Cocker Spaniel

The Cocker Spaniel is a very popular dog breed. In the USA and Canada, the American Cocker Spaniel is common; in Europe, breed fanciers prefer the English Cocker Spaniel. Cocker Spaniels originated in England and were brought to the New World in the 19th century. By the middle of the 20th century, the American and English varieties became distinct enough to be registered as separate breeds.

The Cocker Spaniel is the smallest of all Spaniels and of all Sporting dog breeds. The standard wither height of these dogs is 14-15 inches; they weigh 18 to 28 pounds. Developed as gun dogs for hunting waterfowl, Cocker Spaniels are nowadays kept mostly as pets. They gained popularity in the show ring due to their refined and graceful appearance and beautiful silky feathered coat.

This breed is easy to recognize by a chiseled muzzle, large round eyes with an intelligent and lively expression, and long hanging ears covered with soft hair. On the head, the coat is very short; on the body, it’s of medium length, and on the abdomen, ears, chest, and legs, it’s well feathered. Long feathering should not hide the body outline of the dog. For conformation shows, the Cocker Spaniel needs minimal trimming. Pet dogs are usually trimmed short for easier maintenance.

The AKC breed standard is very strict in what concerns the coat coloration and pattern of the Cocker Spaniel. Purebred dogs can be solid or parti-colored. The accepted solid colors are black and brown ranging from light cream to dark red. The color should be uniform; light feathering is allowed. Small white spots are allowed on the chest only. Parti-colored dogs combine two or more colors one of which is white. Both varieties can have tan points and spots located in proper body parts. Solid colored dogs should have tan markings only over the eyes, on the cheeks, on the underside of each ear, on all feet or legs, under the tail, and optionally on the chest. Tan markings on the muzzle should not extend and join each other. The absence of tan markings in a solid colored Cocker Spaniel is a disqualification.