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Winnie is a working cocker spaniel from Tyneside, North East England! Emma and Winnie love to explore the countryside and beaches in particular whilst practicing agility and photography. Their favourite Woof and Snout product is their custom Bookkeeper collar.
Winnie is a small working cocker spaniel puppy who weighs just under 12kg. She wears a size small1 (10.25"-14", 19mm) in our waterproof collar range and a size Small in our Explorer harness range. You can find a selection of Winnie's top choices from our collection by clicking the button below.
Winnie
Hi, I’m Emma. I’m Winnie’s mum and best friend! Winnie is a working cocker spaniel. She is currently unemployed, and an August Leo - just like me. I’m 25 and live with just Win up in Newcastle. I got Winnie in October 2023. A couple of my favourite things about her when we met were that she was the biggest puppy in the litter and she had little white socks on her back paws and a white patch under her bottom lip. She still does have these but they’re not as distinct as they were.
I first put a deposit down on Winnie before we even met, when her mum became pregnant. I had to drive all the way down to Birmingham to visit her and collect her! An interesting fact is about Winnies history is that her mum and dad have never had a black litter before! I personally never thought I would have a black dog again as it reminded me so much of our previous dog, Ruby. However, a black and gold litter instead of a liver litter came as a total shock. But, I fell in love with the chunky black puppy with the white bib on her chest and two white socks. After that, nothing else mattered.
Day to day life with Winnie
I absolutely love taking Winnie to the beach and woods. She is quite independent so isn’t massively into cuddling - unless she’s been on an adventure to one of these spots and is worn out! We love playing fetch as well as hiring out agility fields. We do agility purely for fun and she is super confident. She gets a lot of enjoyment out of climbing on things and I get to take some lovely pictures in the process. Myself and my family have encouraged Winnie to like water from a very young age after we noticed she would tend to shy away from going to the toilet in the rain and walk around any puddles. Fast forward to 9 months old and now any body of water she can find, she will enter! She absolutely loves the sea, she goes crazy in it! She chases waves and goes for a paddle. More recently she decided to take a dip in a stagnant pond next to a farm we had walked by. It was safe to say she didn’t enjoy the hosepipe shower outside quite as much as the dip!
Around November 2023 I purchased a new camera, a Canon EOS2000D. With help from Meg (the founder of Woof and Snout) and some dog mums I met through Instagram, I’ve started to take some really lovely photographs of Winnie I am proud of. Quite a lot of the photos I take involve some sort of natural treat, usually a trachea or pig ear. Otherwise, they have the common theme of Winnie climbing on agility equipment or anything else she can find.
Another fun fact for Winnie is that she treats her pig ears and tracheas like a toy. They provide constant enrichment for her. It’s a bit of a running joke how cheap her enrichment ends up costing me - she’s easily satisfied! It’s only after a week or so she will finally decide to eat them!
Why did I choose a working cocker spaniel?
I chose a Working Cocker Spaniel specifically because of my family dog, Ruby. Ruby was still plodding along up until 4 years ago. I love the breed and how clever they are, yet how silly they can be at the same time.
My advice to anybody wanting to get a Working Cocker Spaniel is to be prepared for a puppy (and dog) full of energy and always looking to do something! Whether it be playing by themselves or trying to steal a lost sock. Be prepared to train them to settle. I have found crate training really beneficial for this.
Our Favourite Woof and Snout Product
My favourite Woof and Snout product has to be the latest collar we have had made! We custom-designed the “Bookkeeper” style collar in pink and yellow - the perfect summer combo. It gives “sunshine smile” vibes which fits Winnie and me perfectly. I also love how easy it is to clean, and how it doesn’t end up stinking after our woodland walks. I love that you can attach the lead from 2 locations, so sometimes I can have the yellow on display, or have the pink predominantly showing.
Our Best Adventure Yet!
Our favourite adventure so far has definitely been a recent visit to Penshaw Woods in Sunderland. Seeing Winnie running about off-lead, climbing the steep sides and having the time of her life was brilliant. Especially with it being such a scenic place. There were bluebells and lots of greenery as well as wild garlic! Winnie definitely smelt quite strong afterwards, but thankfully her collar did not! We usually spend around an hour walking through Penshaw Woods. But, that’s not accounting for the extra time we spend playing fetch. The length of the walk can vary between 2-3 miles, depending on the paths you choose to take. If you would like to visit Penshaw Woods with your dog, you can find it through What3Words (Card.Retain.Landed).
Our six top dog-friendly places to visit around Tyneside:
- Penshaw Woods & Monument (amazing circular walk too)
- South Shields Beach
- Little Haven Beach (this is a dog friendly beach all year round!)
- Tynemouth
- Bamburgh to Seahouses Walk
- Northumberlandia
Follow along with Emma and Winnie's adventures
You can follow Emma and Winnie on Instagram (@winnieworkingcocker) and their growing Tiktok account (@winnieworkingc).