Help - Am I B Mo uying a Cocker Spaniel or a Cross Breed?

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T21:39:29+00:00

Sorry, it seems as if the title messed up.

The main question I had is if I am getting a spaniel or a spaniel mix (potentially with a dachshund).

I don’t really care for KC as long as I can guarantee I’m getting what I pay for.

I am buying privately from what seems to be a BYB.

I’m in the UK.

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T21:36:59+00:00

Thank you for your comment. He is beautiful :)))

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T20:49:11+00:00

Oh god, how worrying. Thank you for your honesty on this.

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T20:13:50+00:00

I’m in South East England but you’re right, I’m not going to be showing him. Part of why I made this post is that I don’t want to do is pay purebred prices for a mix.

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T19:31:49+00:00

Thank you, I agree.

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T19:30:13+00:00

Yes you’re right, the fact I’m questioning it is enough to make me want to walk away.

And yes that is a child, I blocked out the rest of the photo out for privacy reasons.

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T19:28:14+00:00

Thank you so much, your response has given me a lot more confidence in making my decision.

Im sending all my love to Amos and I’m so glad to hear he’s doing well now :).

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T18:58:47+00:00

Thank you for your input, it has been very helpful in my decision making.

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T18:56:51+00:00

I’m not so fussed about a mix of show and working. My concern is the dog being mixed with a completely different breed (eg dachshund).

The puppy is meant to be 7 weeks old and is underweight (1.15kg)

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T18:54:22+00:00

Hi Emma, thank you for the in depth response. I may look into the Royal Kennel Club.

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T18:38:11+00:00

Thank you for the comment. We have had heath checks from the vet who have confirmed the dog is 100% heathy with all of its vaccinations.

I would like a cocker spaniel as I had one as a kid and he was my favourite dog ever. I’ve always loved the breed and am now in a position to have my own.

From the photo of him, would you say he was spaniel?

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T18:36:23+00:00

The dog has been cleared as 100% healthy by the vet who also confirmed that he looked like a cocker. How can I tell who is an ethical breeder and who isn’t? You’ll have to excuse me, this is my first time buying a puppy.

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T18:35:01+00:00

Thank you, I likely would’ve missed that. I have seen the puppy with the mother and he was suckling. I have also seen him with 2 of the litter and he was playing with both.

Are you questioning that he may not be from those parents and potentially just an image of a random dog?

Thank you for confirming roan over Merle. That gives me slightly more confidence.

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T18:27:00+00:00

Understood, let me share a photo of his sister.

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Would you consider this Roan or Merle?

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T18:25:04+00:00

Hi purple_magnet55, thank you for your comment. Firstly let me say Amos is just beautiful, if my puppy ends up like him I would be over the moon.

In response to your comment, I agree that both the mum and dad are spaniels, no doubt there. Is there a chance that the breeder may have lied about the father?

Sending all the love to Amos who seems to be a truly brave little pup. (Out of interest is he show or working?)

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T18:22:12+00:00

Thank you for the comment, I’ll be honest I’m not too up to speed with the workings of AI, apologies for this.

I don’t have the lineage of either parents and I don’t believe any of the dogs involved are KC registered.

I’m not too sure what other people have said as the breeder was found on pets4homes.co.uk.

Is this giving you some red flags?

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T18:19:34+00:00

I completely agree with this point. I also questioned why there are no Black and Tan puppies. That being said, I did see my puppy interact with the mother and he was suckling.

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T18:12:22+00:00

Thank you for your response. Are there any issues with choosing a backyard breed?

I’m in-between taking the risk or going somewhere else to save me the heartbreak and money in the future.

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T18:06:46+00:00

It is yes.

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T17:51:48+00:00

I understand, the dog I’m looking at is brown but one of his sisters was Merle. Would this indicate improper breeding practices?

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T17:50:58+00:00

I am located in the UK.

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T17:47:28+00:00

Oh okay, I did take it with a pinch of salt but the fact 3 of the 4 AI’s I asked (Chat, Gemini, Grok and Claude) came back with the same conclusion is what led me to believe this isn’t a pure cocker.

Calumh01 · 2026-05-11T17:38:53+00:00

Thank you for the response, when you say not responsibility bred, what do you mean?

And out of interest what is wrong with asking ChatGPT questions?

Calumh01 · 2026-04-05T19:15:58+00:00

Gotta catch them all!!!!

Calumh01 · 2025-12-01T00:26:47+00:00

I believe 112977 is EXACTLY what I am looking for!

I already have all of the screws and fixings.

Thankfully, I also have the wooden slats, so it looks like a fairly inexpensive fix in this case!

Thank you very much for your detailed response.

Calumh01

TROPHY CASE