Dog
Group:
Sporting 
American Cocker Spaniel Champions
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Breed Description:
The American Cocker Spaniel is a medium sized dog of normal proportions, with medium long silky fur on the body and ears, hanging down on the legs and belly (feathering). The head has a rounded look and the ears hang down (drop ears). The colors for the American Cocker Spaniel include the following
Colors are divided in to categories:
- Black, including
- Solid black
- Black with tan points
- ASCOB (Any Solid Color Other than Black), defined as any color with or without tan points, and only a very small amount of white
- Buff (Most common color, looks like a very light tan usually.
- Brown (Chocolate)
- Parti-color and other colors
- Tricolor, including
- black and white with tan points
- black and white
- brown and white
- brown and white with tan points (brown tri)
- red and white.
- Roan (individual colored hairs mingled in with white hairs), with or without tan points
- blue roan or black
- orange roan or red
- liver or chocolate roan, shades of brown
- Tricolor, including
- Sable (no longer recognized by the American Spaniel Club, meaning that breeding dogs of this color is discouraged.
- Merle (not recognized by the American Spaniel Club, meaning that breeding dogs of this color is discouraged.
- Blue Merle (Also known as a black merle)
- Blue Merle Parti
- Blue/Black, Chocolate/Brown Merle Parti with tan points
- Chocolate/Brown Merle Parti
- Buff/Red Merle
- Brown Merle (Also known as chocolate merle)
The merle gene is actually a gene that controls color. A merle dog (M) bred to a dog of any other color (X) will result in a dog of color X with dappled, lightened patches of the coat and possible blue eyes. A merle bred to another merle, however, will usually produce white, possibly deaf and blind puppies. A merle cocker spaniel can be registered but not shown. Merle is sometimes referred to as a "deadly gene", in that it causes various ailments; this is only true when breeding two merles together.
Temperament:
The American Cocker Spaniel breed standard defines the ideal dog of the breed as having an outgoing, friendly temperament. They tend to be soft dogs who do not do well with rough or harsh training. The breed ranks 20th in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, a rating that indicates good "Working or Obedience Intelligence", or trainability.
Height:
American Cocker Spaniels have an ideal size of 15 inches (38 cm)
Weight:
The American Cocker Spaniel can weigh between 15 - 30 lbs
Health Problems:
Some of the most common ailments of the American Cocker Spaniel breed include PRA, glaucoma, cataracts, and patellar luxation. They may also have autoimmune problems, and are somewhat prone to bloat.
Living Conditions:
The American Cocker Spaniel does well in the city, suburbs, or country.
Exercise:
Although primarily companions and pets, the hunting instincts of American Cocker Spaniels can be tested in Spaniel Hunting Tests offered by the American Kennel Club. The American Spaniel Club also offers a Working Certificate for American Cocker Spaniels. They like to play and are great at learning tricks; they also love the outdoors and will be comfortable inside when given walks.
Life Expectancy:
Life Span: 12-15 yrs.
Grooming:
The American Cocker Spaniel requires regular brushing, two to three times a week, as well as a trim every few months keeping the coat free of mats.
Origin:
Originally, the American Cocker Spaniel was bred as a gun dog. In the United States, the (American Cocker Spaniel) breed is usually referred to as the Cocker Spaniel, while in Canada and elsewhere in the world, it is called the American Cocker Spaniel. The word "cocker" is commonly held to stem from their use to hunt woodcock in England. Although the Cocker Spaniel type originated in the United Kingdom, by the 1940s the American breed was recognized as distinct from the English breed. Spaniels were hunting dogs brought from Spain to England, where the type was developed into a gun dog for hunting small game, especially birds, and the name Cocker was described in 1904 as having been derived from its use in hunting woodcocks.
The Cocker Spaniel was recognized as a breed in England in 1892, separating it from Springer Spaniels; until that time, Cockers and Springers would be born into the same litter, and were only separated out into the distinct types when fully grown. Another dog used in the development of the early Cockers was the English Setter, resulting in the roan coats still seen in the breed. Brought to North America in the late 1800s, the development of Cockers in England and Cockers in North America began to diverge into two different breeds, although breeding between the American Cocker Spaniel and the English Cocker Spaniel was permitted until 1946, when the stud book was closed.
The first Cocker Spaniel registered in the United States' American Kennel Club was "Captain", in 1878, and the American Spaniel Club was formed in 1881, although both the English and American varieties were very similar at that time. The Westminster Dog Show was won in 1921 by a parti-color Cocker (black and white), Ch. Midkiff Seductive.
Over time, the Cocker Spaniels in the United States became smaller than the English dogs, and, in dog shows, separate categories (called 'classes') were created in 1935 for the English variety and the American variety of Cocker Spaniel. In 1938, the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America decided to discourage breeding between the varieties, and defined the English Cocker Spaniel as those whose pedigrees included dogs that were or were eligible to have been registered with The Kennel Club (UK) before 1930. Much research of pedigrees was done by Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge and others, and in June, 1946, the English Cocker Spaniel and the American Cocker Spaniel were recognized by the American Kennel Club as separate breeds. Comments
The standards for all the breeds accepted to the AKC are used here for breed information, and those not part of the AKC are resourced from FCI standard information, where it is written and coded into the club rules for those breeds.
