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Hi all! My husband gave me the green light to start looking for a standard breeder last night and I couldn't be happier.
We are the proud parents of an adorable female cocker spaniel, two sons and one daughter. I've been pestering DH for a spoo and he finally relented. While lurking here, I discovered how wonderful this forum is. I'll be taking my time (and soliciting advice
in order to find the best possible puppy or adult dog for our family.
We had a sad experience with our first cocker spaniel, Riley, some years ago. We were inexperienced dog owners and purchased him from a BYB at 6 weeks of age. He had severe temperament problems and persistently bit our then 8 year old son and many other adults. Our trainer and vet felt that his problems stemmed from him being a natural alpha and the fact that he never learned proper pack behavior since we adopted him at such a young age. I knew better than to get him so young, but I let myself fall victim to my desire to get a puppy right away. Poor Riley went through obedience school at 5 months, returned for refreshers on two occasions, went to doggie boot camp twice, saw a behavior modification specialist, and spent some time on tricyclic antidepressents. We were careful to reinforce the training at home, all to no avail.
We finally had to re-home Riley 2 years ago with a girlfriend of mine who is single and lives alone. Riley seems to be happy and is doing well. No more biting issues either! Sometimes I wonder if my busy household was another facet of our troubles at that time. Riley seems to flourish in a quiet home with his person all to himself. I'm hoping that a breeder truly will be able to match a puppy to our family dynamic.
After the first dog debacle, I was more careful when choosing Sophie. Our trainer taught us how to look for a less dominant puppy and of course I didn't bring her home until she was nearly 10 weeks old. Needless to say, she is a sweetie, albeit shy around strangers. Since I'd been through a gazillion training sessions with Riley, Sophie's obedience training was a snap! Because of our mistakes with Riley, I want to take plenty of time when choosing a standard poodle. I'm looking forward to having a new family member and to making a few poodle loving friends.
We are the proud parents of an adorable female cocker spaniel, two sons and one daughter. I've been pestering DH for a spoo and he finally relented. While lurking here, I discovered how wonderful this forum is. I'll be taking my time (and soliciting advice
We had a sad experience with our first cocker spaniel, Riley, some years ago. We were inexperienced dog owners and purchased him from a BYB at 6 weeks of age. He had severe temperament problems and persistently bit our then 8 year old son and many other adults. Our trainer and vet felt that his problems stemmed from him being a natural alpha and the fact that he never learned proper pack behavior since we adopted him at such a young age. I knew better than to get him so young, but I let myself fall victim to my desire to get a puppy right away. Poor Riley went through obedience school at 5 months, returned for refreshers on two occasions, went to doggie boot camp twice, saw a behavior modification specialist, and spent some time on tricyclic antidepressents. We were careful to reinforce the training at home, all to no avail.
We finally had to re-home Riley 2 years ago with a girlfriend of mine who is single and lives alone. Riley seems to be happy and is doing well. No more biting issues either! Sometimes I wonder if my busy household was another facet of our troubles at that time. Riley seems to flourish in a quiet home with his person all to himself. I'm hoping that a breeder truly will be able to match a puppy to our family dynamic.
After the first dog debacle, I was more careful when choosing Sophie. Our trainer taught us how to look for a less dominant puppy and of course I didn't bring her home until she was nearly 10 weeks old. Needless to say, she is a sweetie, albeit shy around strangers. Since I'd been through a gazillion training sessions with Riley, Sophie's obedience training was a snap! Because of our mistakes with Riley, I want to take plenty of time when choosing a standard poodle. I'm looking forward to having a new family member and to making a few poodle loving friends.