English Cocker Spaniel

The English Cocker Spaniel(or Cocker Spaniel, or just Cocker) was initially bred as a gun dog developed in England. They are a sturdy, compact, well-balanced dog with a characteristic expression showing intelligence and alertness. Eyes are dark and lobular ears should reach the tip of the nose when pulled forward. Their slightly loose skin and feathered coat allow them to charge through brush unharmed. The Cocker's tail is usually docked in North America. The tail is generally docked at about 4 or 5 inches in field-bred dogs.

Height at withers:
Dogs: 15-17 inches (38-43 cm)
Bitches: 15-16 inches (38-41 cm)

Weight:
Dogs: 28-34 lb (13-15 kg)
Bitches: 27-32 lb (12-15 kg)

Colour
Show dogs are restricted to certain colours dependent on country, whereas working Cockers can be any of a wide variety of colours as working ability is preferred over conformity to a tandard. They come in solid (or "self") colours, where white is restricted to only the chest in show dogs, parti-colour, roan, and merle. Many hunters prefer to have some white in the coat to make the dog more visible to gunners.

Temperament
Cockers are renowned for their friendly, faithful, playful, and affectionate natures. They are easily trained and make a good medium-sized family pet. They are viewed as a 'soft' breed' with very few aggresive specimens. Owners agree thereis no more affectionate breed of dog.

Health
The Cocker is generally a healthy breed, main but rare health problems are progressive retinal atrophy, kidney disease, and hip dysplasia. Most reputable breeders would have several generations of puppies with no such instances. Be sure to research your chosen breeders breed stock before buying and beware the puppy miller who breed with quantity not quality of puppies as their goal. They are also often prone to ear infections because of their pendulous ears.

They live for approximately 13 to 14 years on average, with some animals living well past that. Editor - As a child I remember one aged 18 still going strong in my street, though he was a little blind and deaf by then.

History
Spaniels in England were originally divided among land spaniels and water spaniels. The differentiation that led to the breeds seen today did not begin until the mid 1800?s. During this time, the land spaniels became a bit more specialised and divisions among the types were made based upon weight. Spaniels at this time were used to drive game towards hunters, not for retrieval.

The hobby of dog showing became popular amongst spaniel owners after the Spaniel Club was formed in 1885. When showing, the new Springer and Cocker, both were in the same class until The Spaniel Club created breed standards for each of the types. The Kennel Club separated the types eight years later. Since then, the Springer and Cocker enthusiasts have bred in the separate traits that they desired and now the breed differ in more ways than weight alone.

In America, the American Cocker type was forming. As a result, the English Cocker lost favor. The two Cocker Spaniels were shown together until 1936, when the English Cocker received status as a separate breed. The American Kennel Club granted a separate breed designation for the English Cocker Spaniel in 1946.

Working Englsih Cocker Spaniels
Like many breeds with a working history, Cockers have both "working" and "show" conformations. After World War II, the show-bred Cocker Spaniel increased enormously in popular appeal and, for a while, was the most numerous Kennel Club registered breed. This popularity as a pet, reduced them in favour as working dogs, however all Cockers retain the instincts originally bred into the working dog versions.

Today, this breed is experiencing a resurgence as a working and hunting dog. Their happy, inquisitive nature makes them ideal service or drug fruit detection dogs. Dogs from working lines are distinct in appearance. As is the case with the English Springer Spaniel, the working type has been bred exclusively to perform in the field. Their coat is shorter and ears less pendulous than the show-bred type. Although registered as the same breed, the two strains have diverged significantly enough that they are rarely crossed. The dogs that have dominated the hunt test, field trial and hunting scene in the United States are Field-Bred dogs from recently imported British lines. .

Working-dog lines often have physical characteristics that would prevent them from winning in the show ring, such as heads that are more domed than desired or other traits. This is a result of selecting for different traits than those selected by show breeders. The longer coat and ears, selected for the show ring, are an impediment in the field.