The cocker spaniel brings to mind big beautiful eyes, long wavy ears and an absolutely
gorgeous appearance. The cocker spaniel is known for their sweet, sensitive nature and love
of children. However, don't let this fool you, the cocker spaniel is after all a spaniel, and
it has been known to make a great hunting dog too. As a matter of fact, the word
"cocker" comes from the name of the woodcock game bird that cockers were so renown
for flushing out during the hunt. The cocker has also been used for tracking,
retrieving, guarding, agility and obedience.
Just the same, today, the cocker spaniel
is mainly a companion and show dog.
Cockers have had their share of
popularity in the dog world and prospective buyers will therefore want to be careful to avoid
puppy mill operations whose puppies may not possess the sweet qualities that
the
well bred cockers are known for. Since some of the cocker spaniel dogs can be reserved,
independent and/or dominant in nature, it is recommended
that you get to know the parents well and possibly even research a
puppy's bloodlines before making your purchase.
The cocker spaniel loves to exercise but should do
well in an apartment setting if they are allowed to have an enthusiastic daily walk. There are
two variations of the cocker spaniel, the english cocker spaniel and the american cocker spaniel.
The american cocker, which originated from the english version, now has a slightly
different conformation and a smaller build. Cocker Spaniels come in several colors including tan,
buff, black, tricolor, black and grey, black and white, and, black and tan. Cocker spaniels have
beautiful ears, but they will need grooming and maintenance as their confirmation alone can make them
prone to ticks and infections.
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Originating from the old land spaniels of Spain, the
cocker spaniel probably came to light as we know it today in England sometime in the early 1800's.
Eventually the
English hunting spaniels began to be divided up into different categories based on size and/or
conformation - the cocker, clumber, sussex, springer and irish water dog breed categories.
Basically, the Cocker and Springer Spaniels developed side by side with size being the main
differential. Hunters found the cocker's larger cousin was good at springing game
whereas the smaller spaniels were particularly good with the woodcock, hence the larger version
became known as the Springer Spaniel and the smaller ones the Cocker Spaniel.
In 1892, the Kennel Club of England recognized the two as separate breeds.
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