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want a smaller "golden" look into the spaniel group...
an well bred english cocker and a well bred golden are INCREDIBLY similar in personalities...they were after all bred for similar purposes, flushing and retreiving game birds the cockers and clumbers tend to be the most mellow of the spaniel group with britnesy and springers being a little more hyper lol.
I've looked long and hard at the English Cockers...it's the grooming issues that get me. I've also looked at Field Spaniels too as they need less grooming. My first dog as an adult was a Lahsa and I could never find a groomer I liked who had hours that were workable for me, so I ended up just hacking away at his hair myself, most of the time he didn't look too bad. If I got one I'd have to face doing the grooming myself and as I age I'm not sure I want to do that.
The Silky needs grooming also, but is much more manageable. The Border needs stripping, and the Ratties need a brush run through them on occasion...LOL. Maitenance is a big issue with me, I don't want to be bothered and rather spend the time doing something else with my pet, also as I age and end up on SS working part time my disposible income might not be so great so the cost of paying someone to do it is out...it'd have to be me.
On age and down sizing our fur kids ect..We are in our mid-60 and hubby early 70's..Our now resident cocker is 8.
We have health issues so have decided that when the Herb dog goes to land of clover and ball games that will be it
for fur kids...It will be time then to just be us..We have had a cocker in the house for the past 20 years and loved all three of them and more..The way we see it its just not fair to suddenly leave a dog or cat in an unsettled situation when
illness hits and you are unable to give them what they so rightly deserve..
I'm sure it will be lonely and some of the humor will be gone here but its what is fair to all.
We live in a senior community and see what happens to pets when their owners can no longer care for them..
Thats my 2 cents worth on this sorta sad subject...
we had englishlish cockers when i was growing up...only those breed for the conformation ring have those crazy flowing coats...look into field bred cockers if you like them for every other reason...
ours were from feild lines and had nice feathering but nothing more than 5 mins with a comb a few time sa week could take care of
that coat would be completly impractical, and feild cockers have a coat more like a goldens in terms of lenght
My wife and I have three German Shepherd Dogs, two of them are a father/daughter (fixed) combo, they are the standard black and tan GSD's and another Pureblooded GSD, a brendle who is already larger, height wise, than Dreifus our 101 lbs GSD Male, Jorja, his daughter is a mere 75 lbs and Dreison, the brendle pup is already three inches taller than Dreifus at the front shoulder. We have 11.26 acres, heavily wooded w/creek and w/a .5 acre fenced in back yard and about a 2 acre front yard on the northern end of the clearing where we put the 6000 ft squared garden. Thus far this growing season, Dreifus has caught and killed three raccoons he found trespassing in the garden. Dreison is just a puppy, not a year old yet. Dreifus has, quite patiently, taught Dreison the rules of the house, we think he has been housebroken since the second day he was at home, Dreifus is a very good teacher, has a lot of patience and speaks "German Shepherd Puppy" like he was a native.
We've had English Mastiffs since we fell in love with our first during the mid-90's. We currently have two, a 187 lb three and a half year old, and a 160 lb two and a half year old who is still growing.
I am 57, my husband turns 60 this fall. I do 90% of the dog walks. Both of our dogs outweigh me by quite a bit. They are gentle giants, very sweet with our cat, but can indeed be rambunctious.
I already know that I am never having another puppy. And I haven't said anything to my husband about it because it is (hopefully) far in the future, but it's time for us to have smaller dogs.
Maybe <gasp> just one at a time!
I love a Belgian Shepherd and would Never have anything else.
I do not like little dogs.
I laugh at you folks who are saying that you are over 50 or over 60 and so are planning on smaller dogs.
I did get my first Belgian when I was young, and he died as a 6 month old puppy. I then got married, and it was many years before I could get another. I was 52 when I did. I took them to obedience classes and to the dog shows. Over a 30 year period I had 6 of them. The each lived 14-15 years. I was 68 when I got my last puppy. Then I decided - no more furniture eating puppies, and when I was 72, I adopted an 8 year old Belgian Tervuren from breed rescue. Both are now gone, and I am 84, so I have decided to go dogless the rest of the way, lest the dog outlive me and I would worry that it would not well cared for.
I may have another large dog, I don't know - but it will be a homeless senior dog. Lord knows there are plenty of those. We had the honor of adopting a 10-year-old female Rottweiler who lived to be 16 1/2! Getting a senior is no assurance that I'll live the longest, but it narrows the field a little bit. I think a senior would be less likely to be as active - since my spouse has balance problems, anything that even brushes up against him could cause a fall. That's our primary reason for considering smaller. If I could get a duplicate of my old senior girl, though, I'd be all over it!
I know my kids would take care of any dogs I left behind - still, it seems awkward to me to put them in that position when we don't know what their lives will be like at that point.
I love a Belgian Shepherd and would Never have anything else.
I do not like little dogs.
I laugh at you folks who are saying that you are over 50 or over 60 and so are planning on smaller dogs.
I did get my first Belgian when I was young, and he died as a 6 month old puppy. I then got married, and it was many years before I could get another. I was 52 when I did. I took them to obedience classes and to the dog shows. Over a 30 year period I had 6 of them. The each lived 14-15 years. I was 68 when I got my last puppy. Then I decided - no more furniture eating puppies, and when I was 72, I adopted an 8 year old Belgian Tervuren from breed rescue. Both are now gone, and I am 84, so I have decided to go dogless the rest of the way, lest the dog outlive me and I would worry that it would not well cared for.
I guess you would laugh, considering your active life with great dogs . And how lucky to have them reach their mid-teens.
As far as our reasons for down-sizing, so to speak....we're going to be travelling a lot. Rotties aren't as portable, nor are they always welcome in hotels. They're big, and active when young, and I have a dicey knee due to a less than successful surgery following an accident. And WHO gets injured like THIS ....a large golden retriever ran into the side of my knee at a local dog park.
If I didn't have to consider travel complications with a big dog I probably would look into med. or large breeds/mixes especially if it was out of the puppy stage.
I may have another large dog, I don't know - but it will be a homeless senior dog. Lord knows there are plenty of those. We had the honor of adopting a 10-year-old female Rottweiler who lived to be 16 1/2! Getting a senior is no assurance that I'll live the longest, but it narrows the field a little bit. I think a senior would be less likely to be as active - since my spouse has balance problems, anything that even brushes up against him could cause a fall. That's our primary reason for considering smaller. If I could get a duplicate of my old senior girl, though, I'd be all over it!
I know my kids would take care of any dogs I left behind - still, it seems awkward to me to put them in that position when we don't know what their lives will be like at that point.
16 1/2 is amazing. Do you have any theory how she surpassed the Rottie norm by so many years?
I agree, the notion of taking on a new dog that is well past puppyhood has a lot going for it.
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the cockers and clumbers tend to be the most mellow of the spaniel group with britnesy and springers being a little more hyper lol.
. If I got one I'd have to face doing the grooming myself and as I age I'm not sure I want to do that.
....a large golden retriever ran into the side of my knee at a local dog park. 
