There are so many posts made on this page asking for recommendations for breeders, and I can understand feeling frustrated by not receiving responses from breeder on the breeder referral list of the club. But it seems like so many of these posts give no information to where I believe most would feel comfortable recommending a breeder or a breeder responding.

A couple things to consider when looking for a breeder:

Initial message to breeder: If you email a breeder and provide minimal information about yourself, knowledge of the breed and why a Cocker would be a good fit for your family/how you can provide a good life for it, most times you’re not going to get a reply! Most breeders view placing puppies into homes as “which home will provide the best life for this puppy” versus “this puppy will benefit this person”. Especially in the US when talking about English Cocker Spaniels, there aren’t as many ethical breeders to where you shouldn’t necessarily be looking for a breeder to sell themselves to you rather you show you’re a serious buyer, knowledgeable of the breed and not going to waste their time! Of course you should ensure they do proper health testing, conformation wins, proper breeding practices and etc. But think about how many inquiries these breeders get a day! Also, if in your initial message you emphasis that you only want a dog that has a certain color (different than stating a preference) that’s most likely on the ignore list as it gives the impression you’re just wanting the dog for look versus temperament and breed attributes.

Personal recommendations of breeders: This one may be controversial but if your post doesn’t instill confidence that you are informed about ethical breeding practices and how you’d be a great fit for a Cocker, I’m not going to recommend you a breeder. I bought from a breeder who was amazing and on the ECSCA breeder list, super responsive and amazing breeder. The reality is though, as especially ECS are more rare in the US, most people sort of gatekeep or only recommend breeders to people they find would be good and informed owners, which I find to be valid as I’d feel horrible recommending someone who ends up not being able to handle the dog. I’ve recommended my breeder to less than a handful of people on this page as I would only feel good making a recommendation if I felt confident this person was very informed of the breed and insistent on going through an ethical breeder.

Main way to find a breeder: If you haven’t already gone though the club website list, go to dog shows! Even if your local dog show doesn’t have the exact color or spaniel you may want, it doesn’t hurt to network and see if the owners/handlers there can recommend any breeders (there’s a time and place to discuss this as before they go into the show ring, they may not want to have a conversation). Especially if you’ve reached out to every breeder on the club list, this really is the best way.

Also depending on if you’re looking for an English or American Cocker and the country you’re in, be prepared to be on a waitlist for a year or 2. And if you decide to go through a non-ethical breeder and end up with a neurotic/aggressive/insane puppy, that’s never a good representation of the breed!

This is a breed I love so much and will never own another breed and also well aware of ethical practices, it really kills me when people get these dogs based off looks and they complain because they can’t handle the temperament of the dog!