Max is a 10 year old male English Cocker Spaniel. He was in a bit of a poor state physically when he came into foster and had just escaped being PTS for fighting with another dog on the commercial shoot he was on.Turns out he had been sharing a kennel with the other dog and it had been bullying him for food. He was very underweight and his coat was full of knots under his belly which had obviously been there for a long time. I got him tidied up properly by my groomer who had to shave all his tummy and behind his ears to get rid of the knots.
He was very nervous and had obviously had some harsh treatment previously as he would cower away if there was any loud voices or a hand was lifted anywhere near him, he also would only stay in the kitchen unless invited to other parts of the house. He sleeps in a crate at night and will quite often take himself off to it when its quiet or if there is no food on the go. He is quite food driven and will always be found close by when cooking.
Now he has been with me a couple of months he is a much happier lad and follows me round all the time. He has been out beating and picking up with me on shoots and is pretty good at retrieving. He has quite a high hunt drive and when he goes into hunting mode his recall can be patchy so will need more work. He walks very well on a loose slip lead but care must be taken when meeting other dogs if they get too close too him as I think the bullying experience and the possibility he was neutered too early means he can be nervous of other dogs.
He currently lives with two other Springers and could live with another dog if it was a calm one and wasnt bothered with him though I have ticked not good with other dogs I feel his nervousness round other dogs may increase if he was isolated from others. He does tend to grab treats but as he hasnt got that many teeth now its not too much of a problem.
He is a lovely dog who is lapping up all the cuddles he can get now as I suspect that was something he was lacking in his previous life. He would be best suited to an active rural home and would love to be able to carrying on doing the odd days shooting as he has spent his life doing this. He is fully house trained, obedient and very quiet in the house (apart from when the doorbell goes when he will bark) travels very well and quietly in the car, a completely bomb proof dog with loud noises like fireworks and thunder as well.
If it wasnt for the fact that one of my dogs is very poorly with a terminal illness and the other is only just recovering from a serious illness this lad wouldnt be going anywhere as hes a real gem.
Max is neutered chipped vaccinated wormed and flead and adoption is subject to meet and greet homecheck and adoption fee. Applications via forms section of website please.