English Cocker Spaniel

AKC Group: Sporting

Club: English Cocker Spaniel Club of America, Inc.

Corresponding Secretary : Kate Romanski
Address: Po Box 252, Hales Corners, WI , 53130-0252
Website: www.ecsca.org
Club Type: Specialty

General Apperance:

The English Cocker Spaniel is an active, merry sporting dog, standing well up at the withers and compactly built. He is alive with energy; his gait is powerful and frictionless, capable both of covering ground effortlessly and penetrating dense cover to flush and retrieve game. His enthusiasm in the field and the incessant action of his tail while at work indicate how much he enjoys the hunting for which he was bred. His head is especially characteristic. He is, above all, a dog of balance, both standing and moving, without exaggeration in any part, the whole worth more than the sum of its parts.

Size:

Size -Height at withers: males 16 to 17 inches; females 15 to 16 inches. Deviations to be penalized. The most desirable weights: males, 28 to 34 pounds; females, 26 to 32 pounds. Proper conformation and substance should be considered more important than weight alone. Proportion --Compactly built and short-coupled, with height at withers slightly greater than the distance from withers to set-on of tail. Substance --The English Cocker is a solidly built dog with as much bone and substance as is possible without becoming cloddy or coarse.

Coat:

On head, short and fine; of medium length on body; flat or slightly wavy; silky in texture. The English Cocker is well-feathered, but not so profusely as to interfere with field work. Trimming is permitted to remove overabundant hair and to enhance the dog's true lines. It should be done so as to appear as natural as possible.

Temperament:

The English Cocker is merry and affectionate, of equable disposition, neither sluggish nor hyperactive, a willing worker and a faithful and engaging companion.

History:

One of the oldest types of land spaniel known, the Cocker descended from the original spaniels of Spain as one of a family destined to become highly diversified in size, type, coloring, and hunting ability. Prior to the 17th century, all spaniels existed in a group together; however, the group was eventually divided based on hunting ability and size. English Cockers fell into the small land spaniel group, and in 1892 the Kennel Club (England) finally recognized Springers and Cockers as separate breeds. Prior to that date, and even occassionally after, Springers and Cockers appeared in the same litters, with the only breed difference existing in size.

The English Cocker Spaniel Club of America was formed in 1935 to promote the interest of the English Cocker. A number of American fanciers had noticed the different strains of Cocker fast emerging and sought to preserve the variety extant in the English Cocker and establish it as a separate breed. The immediate aim of the club was to discourage the interbreeding of English and American varieties of Cocker (the American recognizable by their smaller, rounder heads and shorter muzzle, among other features), and finally, after much work by fanciers, the AKC recognized the two breeds as separate in 1946.

Fun Facts:

• The English Cocker Spaniel was recognized as a separate breed by the American Kennel Club in 1946.
  
  
• The English Cocker Spaniel Club of America was formed in 1935 to promote the interest of the English Cocker, which had already been recognized as a variety of Cocker Spaniel but not a separate breed.
  
  
• As late as the early 20th century (after their official breed separation in England), the distinction between English Cockers and Springer Spaniels was one of height only; otherwise, Cocker and Springer developed side-by-side, born in the same litters.
  
  
• The immediate aim of the ECSCA was to discourage the interbreeding of English and American varieties of Cocker Spaniel.
  
  
• For quite some time, English and American Cockers competed against each other in the show ring, even after the official American separation was made.
  
  
• Not until January 1947 did breed registrations for the ECS appear in the Stud Book under their own heading.