How to Care for a Cocker Spaniel
Cocker spaniels are friendly dogs that do well in homes both with and without children. This breed requires daily exercise and should be provided with a place that they can run and burn off energy. Although they can adjust to apartment living, you may need to consider that they often bark a lot and may bother the neighbors from time to time.
- Visit the veterinarian of your choice regularly to get your Cocker Spaniel vaccinated and checked out to ensure that they are in good health. You should also be sure to treat them for heartworm so that they do not develop this problem later in life. Heartworm can be very dangerous and may often be fatal in dogs.
- Choose a food for your Cocker Spaniel that is high quality to improve the overall health of your Cocker Spaniel. It is best to choose a food that has chicken or beef as the main ingredients. Do not put foods that are mostly fillers such as corn or rice.
- Visit family and friends often, especially those with other dogs to help socialize your Cocker Spaniel. The breed is known to be timid so early socialization with both people and other dogs is essential for Cocker Spaniels in order to help them adjust to being around people and other animals as well.
- Take your Cocker Spaniel on daily walks to him or her burn off some of the extra energy that the breed is known for. If you have a fenced in backyard, you can replace your walk with some quality playtime in the backyard as well.
- Potty train your Cocker Spaniel so that they learn not to go potty in your house. You can use a small crate to keep them in when you are not home until they are fully house trained.
- Trim your Cocker Spaniels nails once a month to prevent them from becoming overgrown.
- Clean the eyes of your Cocker Spaniel regularly. This breed can often have eye problems due to the folds of the eyelids and keeping them well cleaned is a great way to prevent an infection from occurring.