Cocker spaniels are an excellent breed of dog sought after by many. However, before you decide to get one it is very important that you are aware of the nature of the dog.
This will help guide you to make the right choice and as a result, take better care of your pup and fulfill all its needs.
What is a blue roan cocker spaniel?
Blue roans are a breed of cocker spaniels that has a distinctive feature. The most prominent factor about them is their coat pattern. Roan refers to them having solid colored fur throughout. However, on top of that base colored fur, they tend to have a different colored fur coat.
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There are many different varieties of cocker spaniels. They can exist in a plethora of different colors, combinations, and fur patterns. This is why it might sometimes be hard to recognize what type one might be.
Cocker spaniel roan puppies usually tend to be black and white colored. As the puppy grows throughout its lifetime, the colors mix together and make up what is specified as the roan pattern or the roan coat.
The roan coat in particular means that the puppy is born with one base coat. This base coat can either be dominantly black or dominantly white. On top of that, there is another colored fur coat present. This is known as the base coat.
On top of the base coat, there are furs of another color present throughout the pop. This is known as the secondary coat.
For instance, your puppy can be born with a dominantly white fur coat. And on top of the white fur coat, your puppy can have black fur mixed in with the white fur.
Not only does this mute the first base coat, but it also ends up giving a hazy effect to your dog which is sought after by many people. This is also why these pups are so popular.
What does a blue roan cocker spaniel look like? How do you know if your puppy is a blue roan?
A misconception many might have is that a blue roan cocker spaniel has blue fur. Even though the name might suggest that blue roan cocker spaniels actually do not have blue colored hair at all.
They are predominantly black in color with scatters of secondary white hair all over their body. This ends up giving them a lovely smokey effect.
There might also be some having white fur as their base coat and secondary black fur throughout them, muting the primarily white fur and base coat.
It varies because there are many different combinations and patterns which might make it hard to recognize if your cocker pup is actually blue roan. The most evident way to tell if your pup is indeed a roan or not is by noticing the underside of their feet.
If your puppy has brown colored toe pads then your pup will be a roan. If not, then it is likely to be brown and white. Other than that, the biggest way to tell the difference between a ticking and a blue roan is the color pattern.
Tickings are evidently black and white, however, blue roans on the other hand have the first and second black and white fur coats mixed in more evenly to give a lighter, bluer, and more smoky effect.
How long do blue roan cocker spaniels live?
When it comes to a blue roan cocker spaniel’s lifespan, there are a variety of factors that can both increase or decrease their life period. Since these are breed dogs they can very easily be negatively affected. A healthy dog, on average, is expected to live around fifteen years.
The life period of blue roan cocker spaniels depends on their surroundings, diet, how well they are taken care of, and health. Since cocker spaniels are bred dogs, they are generally not expected to live a long life.
They are more prone to diseases and getting health issues that significantly shorten their lifespan. Genes play a big part in this as well so it depends on pure luck.
On average, a blue roan cocker spaniel cab tends to live anywhere between twelve to fifteen years. You can expect to live longer than that as well.
The key to a longer lifespan is to give them proper diet, dental and physical healthcare as well as a proper environment to grow and thrive in. That is if diseases, genes, or improper breeding do not play a factor.
How much are blue roan cocker spaniel puppies?
Cocker spaniel puppies can tend to be extremely expensive since they are breed dogs. If you are getting it from a well-reputed breeder then the cost can be anywhere between a thousand dollars and range all the way up to two thousand dollars.
In such cases, you must avoid shady breeders as proper breeding conditions are not maintained and the dogs suffer. You should also consider getting it from a rescue shelter where the puppy might cost as little as two to three hundred bucks.
Blue roan cocker spaniel temperament
There are a lot of things to look out for when it comes to a blue roan cocker spaniel.
Enthusiastic:
These dogs are full of life and always excited. They have quite a short attention span meaning these furry creatures will always be up to something to keep themselves occupied.
Training:
One very desirable feature of these dogs is that they are very obedient so you will not have an issue in training them. They are also very smart and will follow your directions as long as you are treating them well.
Sensitive:
Despite everything your pup might be a little sensitive so you must be wary of introducing to it any plausible strangers. With proper training, they are very friendly dogs though and are completely safe to be around small children.
Prey Drive:
These dogs originally come from a hunting background and the instincts are still present with them. They might chase small creatures around so you must have to look out for that and train them properly.
You must also note that these dogs do not get tired and will continuously want to play with you.
Timid:
Cocker spaniels, in general, can be quite timid as well which is why from a very young age you need to train them to socialize with others better. This will help your pup to be a more jolly and confident dog.
Since they are quite easy to train you will not have an issue with this. They also cannot be left alone because they are prone to separation anxiety and you must also train them to know it is perfectly alright to be alone in the house sometimes.
Do blue roan cocker spaniels shed?
Like any other dog, cocker spaniels actually shed very minimally so you do not have to worry about having dog hair all over your house.
However, this might be more problematic than you think because this very nature causes them to be more prone to allergies and skin diseases.
How much or how little your dog sheds depends on your grooming tactics. If you are regularly brushing and properly grooming your dog every three to four weeks then it will shed very minimally.
How to breed blue roan cocker spaniels?
When it comes to breeding any type of dog, if you want a specific outcome then you will have to keep specific genes in mind because breeding and producing offspring is all related to genes.
When it comes to a blue roan cocker spaniel, you will have to ensure to get an offspring that has pink toe pads which are specific to roans with a certain type of fur pattern specific to blue roans.
In this case, you will have to breed two dogs whose genes have roan or pink toe pads as the dominant gene. This will also ensure that the offspring has a higher chance of being roan since the parents both have dominant genes and will require only one code for the offspring to follow the pattern.
If you want a blue roan, then similarly you will also have to ensure that the parents have dominant genes that produce black and white fur that is evenly spread to give a smokey blue effect.
Always ensure to breed from a good and reputable breeder as they follow proper methods to breed safely and properly.
This ensures that no dogs are harmed or hurt and the offspring is healthy as well. As a result of proper breeding, the offspring will have a better and longer lifespan.
Final Thoughts
Blue roan cocker spaniels are great dogs to have in your household as long as you are providing the proper diet and conditions for them to thrive in. Their beautiful hazy blue fur makes them quite desirable amongst dog lovers and also the fact that they are a joy to have around.