Recently adopted a 2yo American Cocker Spaniel, female, spayed.

Shes got some separation anxiety that I can tell. She gets excited when I come home from work, runs to come see me, and urinates on the floor because shes excited. I don't discipline her for it because I know its an anxiety issue. (When she pees/poops on the floor otherwise, I rub her nose close to it and we have a little chat).

When we go to the park, she chases birds occaisionally, but she REALLY goes after squirrels and rabbits. I can tell she has prey drive. I dont know that she will ever be a hunting dog, but I want to encourage this prey drive in the event she does. Im looking into scent, toys, and prizes for her and I'm going to hide them in the house while I go to work to keep her busy.

Also, wondering what brand/kind of food is best for this kind of pup? Looking for something healthy, and with real meat to encourage the prey drive.

Whats the word?

I have a 14 year old male, best dog I've ever had. He had the same instincts, I just never trained him on them.  Ours had the same anxiety issues and occasionally the excitement pee.  He just kind of grew out of it, but we were very social with him.

He's now a lazy old stubborn pup who thinks his schedule is more important than my sleep, but I love him to death.   Even at 14 he will still get after a bunny or cat, he just gives up a lil easier.

Rubbing her nose in her piss and shit?

Jesus christ, yeah, that's not how you break a dog of that.

Rubbing her nose in her mess is cruel and counterproductive. If she has an accident, you should have been watching her better. Reward her when she goes outside, and when she has an accident, clean it up and resolve to monitor her more closely.

Also, meat will not increase prey drive. A raw diet is one of the healthier options out there as far as feeding your dog, but you have to educate yourself a bit on what to feed and in what proportions. Barring that, a high quality, grain free kibble with a specified protein source (for example beef, chicken, lamb, etc) as a first ingredient and no byproducts listed is a good choice as well. There are many varieties out there.

I had a roommate when I was in my early 20's who was fucked up when we had a bunch of friends over one Saturday night.  I had a short haired whippet mix/rescue that was a baby who I had just met and possibly stolen in a kind of sort of way adopted a couple of weeks ago.

He apparently tried that while out of it and my sister jumped in about it while I was in the kitchen...  He raised his hand towards my sister.   He never got to swing, and the next thing he knew he was being held up against the wall by his throat.  -  This is why you never, ever, do Xanax kids.  He couldn't even remember what happened.  That did not take him out of everyone's shit list for quite a while after that.

TLDR:  We don't agree with that shit over here either.

Have leash by door, open door, do NOT greet dog or say anything, hook leash on collar, take dog outside immediately, praise dog when it pees outside.

They’re great dogs. Just food for pets is the best I’ve found for the breed due to sensitivities. It’s expensive, but cuts vet bills by 80-90%. Mine have an instinct / hunting sense about them, and loose their shit when rabbits or squirrels are around on the morning walk. They don’t care much for birds though.

I agree with not rubbing your pups nose in shit or piss. Positive reinforcement (treats or play time) when they do their business outside, and age will get rid of it a lot faster than something the dog can’t understand.

My dad had hunting dogs before this that I loved and loved me, even if I can barely remember...  But, the first dog that was really my dog was a golden female Cocker Spaniel.  My mom drove up to the end of baseball practice when I was in the first grade with Casey in the back seat.   And, that was one awesome dog.  If you're loyal to them, they are super loyal to you.  She once ran a freaking Rottweiler out of our front yard when it came running and me and my sister before we moved out to the country.

I'm no expert on them, though.  All my dogs since then have been rescues, and beyond that...  Well, some dogs are just too hard an act to follow.

If your dog has a natural prey drive you should consider serious obedience training because this is a problem. Prey drive should be saved only for hunting, not chasing random wildlife whenever she wants. Next thing she will start chasing neighbor's chicken, cat, or god forbid toddler. It'sdangerous and shouldn't be encouraged. Please invest in professional training or get a waterproof shock collar.

The peeing thing is normal for cockers. We had one for 17 years and he would do it when really excited.