well i didn'nt realy want to start a new thread butdidn't know where else to put it. I'm going to look at some spaniels on Friday.They are pur bred cockers and their mom looks to have some hunting tendancies though she was never trained as such. Believe it or not I have never bought a dog before they either came from spca or free from in front of the mall. Now the dogs are only a week old so it will be hard for me to choose a good one. I usually look in the eyes to see which ones will make eye contact and how long they hole it. I was hoping to take some think along to see which ones had a tendancy to hold a point although that may have been askng too much. Any pointers out there , and I mean davice not dogs. ;D
Well at a week old the pups are still flimsy and its not easy to tell which one is the strongest. I normally go for the best looking one ( coloration ) and start from there. I also look in its eyes. Somtimes its a good idea to bring a feather or what you will be training this dog on and play with it.
On another note:
Guest-Chris said:
I usually look in the eyes to see which ones will make eye contact and how long they hole it.
ahem.... uh... Im not familiar with this term " hole it " uh.... what exactly do you do to the dog now??
My experience is primarily with show dogs. Bulldogs to be specific. I know breeders who swear they can pick the winners while they are still wet. I, on the other hand, have always had trouble telling anything about a pup untill it was about twelve to sixteen weeks old. At one week i looked for a full tummy, damp nose, clear coat and other signs of life! If you can pick the best performance dog out of a full litter at one week of age, you're a better man than me! Good luck.
I cann't that why I ask . sorry for the spelling it was 6:00am my time when I wrote in. Same with the request to Mr weasel now I don't know where I wrote it. Thanks for the help I think I'll just look for one that looks health and hope for the best knowing my kids it will become more house pet than hunting companion anyways. So as long as it's health happy and don't eat my gloves it should do ok here.
Okay now I've did it. I went looked and picked the biggest most mobile looking pup in the litter. Right or wrong it is done. 9 days old what was i thinking? thats the one that stuck out from the momment i walked in he was on top of the pile when we moved the around to sex them and look at them he always seemed to end up on top. It's kismet I hope and if he doesn't work out as a hunter he'll do well at keeping the couch warm. I haven't had a puppy for twenty years and I 'm scare $#!+|@$$ I don't know why but I am.
It's just as important to like your dog as it is to have it hunt for you. You probably made the right choice. Now, Start finding places to hide your shoes, put chew guards on everything that has a corner on it, cover your carpet with plastic and stock up on flea and tick spray. The puppy stage can last as long as two years. Good Luck!
Just read an article on dogs for falconry at. www.intfalconer.com/ While you're there read all the articles in the back issues section. Super site, I rate it a 5 on a 5 point scale. good luck; jim
I could agree more Bob. The family wanted a dog, so I said that if we are going to get a dog it might as well be one that has a history of being used for falconry. My wife wanted one that wouldn't get to large. Her mom use to raise show corigies that was the size limit she wanted. So that is how we came to choise the cocker spaniel. As for fleas and ticks, they don't surive the winters here. Alittle lower in elavation they can be a problem, so when i go out of the area i have to beware that I don't transplant any. Chewing is going to be a problem for starters all my computor cables are pretty accessable at the moment. the rest is fairly safe. Most of the dogs I have had in the past where heeler semoyd crosses. We are hoping for the best a companion first hunting partern second. hoping for the best Chris
Chris, do you know ppl that use cockers for hunting? I have several friends that use Springers and Brittanies, but no one that i know uses a cocker. How do they do? The cockers in this area are so far away from their hunting roots i wonder if they have any inclination to hunt left.
Hi Bob you are correct the American Cocker is more show than sport these days.The English cocker apperantly retains more of it's hunting roots although the American Cocker that lives behind me was ased for hunting and boy does he go to point well. When ever the rabbit is out and about( it's daily exercise ) the neighbors dog is right there. And he is also right there to watch when I exersice Marry. There is a local field dog club close by and the fellow who runs it said he would help with any problems I have. And if the pup doesn't work out then it will just have to keep the seats warm for me when i go out hunting. He's a beautiful red brown and we haven't chosen a name thow the kids want to call him Copper because fof the color.I hope that wouldn't be a point of discomfort with FB.
Hello Bob; no I don't have a subscription yet but It's on my wish list. Just gotta print a copy of the subsription and make sure to put it in a place my permanent girlfriend can find it lol.
As far as dogs go I grew up in New York and got to go hunting with my dad and duke the family Irish setter for mostly pheasant. He was a big square headed red beauty. Long gone now, I would'nt consider any long hair or sensitive skinned dog for the brush country of south Texas. Maybe a wire haired GSP or a visla.