Anyone here got a Cavachon dog?

We are about to press the button on a dog for the family and we have been looking at Spaniels for a while (show type) but wondering whether a Cavachon might be a better option – from what I understand they need less exercise and are basically a ball of fluff that want to be pampered (which our two 6 yr old girls will want to do by the bucketload.

So – any experiences? Opinions? Thoughts?

Cheers

We are about to press the button on a dog

Is it the one under its tail?

That’s not a button…..press it anyway and post a video.

Our neighbours have one , got him as a pub for thier teenage daughters and he’s 2yrs now .
Constant eye problems and very poor breathing due to the short face , he spends a lot of time with thier retired parents to try and keep the poor fella carm , when hes excited he cant breath properly and has a asthma type attack . Hes not allowed to play with other dogs or be let off the lead .
Cute as a fluffy puppy but not so now , the coat needs regular trips to the vet and they keep his coat short now because of the work needed to look after the coat .

Spaniel!!! Just go and get a Cocker and spoil it like you would do any other dog. They’ll never turn down love and fuss and are awesome dogs for when you do want to go for a walk.

A spaniel or one of those – that’s quite a contrast and leads to me to ask why do you really want a dog? Do you really want a dog? And what do you want to do with it. It may sound harsh but it really is best to be honest with yourself and make sure you should really be getting one for the right reasons.

Also what type of spaniel?

Show cocker

The thing is – if we get a spaniel I will end up walking it lots (fine, I love walking and happy to do it). If we got a Cavachon then it will require less walking which is fine by me as I would probably look silly walking the little ball of fluff.

Spaniel!!! Just go and get a Cocker and spoil it like you would do any other dog. They’ll never turn down love and fuss and are awesome dogs for when you do want to go for a walk.

Second that, Cockers will be quite happy sleeping all day or going out for an all day walk.

Also what the hell is a Cavachon, is that one of these designer cross breeds ?

Get a Joe Cocker Spaniel. It’ll live for ever. 😀

All the advice you’ll ever need about buying a dog lives here….

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/best-friendly-medium-sized-non-too-hairy-and-undemanding-dog

Also what the hell is a Cavachon, is that one of these designer cross breeds ?

It’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Bichon Frise cross.

Not sure I am confident about a spaniel being left all day sleeping though – everything I have read says that even the show ones need good walks and mental stimulation.

Yes, some friends from the park have one. It is a very sweet dog, always happy and playful and seemingly less demanding than a spaniel (for attention or exercise). Obviously it will still need 2-3 walks a day but they might be a bit shorter than for a spaniel, even a show cocker. Much easier to walk as he is about half the size of our spaniel, so might be easier for your girls (although either way the puppy will need training to walk nicely without pulling). The downside is that the coat apparently needs a lot of maintenance, regular trims and brushing. It’s white so all mud shows up instantly and it’s got slightly pink fur from saliva around its mouth and feet. And it’s not the smartest.

All day as in 9-5ish?

All I know is my two will quite cheerfully spend the day sleeping on the sofa, occasionally farting or breaking for water/toys/play, then will leap into action when there is a chance of a walk or even the merest mention of food.

Not sure I am confident about a spaniel being left all day sleeping though – everything I have read says that even the show ones need good walks and mental stimulation.

Once they are mature and settled they are fine, I worked from home for a year when he was younger and never saw him all day apart from a visit every now and then for a fuss, the Mrs works from home regularly and he just sleeps at her feet all day.

As above, Cockers will be equally happy doing nothing or going mental when they get outside, they are an ace breed.

can’t see the point of designer mongrels myself. With a breed you have years of experience breeding for type and temperament (sometimes with downsides) so you know, within a normal distribution curve, what you’re getting. For example, the ‘merry cocker’, stubborn, trainable, unfailingly happy, smell and food oriented, crap ears, needs grooming, loves attention and people, likes the outdoors and comfort…with a cross you don’t know which characteristics of which breed you’re getting so it’s a lottery…
or get a mutt from a shelter…

Not sure I am confident about a spaniel being left all day sleeping though – everything I have read says that even the show ones need good walks and mental stimulation

every dog needs this – if you can’t commit to it, don’t get one…

or get a mutt from a shelter…

Tried and failed – almost without exception we can’t get one as the vast majority of dogs won’t be placed with under 12s in the house. When occasionally we find one that the shelter has decided is calm enough for 6 year olds they have been snapped up straight away. For example yesterday we found a 4 yr old spaniel with The Dog’s Trust. The advert went up at 8am, we called at lunchtime (when we had seen the ad) but they said they had a queue of people at the shelter it was homed at as soon as they opened that morning and it was long gone by the time we called.

every dog needs this – if you can’t commit to it, don’t get one…

🙄

Hi, If you get a Cocker Spaniel I would recommend a working strain rather than a show strain. The reason being working dogs are bred for durability, intelligence, health and fitness, show dogs are bred predominantly for their looks and aren’t necessarily bred from the healthiest stock. These dogs do need a lot of exercise but could quite easily be trained to be a decent trail dog when you go out on your bike. They love agility too which your daughters could get involved in as they grow up together.
The Cavachon looks nice but to be honest I’d never heard of them, however I know a couple of people with Bichon Frise and they are cracking little dogs, proper characters.

We are about to press the button on a dog
Is it the one under its tail?

That’s not a button…..press it anyway and post a video.

I’m just thankful he didn’t say I’m about to pull the trigger on a dog! Imagine that mess! 😆

Hi, If you get a Cocker Spaniel I would recommend a working strain

Just very concerned that even with two decent walks a day during the week (30 minutes morning and night) it wouldn’t get enough exercise. At the weekends it wouldn’t be a problem as it would be getting out for some decent family walks.

An hour a day is pretty good, take a ball for it to fetch for you. Spaniels cover easily 4 times the ground you do on a walk, criss crossing, exploring and generally charging about!

It’s not the physical exercise that’s the problem, it’s mental stimulation. We managed to get past that by buying a stupid one, call him the intellectual runt of the litter.

He’s a pedigree worker and just wants to be cuddled and fussed over. Can’t retrieve, can’t hunt, likes eating cat poo. Lovely dog though.

My dog’s the opposite (well, apart from cat poo). Will play all day, walk ffor miles, hunt, retrieve and is happy to curl up at my feet when I work from home.

I love spaniels.

Christ it isn’t easy is it?

You can have kids – they don’t come with rules and you just work it out as you go along. Want a dog and get told you can do this, can’t do that, must do something else, not fit to have one etc etc etc…..

Of course you fit to have one. Mind you it is your own fault for asking on here 😆

Ahh yes – that’s the problem.

Equally the best & worst place on the interweb for help and advice.

When occasionally we find one that the shelter has decided is calm enough for 6 year olds they have been snapped up straight away. For example yesterday we found a 4 yr old spaniel with The Dog’s Trust.

It may vary between the various branches of Dogs Trust, but we were told by a kennel attendant that the trick is to go first thing on a Saturday morning, which is when the new dogs make their debut. The family friendly ones get reserved very quickly, meaning that for the rest of the week, there’s generally a lot of ‘amber’ dogs left (ones that have exhibited aggression to humans in the past).

We ended up with this thing:

Cocker/Tibetan cross, lovely temperament, ridiculously friendly and affectionate, and daft as a brush. Loves long walks, but not in the rain (he hates mud and water!), but also incredibly lazy!

This is going to sound harsh but tbh you should be refused one from a shelter if you cannon demonstrate that it will not be left alone for long periods. A decent charity will come round and do a proper house inspection and interview you.

If you are planning to leave the dog from say 9-5 (or longer) then please get a cat instead. ALL dogs need mental stimulation, exercise, pee breaks and company. Would you expect a human to be denied toilet breaks for 7hrs or more?

Yes dogs sleep most of the day in between walks, occasional visits to see you for a fuss/play etc but that is very different to the dog just being left alone.

You are going to open yourself up to lots of behavioural problems.

Ok, I’m puzzled by the eye roll?
we adopted a Welsh springer who’s original owner worked all day, and clearly didn’t commit enough time and effort to her training and socialisation. She arrived with us a bit loopy and stressed. It is a great sadness to the family that we can’t do simple things like let her off the lead in the park and trust her in the way we could with our cocker spaniel.
It would have been better if her original owner had decided not to have a dog…