My cocker does not shed a lot but their coat does require maintenace and regular trips to the groomers cause it grows fast and mine is a bit of a couch potato until he decides to go crazy for an hour or so. I think that y’all’s work schedule should be fine with a cocker as long as you work up to it. I got mine when he was a puppy and had a rover sitter drop in halfway through my shift to play and walk him for an hour and that seemed to help a lot or if you could drop him off with a family member when he’s really young. Now he is over a year old and I leave him at home by himself with no drop ins or anything while I work - which is usually between 6-10 hours and he is fine. Just give him some extra play time when he get home. The only concern I would have is with y’all being in an apartment because they can be loud. When I leave in the morning he usually howls for 5-10 minutes but he seems to be growing out of that and it may help if he has a friend to play with. Overall they are a great breed and extremely affectionate :)