Frequently Asked Questions

Breed Specific Questions

Q: How often should an English Cocker be groomed?

A: English Cockers require regular grooming. They need to be groomed every 6-8 weeks. If your English Cocker is kept in a show type trim, he/she will need to be brushed every other day and regularly shampooed and conditioned to prevent matting. If you English Cocker is kept in a puppy trim or shaved down, less brushing is necessary, but close attention should be paid to coat length, as even short coat can matt if not kept clean, conditioned, and brushed. This is definitely a breed that requires regular grooming. It is not a low maintenance breed.

Q: Are English Cocker Spaniels good with kids?

A: English Cockers are generally wonderful with kids, especially if they have been raised around them. They make excellent family pets. They were developed as a gentleman's hunting dog.... meant to play with the kids and also put dinner on the table. They are a good size to have around children; large enough to play with kids, yet small enough to run and play in the house. English Cockers who are not raised around children can sometimes be fearful or cautious around children. I recommend that those with kids start with a puppy who can be socialized around a busy household or adopt only an adult dog who has had experience with children.

Q: How much exercise do English Cocker Spaniels require?

A: English Cockers are part of the Sporting Group and require a similar amount of exercise to other members of the sporting group. They are sporty little spaniels, who generally love outdoor activities such as hiking, swimming, dog parks, and fetch. They are happy to settle in the house and spend an evening inside, but only after a generous amount of off lead exercise. If you work during the day and play to add an English Cocker to your household, you should have a plan in place to provide daily exercise for your English Cocker. This could be doggy daycare, play dates, fetch during the evening, long early morning walks, etc. This needs to be planned for, though, as English Cockers, as with most sporting dogs, are rarely successful in homes that work all day yet want a calm dog during the evenings. 

Q: Is there a temperament different between the different colors of English Cockers?

A: It is much more common for there to be a temperament different between the different "families" of dogs than for the difference to be based on color. Breeders select for the traits they prefer and so their family of dogs will tend to have those particular traits. I recommend visiting a breeder's home if possible, in order to get to know his/her family of dogs to see if they have the personality that you are looking for. In dogs, what you see is what you get. Puppies tend to have similar personalities and energy levels to their parents. Originally, all of the colors in this breed were bred together. Partis and solids all have similar dogs in their pedigrees if you look back far enough.

Q: Why do English Cockers cost so much?

A: The average price for a well bred English Cocker is $1200 to $1800. This is actually a fairly average price for any well bred purebred dog. Breeding dogs carefully is very expensive and time consuming. Breeders must pay for health testing, veterinary care, breeding costs, and dog show expenses. I promise you, no one I know who is involved with the dog hobby is making money. This is not something that is profitable. It is expensive to own dogs, expensive to show dogs, and expensive to breed dogs. My veterinarian recognizes my voice when I call their office. The price of many dog related expenses has increased, such as the price of show entries, the price of veterinary care, the price of dog food. There are also more genetic tests available now. OFA, Optigen PRA testing, Optigen FN testing, BAER testing, thyroid checks, elbows, patellas, and the list goes on. It is wonderful that these tests are available, but they play a part in the increased price of a purebred dog.

  

Questions about Calypso English Cockers

Q: Where are you located?

A: We are located in Western Washington, about an hour from Seattle.

Q: What traits do you breed for?

We breed for Beauty, Brains, Bird Sense, Health and Temperament, not necessarily in that order. We put a huge amount of time and effort into our breeding program. Dogs are our hobby and also our lifestyle.

Q: Do your dogs live in your house?

We do not have kennels or kennel runs. We have a dog room that our dogs play in and otherwise they are in the house or the yard. Our dogs are required to get along well with other dogs. Puppies are whelped and raised in our house with playtime and potty breaks in the yard. Our dogs are rarely crated or penned during the day. At night, some sleep loose and younger ones sleep in crates.

Q: Do you sell puppies to pet homes?

A: Yes, we place puppies in pet homes on limited registration with a contract requiring that the puppy be spayed/neutered. We put a huge amount of effort in to our breeding program. Breeding dogs is not something that should be taken lightly. If you are interested in getting involved with dogs shows and pretty much always taking a loss when you breed a litter, this might be a hobby you would enjoy. If you just want to own a household pet, we will not place a puppy with you unless you intend to spay/neuter. We do not place puppies in homes on full registration as show prospects unless they are either co-owned by us or are placed with people who have references from within this breed and a history of showing in conformation. We are very careful with choosing good homes for our puppies as we never want a dog from our breeding program to be bred without proper attention paid to health and conformation and we do not want any of our puppies to end up in a shelter or rescue group.

Q: How many litters do you have each year?

A: We usually have between one and three litters of puppies each year. It can vary depending on the amount of time we have available. Puppies are extremely time consuming and require a commitment to being home for about 3 months. This does not always fit in with our busy schedule.

Q: If I want to get involved with showing my puppy, can you help me get started?

A: We are always happy to help someone who had an interest in this hobby. If you are not in our area, we can point you in the direction of a reputable breeder who will be willing to work with you. If your are considering getting involved with breeding and dog shows, be sure to choose a breeder and a puppy carefully. There is a lot to consider. Visit dog shows in your area and try to meet with local breeders. You may have a regional English Cocker club in your area that you can join.

Q: Why do you co-own dogs?

A: We choose to co-own dogs for different reasons. Sometimes co-ownerships are done when placing a puppy with a novice owner to ensure that the puppy is not bred without being shown and having health testing done. Sometimes a co-ownership is done so that we can place a dog or a puppy in a home where he or she can live a pet lifestyle and still contribute to our breeding program. Sometimes, dogs are co-owned with other breeders in order to share the expense and responsibility of showing the dog. Different breeders do co-ownerships for different reasons. We recommend always having a contract when co-owning a dog.

Q: Do you have "fill in the blank" color available?

A: We are not a puppy store. We don't always have a particular color available. Please do not e-mail us saying "I want to buy a black and white female puppy next week" as it is quite unlikely you will get a response to your e-mail. We post our current litters on the Puppies page of our website. If you do not see a litter that you are interested in listed there, than we do not have anything currently available. Feel free to e-mail and ask about planned litters or available adults, but realize that it is unlikely we have something that you can pick up next week unless it is already posted on our website.

Q: Can we visit you and see your kennel? I'm in your area right now and just want to stop by.

A: We do not have a kennel. Our dogs live in our home. If you live in the Northwest and would like to meet some English Cockers to learn about the breed, we are happy to meet you at a dog show and will let you know about any upcoming shows that we plan to attend if you send us an e-mail. If we currently have a litter or an available adult, you are welcome to visit to meet our dogs and the puppies. We limit visits in this way as we already have so many visitors from those who currently have dogs from us. Once someone has a puppy from us, they are part of our "doggy family" and people and dogs often visit for playdates, grooming, etc. Our current doggy family has to be our priority, so visits to our home from those who do not have dogs from us are limited to times when we have a puppy or dog currently available. You can check for dog shows in your area at www.akc.org..

Q: Do you have any breeds other than your English Cockers?

A: No, currently we only have English Cocker Spaniels. We are, however, avid Duck Tolling Retriever fans. We have considered adding one to our pack, but we don't really have space for one right now or the time for getting involved with a second breed. We love to watch them at shows, though!

Q: I have a male cocker that I want to breed. Can I breed him to one of your girls to get a puppy from him?

A: This is kind of funny. Why on earth would I breed one of my girls, who I have worked so hard to breed, who have titles and all appropriate health testing, to a dog with no pedigree, no registration, and no health testing? Yet, I often am e-mailed with this question or a similar question. The answer is no.