Picture taken from www.dogbreedinfo.com
Good day and welcome everyone!
This is Sharda with another Cocker Spaniel newsletter.
Now, that we’re done with the general items that you will be needing for your Cocker Spaniel let’s move on into Preparing your home as a Cocker Spaniel home.
Let’s start shall we?
You should have the following items on hand, or get them as soon as possible after bringing your new Cocker Spaniel home.
- A small crate for housetraining – This is a personal choice of course, many people swear by crate training, others do just fine without it by keeping the dog confined to a hard surface area such as the kitchen or laundry room when not at home.
- Pet stain /odor remover – Make sure you choose one safe for the appropriate surface type (carpet, wood, linoleum, laminate)
- Wire mesh baby gate – Wire mesh is better than plastic or wood, which can be easily chewed.
- A radio – For company at night, especially if the puppy won’t sleep in your room.
The Dining Area
For ease of cleaning, you might wish to feed your Spaniel dog in a room that’s easy to clean, such as a kitchen with tile or linoleum flooring.
Once the food is placed down, the Cocker Spaniel should be left in peace to eat. He will quickly learn the signs of dinner preparation and readily take his place at the dinner table.
The Sleeping Area
To make your Spaniel dog feel at home and secure, he should have a bedding area away from heavy human traffic but not isolated from human interaction.
Unless you have strong reasons for not wanting the dog in your room, he should sleep in your bedroom—after all he is a member of the pack and you are its leader.
Having him there provides security for both you and the Cocker Spaniel plus it creates a tighter bond which leads to an increased desire to protect you.
You don’t have to let him on your bed, but he should be able to see you so he doesn’t feel abandoned. If you absolutely cannot have the Spaniel dog in your room, at least allow it to stay for the first few days while settling in and then locate him to a place nearby.
Whether he will be sleeping with you or elsewhere you need to select what he will sleep in; such as a crate, a box or doggie bed.
Again, this is a personal choice although just as with housetraining, the crate is often the most touted place.
If you are an animal lover, crating a dog may seem cruel but the theory is that dogs are “denning” animals and will see the crate as a secure, safe “home base” or den to which they will willingly retreat for rest and/or security.
Setting up a Crate
If you intend to crate your Cocker Spaniel you’ll want one that can accommodate his full-grown size.
One that’s about 20 inches (50cm) tall by 24 inches (61cm) wide by 30 inches (76cm) long should do the trick.
To make it comfortable for the pet and easy to clean or replace for you, do the following:
- Make the bottom a solid surface with a piece of linoleum or plywood.
- Cover that with a medium-thick layer of cedar chips or shavings (for comfort & some odor control)
- Top it all off with a blanket or a washable dog bed cushion
Setting up a Bed
If you forego the crate for a dog bed, get one big enough to accommodate your full-grown Cocker Spaniel in a fully-stretched pose. You’ll find a variety of sizes, colors, materials and options.
While it would be nice to find one that coordinates with your home décor, you must first consider the dog’s comfort.
A bed with raised sides will provide an extra feeling of security for Spaniel puppies. The filler may be a solid piece of foam or loose fill like cedar shavings. The outer cover may be a fleece-type texture or regular fabric.
Which style you choose will depend on your Spaniel dog’s preference and unfortunately you may not know what that preference is until you’ve already bought one.
Some Cocker Spaniels will prefer the solid foam, while others will like to make a pocket for their bodies in a loose fill bed.
Costing anywhere from $25 US to over $100 US you may not be inclined to experiment. If possible, take your dog shopping with you at one of the chains that allow pets in the store and let him try out a few.
You still may not get a good read for what he likes if he’s distracted by the fun of being in a store with you, but it’s worth a shot.
I hope that you learned a lot from today’s Cocker Spaniel newsletter
All the best and take care
Warmly,
Sharda Baker