So we have an 8 month old cocker spaniel…hav spoke about him before but wit serious skin complaint which has now resolved itself thankgod. Its my daughters dog who came living back home with us due to financial reasons, anyway this pup of hers is destroyin all of my house. Chews shoes rips wall paper, anything u leave out gets ripped up.. hav tried to restrict which rooms he goes in but its impossible, everyroom is ruined. He jumps at my worktops and cerealse all over the floor he ruins anything in 10,seconds. He goes to puppy classed and his basic training sometimes ok. Just mega full of energy but jumping all over my leather couch…he doesny respond,to no…he bites you wen he repremanded. Im at my wits end…wot age do they settle down….never known a dog like this before…i dread coming home to see if i have any house left…he is put in a cage wen im at work then he destroys stuff constantly as soon as he is let out. Walks dont tire him out either.lol

he is put in a cage wen im at work then he destroys stuff constantly as soon as he is let out

This may well be your problem.
Cockers can have a huge amount of energy and need plenty of exercise. They are basically a working dog and need to be outside as much as possible. These walks need to be off the lead so he can run around – but to do this he also needs to come back to the whistle so needs training. This is not difficult and can be done quite quickly – use treats as a reward.

Frankly I feel sorry for the little chap as it seems he’s not in the right environment. Maybe you should consider having him rehomed?

he is put in a cage wen im at work then he destroys stuff constantly as soon as he is let out.

Sounds like he’s bored, cocker spaniels require a lot of physical and mental stimulation to keep them happy. Has he been crate trained, as he’s learned that his crate is a safe and comfortable place that’s his, or has the crate started to be used as a response to his destructiveness? Because if it’s the latter, he’ll likely find it quite stressful and restrictive, and therefore act up once he’s ‘free’.

How many walks is he getting a day, and for how long? I know with most active breeds the minimum recommended is two 30 minute walks a day. Does he have toys to play with, and do you play with him? Generally destructive behaviour stems from boredom, so try and divert his attention away from the furniture and onto toys.

When we got our dog, the previous owner said she was crate trained – she was, but with other dogs.
We tried the crate in our house, but she used to get really stressed (and usually shit in it).
Since we dumped the crate she’s been fine.
We used to leave a load of those rubber dog treat things around with food inside to keep her occupied.

he will likely settle down aged between 3 and 4, spaniels are always pretty mental

puppies are a full time job

hes not in the cage all day,,, i work part time doin different things so each day is different, a dog walker comes in my house every dinner time too to take him out so hes not lonely….why he chews up thinhs i dont know… he is rewarded with treats as he goes to puppy classes…we were tod the other day that we have chosen the hardest dog ever ! lol not my choice of dog but my daughters dog and he he has to live here now..lol..i just get my house ripped to shreds i never asked for that..lol i spend alot of time with him but he doesnt resond to no ! originally he was taken away from the mother far too young and he never had a chance really…. we were lied to about his age we found out weeks later and had all the hassle of the worst skin complaint ever which went on for many months at the vets..
… for 5 months when i went to work he was up in the attic = had his own room running free.hes ruined the attic scratched all my new wallpaper off.eaten table legs.hes a terror,,,lol… its only this last week ive brought him downstairs agin to live…

You’ll never tire a spaniel out by exercise – they need brain work more than leg work. Try a gun dog training class/ gundog trainer. They usually know more about these type of dogs than puppy trains etc. they need boundaries and mental stimulation. They can take years to settle down if you don’t get it right at first. Google gundog trainers or try a shooting website/ forum. Even if you’re not into shooting it’ll give you an idea of how to get into your dogs mind and it under control.

Just wearing it out taking it for runs and chasing a ball makes it fitter and need more…..

Ok first of all stop laughing at him!

Our Pup has now only restricted herself to destroying things randomly but we have been through quite a lot. Dogs respond to body language more than shouting.Try things like Kongs with peanut butter in side takes them ages to get it out but keeps them quiet but if he is shredding things when you are not there either he is just plain bored or could be he is suffering some kind of anxiety at you leaving each day. Try reading this book by Jan Fennell Dog Listener good luck.
We use a combination of bikes and frisbees for example to tire our dog out she is an Australian Sheepdog and needs to work.

I feel for you, sounds like a horrible situation.

It sounds to me that you/your daughter don’t know how to deal with the dog you have, and that he is also probably quite unhappy.

I’d be either considering rehoming him, or very quickly learning all I could about dog behaviour/training, and getting him sorted that way. You will need as much (probably much more) training as the dog though.
It won’t be easy.

Best wishes to you all.

lol, got as far as So we have an 8 month old cocker spaniel and I spotted your problem 😉

thats helpful ski…lol……..personally :::ive always kept whippets over the years, i had three of them at once…now im left with one… i could have 10 of these dogs realy !… great dogs..so affectionate and they lok after you in a funny sort of way.. so i dont know much about cocker spaniels..duh…
my daughter saw it and wanted him now hes here and im living with very hard work…lol

If it makes you feel any better my vet has a working cocker spaniel and said it was really hard work as a puppy and I expect he has a little bit of experience with dogs. So maybe they are not the easiest breed…He did say it was worth it once the dog was trained.

It’s a tricky one really, you’ve got yourself into a lot of hardwork and destruction through no choice of your own but that’s kids for ya!

All dogs need boundaries and leaders and stimulation just the same as people. You say a dog walker comes in to take him out at lunch time so does that mean some days hes alone all day? For a cocker and a 5 month old pup thats a long time to be couped up even with the dog walker and even only a few times a week, they just walk him they dont provide stimulation etc esp if he only gets a 10 min walk around the block. How far do you actually walk him, of course the problem with that is that its suggested at 5 months that exercise should be restricted due to bone growth, im not sure how important it is with a cocker as they’re a lot smaller than my 35kg rhodesian ridgeback.

What other stimulation is he being provided by either yourself or your daughter? What socialisation is he getting with the outside world? Low exercise yet mentally tiring is a good thing about socialising. Go into a busy town centre and sit with him letting him take in the noises and people etc dont let him misbehave and jump all over people, this is where you need to be teaching him how to behave around strangers. Take him on a train ride, go and stand outside a supermarket.

Unfortunately owning a puppy is a LOT of hard work and everybody always underestimates it (especially if they didnt even know they were getting one :-)) I remember the first few weeks of having Ziva ringing up the OH crying from the stress of keeping a constant watch on her to stop her getting into mischief and worrying about making the wrong decisions and her growing up wonky. Shes now 17 months and apart from being a sight hound and very much liking chasing anything that moves (but never hurting it) she is a lovely dog to spend time with and as shes maturing the hard work is paying off, most people who meet her comment on how well behaved she is and how they think shes older than she seems because shes so well rounded!

I mean you say hes destroying the house and anything he goes near but if hes not being supervised and redirected in terms of misbehaviour how is he to know…. and if he is being watched then how is he getting away with destroying everything. If he starts chewing a slipper tell him no and give him what he should be chewing, interact him and redirect that misbehavior.

I have to work sometimes lol so he not watched when im workin. He scratches the wallpaper when im not there…my daughter is out all day and the boyfriend. So he sees the dog walker and me in the middle and aftwrnoon everyday.. i do repremand him but he snarles,and nips you on the stern no command. Weve managed to teach him to sit, lie down and high five tricks.. he barks alot too for no reason..very lively…im usef to my whippets after a walk or run they just lie down and chill out for a few hours, but the cocker is constantly wanting attention…im trying really hard but he so hard work. I always play with him when im home..and tryin different things with him, the worst one he wont stop bounding across my couch its so annoying , i say no and he barks and tries to bite me everytime.then he runs off and hides under the dining table..he thinks hes invisible under there.

I think you need to seriously think about rehoming him then, hes simply not getting the time he needs to give him the attention needed for such a lively energetic breed and the consistency.

For now i’d stop him being able to go and hide under the dining room table somehow, some boxes or something because if you have to get yourself into an enclosed situation when you need to reprimand him then under a table is no good. One good suggestion is a long line attached to him around the house at all times, he cant run away and think hes won then as you can put your foot on it and pull him out from where he is. I would be saying no, drawing him in with the longline and then put him into a time out zone where he gets ignored completely for a few minutes, if when you get him back out of the area he continues then back he goes in. Tedious but you need consistency, cant tell you how long it took us to walk anywhere at first for having to stop every step when ziva reached the end of her lead, she now walks perfectly and is a joy to walk. Also the plus of the long line is you dont need to get too close to the nipping and snarling and putting yourself in harms way.

Have you tried any of the stimulation toys for when you cant be watching him every second, the kongs, the kong wobbler, nina ottoson does some good mental toys but these are all only stop gaps and not solutions to the problem, the fact is it sounds like he needs to be rehomed not just for your own sanity but that of the dog.

What golf chick says is spot on – youve got the doggy equivalent of a formula one car and hoping to use it as a family run about.

I once re-homed a working springer who was a lot of fun but needed huge amounts of exercise and plenty of mental stimulation – I worked in forestry at the time and she would happily charge round the woods for eight hours a day until she was about 8 – 9 years old – plus she would learn new commands super fast. A friend had two working cockers that made my spaniel look like a fat stupid Labrador – they were like coiled springs – super fast and you could not relax for two seconds.

Cockers also have congenital mental problems – if you google cocker madness you should find something.

Sorry I can’t be more positive – might be worth contacting a cocker rescue organisation and have a chat to them – they will be able to help with some training tips and strategies and also ultimately re-homing if needed.

Good luck

Where are you in the UK? I don’t work much during the week and can easily tke on the care of an extra dog during the day, in fact I was thinking of adding dog walking to my ‘business portfolio’ (stuff I have to do to py the bills doesn’t sound quite so glamorous!)
In fact a local dog walking service may be a good idea, if you can get an extra hours walk/interaction in a dy you may well see dramatic results.

Sorry if my post came over a bit neg, I was only joking 😉 I love cocker spaniels.

The first year is a real roller coaster mind, dont think our home ever recovered after having ours, but boy, are they great fun to be about, if you are active, love the outdoor life, I cannot think of a better family dog to have, as long as you are active and have space for them to streach their legs and explore, a pond is a real bonus 😉

ours could seek out water wherever it went, get a plastic liner to the boot of your car if you drive, then its all good.

I used to work on a farm, so he used to be by my side all day, half wet, half covered in mud 😉

Only neg. ours used to pick up the odd ear infections.

I miss been woken up by ours half covered in pond water dripping all over the bed, egging you to come outside to play, when it was pissing it down outside 😉

RIP Bruce

Try something like this. A similar cat version has worked wonders with a certain 6 pound cat that used to pee everywhere to show that she was the boss despite being half the size of the other cat…

Its my daughters dog who came living back home with us due to financial reasons

.my daughter is out all day and the boyfriend

Maybe you should consider having him[i]her[/i] rehomed?

We have an 7 month old Working Cocker and as our first dog, we think he’s doing ok as everyone seems amazed that he’s so chilled out for a Cocker.

We quickly learnt an important lesson, with ours and that’s ignore how most people tell you to train them. What works for their dogs (usually not Cockers) is not going to work for your Cocker. They are head strong and independant and will learn only in a way that suits them. Its all about trial and error.

The best way we found to reprimand ours be it for chewing, nipping etc. was pick him up and go put him in an enclosed room away form everyone. You only need to do this for about 30 seconds, but they soon get the message that the behaviour gets them seperated. Took ours a few weeks to work out his boundaries using this method.

If he’s going mad when you let him out of the cage, he needs more exercise. The whole 5 minutes for each month of his life, can be taken with a pinch of salt. How long does he spend running around the house? Add this to his walk and he’s not getting anymore than he was getting anyway.

Ours gets about 45 mins off lead in a morning, about 15 mins at lunch time and nearly 2 hrs on anight. The majority of this time is off lead and at his pace so he caan let off steam. It is on fairly flat moorland/fields though, so he gets the mental stimulation of the smells from the wildlife. Plus, he’ll get dragged to 24hr of Exposure/Mayhem/SITS and into town, its all good for them and tires him more than anything.

Swimming will also tire him out in a shorter space of time than walking.

Barking from ours usually means he wants to play or some affection. He craves human contact and a sure fire way to calm him down is be at home with him all day, as he’s far too excitable then to sleep when he knows we’re home.

Sorry, a bit long winded, but it’s to let you know they are hard work but worth ever second!

yep worth every second.

that was 3hrs per day of exercise alone you just listed, easy enough to clock up another hour of affection/feeding/cleaning etc. the reason why i firmly believe that anyone working full time doesnt have time for a puppy

good luck elaine, pictures will improve this thread.

that was 3hrs per day of exercise alone you just listed, easy enough to clock up another hour of affection/feeding/cleaning etc. the reason why i firmly believe that anyone working full time doesnt have time for a puppy

I don’t entirely agree with the above, purely because both the GF and I have full time 37 hrs + a week jobs (Mon – Fri). Its all about priorities and sacrifices.

Admittedly we get up earlier now than we ever used to (2 hrs before we leave for work), work a 5 min drive from home for the lunchtime walks and don’t really do a lot on an evening till the dog is sorted by about 9!

But it is a sacrifice we’re prepared to make! Plus our riding (of bikes) has taken a bit of a downward turn, but its only till he’s old enough to come with us.