UPDATE – MAY 2022 – Benny has been adopted and is now furever home!
Benny is a cocker spaniel cavalier mixed breed dog adoptable through Furever Pet Care. He was born September 28, 2020, surrendered into foster care when his first family could no longer care for him. He is neutered, up to date with vaccines, housetrained, approximately 20 lbs (8.7 kg), stands 16″ at the withers, and has a personality that is all about loving.
Cocker Spaniel Cavalier Benny is in excellent health. After moving his diet off chicken protein, and moderating his daily amount of food and treats, he is at a terrific weight. His eyes, which are prone to running, have cleared up also, and his coat is growing in well, though its a guess as to what it will look like when he is fully adult.
Ben is crate trained. He spends up to 4 hours in his crate when we are out of the house, other periods there when we need him to nap, and sleeps there overnight. We have strengthened his comfort being in his crate through positive reinforcement.
He is eager to learn new skills, and is medium to high energy depending on his caretakers lifestyle. His leash walking skills are average, with room for improvement. He has a solid recall, sit, go (as in get out of the way / out of this room), wait at the door to go outside, and we are working on some tricks to build his independence and drain the brain.
He currently lives with three senior dogs under 5 pounds, having been taught not to bother them. He had a brief stay in a home with cats, which he chased with enthusiasm; he would need a good deal of training (likely never 100% reliable) to be compatible with small creatures in the home. He gets long well with his bossy Min Pin foster dog sister, who is smaller than he (10 lbs) and twice as feisty.
This spaniel mix was purchased as a puppy from a breeder by a family with 2 resident adults and 2 children aged 5 and 8 years. The family lead a very active life, with lots of energy supplied by the children as well as a host of many young aged nieces and nephews as frequent visitors. The family described their daily life as “pretty chaotic.” Benny consequently developed some poor habits, and had a particularly difficult time with that type of lifestyle coupled one of the family’s children overly-attentive manner of interaction. For this reason, we feel he would do best in a furever home with adults, or with older children who are dog savvy.
Benny is cautious when meeting other dogs, especially those larger than himself, which is not unnatural, especially since he was brought into his previous family’s home during the pandemic lockdown, and the lack of exposure to other digs during that period. Given the opportunity for a polite, low key and slow introduction, he has proven to be an energetic playmate for a range of dogs who have stayed here in his foster home.
Cavaliers and Cockers can be barky dogs – Benny was quite “talkative” when he first came to our foster home. With training he now barks at things that are normal to bark at – strangers at the door, unusual noises outside and the like. Having positive, constructive outlets for his puppy energy and consistent direction has allowed him to take in new circumstances with more confidence.
Grooming is a big part of Ben’s future, and at the moment he does not care for it much. Front paws and tail hind end are sensitive, as is the case with many young pups. Working on his cooperative care using positive reinforcement will be an important, and long term, patience-mandated job for his furever pet parents.
Benny’s furever home will need to maintain consistency and clear guidelines for his lifestyle – those big spaniel eyes can be very convincing when he wants to snuggle or grab all the treats! However, what starts out as velcro attachment can easily slip into resource guarding, so pet parents must enforce a benevolent balance in order for him to be his best self.
He is being fostered here at Furever Pet Care, under my care, certified dog trainer Judith Keenan. Please note we are in no rush to re-home Benny; he is learning new life skills every day here in our foster home, which we hope will make him an even better furever companion.
Our process for adoption includes a pre-screening questionnaire and follow up phone interview. If you are interested in applying for adoption, you must complete these before meeting the dog.
Next step AFTER pre-screening includes a brief meet and greet, followed by reference checks and home visit. Multiple applications will be accepted until his furever home is secured.
Contact fureverpet – at – gmail – dot – com with a brief description of your family, home life , other pets and other details you feel will help us know your potential to adopt a dog, Benny the Cocker Spaniel Cavalier.
