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[John Wood]

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Our little man ( cocker spaniel) is 24 weeks old today and I love him so much the problem is I think to much as it’s making me very anxious, because I’m worried about everything from how can I let him off the lead in the dark when the winter sets in ,when we do let him off will he run away even though his recall is pretty good and he always seems to check in with us , will we ever be able to go out in the evening for a meal ( not that it happens very often) , are we walking him enough will he need more walks when he’s an adult , what if my wife has to stop working from home there is no way I’m leaving him at home on his own all day . Absolutely everything. All I want to do is what’s best for us all and be able to relax and enjoy him fully .

 

[JoanneF]

Have you heard the question how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Everything you list is a legitimate concern, but none of these things is insurmountable.

how can I let him off the lead in the dark when the winter sets in

I wouldn't let my dog off lead in the dark, but not every walk needs to be off lead. He will be quite happy on lead, you could always use a long line (with a harness, never a collar because of the risk of injury) to give him more freedom.

will he run away even though his recall is pretty good and he always seems to check in with us , will we ever be able to go out in the evenin

As above, you can use a long line until you are sure. You can also rent secure fields, and when I start off-lead walks I go somewhere where there won't be distractions and I do it before a mealtime when the dog is hungry - and I'm the one with the food.

will we ever be able to go out in the evening for a meal

Of course, but if you are concerned about leaving him alone, don't start by leaving him for three hours. Leave him for 5 minutes or less to start, and see how he does.

are we walking him enough will he need more walks when he’s an adult

At his age, short walks are appropriate and yes, he will need more walks as he matures. But I'm sure you can do that, because you would be expecting it? You can also tire his brain by participating in activities like scenting, rally, gun dog sports, agility or obedience if you like.

what if my wife has to stop working from home there is no way I’m leaving him at home on his own all day

If that did happen, you could get a dog walker to break up the day.

Like I said, these are all fair concerns and we have probably all thought similar thoughts. It's far nicer to see someone concerned, as opposed to someone I saw on another forum whose answer was 'you could always just get rid'. But try to enjoy him, I know it's easy for me to say, but every problem has a solution one way or another.

 

[John Wood]

Have you heard the question how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Everything you list is a legitimate concern, but none of these things is insurmountable.


I wouldn't let my dog off lead in the dark, but not every walk needs to be off lead. He will be quite happy on lead, you could always use a long line (with a harness, never a collar because of the risk of injury) to give him more freedom.



As above, you can use a long line until you are sure. You can also rent secure fields, and when I start off-lead walks I go somewhere where there won't be distractions and I do it before a mealtime when the dog is hungry - and I'm the one with the food.

Of course, but if you are concerned about leaving him alone, don't start by leaving him for three hours. Leave him for 5 minutes or less to start, and see how he does.


At his age, short walks are appropriate and yes, he will need more walks as he matures. But I'm sure you can do that, because you would be expecting it? You can also tire his brain by participating in activities like scenting, rally, gun dog sports, agility or obedience if you like.

If that did happen, you could get a dog walker to break up the day.

Like I said, these are all fair concerns and we have probably all thought similar thoughts. It's far nicer to see someone concerned, as opposed to someone I saw on another forum whose answer was 'you could always just get rid'. But try to enjoy him, I know it's easy for me to say, but every problem has a solution one way or another.

Thank you for your reply deep down I know what you say to be true it’s just I get blinded by my worry . My wife always says that what we are doing for him is enough and we will overcome any hurdles but I think because it’s our first dog I need to here it from other dog owners . He is turning me into an emotional wreck .

Getting rid of him isn’t an option I could never live with myself I would always be thinking he is getting miss treated .

 

[JoanneF]

I realise that; I was just comparing your (excellent) attitude with that of someone who clearly doesn't care anywhere near as much. I know your dog will be valued and treasured far more than his, and if I were a dog I know who I would rather be with.

@JudyN, are you able to fix the quote in the above message please?

 

[JudyN]

@JudyN, are you able to fix the quote in the above message please?

Done

I agree totally with JoanneF - and your wife! Life is always full of what-ifs, but your best will be good enough.

 

[Hemlock]

It shows what a caring, thoughtful dog owner that you come here and ask these very sensible questions. Please never hesitate to ask about matters that concern you - we have all been there! No matter how many dogs one has had, each poses a different set of questions to answer, though some matters apply to every dog.

 

[John Wood]

Thank you all for your words of wisdom you have no idea how much these comments will help me move forward so I can enjoy my little man for the rest of his life .

 

[Tinytom]

Ours are walked in the dark as we walk at 445am in the mornings...off lead in the woods ...we both have very good head torches that light up the whole path ...I've never had a problem but our pups have always followed the other dogs ..

 

[John Wood]

Ours are walked in the dark as we walk at 445am in the mornings...off lead in the woods ...we both have very good head torches that light up the whole path ...I've never had a problem but our pups have always followed the other dogs ..

4:45 I thought I was early . I have just bought a head torch maybe it won’t be as bad as I’m thinking . The more I let him off the lead the more confidence I have with him .

 

[JoanneF]

The more I let him off the lead the more confidence I have with him .

As long as he recalls well. Don't set either if you - you or him - up to fail by going too fast. There's no rush.

 

[John Wood]

As long as he recalls well. Don't set either if you - you or him - up to fail by going too fast. There's no rush.

I think his recall is very good but he is our first dog so have nothing to compare. My big worry is when he starts to mature I’ve heard they can get a scent and run off which is why we are thinking of getting him done at some point , again we don’t know what to do for the best but we have heard it can change him .

 

[Tinytom]

We have always had our boys neutered as they were rescues...we have the same dilemma with our deerhound boys ...they cant be neutered before 18 months due to their growth plates not closing before then and we are going to see how they are before making a decision...talk to your vets about your concerns..ours are very good at advising

 

[JoanneF]

Remember dogs have been selectively bred over thousands of years to do particular jobs. So, neutering him won't dampen that instinct.

Instead, make YOU the best resource to fulfill his needs. @excuseme will no doubt have some valuable advice as she has spaniels. I also suggest reading the book Hunting Together by Simone Mueller, because it helps us tap into the dog's drives and work with them rather than battle against them.

 

[Hemlock]

I agree absolutely. All dogs, male or female, neutered or not, go through a running-off phase when they hit adolescence, so when this phase strikes, you will need to take extra care and only exercise off-lead where it is safe to do so. They do grow out of it as long as the recall has been installed beforehand. If he is castrated during adolescence, he won't be producing the hormones that help him grow out of this phase, so I'd say leave everything in place and make that decision after he has grown up.

You can buy a reflective collar that fastens with velcro for walking in the dark. Use his normal collar to walk him but have the reflective one on him in addition. Be aware that other dogs can find it scary seeing a fluourescent "something" approaching them, so give them space to avoid you both.

 

[John Wood]

Thank you so much sound advice . We have a reflective harness so hopefully it will help .

 

[excuseme]

Everyone has to start with their "first" dog, most people make mistakes along the way but we all come out at the other end absolutely fine and glad that we have done it
I bought my first Cocker when I was 17 and will soon be 73. Starting with the show type and later in 1985 discovering the working type, we love every minute with them all 6.5 of them.

These little dogs learn very quickly, both good and bad.
We have learnt, that learning takes time and we always aim to end on a positive result.
I remember playing "hide and seek" in the fields while training recall, there were large round bales of hay that I would quietly sneak behind and then call the puppy who would check behind each bale to see if I was there, she learnt to always watch where I was and never went too far away. You can play hide and seek anywhere.
Walking on a long line also changing your direction without any warning will encourage your puppy to watch you rather than getting a tug on the line.
Just because your puppy has learnt certain things dosen't mean he is trained! just continue with steady close work, there is no hurry for your puppy to be trusted off the lead at the moment. If you can trust him well enough to walk with you off the lead but staying close, there is no need for him to be aloud to go any further as he should respect a close distance and no more.
We do not use the word "Heel" but just the word "Wait" and an outstretched arm with a flat hand at all of ours will either stay where they are until we get to them or come back to their close walking near to us.

These Cockers can be real little buggers! and they will take advantage if they can If you give them an inch they will take a mile, so don't give the inch ever, they will soon learn how to take advantage of it.
Chill out and be content with your careful hard work, there is no need to rush things.

With regards to having him neutered, this will not stop him running off. We have only ever had one boy and he was left entire. He was a very loyal dog. he never disappeared or ran off and would always do as was asked of him.
Careful and respectful training from yourselves and your puppies respect and need to please you can help avoid such an operation.
Please do not consider neutering him until he is at least 18 months of age, by which time he has finished his growth and should be more mentally settled.
Let him grow and mature with all of his natural hormones intact.

Our lot get one big walk in the morning with huge energies used and a shorter/quieter one later. Puppies always come out with the older dogs and enjoy the same respectful fun. Our walks are always on grass, they very seldom get pavement walks these days.

This routine suits us all but if more walks were offered they would love it.

Our lot are family members and are not caged.
(I think they would all explode if they were caged as many dogs are these days).

We all have our own views of how to raise and train a puppy. You have come to the right forum for sensible and helpful advice. We all like to help.

Have fun with your puppy. . PHEW!

 

[JoanneF]

Sorry to go off at a tangent but -

all 6.5 of them

??? News?

 

[excuseme]

Haa haa. No more additions, just that the last puppy kept "Titch" who is now almost 16 months, shares her home between us and our daughter. We have the 6 adults and share the puppy "Titch" with our daughter.

 

[Rehab Kennels]

I strongly advise no one to let there dog off in the dark it's just dangerous and not sensible! My advise is if you work Mon to Fri and can only walk your dog in the evenings then hire a dog walker twice a week on say a Tues and on a Thurs, at weekends you can walk during the day, It means that 4 out of 7 days your dog gets out in daylight and a possible run! Probably cost you £30 a week! Also buy a training lead thats at least 15ft, there safe unlike extension leads and allow the dog to have some freedom. Example below -

As for his running off problem that means sorry to say but the recall is not good! If there "recall" trained they don't run off I have never recall trained any of my dogs nor trained it into any of my clients dogs and yet every dog not only comes back on first call but they do everything that is instinctively expected of them. In fact it's an instinct that all pack/ group and herd animals do, that's to:

• Come back.
• Repeatedly throughout there off lead time, stop and look back to see where you are and how far they are from you. A dog in the correct mind never wants to loose sight of there walker/ leader/ protector it's a survival instinct that has transferred over from there canine pack leader to there human leader when there all out together.
• Around the 200yrd mark from where you are they should stop and just hang around that distance un till the person walking them gets closer then they move off again. Again it's an instinctual behaviour that they should automatically do if the owner has done everything right with there dog from day one.
  • Like I say all the time to my clients 'Loving your dog is great but it does not create a happy, balanced, instinctually behaved dog'
• When they see another dog, person or other animal they should stop, look back at you, look back at what ever it is then automatically come back without you saying a word! This is why there 200yrd distance exists, it's far enough away from there protection and leader that they can have a good run and bounce about but it's not to far that when they see someone or thing they can get back to you quickly, dogs are only as strong as there pack so an unknown dog especially is seen as a threat to begin with, and instinct tells them to go back to there leader for reassurance and strength.