American Cocker Spaniels are very friendly, playful dogs. Though they are very shy when they are pups and require a substantial amount of socialization. Its important to let your Cocker Spaniel interact with other dogs and people other than its owners. With the proper social skills your Cocker Spaniel will get along great with children and other animals.
Unfortunately, due to the high popularity of the American Cocker Spaniel, they have been way over breed resulting in many American Cocker Spaniels with behavioral issues such as excessive shyness or over protectiveness. Cocker Spaniels are very sensitive animals so its very important with this breed, more so than other breeds, to be gentle with them when training. If you as the dog trainer, are the least bit aggressive with your Cocker Spaniel, your dog will end up with some serious trust and behavioral issues.
Because of the American Cocker Spaniel’s need to please their owners, if you aren’t consistent in rewarding them for good deeds during training, your Cocker Spaniel will be quick to loose interest in training. Doing so will build their confidence and should reduce the amount of time you need to spend on potty training and obedience. With this breed more so than other breeds requires that you remember the 4 P’s while training: Patience, Practice, Praise and Persistence. Its also a good idea to avoid using treats as rewards because of the Cocker Spaniel’s common problem of obesity.
American Cocker Spaniels are known to get severe cases of separation anxiety due to their need for attention and praise. When leaving the house, do it quickly! This will teach your Cocker Spaniel to accept the fact that you’re leaving. A long, drawn out, departure will only make things worse. Make sure you give your American Cocker Spaniel enough attention when you are home so they don’t become depressed.
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