The World’s Merry Cocker, The English Cocker Spaniel

Everyone knows what a Cocker Spaniel looks like but be in the know that there is actually an English Cocker Spaniel and an American Cocker Spaniel. These two are completely separate breeds but with seemingly similar uses. Both are most often used as gundogs or as conformation show contenders.

The English Cocker Spaniel is considered as a gun dog but has two varieties which are the working/field cocker and the show cocker. The working cocker is a companion during hunting but instead of retrieving the game, it actually flushes them towards the guns. The show cocker on the other hand joins conformation shows most often joining in agility and obedience competitions.

One interesting fact about the English Cocker is that it is continuously wagging its tail as a sign of a merry disposition therefore many have called this breed “merry cocker”. This dog is also notorious for independent and stubborn disposition although it does not mean that it is difficult to train. The English Cocker is innately intelligent and alert and these characteristics show in its face all the time.

The English Cocker Spaniel is a sturdy, compact and well-balanced dog. It has dark eyes and floppy ears that should reach the nose tip when pulled forward. The tail is usually docked to give its body balance especially in hunting but docking is not allowed in other countries.

The coat colors of the English Cocker come in different varieties but some are acceptable only depending on the cocker’s variety. For the show cocker, there are only some colors that are allowed but for the working cocker, all colors and combinations are practically accepted. The color variety for this dog ranges from solid, tricolor and roan.

Solid colors may come as black, silver, tan, chocolate, blue, red, gold, copper red and white. Color combinations can be black and white, black and tan, blue tick, blue roan, chocolate and tan, lemon and white, orange and white, red and white, and more. Today, hunters prefer their field cockers to have a white color on their coats for visibility purposes.

The English Cocker has the tendency to be dominant and ill-tempered but it is also very loyal, loves companionship and likes to bond with only one member of the family. This breed is extremely affectionate, optimistic, intelligence and flexible. In Stanley Cohen’s the Intelligence of Dogs, the English Cocker Spaniel ranked 18th in excellence in working, obedience and intelligence.

Studies revealed that the temperament of the cocker spaniel has relevance to its coat color. According to a study by the University of Cambridge, the solid-colored cockers are more likely to be aggressive than the others. Additionally, a separate study have shown that the Red/Golden colored cockers are the most aggressive towards humans when they are being disciplined or sometimes even for no apparent reason at all.

Related posts:

1. American Cocker Spaniel: The Long Furred Gun Dog And Pet
2. The Spirited Hunter, The English Springer Spaniel

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Filed under: Dogs

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