gets used to that one spot, and smells his old urine there, it will get a lot easier to have him go there.  Clean up all accidents in the house extremely well, so he doesn't smell the urine there later.
  
  As you get to know him better over time, you should start to notice some patterns...  a pattern of when he pees and poops, and a pattern of how he acts just before peeing or pooping in the house.  If you pay close attention to the patterns, you will have a lot easier time preventing accidents.  Think preemptively...  in other words, anticipate!  Generally, a puppy needs to pee or poop just about every time they wake up from a nap.  And usually you'll see some patterns develop concerning when they poop...  as you get to know the dog you will see start to learn his poop schedule.  Also, just as you can not just command your body to poop at any given time, neither can the puppy.  So sometimes you have to spend 10 or 15 minutes out on the lawn with the pup when you are reasonably sure that there's something due about now.
  
  There are more suggestions listed on my potty training page.  In addition, there is a good article about dog training and potty training at www.ddc.com/waggers/pup_in_the_house.html   There is also a good article about crate training dogs at www.netpets.com/dogs/reference/training/cratetrain.html
  
  
  
• I am getting tired of paying all that money to a groomer to trim my dog, and am thinking about doing the trimming myself.  What equipment do I need to do the job right?
  
  Trimming the dog yourself is a great idea, and I definitely recommend it.  Getting clipped at home by the person they trust the most is a lot less stressful for the dog...  and because it's so much more convenient for you, you'll probably find yourself grooming the dog more often.  If you're unsure of how to give a Cocker Spaniel a proper haircut, you'll probably find my grooming DVD quite useful.  I made it to show people like you exactly what you need to know about properly grooming a Cocker Spaniel.  Click here for details.
  
  Start by buying yourself a good pair of electric clippers and a grooming table.  Yes, this will cost you some $$$ up front, but you will quickly recoup it by not having to pay for grooming services.  What I recommend you buy is a pair of Andis AGC-2 electric clippers with a #10 blade.
  
  A grooming table will get the dog up at the right height for you to work...  and if you get a grooming table with an arm and a noose, you'll have a lot less trouble keeping the dog still while you trim.  If you're seriously short on $$$, skip the grooming table and just buy the electric clippers for now...  you can just groom the dog on whatever table or stand you have already.  But it's money well spent if you can afford to buy the grooming table right away.
  
  Click here to see other products that I recommend for Cocker Spaniels.
  
  When the subject of electric clippers comes up, an awful lot of people complain that the blades get hot or that the clippers just don't work very well.  Almost always, this is their own darned fault!  Read the manual, and notice how they stress the importance of LUBRICATION.  The blades literally rub metal against metal, and without proper lubrication this will create excessive heat and also a loss of cutting ability.  Use the lubricating oil that comes with your clippers...  USE IT BEFORE EACH TIME YOU USE THE CLIPPERS.  Use the spray-on Kool Lube product after every ten minutes or so of clipping.  With proper use of the lubricating oil before clipping, and Kool Lube during clipping, your electric clippers will work much better.
  
  
  
• What is the difference between an American Cocker Spaniel and an English Cocker Spaniel?
  
  An English Cocker Spaniel doesn't go potty, he uses the loo. 
  
  OK, seriously, the American Cockers are smaller than English Cockers, and have a shorter snout.  If you ever see a dog that looks like a big Cocker with a goofy long nose, you're probably looking at an English Cocker.  Look at the differences in the snouts of the two Cockers pictured here, and I think you'll see it.
  
  The coat coloring of the two breeds tends to be different, too.  While buff, black, brown or parti colors are common in the American Cocker...  the most common coat color in the English Cocker is the blue roan.  If you'd like to look at some pictures of English Cockers, including some blue roans, click here.
  
  This subject reminds me of another joke about Cocker Spaniels...  which you'll only get if you appreciate the differences in the faces of the two breeds...
  
  An English Cocker Spaniel walks in to an American Cocker Spaniel bar...  and the bartender says:  "Hey, why the long face?!?"
  
  
  
• We're having a problem with our new puppy.  Whenever my husband comes in to the room and plays with the puppy, the puppy pees.  What is going on here?
  
  This is called submissive urination.  When the puppy feels threatened or scared in the presence of a bigger more dominant animal, she loses control of her bladder.  Some puppies will grow out of this, others never do.  Your husband needs to be careful to use a soft voice when talking to the dog, and to avoid towering over the dog.  Have your husband bend down to the dog's level whenever possible.
  
  An even more common problem in Cockers is excited urination.  This is where the dog loses bladder control when it is very happy...  for example, when you come home from work and greet it for the first time, or when you have visitors over and they greet the dog.  My very first Cocker had this problem, and I can tell you that it's really annoying!  I personally am trying to breed puppies that do not have this problem...  although sometimes it does happen even with the best bred dogs.  The problem is more common in females than in males, and many puppies that have this problem will grow out of it as they get stronger and get better bladder control.
  
  You can read more about submissive and excited urination here.
  
  
  
• Every time we go to the vet, he tells us that our dog has an ear infection.  We can't seem to keep these darned ears clean!  Do you have any advice for us?
  
  Two pieces of advice, actually.
  
  First, keep the hair trimmed on the underside of the ear in the area within a few inches of the ear canal.  I'm talking about the side of the ear that touches the head, not the side of the ear that shows.  If you allow the hair to grow in this area, it blocks the ear canal and promotes infections.  Keep all hair trimmed in this area to promote air circulation in to the ear.
  
  More importantly, keep the inside of the ears clean.  We used to spend a lot of time using cotton balls and expensive cleaning solutions to clean ears.  It was a big hassle, and we hated doing it.  Then our friend Dawne Christy, who has way more experience with Cockers than we do, shared a little trick with us.  It seems she had a secret recipe for ear cleaner that you can make yourself using ingredients available at Rite Aid or most other large drug stores.  If you squirt some of this concoction in to the ears once a week, I think you'll start having a lot less problems with ear infections.  Click here for the secret recipe.
  
  
  
• My Cocker has an annoying behavior problem.  He is constantly (fill in problem here...  barking, chewing, jumping, etc.)  Any suggestions?
  
  There is a very interesting web site operated by the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point that features links to all sorts of articles about canine behavior problems.  There are fifteen specific behavior problems listed, as well as a few general issues.  I think you'll find the articles quite useful.  Click here to go to the site.
  
  I'd also like to point out the single most powerful word in the English language when it comes to dog training.  That word is "NO!".  When your dog does something you disapprove of, use the word "NO!" in a stern voice.
  
  In situations where the word "NO!" doesn't work, you'll find a really good way to put a quick stop to any Cocker behavior is a shot in the face from a squirt gun.  After a while, just the sight of the squirt gun in your hand is usually enough to stop the behavior.
  
  
  
• Am I better off to have a pair of Cockers, or just one?
  
  If the dog will be alone for long periods of time (for example, if you work all day) Cockers seem to do better if they have a companion.  If the dog is going to be with people most of the time (for example, you are retired) you might be better off with just one...  he or she will become TOTALLY devoted to you.  If you are going to have a pair of Cockers...  a male/female pair has the highest chance of getting along without fighting.  A pair of females is the worst combination...  they tend to have the most frequent conflicts.  Not to imply that two female Cockers can't get along...  I'm just saying the odds are more in your favor with a neutered male and a spayed female.
  
  
  
• I've heard Cockers described as hyper, nervous, or high strung.  Is that true?
  
  My experience has been that the more time a Cocker gets to spend with his owner, the calmer and happier he will be.  The most mellow Cockers I have ever met have been owned by retired people who have the luxury of having the dog with them almost constantly.  The most agitated Cockers I've known have been banished to the back yard all day while all the humans in the family are at work or at school.  It drives the dog nuts...  they crave human companionship.  This is why I try to place my puppies in homes where someone is at home most of the time.
  
  My #1 tip for creating a mellow Cocker:  Let it sleep on your bed at night.  They absolutely love this!  It helps create a special bond, it makes them feel very secure, and you will definitely have a better behaved Cocker this way.
  
  
  
• I just bought an 8-week-old puppy and he has a full tail.  At what age should I get it docked?
  
  It's already too late.  The breeder should have had the tail docked at the age of 3-5 days, before the nerves in the tail were fully developed.  It can be done very easily and with minimum pain to the dog at that age.
  
  Even though your puppy is only a couple of months old now, his tail is already very sensitive.  It would require surgery with anesthetic to dock that tail now.  Enjoy his unique full tail as it is, rather than putting your dog through surgery.
  
  
  
• What is the average lifespan of a Cocker Spaniel?
  
  To make a very broad generalization...  let's say 12 or 13 years is about average.  Keep in mind that one dog year is roughly equivalent to seven human years.
  
  There are definitely people who have had Cockers that have lived to be 15, 16, 17 and even 18 years of age.  You can talk to some of them on our forum.  But Cockers that make it to 15 are few and far between.  12 or 13 is a more reasonable lifespan to expect from your dog.  If you do have a Cocker that has lived to be 15 or older...  give yourself a big pat on the back...  because as far as taking care of that dog goes, you're probably doing just about everything right!
  
  
  
  
• How can I stop my Cocker from barking?
  
  The best way to deal with the barking problem is to not let it get started in the first place.  From the very first time you ever hear the dog bark as a puppy...  if you firmly say "no" to the dog each and every time you hear him bark...  you can usually nip it in the bud.  Just be firm and NEVER let the puppy get away with barking without a firm reprimand.
  
  If you've got an adult Cocker who's been in the habit of barking for all of his life, behavioral solutions just aren't going to work.  It's too late.  You're going to have to consider more drastic solutions such as collars that administer a small shock when the dog barks, or having the vocal cords surgically removed.  As you can imagine, this is not a situation you want to be in...  so my strong advice is to stop the barking with a firm "no" at a very early age.
  
  This brings up one other thing I think will be helpful to new dog owners...  don't talk in sentences to your dog.  I've actually heard members of my own family try to stop a dog from barking by sticking their head out the window and yelling things like "Abby, be quiet, it's Sunday morning and you'll wake the neighbors!"  Do you think the dog understood any of that?!?  Stating the obvious here...  dogs do not speak your language!  However, they can learn a few simple words or phrases if you repeat them enough.  So stick with very short and simple commands when you speak to your dog...  such as "NO!", "Go Potty", and using their name when you want them to come to you.
  
  
  
  
• Something odd has happened to one of my dog's eyes.  There's some pink flesh bulging out around the bottom of the eye.  What is this?  Is it serious?  Is my dog going to go blind?
  
  This is what's known as a "cherry eye", or a prolapsed gland of the third eyelid.  It happens to a lot of Cockers, as well as to certain other breeds such as Bulldogs and Shar Peis.
  
  What has happened is that a gland (which is normally tucked under where you can't see it) has popped out.  This is basically a cosmetic problem, and nothing to panic about as long as you don't just let it stay that way.  If you do nothing, it could get irritated and infected.
  
  In many cases, you can very easily fix a cherry eye yourself.  This has the highest chance of working  if you do it within minutes or hours of first noticing a cherry eye.  All you need to do is wash your hands first, and then gently massage the bulging gland back under the lower eyelid where it belongs.  In many cases, you can get the prolapsed gland back under where it belongs, and in many cases it will stay there.
  
  If you can't pop the cherry eye back in by yourself, you'll need to have your vet do a surgical fix.  This typically costs at least a couple of hundred dollars.  There are several different surgical procedures that vets can do to fix cherry eyes, but I have a strong suggestion on which way you should go.  Many vets will try to get you to agree to a removal of the prolapsed gland, but this is a VERY bad idea.  This is the way it used to be done in the old days, and many older vets are only comfortable with this procedure because that's the way they have always dealt with cherry eyes.  Others prefer this procedure because it is the easiest (and cheapest) surgical method of dealing with cherry eyes.  But the reason that removal of a prolapsed gland is such a bad idea is that this gland is responsible for production of a significant portion of the tears that lubricate the eyes.  Without the gland, the dog is very likely to have dry eyes, and this CAN lead to significant problems down the road...  even blindness.
  
  A better way to go is to have your vet stitch the prolapsed gland back in place where it belongs.  This is sometimes known as "the pocket technique" because the prolapsed gland is tucked back in to a pocket under the eyelid, and then a single stitch is used to anchor it down in place.  Because the gland is not removed, it still produces tears...  and because it is anchored with a stitch, it generally doesn't pop back out.
  
  So my strong advice if you can't massage a cherry eye back in place yourself, is to locate a vet that is experienced in performing "the stitch" or "pocket technique" style of cherry eye repair.  Don't let your vet talk you in to removal of the gland, and don't let your vet do the repair unless they have done it many times before.  Getting it done correctly is important enough that you should definitely call around to locate the right vet to do the job if your regular vet isn't up to the task.
  
  If anyone tells you that a cherry eye should be surgically removed -- even if it's a vet that tells you -- it should be an instant red flag that the person is way out of touch with the current state-of-the-art in cherry eye treatment.  Don't believe me?  Click here to read what the experts at the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists have to say about it.
  
  
  
• My lawn has many circular patches of dead grass from where my dog has peed on it.  Is there something I can feed to the dog to make his urine less acidic so that my lawn will stay green?
  
  Actually, the easiest solution to this problem is just to water the lawn more often and/or to water the lawn for longer periods of time.  The extra water given to the lawn will dilute the urine to the point where it will not kill the grass.  Our lawn looks pretty nice, and we have five dogs peeing on it.  We just water that particular lawn a little heavier than we would if we did not have dogs on it.
  
  
  
  
• What do you recommend feeding to a Cocker Spaniel?  How many meals a day, and how much should we feed at each meal?
  
  We used to feed Purina Pro Plan to all of our dogs, but after we kept hearing great things about Canidae dog food from a lot of different people on our Cocker forum, we decided we had to give it a try, too.  Really...  we didn't just hear one or two stories about dogs with food allergies that got much better when fed Canidae...  we heard it over and over from many different people.  Food allergies are very common in Cocker Spaniels.  Food allergies can cause itchiness, dandruff, and all sorts of skin problems   Wheat, corn, and soy products can often trigger food allergies...  and those ingredients are very common in many dog foods.  Canidae Lamb & Rice contains no corn, wheat, soy, grains, or flours...  not even just a little.  It's great for Cockers. 
  
  We recommend a method called "free feeding".  Rather than feeding your dog portions and meals like a human, just put out a big bowl of dry dog food (and a big bowl of water) and let your dog have as much as she wants anytime she wants.  You'll find that the dog nibbles at small amounts of food throughout the day, and will regulate her own intake without ever getting fat.
  
  This will ONLY work if you stick to feeding just dry food...  never any canned food, and never any human food or table scraps.  If you start giving your dog leftovers from the dinner table, you'll end up with a fat Cocker very quickly!
  
  By the way...  if your vet tries to talk you in to buying some special food that is only available at his office...  his motivation is probably based more on profit than on trying to help you or your dog.  Your Cocker will do fine (and you won't go broke) by saying "no" to the vet's brand and sticking with a quality food such as Canidae.  One other nice thing about Canidae:  it's an "all life stages" food...  which means if you have a puppy and an adult dog in the same house, they can both eat the same food.
  
  
  
• I read your funny comments regarding how to tell if my Cocker is addicted to tennis balls.  My Cocker doesn't show any interest in retrieving tennis balls, or anything else for that matter.  Is this normal?
  
  Some dogs are so ball-crazy that they just do it naturally from day one.  Others don't.  It just depends on the dog.
  
  You can actually train a dog to retrieve things.  Start with whatever his favorite chew toy is.  Get him chewing on it, then grab it and throw it about a foot or two away.  Keep working at it as long as it takes to get him to go over there and get it.
  
  Once you've got him retrieving it from a foot away, just gradually increase the distances each time.  Depending on how much natural retrieving instinct he has, you may have to gradually work on this over days or weeks.  When you've got him consistently retrieving his favorite chew toy from across the room, switch to other toys such as squeaky toys or balls.  Gradually throw them farther and farther away, and in time you will have the dog trained to retrieve the toy from as far as you can toss it.
  
  I highly recommend training your dog to retrieve things...  it's great exercise for the dog, and will help to tire him out for the "quiet time" you need to get things done around the house.  The other great thing about it is that while the dog is running his little butt off, yours can be planted firmly in a chair.  The dog has to do all the work, and you just sit back and watch.  It's much like being in Management!
  
  
  
• Where would I find a Cocker with no legs?
  
  Right where you left him!
  
  (If you think that's funny, check out my dog jokes page.)
  
  
  
• Do Cockers get along with cats?
  
  Most Cockers will chase anything that moves, and cats tend to run at the first sign of trouble, so don't expect miracles.  If you've got a really mellow Cocker that moves slowly and doesn't tend to run around like a maniac, you might have a chance.  Here are a few things you can do to help a friendship develop:
  
  The most important thing is to introduce your cat and Cocker to each other SLOWLY and in a carefully controlled way.  Get the dog totally tired out before you put them together the first few times.  Don't hold the cat...  if it freaks out, you're going to get severely clawed.  Finally, make sure the cat has a safe place to escape to if things go badly.  Here's a few pictures that people have sent me to illustrate that it can work under the right circumstances:

This pup knows a good pillow when he sees it!
Owner:  Gene and Dawne Christy of Hi-Acre Cocker Spaniels

"Casey" with "Speedy" the cat
Owner:  Lana Poole -- Tell City, Indiana

Our girl, Morgan, with our cat, Socks

Why do Cockers always have their tails chopped off?

It's called tail docking, and there are actually a few reasons it is done.  It started back in the days when Cockers did a lot of hunting in the brush, and their tails would get full of burrs and thickets.  But there are still plenty of good reasons to dock the tail of a pet Cocker:

First, Cockers wag their tail so vigorously that they can actually hurt themselves by either hitting their tail against their own body or by hitting it in to things such as walls or furniture.  Another reason is that a full, bushy tail tends to get dirty with fecal matter.  Finally, Cockers are a small breed with a BIG tail...  and it just plain looks goofy because it's out of proportion to their bodies.