# Lively 9 month Cocker Spaniel



## Emma Smyth (Jun 12, 2019)

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on helping to settle wee Archie my Cocker Spaniel. I walk him regularly and try to keep him mentally stimulated but quite a lot of the time he seems to take ages to settle! For example, I’ve taken him on 3 mile walk, played with him (fetch or tug of war) and he still potters about or jumps up at table etc 

I know he’s the type of dog who is lively and I don’t want him sitting all prim and proper in a corner but the unsettledness at night is hard to take when you’ve tried everything to keep him happy. I adore him and am worried I’m missing out on doing something. He knows commands (doesn’t always listen), but he does pull in the lead but I’m teaching him not to, he loves other people and dogs, I have a crate for him, toys to put food in (I give him Pedigree puppy is this maybe affecting him or is it ok?) he was neutered on 31st May....are there any tips anyone can give me in case I’m missing something? Also his dad was half cocker Spaniel and half red setter.

Thanks, Emma and Archie


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## Ian246 (Oct 27, 2018)

How old is he? It sounds like he’s a puppy, so he’s still learning, but be careful not to over exercise him if he’s very young. Over stimulating him is not the answer.
At the end of the day, you’ve got a Cocker Spaniel and that’s what you get! Is he a working Cocker or a show type? The latter are a bit more mellow. The former are very busy dogs, constantly on the go, so if he is a Working breed, you’ll need to get used to it! I have a Sprocker (Springer / Working Cocker Cross) who never stops - the other end of the spectrum to my nearly 16 year old Lab! I hiked 22 miles in two days on Sunday/Monday and ge did actually seem a little weary on Monday night, unusually. Tuesday morning, it was like it never happened!


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## tabelmabel (Oct 18, 2013)

Emma Smyth said:


> I walk him regularly and try to keep him mentally stimulated but quite a lot of the time he seems to take ages to settle! For example, I've taken him on 3 mile walk, played with him (fetch or tug of war)


I think you have answered your own question here. You will never get a spaniel settled by doing exciting things. You need some settle training. Has he been trained to go to a mat?

Train him to go to a mat and stay on it. Has he had any chew toy training?

He doesnt need puppy food at his age and pedigree isnt a great brand, but i suspect this has little to do with the behaviour you are seeing. If he settles in a crate, you will find this easy to solve i think.

Mental exercise can tire dogs - but not tuggy! Guaranteed to rev them up, that is.

Try having your pup stay on a mat whilst you roll balls slowly by, or make a circle of treats right round the mat. Concentration games like that can help calm.
Moving through sit,down and stand sequences also tire them, but watch young joints with that one


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## Linda Weasel (Mar 5, 2014)

All good advice, but I really would get him off the Pedigree Puppy and (slowly) on to something with less additives. James Wellbeloved is honestly the only food I have any recent experience of but I’ve fed it to all my dogs over the last 20+ years and they’ve all done really well on it.

I’ve also seen a lot of hyper dogs cool down a lot when changed to a colour/chemical preservative free diet.

Does he still need puppy food; you don’t say how old he is?


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## tabelmabel (Oct 18, 2013)

Linda Weasel said:


> you don't say how old he is


She does - 9 months. It's in the thread title. Too old for puppy food but it's not completely clear if that's the main diet or just a bit extra popped into toys.


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## Emma Smyth (Jun 12, 2019)

Yes he is trained to go to his bed so I will try the training with the toys etc! Yeah I agree that the tug hypes him up. The food says 2-15 months on it so seems he's ok for it but might go back to Royal Canine.

Thanks everyone for your help!



Ian246 said:


> How old is he? It sounds like he's a puppy, so he's still learning, but be careful not to over exercise him if he's very young. Over stimulating him is not the answer.
> At the end of the day, you've got a Cocker Spaniel and that's what you get! Is he a working Cocker or a show type? The latter are a bit more mellow. The former are very busy dogs, constantly on the go, so if he is a Working breed, you'll need to get used to it! I have a Sprocker (Springer / Working Cocker Cross) who never stops - the other end of the spectrum to my nearly 16 year old Lab! I hiked 22 miles in two days on Sunday/Monday and ge did actually seem a little weary on Monday night, unusually. Tuesday morning, it was like it never happened!





tabelmabel said:


> She does - 9 months. It's in the thread title. Too old for puppy food but it's not completely clear if that's the main diet or just a bit extra popped into toys.





tabelmabel said:


> She does - 9 months. It's in the thread title. Too old for puppy food but it's not completely clear if that's the main diet or just a bit extra popped into toys.





tabelmabel said:


> I think you have answered your own question here. You will never get a spaniel settled by doing exciting things. You need some settle training. Has he been trained to go to a mat?
> 
> Train him to go to a mat and stay on it. Has he had any chew toy training?
> 
> ...


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## Emma Smyth (Jun 12, 2019)

Hi,

I will look into that food - thanks 


Linda Weasel said:


> All good advice, but I really would get him off the Pedigree Puppy and (slowly) on to something with less additives. James Wellbeloved is honestly the only food I have any recent experience of but I've fed it to all my dogs over the last 20+ years and they've all done really well on it.
> 
> I've also seen a lot of hyper dogs cool down a lot when changed to a colour/chemical preservative free diet.
> 
> Does he still need puppy food; you don't say how old he is?


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## Emma Smyth (Jun 12, 2019)

He's a 9 month old working cocker and I know he'll be lively just feel he's unsettled some times - thanks for the advice 

QUOTE="Ian246, post: 1065449034, member: 1480026"]How old is he? It sounds like he's a puppy, so he's still learning, but be careful not to over exercise him if he's very young. Over stimulating him is not the answer.
At the end of the day, you've got a Cocker Spaniel and that's what you get! Is he a working Cocker or a show type? The latter are a bit more mellow. The former are very busy dogs, constantly on the go, so if he is a Working breed, you'll need to get used to it! I have a Sprocker (Springer / Working Cocker Cross) who never stops - the other end of the spectrum to my nearly 16 year old Lab! I hiked 22 miles in two days on Sunday/Monday and ge did actually seem a little weary on Monday night, unusually. Tuesday morning, it was like it never happened![/QUOTE]


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)




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## JoanneF (Feb 1, 2016)

You could probably do better than Royal Canin too.

Have a look at www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk

It is an independent dog food comparison website which scores all types of foods (dry, raw, wet) out of 100. You can set filters for your dog's breed, weight, age etc. and for your daily budget; then you can add in any specific needs you have such as aiming for weight loss or avoiding specific ingredients. The website will automatically show the foods listed in order of what the assessors believe is best quality, and it also will show daily feeding cost (calculated from your dog's age and weight) so you can see what gives you best value for money. It has its limitations but it's a decent place to start.


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## Ian246 (Oct 27, 2018)

tabelmabel said:


> She does - 9 months. It's in the thread title. Too old for puppy food but it's not completely clear if that's the main diet or just a bit extra popped into toys.


Whoops! Sorry, folks. That'll teach me to try and respond on my phone, having not read the subject line properly!


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## Linda Weasel (Mar 5, 2014)

tabelmabel said:


> She does - 9 months. It's in the thread title. Too old for puppy food but it's not completely clear if that's the main diet or just a bit extra popped into toys.


Doh....... missed that bit. Thanks.


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## Boxer123 (Jul 29, 2017)

I have an eight month old boxer who likes to potter. Stuffed frozen kongs are my friend. They seem to really settle him. He would play all day and night I've tried to train 'find your bed ' I will tidy toys away when it's time to settle. Like you I spend loads of time with him so sometimes just need him to chill. 

If all fails I sing him a lullaby


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## Boxer123 (Jul 29, 2017)

Oh and he is mostly raw fed mixed with kibble and other bits.


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