Cocker Spaniel refers to two different breeds of dogs, both of which are commonly called simply "Cocker Spaniel" in their countries of origin.
American Cocker Spaniel
The
American Cocker Spaniel is a
breed of dog that originated in the
United Kingdom and was brought to
Canada and then Spain and the
United States in the late 1800s. American Cocker Spaniels were given their own AKC Stud Book in the early 1900s. By 1946, the
English Cocker Spaniel was distinct enough in type from the "American" variety, that the American Kennel Club established it as a breed separate from the English Cocker Spaniel. It was given its own Stud Book and that left the "American" type to be known as the
Cocker Spaniel in the United States. They are in the sporting breed group of dogs and are the smallest of their group. American Cocker Spaniels were used to flush out birds and prey from the brush so their masters could shoot them.
Description:
Appearance
Happy and popular, the signature trait of the American Cocker Spaniel is its dark, expressive eyes that reflect a happy, loving, and active nature. Cockers are a dropped eared breed (pendulous ears) and the mature Cocker is shown in a full feathered, silky coat. After its show career ends, the fur is often trimmed into a "puppy cut", shortened on the legs, sides and belly, that is easier to keep whether as a pet, performance dog, or hunting companion. It is important to keep the hair clipped from both sides of the ear about one third down the ear flap. This helps to keep air flowing through the ear canal and reduce risk of ear infections from bacteria, injury or parasites.
Size
Cockers weigh an average of 15 to 30 pounds (7 to 14 kg). For show dogs, the ideal height of a Cocker Spaniel is 15 inches (38 cm) for male dogs and 14 inches (36.8 cm) for female dogs at the withers. An adult male who is over 15.5 inches, or an adult female over 14.5 inches would be disqualified in a conformation show. Bone and head size should be in proportion to the overall balance of the dog.
Color
For North Americans
conformation shows Cockers are divided by the breed type into three varieties: Black, ASCOB (Any Solid Color Other than Black),and Tri-colors. Black Variety includes: solid blacks and black & tan. ASCOB includes solid colors ranging from silver, to light cream (buff) to dark red and brown and brown with tan points. Tri-colors have large areas of white with another color(s) and must have at least 10% coloration (not more than 90% white). Tri-colors include: black & white; black & white with tan points (referred to as tri-colors or "tris"), brown & white, brown & white with tan points (referred to as a "brown tri"), and red & white. Roans are shown in the Parti-color variety and can be black (referred to as "blue roans"), red ("orange roan"), or brown ("liver or chocolate roan"); with or without tan points. In a roan coat, individual colored hairs are mingled in with the white. Sable coloring is seen in solids or Parti-colors, but no longer can be shown in conformation by the American Spaniel Club, although it can be shown in Canada and in Europe. Merle is a highly controversial pattern, as it is debated whether it is a result of breeding to another breed. Cockers cannot be registered as merles with the AKC. It is not recognized by the American Spaniel Club and cannot be shown in conformation.
Temperament
Their temperament is typically joyful and trusting. The ideal Cocker temperament is merry, outgoing, and eager to please everyone. When a Cocker Spaniel is excited, they tend to not only wag their tail, but their whole rear end as well. They can be good with children and usually sociable and gentle with other pets. They tend to be soft dogs who do not do well with rough or harsh training. They have a great love of toys and will go to lengths to obtain more, often hiding or destroying a toy to gain a new one.
Health:
Mortality
American Cocker Spaniels in UK and USA/Canada surveys had a median lifespan of about 10-11 years, which is on the low end of the typical range for purebred dogs, and 1-2 years less than other breeds of their size. The larger English Cocker Spaniel typically lives about a year longer than the American Cocker Spaniel. Although, the Cocker Spaniel has been known to live well past 12 years of age.
Morbidity
American Cocker Spaniels are susceptible to a variety of maladies, particularly infections affecting their ears and, in some cases, their eyes. As a result, they may require more medical attention than some other breeds. Common eye problems in Cockers include
progressive retinal atrophy (PRA),
glaucoma, and
cataracts. The American Spaniel Club recommends annual eye exams by a veterinary ophthalmologist.
History:
American Cocker Spaniels are the smallest of the sporting spaniels. Their name
cocker is commonly held to stem from their use to hunt
woodcock in England, but today this breed is used to hunt a variety of upland gamebirds and water fowl.
In the United States the breed is known officially by the
American Kennel Club, as the "Cocker Spaniel". Outside the US, it is often referred to as the American Cocker Spaniel, but it was the creation of the
English Cocker Spaniel that triggered the breed split in the 1930s. It is said that the spaniel came to America on the Mayflower in the 1620's. It became a separate breed from all the spaniels in 1947.
American Cocker Spaniels and English Cocker Spaniels are the only spaniel breeds allowed to compete together in Cocker Field Trials in the United States. There are a small number of field-bred American cockers bred in the US, but the distinction between field and show-bred dogs is less than exist in English cockers.
Today's American Cocker Spaniel is as always, a versatile small dog. It remains popular as a pet, but is also known for its workmanlike attributes that make it a stunning show dog, lively companion hunter, competitive gaming dog, or gentle therapy dog.
English Cocker Spaniel
The English Cocker Spaniel is a breed of gun dog. There are two varieties of English Cocker Spaniels, the "field" or "working" cocker and "show" cocker. It is one of several varieties of spaniel and somewhat resembles its American cousin, the American Cocker Spaniel, although it is closer to the working-dog form of the Field Spaniel and the Springer Spaniel. Outside the US, the breed is usually known simply as the Cocker Spaniel, as is the American Cocker Spaniel within the US. Due to the breed's happy disposition and continuously wagging tail, it has been given the cute little nickname "merry cocker".
Description:
Appearance
The Cocker is an adorable sturdy, compact, well-balanced dog. It has a characteristic expression showing intelligence and alertness. Its eyes should be dark and its lobular ears should reach the tip of the nose when pulled forward. Today, a significant difference in appearance exists between field-bred and conformation show-bred dogs. The Cocker's tail is customarily docked in North America. In countries where docking is legal, the tail is generally docked at about 4–5 inches (10–13 cm) in field-bred dogs while show dogs generally are docked closer to the body. Docking is now illegal in Australia and Scotland. In England, docking can only be carried out on dogs where the owners have proved that the dogs will be used as working or shooting dogs. - Males: 15–17 inches (38–43 cm)
- Females: 15–16 inches (38–41 cm)
Weight:
- Males: 28–34 lb (13–15 kg)
- Females: 27–32 lb (12–15 kg)
Color
Breed standards restrict dogs to certain colours for the purposes of conformation showing (dependent on country), whereas working Cockers can be any of a wide variety of colours. They come in solid (or "self"), where white is restricted to only the chest, parti-colour, and roan.
The colours in the breed consist of black, black and tan, black and white, black white and tan (tricolour), blue roan, blue tick, blue roan and tan, silver, chocolate, chocolate and tan, chocolate and white, chocolate white and tan, chocolate roan, chocolate roan and tan, sable, copper red, red, gold, buff, red roan, red and white, apricot, orange, orange and white, orange roan, lemon, lemon and white, lemon roan.
Although field-bred and conformation dogs are found in largely the same colours, some hunters prefer to have white in the coat to make the dog more visible to gunners.
Temperament
Cockers are renowned for their stubborn temper but can be easily trained and make a good medium-sized family pet. They will often bond strongly to an individual person in a family. Cockers are noted for their optimism, intelligence and adaptability. The breed is extremely loyal and affectionate; bonding very well with the family members.
It has been proposed that there is a link between coat colour and temperament. This link could be the colour pigment melanin, which is bio chemically similar to chemicals that act as transmitters in the brain. Cocker Spaniel behaviour has been studied in more detail than any other breed.
Health:
Mortality
English Cocker Spaniels in UK and USA/Canada have an average lifespan of 11 to 12 years, which is a typical longevity for purebred dogs, but a little less than most other breeds of their size. The English Cocker Spaniel typically lives about a year longer than the smaller American Cocker Spaniel.
Morbidity
Common health issues with English Cockers are skin allergies, shyness, cataracts, deafness, aggression towards other dogs, and benign tumours.
3 month old gold English Cocker puppy
Some uncommon health issues that can also have an effect on English Cocker Spaniels include canine
hip dysplasia, patellar lunation, canine dilated cardiomyopathy, and heart murmurs. Hip dysplasia is an abnormal formation of the hip joint. Patellar Lunation, also known as luxating patella, refers to the dislocation of the kneecap. Canine dilated cardiomyopathy involves heart failure.
History:
Spaniel type dogs have been found in art and literature for almost 500 years. Initially, spaniels in England were divided among land spaniels and water spaniels. The differentiation among the spaniels that led to the breeds that we see today did not begin until the mid 1800s. During this time, the land spaniels became a bit more specialized and divisions among the types were made based upon weight. According to the 1840 Encyclopedia of Rural Sports, Cockers were 12–20 lb (5.5–9 kg). At this time it was not uncommon for Cockers and Springers to come from the same litter. Even a puppy from a “Toy” sized lineage could grow to be a springer. There is no indication from these early sources that spaniels were used to retrieve game. Rather they were used to drive the game toward the guns.
During the 1850s and 1860s other dogs types of Cockers were recorded. There were Welsh Cockers and Devonshire Cockers. Additionally, small dogs from Sussex Spaniel litters were called Cockers. In 1874 the first stud books were published by the newly formed kennel club. Any spaniel under 25 lb (11 kg) was placed in the Cocker breeding pool, however the Welsh Cocker was reclassified as a Springer in 1903 due to its larger size and shorter ear. "...in those days only those dogs up to a hard day’s work and sensible specimens were allowed to live, as absolute sporting purposes were about their only enjoyment and dog shows were hardly heard of...". The sport of conformation showing began in earnest among spaniels 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 two types eight years later. Since then, the Springer and Cocker enthusiasts have bred in the separate traits that they desired. Today, the breed differ in more ways than weight alone. In America, the American Cocker Spaniel type was forming. As a result, the English Cocker lost favour. 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.
*All information obtained here is from wikipedia.org
