| Breed type |
- Sport / Gun / Hunting dog
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| Physical characteristics |
- compact sized dog with strong, straight legs
- long ears, almost reaching the nos
- profuse, thick, silky medium to long coat
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| Personality |
- moderate-energy dogs
- friendly to people, good with children, can get along with other dogs
- sweet, cheerful and eager to please
- playful, but sensitive–they don’t take well to teasing or harsh training
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| Best exercises |
Because these dogs are bred to accompany hunters, they do have a lot of stamina, but are only moderately energetic. They usually aren’t bouncing off the walls if they don’t have regular exercise, but you still need to let them burn off some energy.
- Walks – long, steady walks are great.
- Running – with conditioning, Cocker Spaniels are good running dogs for short times (20 – 30 minutes a couple days a week). Start slowly and consider keeping her coat shorter.
- Hiking – long, low-key hikes are great, just watch that his coat doesn’t get tangled in branches and bramble.
- Agility – Cocker Spaniels have enough energy for this sport and many do compete. If you think it’s right for your dog, you can train for fun or for competition. See more here.
- Dog Parks – because Cocker Spaniels are generally friendly with other dogs, if you feel yours if well socialized, let her romp with friends for a bit.
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Suggested exercise plan
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- 1 session / day for 20 – 30 minutes each
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I spend my hours playing with dogs and showing others how to play with theirs. Whether you call it play, games, or exercise, it’s all good for the pooch and good for us too.My husband Reg and I have been playing with pooches officially for 5 years. That is–when we started to look into new ways of exercising...
I can’t even keep up with my dog when we go out for a ride! I don’t know where he finds the energy from.