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English Cocker Spaniel

The English Cocker Spaniel is a worthy member of the Cocker family. Despite its hunting roots, this pet came to court as a favorite pet. English cockers are a pleasant appearance, excellent manners, a dog for the soul, for the family, for friendship.

English Cocker Spaniel

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Origin of english cockers

Like most modern hunting breeds, the English Cocker Spaniels ancestors were “ash” hunting dogs, information about which came to us since the Bronze Age. During the excavations, scientists often found the remains of animals in the ashes, this was the reason for this name, and, in addition, suggested that in ancient centuries, people burned dogs for ritual purposes. But, naturally, such a fate was not waiting for all pets, because even then the dogs were excellent helpers for humans.

Over time, people were able to bring the same type of dogs with excellent qualities of a hunter - spaniels. But then there was no separation of their nationality. Some scientists believe that the first spaniels appeared on the Spanish lands, while others associate their origin with the British dogs of the Agass breed. The British themselves in this matter are based on the very name of the breed - “Spean Speyn” means “one who can jump high”. Spaniel dogs do possess this quality. As for the second word, there is no particular dispute here - “cocker” (woodcock) is translated as woodcock, which these dogs hunted.

The breeding of English Spaniels came at the beginning of the XIX century, and at the end of the century the first club of this breed was formed. This was the first step to the recognition of these dogs as a separate breed and led to their popularization throughout the world.

The progenitor of all representatives of the Cocker breed is the male Obo, born in England in the late 19th century. After him remained numerous offspring. And his son Obo II marked the beginning of a breed of American Cockers.

In 1893, the British registered a new breed, the standard of the English Spaniel appeared in almost 10 years. Initially, these beauties could be seen under the name “Field Spaniel” at exhibitions, later they were informally called merry Cockers. The world standard of English Spaniels was officially developed only in the period of the 80s of the last century, and so far breeding takes place according to its criteria.

On the territory of Russia, English Cockers were not accepted immediately. Although they appeared here at the beginning of the 20th century, they were not engaged in breeding, there were very few dogs.

In the 70s, they finally paid attention to these Cockers, and in the 80s, their popularity increased tremendously. Not only hunters, but also ordinary lovers of these four-legged friends wanted to have pets of this breed.

Description of dogs of this breed

Description of English Cocker Spaniel

American Cocker Spaniels have a compact body. According to the standard, its representatives must comply with the following parameters:

  • the weight of an adult dog varies between 13.5-14, 5 kg;
  • height of males - 39-41 cm at the withers;
  • the height of females is around 37-39 cm.

The shades of wool are the most varied: monochromatic golden, red, pure black, white, with brown wool and tan, liver, roan, as well as mixed shades.

Cocker's coat is tender, feels like silk to the touch, long. Not curly, slightly curly, but may be straight, with a good dense undercoat. On the lower part of the body, the wool forms a skirt of long hair, on all paws there is a fringe. The standard does not correspond to individuals with curly, fluffy or hard wire coat, as well as dogs without undercoat.

The appearance of dogs of this breed attracts glances and not without reason:

  • Dogs have a squat, muscular body , proportionally folded, with flexible curves.
  • The head is flat, and the muzzle has a very expressive look, only big wet eyes are worth. Looking into them, you immediately realize that this is a very developed and intellectual being. In addition, they can be used to assess the state and mood of a pet: if he is alert and cheerful, then his eyes are bright, cheerful, with a moist face, and for a sick and sad spaniel they go out and lose their luster.
  • Dogs have a powerful bite and a strong neck .
  • Paws of Cockers are muscular, strong, covered with a rich coat of wool.
  • The ears of the dogs of this breed are truly their pride - long and wide auricles that hang on thin cartilage, have a tight fit to the head, and are evenly covered with wavy delicate hair. According to the standard, the base of the auricle should be flush with the eyes.

Cockers are very graceful dogs, moving smoothly and gracefully, and from the outside it seems that they do not touch the surface with their paws. The characteristic movement for the English Spaniels is a run at light canter.

It is worth noting that the requirements of the standard for this breed are very tough.

Main character traits

By nature, English cockers are playful, responsive and lively. These pets are very sociable, loyal and for them the best condition is to be closer to the owner.

Thanks to their good nature and friendliness, they are ideal for families with small children, and their tirelessness is an excellent quality for older children. But Cocker can be a great companion for a lonely elderly person. No matter how many members there are in a family, only one person will be truly close to a cocker.

English Cocker Spaniel Character

In the photo English Cocker Spaniel

Some members of the breed can become so attached to their owners that they lose their independence. Proper education in puppy age will help to avoid this problem. Another negative trait of English Spaniels can be stubbornness and a sense of ownership, the latter mainly concerns toys and pet supplies.

The most important purpose of the spaniels is related to the hunt, in this case the English Cocker is tireless and hardworking. It has long been used to search for and deliver (approbate) a wounded game. Active and sharp on the hunt, at home it is the kindest creature, the pet of all family members, requiring a lot of attention and affection.

With their relatives, the pet behaves very freely, but outsiders make him alert. This testifies to its excellent guard qualities, the Spaniel thieves will meet with loud and shrill barking.

In addition, spaniels can be jealous, but they do not get offended. Being punished, the Cocker will forget about the incident in half an hour.

It so happened that all breeds of spaniels are notable for their excellent appetite and illegible eating. Therefore, owners must strictly strictly control the pet's food, which is extremely difficult due to the tendency of Cockers to beg. They use all their charm to get a tidbit, and yummy for spaniels is more or less edible.

Among the pets of this breed is rare, but there are individuals with a quiet, timid temper, but in most cases they are sociable curious dogs.

The main character traits of English Cocker Spaniels

The breed of dogs English Cocker Spaniel in the photo

Unlike other breeds, English Cockers tend to dominate more females than males. Due to the constant readiness to please the owner, cockers are easy to train. Some English Spaniels have one drawback - the propensity for long and bristling barking.

In addition to hunting a spaniel, you can rightly be considered a sports dog. Individuals are very energetic, constantly in motion. They can boast an excellent sense of smell and vision, which is laid along with the hunting instincts. From a penchant for hunting for small animals and birds, the dog will never be weaned; if possible, the dog will pursue the prey to the end. If the pet is properly raised, he will be able to get along with the cats, and sometimes even finds a common language with them.

Read about the nicknames for Cocker Spaniels .

English Cocker Content and Care

As already mentioned, the English Spaniels love to eat, which means that the owners have two tasks - not to overfeed the pet and provide it with the necessary load. Otherwise, you can get an obese, spattered, lethargic animal.

Wool from a spaniel requires a special approach, regular brushing, trimming , trimming . Already from the very appearance of a puppy spaniel in the house, it is necessary to teach him to be patient with these procedures. He should react normally to the Groommer table, patiently allow him to do the necessary manipulations with him.

In addition, the pet owner must himself be ready for fairly time-consuming care - regular combing becomes even more frequent during the seasonal molting season.

Maintenance and care for English Cocker Spaniels

Almost all spaniels have a peculiarity - to put their ears in a bowl while eating, such is their anatomical feature. When feeding with dry food, there are no problems, but when feeding natural food, it is better for your pet to tie up its ears or buy a special cup in which the top is narrowed. Otherwise, another problem will join the combing - washing the ears twice a day.

Spaniel ears also require regular inspections, as they completely hide the shell. They need to be cleaned every 1-2 weeks, and remove the hair near the ear canal.

Particular attention should be paid to the eyes of the pet, as the English spaniels are prone to eye diseases . At the slightest deviation from the norm, you should contact your veterinarian. Cockers live with proper care, an average of 13-15 years, 16-year-old dogs already belong to the category of long-livers.

If you compare the content of the Cocker Spaniel with dogs of other breeds, then it can be assessed as rather complicated.

Very important articles:

Proper haircut English Cockers

Many owners of these dogs are trying to get from the pet show species, clipping wool in the back. But experts note that this is absolutely not recommended. In order to achieve the desired result, it is necessary to comb the coat of wool from the extra undercoat hairs, then the rest of the wool will lie flat and tight.

If you cut the guard hair at least once, then he will never be able to lie down properly, and the exhibition expert may well lower the marks for the wrong exterior of the pet.

Spaniels start trimming very early, most breeders give puppies to new owners with a new trimmer. This greatly facilitates further care and trimming.

Photos of English Cocker Spaniels

English Cocker Spaniel on the pondEnglish Cocker Spaniel at homeEnglish Cocker Spaniel in a GladeEnglish Cocker Spaniel PuppiesEnglish Cocker Spaniel in the mountainsEnglish Cocker Spaniel Resting

Video about cockers

How and how much to buy a puppy

To get a pet of this breed can be difficult if you give preference to the official breeders. There are very few of them in Russia. In addition, you can contact the National Breed Club and buy a puppy in a reputable kennel. If you want to have a similar four-legged friend, then in any case you can do it.

If it is intended to use the English spaniel exclusively for hunting, then it is better to take a bitch. They concentrate more on teams.

The price of an English Cocker Spaniel with documents starts at 20,000 rubles, while a puppy from titled parents costs much more, around 150,000. What puppy, for what purposes, and for what amount to buy, the owner decides for himself.

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