Tips on taking care of English Cocker Spaniel puppies
Are you the happy new owner of litter of English Cocker Spaniel puppies? Or maybe you have adopted 1 or 2 American Cocker Spaniel puppies as part of your family. This unique breed is a delight to take care of; they are well behaved, affectionate, and loyal and bring a fun energy to even the dullest households.
The Cocker Spaniel breeds originally come from Spain and were introduced to Britain in the 15th century, where they were used as game hunting dogs. Later a number of Cocker Spaniels were transported over to America and gradually bred into a smaller more attractive version by Cocker Spaniel dog breeders.
Both dogs look very much the same and are known the world over for their trade mark long wide dangly ears; though you’ll notice that the English Cocker Spaniel has longer legs, a thinner more stretched muzzle, a long arched tail and shorter body hair.
The American breed share the dangly ears and stout body shape, but the hair on its bottom half can grow long enough to completely cover its legs. English Cocker Spaniel puppies and American Cocker Spaniel puppies are both quite easy to take care of, they grow quite quickly and as long as you train them consistently they will learn fast and adapt to your family home in no time at all.
Taking care of puppies involves basically the same routines and activities, but for first time dog owners who are not sure of what to do or where to begin it can be a little daunting. So to help you along here are some care tips used by professional Cocker Spaniel breeders to ensure a healthy and happy litter of puppies.
- Choosing the right food for your puppy – As with human babies, our puppy’s food should contain all the essential vitamins and nutrients needed for to optimize their healthy growth. Luckily there are hundreds of different brands of dog foods available in a variety of forms, from solid biscuits to soft chunky stews.
English Cocker Spaniel puppies can be picky eaters, so a good solution is to buy one of those large tester packs that contain various mixtures; test each one out and stick with the one that your dogs prefer. Don’t waste too much time trying to force your puppies to eat something they don’t like, at that young and age it is just vital for them to eat.
Keep their diets balanced, a good amount of refined carbohydrates, less fat and lots of essential multi-vitamins will keep your dogs at their right weight limit, remember its easier to start them on a healthy diet when they are young then trying to get them to witch from an unhealthy one later down the road.
- Puppy vaccinations – Vaccinations are vital to keeping your puppies strong while they are young and their immune systems are relatively weak. Plan a visit to your local vet at 6 to 8 weeks after they are born, but remember that vaccines do give your puppies some side affects so don’t give them to a dog that doesn’t look well. There are several types of canine vaccinations though the main ones include; distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis, rabies, leptospirosis, parainfluenza and Lyme.
- Exercise – Though they might still be too little to go running around on a leash, your English Cocker Spaniel puppies still need to get into the habit of moving around or it might affect their behavior later in life. Your dogs need to release all the energy gained from their new diets, get in the habit of taking them to an open space throwing a few toys on the floor and enthusing them to move around.
Play time is also the perfect time to start getting them use to a leash, during a 2 hour play period put a leash or collar on each dog just to get them used to the feel of the material; after some time they won’t even know its there.
- Should I neuter my puppy? – This is a common question that causes some people disgust, there are those who believe it’s wrong and others who think it is necessary; it is not a painful experience, but it can cause certain affects. A non-neutered puppy can grow into an aggressive adult, they may inadvertently in-breed giving you double the amount of puppies you started with and who will take care of them?
On the other hand neutered dogs suffer side affects such as weight gain, sluggish lazy attitudes and may show a decreased amount of energy overall. In the end the choice is left up to the owners, but it is a good idea to leave it till they have reached adolescence in dog years so that you can judge their overall character before making a decision.
To read and understand more information about English Cocker Spaniel puppies, check out the highly recommended English Cocker Spaniel eBook and audio package today!
