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English cocker spaniel

The English Cocker Spaniel is the original cocker, developed in Britain to flush woodcock — the bird that gives the breed its name — and it is a distinctly different dog from the American Cocker, being larger, longer in the muzzle and with less coat.

It stands 38 to 43 centimetres, weighs 12 to 16 kilograms and lives twelve to fifteen years. It is cheerful, biddable and famously waggy, and it remains a genuine working gundog in field lines, which are lighter and more driven than show lines. Two health matters are worth knowing: a testable kidney disease, and the behavioural condition long associated with solid-coloured lines.

Origin
Britain; bred to flush woodcock
Size
38–43 cm; 12–16 kg
Lifespan
12–15 years
Coat
Medium with feathering; regular trimming needed
Temperament
Cheerful, biddable and affectionate; field lines more driven
Health
Familial nephropathy and PRA — both DNA testable; ear infections

Related: Cocker spaniel · American English coonhound · American water spaniel · Boykin spaniel · Cavalier King Charles spaniel

3 english cocker spaniel photos, newest first

  • Sorrel, a english cocker spaniel

    Sorrel

    Sorrel runs the bluebell path in May, which is precisely two weeks of pure joy.

    FrostyOtter · 6 days ago

  • Thistle II, a english cocker spaniel

    Thistle II

    Thistle II was promoted to detective examining one suspicious biscuit; unfortunately, a toy wheelbarrow tips at the worst moment.

    FrostyOtter · 1 week ago

  • Thistle II, a english cocker spaniel

    Thistle II

    Thistle II pretending the mud was not their idea.

    GentleFinch · 2 weeks ago

Living with a english cocker spaniel

Ask for the familial nephropathy DNA test. It is a recessive kidney disease that causes renal failure in young dogs, and the test has essentially eliminated it from tested lines. Ask for PRA testing too.

So-called rage syndrome — sudden unprovoked aggression — has a genuine association with solid golden and red lines, though it is rare and frequently over-reported. Ask a breeder about temperament in their lines and meet the parents.

Ear infections are the routine complaint, and this is the breed most associated with them: the ear is long, heavy and hairy, so it closes over a canal that then stays warm and damp. Clean weekly and keep the hair inside trimmed. A cocker whose ears keep becoming infected usually has an underlying allergy rather than an ear problem, and treating each infection without finding that means treating it every few months for life.

The coat needs brushing several times a week and trimming every couple of months.

Ask whether the dog is show or field bred; field cockers need considerably more work.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual dogs vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.

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