| Alternative Name Cocker Spaniel (nick
Cocker Merry Cocker)
Basic Info
The English Cocker Spaniel is a breed of gun dog. It
is one of several varieties of spaniel and somewhat
resembles its American cousin, the American Cocker
Spaniel, although it's 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
nickname "merry cocker". The Cocker is a 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. The breed's slightly
loose skin and feathered coat allow it to fight through
any brush unharmed. The Cocker's tail is customarily
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. 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.
Health
The English Cocker Spaniel is generally a healthy
breed. Its main health problems are progressive retinal
atrophy, kidney disease, and hip dysplasia. They are
also often prone to ear infections because of their
pendulous ears.
Behavior
English Cocker Spaniels are renowned for their
friendly, faithful, playful, and affectionate natures.
They are easily trained and make a good medium-sized
family pet. Very few Cockers have temperament problems;
in a 2002 survey consisting of 487 cockers, only 1% of
the dogs were aggressive to people and 2% were
aggressive to other dogs.
Origin
United Kingdom
History
Spaniel type dogs are have been found in art and
literature for almost 500 years. (Kolehouse). 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 1800’s. 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
between 12 and 20 lb. (Kolehouse). 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 (Kolehouse). There is no
indication from these early sources that spaniels were
used to retrieve game. Rather they were use to drive the
game toward the guns. (Kolehouse) During the 1850’s and
60’s other dogs types of cockers were recorded. There
were Welsh Cockers and Devonshire Cockers. Additionally,
small dogs from Sussex Spaniel litters were called
cockers. (Kolehouse) In 1874 the first stud books were
published by the newly formed kennel club. Any spaniel
under 25 lb 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 (Kolehouse).
"...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..." (Kolehouse)
The hobby of dog 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 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.
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