My DD has a 10 year old working cocker who is at my house for most of the working week, with my own terrier.
The cocker is adorable but such hard work in many ways. She is well educated, has a faultless recall and can always be called back instantly if she sees a pheasant, squirrel, muntjac or whatever, walks beautifully on a loose lead, she’s good in the house, with children, visitors and cats. But…
She was terribly destructive youngster, especially keen on shoes and doormats. She still grabs the first shoe she can see if she wants to give a visitor a present! She’s slightly less inclined to chew them up now she’s older.
Those ears, tail and feathers tangle in the slightest breeze, she gets smothered in sticky weeds and burrs, she only has to step onto wet grass and the whole dog is soaked. She is silky on her back but her chest, armpits and thighs have a dense undercoat and she takes hours to dry. Even wearing an Equafleece with legs, she has hardly dried from the morning walk when it’s time to walk again.
Spaniels don’t walk in straight lines, she is constantly quartering the ground, zigzagging and backtracking, she must cover ten miles for every one of mine!
She has a bottomless appetite, eats anything and despite being very active and getting two or three walks of between 45 and 90 minutes, she gains weight easily. She was spayed after her first season, which does seem to thicken their waists. She isn’t tall enough for counter-surfing but she might steal unattended food if I left the room, and clears the other pets’ bowls. She moults a lot, she’s combed at least twice a day but my washing machine is full of hair every week when I wash their bedding.
I do love her nature, but managing the coat and ears is hard work and for that reason alone I hope my DD doesn’t get another spaniel.
We had a goldie very many years ago that we took on as an 8 year old, she was sweet but far less bright than the spaniel, she moulted a lot but I don’t remember her coat being as prone to tangles.
Friends have adopted a pointer, who has a wonderfully easy short coat!