Dog walking comes in cycles. It may not seem like it but it absolutely does. When we first started out we very quickly entered into what I’m choosing to call “The Age of Beagles”. One of our first clients was a lovely Beagle called Summer and our newsfeeds and instagram were always filled with pictures of her wee houndy face. The result of this was if you’d heard of Waggle Bums, you’d heard of Summer and knew that we walked a Beagle. We can’t confirm what I’m about to say, but we’re 95% sure it’s true: When you have one type of dog, people want to give you more. Especially when it’s a breed that comes with something of a reputation like Beagles do.
Their reputation isn’t really fair I should say, they’re extremely trainable and motivated dogs . . . but they do take maybe twice as long as other breeds to figure out that when you asked them to recall you actually meant it and it wasn’t just a suggestion to take into mild consideration. They do get there though and our Beagles became some of our best recalling dogs. While they’re a little slow to listen and learn, they are greedy little sausages and a pocket full of chicken can work wonders.
In any case, we had one Beagle and very quickly gained a second in Mya, a third in Lilly, a fourth in Roxy, and a fifth in Ellie. We very quickly became Beagle people and the more Beagles we put on social media, the more that came through the door for walks. But what does this have to do with Spaniels? Well, we’re coming to the end of The Age of Beagles and it is very much the dawning of The Age of the Spaniel and I believe a similar thing has happened. We got two Spaniels, Daisy (Sprocker) and Sally (Cocker) and it all went quiet for a little while. However, in recent months we’ve had a sudden influx of Spaniels to the group. We almost had a Sprocker called Willow but she moved away, we got a Cocker called Copper, and a Cocker called Skye. So we’re up to four spaniels and I’d be very surprised of it ended there.
Now, I’d not had much experience with Spaniels before Daisy and Sally and I’d always just kinda assumed that Spaniels were Spaniels and that was the end of it. They obviously have their own personalities but I assumed they would all share the same basic dog building blocks like our Beagles did. Playful, nose driven, mischievous, friendly - you know, just Beagle stuff. Mya was a bit more restrained and Ellie was a little less, but they were all cut from the same ridiculous cloth.
Spaniels however? Not so much. Sally and Daisy couldn’t be more different. Sally gets the nickname “Piglet”, with the highest affection, because of the little piggly snorting noises she makes when she’s sniffing about while plodding along behind us. She loves her comfort, her treats, and going at her own pace. Daisy likes going at her own pace too, but it just happens to be about forty miles an hour over rough terrain and sitting still for a photo or a treat seems to cause her genuine discomfort. I had initially written this difference between them off as being due to Sally being a Cocker and Daisy being a Sprocker with the Springer in Daisy eclipsing the Cocker at all times or at least running so fast it could never hope to catch her.
But then we added Copper to the walks. Copper is a Cocker too and is a different beast to either of the other two. He, of course, sets his own pace but it’s somewhere in the middle of the other two. He’s much more keen to investigate and be a part of what’s going on than Sally is but he likes to stay close and be very sensible. Again, I figured he’s quite like Sally because he’s a Cocker and Cockers are just like that. A bit more slow and steady and their silliness comes out in carefully measured bursts.
Then we added Skye to the group. She is a Cocker the same as the other two but has almost the same energy as Daisy. She’s always on the move, running zoomies, going off on adventures, playing chase with the other dogs, and (unique to her) loves to go swimming. All this and it’s only her second day with us. I assume she’s only going to come out of her shell more and more. Copper is new too of course, so he’s not fully integrated either and we’re not fully sure where his bread is buttered on the Spaniel Spectrum, but Skye is definitely a Daisy without the little extra push that the Springer gives her to go a mile a minute at all times.
So I guess my revelation is about the diversity that exists within Cocker spaniels. They range from full piglet to wilderness explorer, but apparently you need to add a dash of Springer into the mix to really push them to their limit. What really interests me is how much of this is nature and how much of it is nurture? How different would they be if they’d been brought up in each others homes? Would they be that different?
I’m no behaviourist and this is pure speculation, but I think so. I think what’s important with each dog is that having met and spoken with their owners, each has the dog that suits them best. Daisy lives on a big farm and is surrounded by fields whereas Sally lives in a house in Westhill with a warm bed by the window and takes a good bit of convincing on a cold morning to leave it. Each home has obviously shaped the dog and the dog obviously shapes the home, but with Spaniels they really do seem to fit themselves into whatever home they’re placed in and just expand to fill it perfectly. I’d never really considered Spaniels in any great detail, but spending time with them has shown me how varied their personalities and energy levels are and how unique and interesting each one is in their own little way.
Ben
