Cocker Spaniel Puppies Information about our puppies, our future breeding plans, and all about the process of getting a Cocker Spaniel puppy

The final litter of Zim pups has arrived!  The were born on July 21, 2010.  Here's a picture of them at two days old...

It's actually been quite a long time since I had a litter of puppies.  I didn't have any litters in 2009 at all.  Breeding puppies is my hobby, not a business for me, so that's why my litters have been pretty few and far between.  With just one litter in 2008, none in 2009, and just this one last one in 2010...  you can see that I'm far from running a puppy mill here.

This current litter will be my final litter of puppies before I retire from breeding.  Due to my divorce, this litter is going to have to be the last one.  Trying to do all of this has only been possible with the assistance of a partner.  On my own, it's just way too much.

All of the puppies in my current litter have homes waiting for them  So, please do not write to ask about adopting one.  But you can cyber-stalk them!  Get the instructions for watching my PuppyCam here, find everything you might want to know about this litter here, and see more pictures of them here.

There are some very specific things I look for when choosing new homes for my dogs:

First, I only sell my puppies to folks within driving distance of my home on the central coast of California.  I have very strong feelings that it's cruel to ship puppies by air, so I insist that all of my new puppy owners be able to drive here to pick up their puppy.  While I realize that some people are willing to drive from Utah, Arizona, or Texas to get a good dog, I prefer that my pups don't have to spend days in the car on the way home...  so I always place my pups with folks here in California.  Most of my puppies go to homes in the Los Angeles, San Joaquin Valley, and San Francisco Bay areas.

Second, I look for homes where there is someone with the dog during most of the day.  I love placing my puppies with retired people, people who work out of their homes, people who take their dogs to work, or families with stay-at-home moms.  Cockers thrive in these situations, and I love seeing my puppies in homes like these.  If you are the typical working family where everyone goes off to work or school during the day and the dog sits alone in the back yard...  I'm sorry, but that's a situation I just don't like to place my puppies in.  Cockers tend to be very unhappy when left alone like that.

I generally place my puppies with members of my online Cocker forum...  because that way I end up staying up-to-date on everything that happens with the pups as they grow up.  I'm not one of those breeders that wants to sell you a puppy and then never wants to hear from you again!  I want to place my puppies with people that plan to keep me "in the loop"...  and the best way I've found to do that is to place my pups with members of my Cocker forum.  By staying "in the loop", I can be aware of any health problems that crop up in our puppies...  and make appropriate changes in my breeding program, if necessary.  When breeders don't stay in touch with the owners of their puppies, they get a false sense of security about the health of their breeding lines...  since most health problems happen long after the puppies go to their new homes.  I had to snicker a bit at a breeder I know who once told me that it was unnecessary to do genetic health testing to her adult dogs because she "knows her lines are healthy".  How would she know?  Does she call the owners of her puppies every year to check and see if the pups have developed health problems?  Of course not.  With my Cocker forum, I'm able to monitor the health of a very large percentage of the puppies from my previous litters.

Cockers love kids, but I have found that it works out best if the kids are at least five or six years old.  So I only place my puppies with families whose youngest child is at least five...  or with older people with no kids around the house anymore.

I generally prefer to place my puppies with people who have had a Cocker before.  They know exactly what to expect, as opposed to people who are looking to get their first Cocker...  who sometimes have an unrealistic view of what Cockers are all about.  For example, people that have had a Cocker before know about all the grooming that has to be done:  frequent brushing, and monthly hair cuts.  They also understand the activity level of a Cocker, and have already dealt with some of the typical Cocker problems like ear infections.

Almost all of my puppies go to people that I know from from my Cocker forum and many of them I've met at a Pupapalooza social event.  People that like to be part of an online Cocker community and who would travel hundreds of miles to spend a weekend with a bunch of Cockers and their owners...  those are Cocker FANATICS...  and that's the kind of people my puppies end up with.

I definitely look for the type of people who will stay in touch after I send them home with a new puppy.  I want to hear about all the good and bad, and see lots of pictures over the years.  If you're looking for a quick transaction where you never talk to the breeder again after you bring the dog home...  I'm definitely not the breeder for you.  To understand me even better, please read about my breeding philosophy so you get a good idea of who I am and what makes me different from a lot of dog breeders.  You might also find some interesting information in my list of frequently asked questions.

If you're interested in a Cocker Spaniel puppy but you don't want to wait for one of ours or don't fit the profile we're looking for...  you should read my tips on buying a Cocker puppy because it has suggestions on how to locate other Cocker Spaniel breeders that may have puppies available.  Most Cocker breeders are not quite as restrictive about who they will sell a puppy to as I am.  I just have such infrequent litters and get such a huge response from this web site that I have the luxury of being able to be a little more choosey.  My pups tend to do very well at their new homes because I am careful about only placing them in the types of situations where Cockers thrive.  You might also consider rescuing an adult Cocker.

If you live in the Southern California area and you're looking for a puppy...  check out the web site of a breeder friend of mine that has much more frequent litters than I do.

If you're getting serious about adding a puppy to your family, you should probably also read my tips on potty training a puppy, and my tips on raising a Cocker puppy.  There are over 30 different Cocker related pages here on my web site, with dozens of pictures of beautiful Cocker Spaniels, so if you're a Cocker lover be sure to explore it fully!

There is a LOT more to this web site than just this page!
Please explore the rest of the site by viewing our table of contents,
or by clicking on one of the quick links below.

All About Our Cockers       About the Zim Family         Meet Jim Zim        Cocker Spaniel Forum

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