Who has experiences with them  Also can anyone explain why people breed them  Little mouse ive taken on is a little sprocker & will say she is deff not as nutts as my cockers as pups (well not yet anyway)  She is a cocker to look at but can deff see springer in her face (diff shape slightly). Look forward to hearing from you

Forgot to mention that one observation of her is she is not as sensitive as Sooty & Sweep

I've only experienced other peoples Sprockers and they seem fine. I think there are a couple of reasons people breed them.  One is possibly to try and "improve" the WCS, this has happened before.  However I suspect that mostly it's because its trendy at the moment to have a Sprocker, or labradoodle, cockerpoo or whatever.  A lady we see when we are walking Ollie liked him a lot, and he got on well with her Sheltie Bella.  however she decided a WCS would be too much of a handful so got a cockerpoo puppy - whata mistaka to make!!  She's a little gem, and totally and utterly bonkers, makes Ollie look sedentry:lol:

Since they cannot be KC registered I don't see much future among serious working dog folk myself, they seem to command premium prices and I've seen registered gundog puppies from reputable breeders advertised for a lot less than the fashionable "mongrels".

I only have experience of one; he is a sweet lad who (if he was handled correctly :/) would be a super little dog. Heavier than a cocker in build, not as manic as Ellie, but sweet natured. I would have thought buying one was a bit of a lottery though....8)

We know one Sprocker very well.  Unlike the one Stuart mentions above she is very tiny, coloured and marked like a Springer but built like a very small WCS - very like our Amber in fact - finely boned but solid muscle.  She is manic, bounces around all over the place, can jump really high as can Amber ( i think there's Kangaroo in both of them somewhere!:D) but has a lovely, friendly, gentle temperament.  Barney absolutely adores her. They all vary depending what genes they inherit from each side and whether, of course, they are working or show strain of both cocker and springer.  You can never know what any one pup will turn out like as a result.  Their temperament, like any pup, will depend on their parents so again they will vary.  As to why anyone would breed them deliberately, who knows?  My guess is that most are the result of accidental matings.

Thanks guys  

Hi

I'm a new member I have an 18 week old Sprocker, called Poppy.  Her mum was a springer, her dad a working cocker.  She's got a lovely temperament and is very very sociable, she loves all people and dogs (of any size) At the moment I am whistle training her and shes coming along great.  She's full of beans, very energetic, mischievous and into everything just how a puupy should be

Fiona

Hi Fiona, Welcome to WCOL   Poppy sounds adorable, you will need to put some pictures on of her

Thank you Carol, will add to a post to introduce myself, have also posted some photos of Poppy

Hi Carol, I too have just taken on a sprocker, a 21 week old pup called Bracken. I "rescued" her from a totally unsuitable home - lovely people, lovely dog, just the 2 not compatible!  She's 2nd generation sprocker (mum was liver & white springer, dad was a sprocker).  She's a lovely girl but mad as a box of frogs. Think she likes my WCS Coco but seems to be trying to dominate her all the time but after their walks they curl up in bed together.  Bracken's very def. springer to look at but with the ears of a cocker! She's very skinny, very fast and for some reason goes totally bonkers when she gets wet and trying to towel dry her is a nightmare!  She's a real people person, loves cuddles & seems to have attached herself to my husband - h'mmm, the idea was to socialise & train her and then find a good home for her ... she's quite obedient & responds well to the whistle, her recall is excellent.  She'd never been for an off lead walk till we got her last Friday!  Mouse sounds cute.

carol at November 8, 2010 at 3:50 PM

Who has experiences with them  Also can anyone explain why people breed them  Little mouse ive taken on is a little sprocker & will say she is deff not as nutts as my cockers as pups (well not yet anyway)  She is a cocker to look at but can deff see springer in her face (diff shape slightly). Look forward to hearing from you

 

Forgot to mention that one observation of her is she is not as sensitive as Sooty & Sweep

Hello Carol. 

How you going on with your Sprocker bitch ? I have a bitch also who was one in Jan, she has been working a little this season and supprised me no end, working along side Springers & Cockers.lizzie is more like a Cocker to look at, she has not been docked {but thats another debate ?} she is brill with our  two small children the youngest pushers her to her limits !!  dont no why they are crossed {but wats the point of a labradoodle ???} but  glad they have. John  

carol at November 8, 2010 at 3:50 PM

Who has experiences with them  Also can anyone explain why people breed them  Little mouse ive taken on is a little sprocker & will say she is deff not as nutts as my cockers as pups (well not yet anyway)  She is a cocker to look at but can deff see springer in her face (diff shape slightly). Look forward to hearing from you

 

Forgot to mention that one observation of her is she is not as sensitive as Sooty & Sweep

Hello Carol. 

How you going on with your Sprocker bitch ? I have a bitch also who was one in Jan, she has been working a little this season and supprised me no end, working along side Springers & Cockers.lizzie is more like a Cocker to look at, she has not been docked {but thats another debate ?} she is brill with our  two small children the youngest pushers her to her limits !!  dont no why they are crossed {but wats the point of a labradoodle ???} but  glad they have. John  

Can anyone tell me if the d^mn things HUNT?

carol at November 8, 2010 at 3:50 PM

Who has experiences with them  Also can anyone explain why people breed them  Little mouse ive taken on is a little sprocker & will say she is deff not as nutts as my cockers as pups (well not yet anyway)  She is a cocker to look at but can deff see springer in her face (diff shape slightly). Look forward to hearing from you

 

Forgot to mention that one observation of her is she is not as sensitive as Sooty & Sweep

Carol, you ask why people breed Sprockers.

My ex neighbour bred them as he had a springer dog and cocker bitch. He asked me one day what the stud fee was for a cocker, then said "ouch, I'll not bother" so put his springer dog on the cocker bitch and hay presto: sprockers!

He thought he had saved himself a bundle of money, but soon realised that he hadn't as he was only able to get £275 for the pups, so he lost out in the long run.

Good Job I say as he was only in it for the money.

Maybe I should start a thread on costings and pup rearing. 

I own a sprocker pup called Jude, we didn't buy her because sprockers are fashionable but we thought long and hard about having a good working dog with the qualities of both a springer and cocker. Although she isn't a house dog, she's still a much loved pet! She is a fantastic little worker even though shes still only a pup, she works naturally we can't stop her! She has all the amazing qualities spaniels have, shes very much a people dog but also fantastic with other dogs, my 10 month old son and my rabbits!! Jude is absolutely mad and acts like a loon at times but is also very easy to train and responds better than any dog i've had. I've always had KC registered pedigree dogs, from reputable breeders and not cheap. Many of them typically for pedigrees had health issues and huge vet bills throughout their lives (nothing that could be avoided). I think choosing what some people would call a mongrel was the best decision we've made as a family, she isn't an interbred pedigree and is perfectly healthy, with all the wonderful spaniel characteristics bred within her. 

Hi - as you probably know I have a cocker and a springer - I love my dogs to bits, but as they are not working dogs, I would have no problem in having a sprocker as I think a cross of the two would be great although I feel my cocker is just perfect but he is just soooo special as we all agree.  The bad bit on my springer is that he is one of those worriers but that is a trait in him but he is typically mad and lean.  I know two sprockers who are much more cocker than springer and are tail wagging friendly hoovers and my two love them so I'm all for it.  Both sprockers are well behaved and are pets so not working but they are fit and well and not fat couch potatoes like you sometimes see.   I do also know a fashion accessory called a cockeratzu or something like that and it's a small fluff ball which is just crazy around my two but they love him too.  Each to their own !