In today’s article, we will know about Dog Breed English Cocker Spaniel. We all at least once in my life, let’s pay attention to a silky shiny dog with a cheerful smile, drooping ears and a tiny tail that does not know a moment of peace.
These happy dog breeds are related to the English Cocker Spaniel. Experts believe that this breed was formed no more than 150 years ago.
It was then that the first English Cocker Spaniels participated in dog shows in a separate class. The name of the breed determines its origin and primary original purpose. The word “spaniel” comes from “Spain”, and the word “cocker” is a modified English name for a woodcock. And, in fact, the first spaniels spread throughout Europe from Spain, where they were used in net hunting. Once in England, cocker spaniels were successfully used in hunting for woodpeckers, which at that time were in great abundance on English moorlands. Spaniels prove themselves very well, rambling through thick undergrowth and making a stand when it is needed.
Nowadays this breed of dogs is rarely used for hunting. Thanks to their small size and excellent sociable and friendly character, cocker spaniels have become coveted pets.
breed standard
The breed standard, according to which dogs are evaluated, was adopted in 2004.
According to him, a full-fledged English spaniel should have the following parameters:
- The height at the withers in males – from 39 to 41 centimeters, in bitches – from 38 to 39 centimeters.
- The weight of the dog should not exceed 14.5 kg. But by inference the original value is given the harmoniousness of the addition of the dog. The temperament and character of the dog is also of great importance.
- The head of the English Cocker Spaniel should be of medium size, with a developed, clearly delineated skull and a clear transition from forehead to nose.
- Ears should be set level, drop-shaped, tapered, with a dog’s eyes covered with low, straight, fine and silky hair.
- Eyes should be attentive, bright, smart, kind and cheerful, eyes large, but without bulge. Eye color can be brown or dark brown. Eyes should not be light. Dogs with chocolate-speckled, white-chocolate and pure chocolate color are given a deep hazel eye color, if it matches the main color.
- The nose of the English Cocker Spaniel should be straight with a well-developed, large lobe. The color of the lobe is only black. Chocolate and white and chocolate colored dogs are allowed chocolate colored lumps.
- The body in dogs should be compact and very strong. The upper line of the body is flat with a slight slope from the loin to the base of the tail.
- Chest – Deep, well developed. The front of the chest is not too wide or narrow.
- The back of a dog of this breed should be straight, strong, muscular and short.
- The forelimbs are straight with strong bones, relatively short in relation to the hind limbs. Wings – with elastic thick pads.
- The hind legs of dogs of this breed are distinguished by well-developed muscles and strong bones. Paws are “kitten” with dense pads.
- The tail is carried slightly below the line of the back. Usually the tail is clipped to ½ or 2/3 of the length. It is desirable that the dog does not constantly keep the tail below the line of the back and actively move it.
- The coat of the English Cocker Spaniel is consistent, silky. Wavy, curly or wire-like wool is not allowed. The body, hindquarters and forelimbs should have well-defined stripes.
- Color dog breed English Cocker Spaniel can be both monophonic and mixed. For monochrome colors, a small white mark on the chest is allowed; in dogs of mixed tones, no color predominance should be observed. All colors should be in equal proportion.
A dog of this breed can be disqualified – he has yellow eyes, a pink nose, clumsy lips and eyelids, any deviation from the scissor bite, umbilical cord.
Breed care and features
The dog breed English Cocker Spaniel requires periodic but regular trimming to release the wool cover from the dead coat. In addition, the dogs need to be combed to avoid the wool getting clogged. Bathing Cocker Spaniels is not recommended. This procedure should be minimized, resorting to it only in emergency situations. With frequent bathing, the quality of the dog’s coat may go down, and dandruff may appear in it.
Careful care is needed long-eared spaniel, especially in summer, when mites and other insects are likely to enter.
Do not overfeed the animal. By nature, a dog of this breed is voracious and can eat everything. It is necessary to control the amount of food consumed by the dog in order to avoid excess carbohydrates and not to treat the dog with different “delicacies” between basic meals. Fighting overweight in these dogs is extremely difficult.
Thanks to their hunting past, Cocker Spaniels are very athletic and active dogs with an unquenchable craving for game and fun. They are happy to do physical exercises and training, especially if you turn these exercises into a kind of game and saturate them.
It is not recommended when training and training an English Cocker Spaniel to be unnecessarily harsh or to beat the animal. This can cause attacks of aggression in dogs. Excessive softness is also not desirable. This can lead to the fact that the dog will get used to subordination to the master and become selfish.
The cheerful, active character of the dog will cure fatigue and depression of a person of any age. Cocker Spaniel can not only provide love and devotion to the owner, but also get a lot of pleasure from communicating with him.