Cocker Spaniel (in USA), Cocker, Merry Cocker.[1][2]
Origin
United States
Traits
Coat
medium-length, thick, long
Color
White, black, brown, tan, gray, red, fawn
Kennel club standards
American Kennel Club
standard
Fédération Cynologique Internationale
standard
Dog (domestic dog)
The American Cocker Spaniel is a breed of sporting dog. It is a spaniel type dog that is closely related to the English Cocker Spaniel; the two breeds diverged during the 20th century due to differing breed standards in the US and the UK. In the United States, the breed is usually called a Cocker Spaniel, while elsewhere in the world, it is called an American Cocker Spaniel to distinguish it from its older English cousin. The word cocker is commonly held to stem from their use to hunt woodcock in England, while spaniel is thought to be derived from the breed's origins in Spain.
The first spaniel in America came across with the Mayflower in 1620, but it was not until 1878 that the first Cocker Spaniel was registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC). A national breed club was set up three years later and the dog considered to be the father of the modern breed, Ch. Obo II, was born around this time. By the 1920s the English and American varieties of Cocker had become noticeably different and in 1946 the AKC recognized the English type as a separate breed. It was not until 1970 that The Kennel Club in the UK recognized the American Cocker Spaniel as being separate from the English type. The American Cocker was the most popular breed in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s and again during the 1980s, reigning for a total of 18 years. They have also won the best in show title at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on four occasions, the best in show title at Crufts in 2017, and have been linked to the President of the United States on several occasions, with owners including Richard Nixon and Harry S. Truman. In 2021, the cocker spaniel ranked 29th in registrations with the American Kennel Club.[3]
The breed is the smallest of the sporting dogs recognized by the AKC, and its distinctly shaped head makes it immediately recognizable. In addition, there are some marked differences between it and its English relative. It has average working intelligence, although by being bred to a show standard it is no longer an ideal working dog. Members of the breed suffer from a wide variety of health ailments including problems with their hearts, eyes and ears.
^Google books Cocker Spaniel
^"The Breed Selector American Cocker Spaniel". Animal planet. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
^Reisen, Jan. "Most Popular Dog Breeds of 2021". American Kennel Club. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
and 28 Related for: American Cocker Spaniel information
usually known simply as the CockerSpaniel, as is the AmericanCockerSpaniel within the US. The OED states that the word cocker is derived from the fact...
to the English Springer Spaniel and historically have been referred to as both the Welsh Spaniel and the Welsh CockerSpaniel. They were relatively unknown...
modern AmericanCockerSpaniel, being described as only 10 inches high with quite a long body. By 1909, the average weight of a Field Spaniel was 35–45...
comparison of English CockerSpaniels, AmericanCockerSpaniels and English Springer Spaniels". English CockerSpaniel Club of America. Archived from the...
A spaniel is a type of gun dog. Spaniels were especially bred to flush game out of denser brush. By the late 17th century, spaniels had been specialized...
an AmericanCockerSpaniel who is considered to be the father of the modern breed, though physically, he was different from today's AmericanCocker. During...
Ch. My Own Brucie (May 4, 1935–June 9, 1943) was a male AmericanCockerSpaniel who was the Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 1940...
known as a cockerpoo (portmanteau of cockerspaniel and poodle) is a dog crossbreed bred from the CockerSpaniel and the Poodle, most commonly the Miniature...
seen in both English and AmericanCockerSpaniels, King Charles Spaniels, English Springer Spaniels plus a variety of non spaniel breeds. Ectropion is the...
Russian Spaniel is a type of spaniel first standardised in 1951 in the Soviet Union after World War II by cross breeding English CockerSpaniels, English...
Münsterländer AmericanCockerSpanielAmerican Water Spaniel Boykin Spaniel Clumber Spaniel English CockerSpaniel English Springer Spaniel Field Spaniel Irish...
Water Spaniel-CockerSpaniel cross which was registered at the time as a Sussex Spaniel due to his liver colour. Very unlike the Irish Water Spaniel in appearance...
time this occurred was in 1997. Another jump in popularity was the Field Spaniel gaining 24 places to land at number 136. The lowest ranked breed of the...
Boykin Spaniel Day in South Carolina, originally established in 1984. The Boykin Spaniel is only slightly larger than the English CockerSpaniel but much...
breeds in their ancestry. English and Americancockerspaniel × poodle crosses (i.e. cockapoos). Two Irish water spaniels and soft-coated Wheaten Terriers...
Spaniel (also known as the English Toy Spaniel) is a small dog breed of the spaniel type. In 1903, the Kennel Club combined four separate toy spaniel...
Springer Spaniel. With a liver-and-white or black-and-white coat, the Norfolk Spaniel was described as being a large cockerspaniel. The Spaniel Club set...
features a Scottish terrier named Jock is a friend of Lady, the AmericanCockerSpaniel and Trusty, the bloodhound. A terrier similar to Jock is among...
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, English Bulldog, Lhasa Apso, Shih Tzu, West Highland White Terrier, Pug, Bloodhound, AmericanCockerSpaniel, and Boston Terrier...
become geriatric at about 11 years; medium-breed dogs (such as larger spaniels) at 10 years; large-breed dogs (such as German Shepherd Dogs) at 8 years;...
his revenge against Carface by setting up a rival business. Charkie CockerSpaniel Curious George Steve and Betsy's dog in the children's books, animated...
this breed was moved to the newly created Herding Group. The AmericanCockerSpaniel breed is judged in three different varieties, "Black", "Parti-color"...
the modern era since Best in Show was introduced has been the English CockerSpaniel. Of the breed's seven show titles, all but one of them were owned and...