Cross Breeds

puppy advice first time puppy owners of a Cavalier/Cocker Spaniel?

We are getting our first puppy in the next couple weeks. Although we have not seen them, yet, we know we are getting a Cavalier King Charles/Cocker Spaniel mix. We hope to go see them soon and pick which one we want. Any puppy advice would be wonderful, but especially puppy advice on this specific cross breed. Also, should we take our Pomeranian with us? We don't have kids, but want to start a family soon, so should be take a couple kids along with us to see how they get along?

Public Comments

1. Leave your pom at home, and get to know your new puppy without the extras. Make sure your new pup is at least eight weeks old. Check out the ultimate puppy toolkit. It is a training system geared to training/ socializing puppies
2. I wouold also if u want a mellow puppy or one like ur pom personality watch the puppies if can can hold a puppy on it's back like a baby for a long period of time it not be too much of a hell raiser this has always worked in picking out our pups. I had 2 sisters I picked the puppy that layed in my arms like a baby the hole time and she is a wonderful dog my husband picked the sister that would not stay in ur arms and she was the hell raiser always on the go never stopping. Ginger the one I picked was also mellow in with the pups.
3. Some qualified trainers offer pre-ownership counselling. I would suggest that you take your Pomp with you. Hopefully your Pomp has some social skills with other dogs. I would start also shopping around for a good puppy social / puppy group class audit classes before enrolling. Kids- not that critical yet but good for you to think about it. www.dogsandstorks.com Happy Kids and Happy Dogs - book
4. u wanna be prepared w/ food, water and, a quiet place to sleep also puppies tend to cry the first nights .u might also wanna get a toy for it to bite. if u have a stuffed animal put the dog w it the first few nights for some reason the feel safer that way so good luck
5. I would have to disagree with the holding puppy like a baby and that one wont be a hell raiser. That is what my puppy was like for the first 3 weeks we had her (6-9 weeks old) and then after the 9 week mark she has been nothing but runrunrun..zoomzoomzoom..hell raiser. Leave everyone at home (dog and "rented" kids). You are just going to have to interduce the dogs on their own turf. And kids are all different. The pup may like your kids and not the ones that you take with you when you pick out the pup. Make sure you get all shots. They start at 6 weeks of age. If the pup is older then that make sure they (the raisers) have taken the pup in for its shots and checkups. Congrats on the new pup! Have a great life together!
6. A puppy will get along with anyone and anything. It will take time for any existing animals in the household to get used to the new puppy however. Taking your Pom with you won't necessarily be tell-tale of how the puppy will be accepted; he might not like it at 1st. Good luck! BTW, the Cavalier King Charles is a breed known for a serious problem...here's an excerpt of the info: "Currently the most serious problem facing Cavalier breeders today is Mitral Valve Disease. It is estimated that this may affect as much as 50% of the dogs in the breed in North America at this point. MVD leads in many cases to premature death or compromised quality of life and occurs in Cavaliers at a rate unknown in any other breed in the world. Dr. Mike O'Grady, cardiologist affiliated with the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada has been collecting data since 1993".
7. ....Cavies are very easy going and nice family dogs, cockers can be very territorial and not great with children unless they are completly socialized at a young age with kids and trained in obedience classes also. I would introduce them in a non territorial area, don't take the pom to the house to pick up the pup please. Read all that you can find at bookstores, get the Cesar dvds... take them both to puppy classes for obedience training soon and please have them completely socialized before you start a family....dogs need to know that they are lower in the pack order. Many people think of them as their children, treat them as humans and then when the children come, the are aggressive toward them....Kids come first and need to be safe in their environment. Train your dogs to be respectable, loving dogs.....non replacements for the babes you'll have soon. Also start with a great groomer around 3 months. Good luck, Mom, groomer, dachshund breeder 20 yrs.
8. I agree, leave the pom at home. The dog you are getting is great with other dogs and with kids. Make sure you socialize your dog with other dogs and kids though. Please be advised to have your new puppy checked by vet as Cavalier/cockers sometimes are born with a heart defect called Mitral Valve Prolapse. This is a bad valve in the heart that allows blood to flow back into the heart. The flap starts out weak causing the prolapse and can become worse making the heart valve regurgitate back into the heart chamber. Vet checks should help keep an eye on this problem. Otherwise these dogs are awesome. I had one at lived for about 10 years before his heart gave out. I had to put him down and I'd never cried so much in all my life. I would love to have another but can't afford one right now.
9. Yeah you should bring the kids and the other dog so your do gcan get use to a new dog and so your new dog can get use to children and another dog lots of ove and luck plus I am getting me a beagle
10. I agree with the others....I would leave your pom at home and pick your new puppy up alone so you can give it all the attention. Your puppy will be nervous because of the change and new surroundings, new voices..ect. No need to take kids with you either. After he gets accustomed to his new home and has the vaccinations needed for his age, I would defiantly take your puppy to puppy socialization classes. I don't have experience with this type of mix, but I have owned cockers for many years. Cocker spaniels...although a great breed...do benefit with socialization. I would take your puppy for walks and introduce him to people of all ages. Introducing him to children early (with positive results) will help with the transition when you choose to have children of your own. Always supervise your puppy with children...never allow a child to mishandle your puppy....you don't want him to grow up frightened of children...children who are used to being around dogs would be a good choice because they usually know how to handle a dog. (lets hope at least). Finding a good trainer in your area will also help with any training and socialization questions...good luck! Edit: Buzzword mentions grooming...VERY important...both of these breeds need much grooming...take your puppy to a groomer early to get him used to being groomed!
11. I breed cocker spaniels, make sure the people you get this pup from shows you how to clean their ears! This is important, in that breed! leave the pom at home, the pup will be scared enough in the car, this way you can love on the baby! Don't wory about borrowing kids, if this is a pup, the cocker breed and cavalier are good with children, just make sure the kids are good to them. I would advise after the pup is home, to have kids come play, so when you do have your own the dog will know what this little thing is:)
12. Cavaliers are great dogs, however I think you should know that if you do plan on children I would advise on staying away from the cocker spaniel or any breed mixed with it. They are at the top of the list of dogs that bite. I haven't seen the list in the last two years but I know that they were number 1 for a long time. People don't realize this because smaller dogs don't do the damage like larger dogs do when they bite so nobody really hears about it. I have worked in shelters and for vets for over 20 years and I have seen a lot of nasty cockers. When I worked at the shelter that was the number one reason that they were sent to the shelter because they bit someone, and about 7 out of 10 times it was a child. Check out books or the web and look at breeds and see what their disposition is. Most of the books will actually tell you if they are good with kids or not. Good luck.