Cocker Spaniel

From Pet Encyclopedia

Cocker Spaniel (English)

Black Cocker Spaniel (Bitch)

Origin of Breed

United Kingdom

Breed Nick Names

[edit] Introduction

The Cocker Spaniel is a small dog breed with long ears. These type of dogs are sporting dogs and belong to the Gundog Dog Group. Cocker Spaniels are easy to train and are very loving, they are playful and affectionate. Cocker Spaniels are are still one of the most popular breeds of dogs. Thier average life span is around 10-15 years. Their weight can vary from 28 to 32 lbs. Care needs to be taken not to over feed this breed as they put weight on quickly.

[edit] Origin and History

Cocker spaniels are descended from spaniels, one of the oldest breed of dogs. Spaniels are thought to take their name from Hispania, the old word for Spain.

The dogs were split by weight - Dogs weighing less than 25 lbs were classed as Cocker Spaniels, those weighing over 25 lbs became known as the Springer Spaniel.

There are two varieties of English Cocker Spaniels, the "working" cocker and the "show" cocker.

[edit] Appearance

The English Cocker Spaniel is a compactly built, small sized dog. They are however larger in size and have shorter coats compared to their close descendents the American Cocker Spaniel.

Cocker Spaniels come in different colours including: solid colours of black, red, golden, liver (sometimes described as chocolate), black/tan and liver/tan. Particolours come in combinations of black and white, liver and white, orange and white, blue roan, orange roan, liver roan, blue roan/tan liver roan/tan and tri-colours black white and tan or liver white and tan.

[edit] Temperament

Cocker Spaniels are renowned for their friendly and affectionate nature. They are easily trained and make a good family pet. Boredom and loneliness for a English Cocker can lead to behavior problems, like excessive barking.

[edit] Health

The Cocker Spaniel is generally a healthy breed with no major problems. Whilst the breed has a relatively long lifespan, they are prone to many eye problems. The long drop ears can lead to many infections so regular checking and cleaning is a must.

[edit] External Links

[1] Cockersonline - Online resource for all things Cocker Spaniel related.

[2] The Cocker Spaniel Breed Council

[3] The Cocker Spaniel Club

[4] East of Scotland English Cocker Spaniel Club

[5] The London Cocker Spaniel Society

[6] West of England Cocker Spaniel Club

[7] Cocker Spaniel - Wikipedia

[8] The English Cocker Spaniel World Website

[9] The English Cocker Spaniel Web Portal

[edit] References