James wrote:I would more impressed if the artical came with a name, if they are so sure of it and feel so intent on it going further then they should stand their ground and put their name to it.
Wullie
I agree to a certain extent, I'm pretty sure 99.9% of people involved in cocker trials k ow what's went on, why it's went on, who's done it and who the anonymous letter is about!!!
It's definitely brought the subject, rightly or wrongly, to the forefront of trailers gossip!!!!
What will come of it I don't know???? Knowing something is/has been going on is different from proving it, if someone has a genuine greavance, most likley a dislike of the man in question and or jealousy, but maybe not, without a court order for a dna sample from both alledged parents and grand parents how is the cross breeding to be proven? I know a couple of the grand parents in question and it's as plain as the nose on cirano de berjarac face that something isn't right!!!!
I don't know what the answer is but it makes for good viewing!!!!
trekmoor wrote:I've seen good and bad springers and cockers out working so why would a cross between the two breeds be any different ? Usually when a litter of sprockers are for sale the sire and dam will have been nothing special and the breeder is just trying to make a few quid from his bitch...........he is very unlikely to have paid the stud fee for a top quality stud dog.
I'm not anti sprocker, I am just too stingy to pay pure bred prices for non pure bred pups especially if the sire and dam are just run-of-the-mill dogs.
Wullie
Some Springer owners have been known to put a ftc cocker to their bitch , thankfully .
I have the result of one one these mateings ( he wasn't expensive ) and is a great little dog
trekmoor wrote:I've seen good and bad springers and cockers out working so why would a cross between the two breeds be any different ? Usually when a litter of sprockers are for sale the sire and dam will have been nothing special and the breeder is just trying to make a few quid from his bitch...........he is very unlikely to have paid the stud fee for a top quality stud dog.
I'm not anti sprocker, I am just too stingy to pay pure bred prices for non pure bred pups especially if the sire and dam are just run-of-the-mill dogs.
Wullie
Some Springer owners have been known to put a ftc cocker to their bitch , thankfully .
I have the result of one one these mateings ( he wasn't expensive ) and is a great little dog
A great little dog indeed and I look forward to seeing him doing his job again this season.
We have one or two come to the Club training........great little dogs, but as someone has said they vary immensely in looks/build/etc. I've seen a few that to be honest I couldn't really tell what they were, and one I would have staked my life was pure cocker in its look, style etc.
We had one lad had a cracking one...... but sadly as madrags said he couldn't enter tests or trials which would have been something he'd have loved to do - last I heard he had done well in scurries.......which doesn't surprise me - it was a smashing little dog.
Then again, if he could compete - would he run and be measured against springers or cockers?
There lies the rub..........just saying!
Ali x
My Sprockers 5 now and has been beating with me for the last 3 seasons. If I could sum her up I would say:
Good not great nose on her, takes good scent to get her worked up, super affectionate to the point of annoying will put in a full day, rarely sick (touch wood)
She's a spaniel at the of the day. Will never amaze but is steady and was receptive to helping me learn the basics of working a gundog so definately a reliable workhorse to have.
Good and bad in all breeds and therefore the same in crosses.
People have a sort of inverse snobbery with a sprocker etc claiming that they are better than the pure bred.
I've personally not seen one that i would kennel over my cockers but i also said that id never have labs, we now have 5 and i certainly said that we would never have springers and there is one coming next week so what do i know!
If it works and people are happy with them what the harm.
If people think that they will improve on the years of selective breeding that has produced the dogs we have today by simply putting the two together to create Sprockers they're quite simply deluded!
fusey wrote:Totally agree Simon,in my opinion the best thing that happened to the cocker spaniel was the Springer added to them
Springer blood has been added to cockers for ever!!! The current cockers that have been accused of being "sprockers" are nothing new, recent springer blood has only really "freshend" cockers that already had springer blood in thier veins all be it a good few generations back, it's only "news" because there are that many "new" faces, people who have been involved in trials for maybe 10/15 years, those of us that are longer in the tooth are more surprised at the noise being made about it these days rather than that's it's been done!!!!
will put in a full day, rarely sick (touch wood)