Posted on May 05, 2009 by: WayCoolDogs

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There is nothing more beautiful and cuddly than the Cocker Spaniel, a power pack of extreme loyalty and playfulness which has two breed lines — the English and the American breeds. Consisting of a bundle of pure joy put together in a small and solidly-built dog with long ears and extremely soulful eyes, we have chosen this wonderful breed as our Way Cool Dog of the Month.

The Cocker  Spaniel involves many classifications, colors and shapes with the gorgeous ten-year old Sussex Spaniel, “Clussexx Three D Grinchy  Glee”, winning the Best of Show at the 2009 Westminster Kennel Club. Very few dog shows go by without a cocker spaniel either winning or placing in them, a breed which can be relatively easy to train and like most dogs — if properly socialized as a young puppy by their breeder or owner — will get along well with other pets and children.

Generally, this affectionate breed of dog is pretty full of himself and thinks he or she is  “boss” of the household with their favorite location at your feet or to your side…and not too far from their favorite toy. Loyal to a fault, they are wonderful family dogs as long as they are bred correctly and do not come from breeders where they are simply a number. This is a breed which needs people and companionship around at all times, and if lacking (such as in a permanent kennel situation) will turn shy or retiring, with some behavior issues that may develop.

HISTORY OF THE SPANIEL

One of the more popular breeds, the Spaniel has a wonderful lineage which goes back to Spain in the early 1300s. The name “cocker” comes from the name of a bird the dog was bred to hunt — the woodcock. With the Spanish Spaniel the forerunner of the Clumber, English and American Spaniel, they were referred to as the “Spanyell”. Divided into water and land spaniels, the cockers came to be the smallest of the Spaniel line and of the Sporting Group.

Over time, the cocker line  split onto the American Cocker and the English Cocker Spaniel lines–two slightly different looking spaniel dogs even though they are of the same breed.

THE AMERICAN COCKER

The Cocker was developed by crossing spaniels and setters in the 1600s, while being split  into two groups: the land spaniel and the water spaniel. By 1892, the English Cocker Spaniel was recognized as a breed in the UK, but some had been brought earlier into the United States around the 1870s, being bred into an entirely different line which developed into the American Cocker Spaniel that we recognize today.

The American Cocker loves to hunt, and is a perfectly qualified gun dog who covers his hunting territory pretty well. Highly adept at flushing game, they are excellent at retrieving only under command when trained to do so. Also considered an excellent water dog, this breed is very popular with the hunters of fowl. Also, they make excellent family pets, companion dogs, and are considered an excellent “over-all” dog.

THE ENGLISH COCKER SPANIEL

The English Cocker Spaniel was divided into the Clumber, the Sussex, the Welsh Springer, the English Springer, the Field, the Irish Water Spaniel and the Cocker — all originating from the original spaniel breed imported into England from Spain. Of these seven breeds, the Cocker (both American and English) along with the Springer Spaniels were developed together with the  Kennel Club of English separating them into individually-separate breeds in 1892. By the year 1940, both the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the Canadian Kennel Clubs (CKC) recognized the American and English Cocker Spaniel as two entirely different breeds.

Like the American Cocker Spaniel, the English Cocker Spanile can hunt or be used as a companion dog due  to the gentle and good-natured personality. Many talents abound in these two lines–competitive obedicence, tracking, watchdog, agility, and retrieving.

GROOMING OF THE COCKER

If you are looking for a breed of dog which requires little maintenance and grooming, the  cocker probably is not for you. The Cocker Spaniel has a medium-length coat which requires routine grooming, especially around the ears, the chest hair, and around the feet/legs. Otherwise, painful knots will form which have a tendency to pull skin loose as the curly hair will keep twining and pulling with weight and dampness.

Once groomed, the Cocker Spaniel has a tendency to become even more curly and wavy with every cutting, especially the American breed. Many cockers which were wavy as younger dogs will eventually become pretty tight-curly by the time they reach two years of age if left completely uncut for any length of time.

The Feet of the Cocker Line

One of the most important, also the most neglected, grooming of this breed is their feet. In the winter, huge ice balls have been found within the balls of their feet. This can maim or cripple dogs if they are left un-attended very long. The excess hair in this footpad area packs around the snow and ice, becoming larger if left unattended. The dogs end up attempting to walk on huge balls of ice, especially if left in kennels which are left with excess ice or snow.

Their naturally-webbed feet are excellent for swimming and retrieving fowl and flushing game in marshlands. Locked in a kennel, they can be disastrous. Massaging gently around the dog’s foot will probably find some serious stones which have formed out of the hair and mud, or hair mixed with snow or ice. Cutting the hair in this area with a clipper or small scissors with rounded tips can prevent such a thing from happening.intel

The Ears of the Cocker

The ears of the cockers are considered the most challenging of areas to groom on this dog. Due to their length and dragging on the ground, slopping around in their food bowl, or even in their water bowls–without proper grooming and care the dog can eventually go deaf or develop severe ear/eyes/nose/threat issues.

The care of the cocker ears involves some pretty basic steps — they just need to be taken care of on a routine weekly basis. If the dog’s ears have no smell and do not leave some form of residue on the wipe or cotton ball, simply wipe the inside of the ear. If there is an odor or you see residue when cleaning, they may have some type of bacteria or fungus which will require a vet along with some form of treatment and/or antiobiotic.

HERBAL TREATMENT FOR THE EARS

Signs of ear problems are the animal dragging their head around the floor, consistent scratching of the ear area, swollen ear flaps, or digging at the area. A good ear cleaner and treatment is “Blue Ear Power” to prevent getting to this point, but if the ear feels hot or the dog has developed a fever…head to the vet.

If you feel you have more ear problems in the spring or summer (this is the pollen season) then add stinging nettle or mullein leaf to their food. If the dog has a yeast bacterial infection from excess moisture held in the ear, then add grapefruit seed extract, echinacea tincture, or other infection-fighting herbs for short durations. If the ear improves, repeat the dosage as needed within two week periods until you are sure it clears up. Any repeated ear infections with a fever will require a trip to the vet to rule out anything serious, other than a lack of ear care.

GROOMING THE COCKER EARS

When grooming the cocker ears, it is best to keep the hair trimmed off the ears reaching halfway down the ear leather (both inside and out). Dogs that are in the water more or swim a lot tend to have more infections than those who do not. I personally keep the hair clipped short inside, leaving it longer on the outside but not dripping into their water/food pans

Colors of the Spaniels

The colors of the cockers are buff, black and parti-colors with buff the most popular color around. Another thing to remember is that deafness may occur in the  parti-colors while hip dysplasia occurs more in the solid colors, so choose a breeder who has their dogs already tested.

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