american cocker spaniel?

hey i might be getting a american cocker spaniel pup can anyone give me as much information about them as possible thanks

Hey this is my type of question!! American Cocker Spaniels rock! They are loyal! Description The Cocker Spaniel has very long hanging ears, a rounded head, and a profuse, silky, feathered, medium-length coat. The head is chiseled with an abrupt stop. The muzzle is wide, deep and broad with a square jaw. The upper lip hangs down, covering the lower jaw completely. The teeth are strong and should meet in a scissors bite. The nose is always black on black dogs, but may be brown on other dogs. The eyes are round, set on so they look straightforward. The eye rims are slightly oval. The body is compact, with a short back. The topline should slope gently downwards from front to back. The front legs are straight, with good bone. Dewclaws on front and rear legs should be removed. The coat comes in buff, black, and other solid colors, black-and-tan (like a Rottweiler or Doberman Pinscher), parti-color (white with black, white with buff or red, white with black and tan points) Some requirements for correct markings are specified in the standard. The tail is docked to 2/5 it's original length and is carried on a line with its back; it is constantly in motion. Field lines generally have shorter coats which are better suited to work in brush. They also have better hunting instincts. Both types make good pets. Temperament Bold and keen to work, the American Cocker Spaniel is equally suited to life as a gundog or as a household pet. Cheerful, sweet, and sensitive. The Cocker Spaniel is respectful of its master's authority without much challenge. Merry and endearing. A happy tail-wagger. Gentle and trusting, with average intelligence. They are lively, playful and devoted, but should be socialized well when they are young to avoid a tendency for shyness. Usually good with children. Cockers love everyone and need people to be happy. They can be difficult to housebreak and some like to bark. However they are mostly easy to train and get along well with other animals. Note: This is a very popular breed; the above is the typical temperament of the American Cocker Spaniel, like any breed there are always exceptions. Due to this breeds popularity one must be careful to choose a Cocker from a reputable breeder; as some have reported in to the Dog Breed Info Center® reports of Cockers that have not had great temperaments and were not good with children. Cockers with this type of temperament are not typical of the breed. Before adopting an American Cocker, be sure to give it a puppy temperament test and if possible ask to meet the parents. Beware of poorly bred puppy-mill Cockers as they may have bizarre temperamental changes and behavioral problems. This would include shy-sharpness, which is a combination of fear and dominance that can cause viciousness. Also Submissive urinating; aggressive guarding of objects, people and places, hyper-sexuality and roaming. Height, Weight Height: Dogs 15 ½ inches (38cm.) Bitches 14 ½ inches (36.8cm.)Weight: 15-30 pounds (7-14 kg.) Health Problems Some major concern in American Cocker Spaniels are cataracts, glaucoma and patellar luxation. Some minor concerns are hip dysplasia, ectropion, entropion, PRA, allergies, seborrhea, lip fold pyoderma, otitis externa, liver disease, urolithiasis, prolapse of nictitans gland, CHF, phosphofructokinase deficiency, and cardiomyopathy. Occasionally seen are gastric torsion and elbow dysplasia. Also IMHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia) One owner stated, "Our cocker never had a sick day in her life until she suddenly became lethargic and urinated blood. Six days later, and $3000 in vet bills, she died. I know you can't list every illness due to space limitations, but the internal medicine specialist that treated our dog said that IMHA is relatively common in cockers, and almost always fatal. It's a fast-acting, silent killer. Living Conditions Cockers will do okay in an apartment if they are adequately exercised, and are fairly active indoors. A small yard is sufficient. Exercise American Cockers have plenty of stamina and need regular exercise. They should be taken on daily, long walks. When walking, avoid brushy thickets that can tangle the coat. Life Expectancy About 12-15 years. Litter Size 1 - 7 puppies - Average of 5 Grooming The eyes need regular cleaning. Some owners prefer to leave the coat long, brushing daily and shampooing frequently with quarterly scissoring and clipping. Others prefer to clip the coat to medium length to be more functional. Either way, the dog will need regular trimming. When brushing, be careful not to pull out the silky hair. This breed is an average shedder. Origin The popular Cocker Spaniel, sometimes called the American Cocker Spaniel, was originally developed from careful breeding of the English Cocker Spaniels brought to the United States. The American Cocker Spaniel is smaller than the English Cocker Spaniel and has a different conformation. The name "Cocker" comes from the woodcock, a game bird these spaniels flushed particularly well. Today, the Cocker Spaniel serves primarily as a companion and glamorous show dog. It can also be used for hunting, tracking, retrieving, watchdogging and agility. Group Gun Dog, AKC Sporting Recognition FCI, AKC, UKC, KCGB, CKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC, CKC, CCR, APRI, ACR

think the first answer just about said it all.

PREPARATIONSBefore you collect the puppy there is preparation work to be done. Ensure that your garden is puppy proof, fences and gates need to be secure. Remove any poisonous plants and pieces or rubbish that could damage a puppy. Inside the house decide where your puppy will have his own space. This could be the corner of the kitchen or utility room. Many people make up a pen with a comfortable bed or you could purchase a cage. This is the place where the puppy can sleep, eat and get out of the hurly burly of the household. Also remember that your bed, sofa and chairs are your territory and no go areas for puppies. FEEDINGA good breeder will provide a diet sheet and probably some food to start the puppy off. Stick to the meal times as well as possible, puppies like a routine. Allow about 10 minutes for the puppy to eat his fill and then remove the bowl. Puppies eat to appetite so a good rule of thumb is that there should be about a mouthful left on the dish at the end of the meal. Puppies coming away from a litter may be indifferent to food at first, try mixing some little tasty bits of chicken in with the normal food to stimulate appetite. Get your puppy used to you going near his food bowl by dropping nice pieces into the dish occasionally. Never feed the puppy from the table and don’t allow children to share snacks with the puppy. BEING CLEANToilet training is a first priority but don’t expect it to be a quick process. Young puppies have very little control and great patience is required. Take the puppy outside to a designated spot on waking, after meals and frequently during the puppy’s active times. You can use a special word or phrase like ‘hurry up’ . Watch carefully and really praise the required result. If the puppy has an accident in the house don’t scold him (he won’t have a memory of what he has done), take him outside as soon as possible and be quicker next time. It will be a long time before the puppy is clean at night, so you can use newspaper as an allowed spot. LEAVING ALONEFrom the first get your puppy used to being left in his space for short periods of time. There is nothing worse than having a dog which cannot be left at home for a few hours. Puppies need lots of sleep so it should be possible to leave the pup while you are working upstairs, doing the school run or shopping. HANDLINGA puppy should get used to being handled. This does not mean being picked up all the time. Never allow children to pick the puppy up – remember in 4 months time he will probably weigh 25 pounds. It is better to sit the child on the floor and allow the puppy to approach in his own time. Once a day stand the puppy on a table and spend 5 minutes gently brushing and combing, looking at his teeth, ears and feet. Make sure that you decide when this should finish and give lots of praise. This will mean trips to the vet will be a pleasure in future years. EARLY SOCIALISATIONPuppies cannot mix with other dogs until they have completed their course of vaccinations but you can familiarise them with common household noises, friends coming to the house and short trips in the car. Dogs are best kept in a cage in the car, but never leave a dog in a hot car. Once the puppy is fully immunised it can have very short walks on the lead and can start training classes. If the puppy shows any nervousness don’t pick him up and make a fuss of him, let him cope on his own and praise afterwards. Toys should be purchased with care. Cockers love to fetch things so get the puppy used to bringing you his toys to throw for him (you can encourage this by having the puppy on a lead or by trading a very tasty titbit for his favourite toy). Never have tug of war games with puppies this can make them possessive and develop a hard mouth. When you are playing with a puppy always give lots of praise or titbits when he comes to you. When you start having longer walks with the puppy, flexi leads allow freedom at a safe distance and you are able to get the puppy back to you very quickly if you need to. If you watch litter mates playing together you will see them play fighting and biting. They might well try this with you, try to discourage them from biting you by playing with a toy and not flapping your hand around in front of a puppy. If the puppy inadvertently gets your hand make a noise and finish the game so the puppy knows this is not acceptable to you. If games ever get out of hand calm things down and put the puppy back in his space. THE LAST WORDGet your puppy used to the ‘no’ word – he won’t know the difference between his rope toy and your expensive curtains to start with. When he stops doing the wrong thing give lots of praise. Rewarding good behaviour is much more effective than punishing the wrong behaviour. Following these simple guidelines should ensure that you have a happy, well adjusted dog for life!BREEDING Breeding a litter of puppies from your pet cocker bitch will not improve her health or temperament. It just leads to a lot of hard work, sleepless nights, mess, responsibility and heartache for the owner. Similarly your handsome male does not need to be mated to a bitch. It can lead to marking territory and seeking out bitches in season. If your cocker needs a companion it is lot easier to buy one ready made.

Everyone pretty much summed it up. But remember to avoid the many bad lines of cocker spaniels today with neurotic, hyper cocker spaniels. American cocker spaniels are a dime a dozen now so be careful!