Becca

I am delighted to introduce Becca a 3 ½ year old 29 pound Cocker Spaniel.  Becca came into our foster program from a puppy mill where she was bred for profit.  She has the softest golden brown fur and the sweetest face with white freckles and four white paws and chest.

On her first night she slept for 9 ½ hours and only woke me with a light snoring for a short time in the very early morning.  I have only heard her snore once since.  Becca needed to be carried across the sliding doors in the morning for a toilet break.  When re-entering the house she followed my other foster through the door on her own.  She has since had no difficulties going in and out of the sliding door and after a few tries she was able to go through the front door willingly.  

Becca is a very affectionate loving dog.  She is one of the gentlest, easy going dogs I’ve met and so full of life and goofy quirks.  When I lay down to do my yoga practices she comes over and licked my face and tried to cuddle.  Becca loves to sploot under me when I’m on my hands and knees. She enjoys being petted and tolerates brushing.  She was is easy to bathe.

Becca is highly food and treat motivated .   Becca eats everything in her bowl.  I have to feed her in a different room from my other foster dog because she wanted hers as well.   

 

Becca travels well and quietly in my suv in a travelling crate.  She does need to be picked up to get both in and out of my vehicle.

When she went to the vet for her spay we discovered she had a bad yeast infection in her ears which was cleaned out and treated with antibiotics.  Ear infections are a concern for Cocker Spaniels and anyone interested in Becca will need to clean her ears regularly.    I apply cleansing ear drops twice a week and this practice should be continued to help keep her ears clean.  Becca’s not a fan of this procedure but she’s getting better.  Becca did have a dentistry and had one incisor extracted.  I had a concern with her being itchy and nibbling on her paws.  The vet felt it was due to allergies, whether food or environmental we had yet to determine.  I started switching her kibble to another protein and gave her a Benadryl tablet each day as suggested  by our vet.  With some trial and error we were able to determine that her allergies are mostly environmental especially with perfumed scents.  I only give her a Benadryl now when her symptoms come back.  We’re now down to one about every three days.  This will need to be monitored by her new family and vet since the issue isn’t fully resolved and there could be other triggers.

Because Becca was from a mill and never left the barn she was in, she took a long time to house train.  I put Becca on a strict routine of feeding and outdoor breaks and walks every 3 hours to help regulate her system.  This took several weeks and she still has the occasional accident in the house.  I’m learning to read her signs if she needs to go out but they’re not always the same.  She may regress a bit in her new home but be patient, she wants to please.  She needs a consistent schedule and supervision when she isn’t in her crate.

As mentioned earlier Becca is a very friendly laid back dog.  Once she became comfortable I introduced her to a variety of dogs both large and small and she always met them calmly with a nose to nose greeting.  She recently went to my friend’s house to meet her cat.  They met in a quiet friendly manner but Becca showed little interest and preferred to be petted by my friend.  She has met with a number of people both in my home and out on walks.  Initially Becca was a bit leery of new people but as her confidence grew she was quite happy to be petted by them.

Becca enjoys her walks.  In the morning it’s a race to the sunroom to get her leash on and outside for sniffs and potty time.  Then it’s inside for breakfast and cuddles on the couch before she goes on a long walk.

She has discovered the joy of treat puzzles and was fairly quick to solve level 1 and 2 puzzles.  She enjoys the treat puzzles because food is involved.  

Whenever I think about Becca the words loveable, goofball and clown come to mind.  She never fails to make me laugh every day.   Becca knows the sit command and we’re working on consistency with recall but it’s a work in progress.  She always comes if you use the work treat since she’s so food motivated.

She adores her tummy and ear rubs and will get so excited and wiggly that she wiggles herself off the couch and onto the floor and jumps up for more.  One day I lay down on the couch and suddenly there was Becca on my chest tickling my ear and face with her soft breathing.  The first few times I allowed her to come up on the couch she needed a butt boost to get up.  Now she often jumps up on her own and treats it like one of her beds.  

Becca walks well on leash but does like to stop and sniff.  She has a goofy habit of walking in circles around me a few times before heading forward again. The other day she decided to sploot on the road but when I walked back to her and said “let’s go”, she quickly got up and continued our walk.  Currently Becca goes for 2 to 3,  30-40 minute walks each day along with outdoor long line time.  She loves being outdoors now the weather is more favourable.  Becca would love a secure fenced in yard where she could relax, untethered in the yard, but in her foster home she has to be tethered and supervised and is ok with this too.

As I mentioned she has her own goofy quirks.  Initially she skittered at trucks and cars but is okay walking on the sidewalk with light traffic noises now.  The sound of trucks backing up does frighten her as do very loud noises and sudden movements both in and out of the house.  Becca would be fine in a rural environment, small town, or quiet subdivision but is not suitable for living in a busy city or on a main road with lots of traffic noises.  

Becca is usually a quiet dog but has recently taken to suddenly running to the front of the house and barking for no apparent reason.  Because of this I wouldn’t recommend her living in an apartment.  She crates easily with a treat and is quiet when I leave the house.  The only time she barks in her crate is when I take my other foster for a walk. She doesn’t want to be left out.   When people come to the door Becca doesn’t bark and will stand back until she feels comfortable before greeting them.  She loves being with her human and would be best in a home where she’s not left alone for long periods of time.  Becca would do well with another friendly dog or cat and with children over the age of 8 who would spoil her with tummy rubs and play.  

If you’re looking for an affectionate, loveable, easygoing goofy dog to be your companion Becca would be a great choice.