Are Cocker Spaniels Good With Young Children?

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Are Cocker Spaniels Good With Young Children?

We have a 7 year old boy who wants a dog. My husband thinks Cocker Spaniels are cute.

My personal experience is that, when I was young, the Cockers I was around were mean and agressive.

Is this the nature of Cockers or do you think that it is more due to the owner?

There are Cocker Spaniel puppies at the pound and we might get one this week depending on the information and advice we get.

Reply From Pauline (Web Owner)

Cocker Spaniels are very gentle and loving dogs - the Cocker Spaniel temperament is second to none!

I think you are right to suggest that where an animal is mean or aggressive, it may be down to the owner.

Cocker spaniels can be very stubborn and need a firm but gentle hand. They don't respond well to aggression or (heaven forbid) violence, but do respond well to training.

Well-trained Cockers are a delight to have around, and our article on how to train a puppy will give you all the information you may need to ensure your puppy learns his manners.

It's also important to teach your puppy who is the alpha dog so there are no misunderstandings.

If you do resuce a little Cocker puppy, why not share his photo and a little story about him here?

Update from Pauline (Web Owner)

Since answering this question, I have added an article answering the question, 'Do Cocker Spaniels Make Good Family Dogs?'

Cocker Spaniel Questions And Answers

Return to About Cocker Spaniels - Homepage

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Are Cocker Spaniels Good With Young Children?

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My Cocker Started To Dislike Children Later On
by: Anonymous

My cocker spaniel used to love playing with children, but since we moved house, he started to really dislike them. We have very noisy neighbours, who's children are screaming in the corridor on a daily basis (high-pitched voices) and we live next to the local school, where the kids are constantly screaming when playing outside. They also scream on their way home from school and make loads of noise - my cocker has become highly allergic to them.

They would knock on my door just to make him bark and when he hears them outside he runs to the door or the balcony and either growls or barks (sometimes he just listens).

He's only 4 years old and this change in his behaviour has nothing to do with me treating him badly (he's very much loved and otherwise is a great smart dog). I think it's got everything to do with him getting frightened easily by silly things and he seems to dislike people shouting and making too much noise in general (he usually runs away to hide). Now I have to be very careful because he won't let a child approach him, let alone stroke him and he barks at them when they get too close to him.

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Cockers And Children
by: Anonymous

I've found that where cocker spaniels are aggressive, it's usually down to the owner.

It's either as a result of misunderstanding, miscommunication, or just plain ignorance.

If you teach a dog obedience, and teach him the behaviour that you find good, you'll have a well-behaved cocker.

Sometimes, cockers (or any dog) may behave in an aggressive way because they're frightened - it's called 'fear aggression', I think.

Generally, cocker spaniels temperament is very good and they're great with children.

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Are Cocker Spaniels Good With Young Children?

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Are Cocker Spaniels Good With Young Children?