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Cocker Spaniels/Expects pets from everyone!
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Hi my husband and I recently got a 12 week old cocker spaniel. He was part of a petting zoo exhibit from 8 - 12 weeks. We have had him for three weeks now. We are concerned a little with his need for everyone to pet him, when we go on walks. If he sees someone, man, woman or child he expects them to pet him. He gets very excited and runs toward them. He never barks but if they ingore him, he will sit down and stare at them. Most of my neighbours are obliging and love to pet him, especially the children, so it seems to reinforce this behaviour? Should we encourage this, and allow pets from strangers to help socialize him? Or should we command him to keep walking and give a gentle tug on the leash to get him moving? He recently started growling at me during play as well, and I'm afraid for the children petting him as I don't feel like I have complete control over him yet. He still does not come to his name, and only knows the commands sit, and gentle when he's taking a treat from my hand. He also has seperation issues with me, when I leave the room and will whine. But we have only heard him bark twice in the last month. Both times were directed towards large dogs in the park. He is aggressive towards large dogs. He really seems to love kids and we thought it would do him good since we don't have kids of our own to socialize him with. Any advice on these questions would be a great help!
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You have nothing to worry about. This is a very socialized dog and that's GOOD!
Re the "commands" - you're expecting way too much at this age. I'm thinking you've gotten an exceptional dog if he knows anything at this age.
So, to summarize...yes, encourage him being friendly towards strangers and let him (and you) enjoy having a lovely and affectionate dog.
Of course he doesn't "come" on command or know his name yet. Yikes :) - he's an infant! Keep training - be patient and always, always calm. Yes, he'll kick up a fuss when alone - ignore it and it'll disappear. Typical puppy behavior.
Now..the "growling during play"...this is probably just puppy play but I advise you to never allow growling. Here's what to do. Get right down on his level - STARE into his eyes and say NO firmly but calmly (never yell)...continue until he breaks eye contact. You just won!
The eye contact is the most important thing.
Re the "aggressive towards large dogs" - can you describe precisely what happens? Define what you mean by aggression.
Sounds like you have a lovely dog and if I can be of any ongoing support, it would be a joy!
You're asking the right questions at the right time...so any "issues" at this age are easily handled and you sound like a responsible, loving and good owner. I have a lot of time for owners like you :)
Delores
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Questioner's Rating
| Rating(1-10) | Knowledgeability = 10 | Clarity of Response = 10 | Politeness = 10 |
| Comment | Thanks, if I have any other questions I will let you know. We do have some great reading material here on training and obbdience, but sometimes books aren't enough and you need the real deal to ask a loaded question. We used the book "Dog Lovers Companion, by Paul McCreevy" to pick out which dog would suit our lifestyle and grow with us. Which was a cocker spaniel. Such a hard choice! So thank you for being there to help us along with difficult questions. | ||
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Delores Beck
Expertise
Health, nutrition, training. Please note: I used to highly recommend Innova products but, unfortunately, as with Canidae, they have sold out to Proctor & Gamble. This guarantees lower quality to a dangerous point so I will no longer be advising anyone to buy it.
Experience
20 years of owning this breed.
Education/Credentials
Psychology, MA
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