The English Cocker Spaniel: temperament, price, health, and breeders

The English Cocker Spaniel is among the oldest breeds of British spaniels. Recognized as a breed in its own right in 1873 when the Kennel Club was created, it distinguished itself as a hunting dog that flushes woodcocks, hence the name Cocker derived from woodcock. It was introduced in France by Paul Gaillard at the end of the 19th century and its standard was set in 1901.

The English Cocker Spaniel has a strong and compact body, with a firm and straight topline, a short and broad loin, a well-developed chest and well-sprung ribs. Its coat is medium-length to long, flat, never wavy or curly, with a silky texture, with feathering on the legs and hindquarters. Its lobed ears are set low and furnished with long silky fringes, its brown to dark brown eyes express intelligence and gentleness, and its tail is carried horizontally. The coat may be solid, bicolour, tricolour or roan.

The English Cocker Spaniel is a cheerful, lively, intelligent and affectionate dog. Gentle, docile and pleasant to live with, it readily seeks to please its owner, is playful with children and makes an excellent companion as long as it can get regular exercise.

Very active, the English Cocker Spaniel likes daily outings, long walks, the forest and sporting activities. He prefers the countryside and life in the open air, but can adapt to the city and indoor life if he gets enough exercise and real time to burn off energy each day.

Very intelligent, the English Cocker Spaniel easily assimilates what it is taught. The main difficulty is to channel its enthusiasm and exuberance, which makes early training based on games, rewards, firmness and gentleness useful.

The purchase price of the English Cocker Spaniel generally remains moderate for such a popular breed, but it must be considered along with the cost of coat maintenance, daily activity and health monitoring.

The English Cocker Spaniel is generally robust and can live up to around fifteen years in good conditions. However, the breed requires particular attention to weight, to the care of the long ears to limit ear infections, and to the screening for certain hereditary ocular, orthopedic, cardiac or renal conditions.

The English Cocker Spaniel needs a good-quality diet, suited to its age, its activity and its body condition. As it gains weight easily, its ration must be monitored carefully and adjusted without excess.

The English Cocker Spaniel has largely left its mark on popular culture. It can notably be found with Bill in the comic strip Boule et Bill, with Lady in Lady and the Tramp, and with Bambou in the film of the same name, all references that illustrate its image as an endearing, cunning dog close to its family.