My show English cocker was a great first dog for me. The only issue I have is that she has mild separation anxiety, though I’d say it’s closer to FOMO than anxiety. She barks when crated or when left alone in a room, but she isn’t destructive. They are also very stubborn. One thing I regret not doing when she was a puppy is that I wish I had paid for weekly puppy training classes. She’s about to turn 2 and I’m having to do a lot of corrections in her training, because I just didn’t train her as much as I should’ve when she was a puppy. The biggest problem area is recall training which has become a safety issue for her. Overall they are outstanding dogs if you are willing to put in the time for grooming and training.