Breed Temperament Opinions
Recently, an intelligent and very ambitious young man who adopted one of our puppies, suggested that I publically address the issue of the cocker spaniel breed temperament and the other breeder that talks so negatively about it.
So here I am......I will do my best.
Shall we start with some articles and facts from unbiased studies?
I think this is one of the better ones to start with? It is not talking about just dog bite fatalities or statistically dangerous dogs but rather it is talking about breed temperaments of ALL pure bred dogs and the liklihood that a certain breed will be better or worse then other breeds. Amercian Temperament Test Society :
http://www.atts.org/index.html
There is a lot of hype from certain breeders that are trying to portray the American Cocker Spaniel as one of natures "bad dogs" but I think you should read the facts. I think if you will look at the research above, you will see (as I just did) That the American Cocker Spaniel actually passed with an 81.9% which is very comparable to the Golden Retriever at 84.6% and with an even better score than the Miniature Poodle at 77.9%. I will continue to add to this as I find time to do so. I also would like to know where the other breeder got her "facts" from as so far I am seeing very little or inconclusive information to support her negative cocker spaniel claims. Therefore, I will choose to consider this information from her to be just "opinion" with nothing to back it up as being true.
http://www.dogbitelawsuits.com/dangerous-breeds
http://www.2keller.com/library/types-of-dogs-most-likely-to-bite.cfm
http://www.dogsbite.org/bite-study-whichdogsbite.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/images/dogbreeds-a.pdf
http://dogbitelaw.com/dangerous-vicious-dogs/the-dog-attack-danger-scale.html
Below is a small note that I found on a disease that some cockers can have that makes them aggressive. However, certainly not all cockers have this syndrome as it is apparently very rare. Nor would we EVER breed a dog that has this disease. Please remember that MOST dog aggression is caused by poor training on the part of humans. Also consider the structure of the pack. If a dog lacks the support and guidelines nessesary to thrive, ANY dog can turn aggressive. Education is the key.
http://dogobedienceadvice.com/which_dog_breeds_are_most_aggressive.php
More on the Cocker rage syndrome:
