Little Pawz -- English Cocker Spaniel -- Small Dogs -- Small Dog Breed Information -- Toy Dogs -- Miniature Dogs -- Dog Breeds

The merry Cocker, as the English Cocker Spaniel is called, makes an ideal family pet — a dog for Dad to take out shooting, or for the children to play with in the yard. It is manageable, intelligent, and a good all-purpose gundog, second to none at flushing out game.

Size
Height: Dogs: 15 1/2 – 16 inches (39.5 – 40.5 cm); Bitches: 15 – 15 1/2 inches (38 – 39.5 cm) at the withers
Weight: 28 – 32 lbs (12.7 – 14.5 kg)

Coat and Colour
Coat on head short and fine; on body flat or slightly wavy and silky in texture. Should be of medium length with enough undercoating to give protection. The English Cocker should be well feathered but not so profusely as to hide the true lines or interfere with his field work. Colour various. In self-colours a white shirt frill is undesirable. In particolours, the colouring must be broken on the body and be evenly distributed. No large portion of any colour should exist. White should be shown on the saddle. A dog of any solid colour with white feet and chest is not a particolour. In roans it is desirable that the white hair should be distributed over the body, the more evenly the better. Roans come in various colours: blue, liver, red, orange and lemon. In black and tans the coat should be black; tan spots over the eyes, tan on the sides of the muzzle, on the throat and chest, on forelegs from the knees to the toes and on the hind legs on the side of the legs, also on the stifle and extending from the hock to the toes.

Exercise
This is an active dog that needs regular exercise. It adores the country and is likely to return from a walk with tail wagging and covered in mud, so its not perhaps the ideal choice for city dwellers, but it does enjoy home comforts, such as a place beside a warm fire.

Grooming
The English Cocker Spaniel requires daily brushing and combing, care being taken that its coat does not become matted. Particular care must be taken that the ears do not becom tangled; and watch out that they do not flop into the feed bowl. You might consider taping them back while the dog is eating or using a special spaniel bowl.

Feeding
Recommended would be 1 1/2 cans (13.3 oz 376 g size) name-brand dog food with a biscuit, or 3 cups of a dry dog food. Always provide an ample supply of fresh water for your English Cocker Spaniel.

Origin and History
The English Cocker Spaniel is particularly popular in Britain, and in the United States it is Known as the English Cocker. It is also sometimes refered to as the merry Cocker because of its happy, lively temperament and constantly wagging tail. Other names betowed upon this breed have been the Cocking Spaniel or Cocker because of its one-time prowess at flushing out woodcock.

The English Cocker Spaniel did however originate in Spain — whence the name 'spaniel' — and its ancestry can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have been used in various countries in falconry. Today, however, it is in its element rabbit hunting, flushing out game for its master. The larger Field Spaniel is of a similar origin to the English Cocker Spaniel.

Read more about the English Cocker Spaniel.