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| "The cocker is gentle, lively and full of fun." |
"Sue is brushing her pet cocker spaniel. She says she is gentle and lively and full of fun. He is of the sporting class of dogs."
THE COCKER SPANIEL
Origin - presumably an related to the field spaniel.
Uses - hunting, principally woodcock and partridge.
General Description - Embodying the foregoing, i. e., a neat headed, wide-awake, serviceable-looking little dog, with an expression of great intelligence, short in body when viewed from above, yet standing over considerable ground for one of his inches upon strong straight front legs with wide, muscular quarters, suggestive of immense power, especially when viewed from behind.
A downward tendency in front he ought not to possess, but should stand well up at the shoulders like the clever little sporting dog that he is. Massive in appearance by reason of his sturdy body, powerful quarters and strong well-boned limbs, he should, nevertheless impress one as being a dog capable of considerable speed combined with great powers of endurance and in all his movements he should be quick and merry with an air of alertness and a carriage of head and stem suggestive of an inclination to work
Skull - Not so heavy as in other sporting Spaniels, with smooth forehead and clearly defined eyebrows and stop, the median line distinctly marked and gradually disappearing until lost rather more than half-way up a well- developed, rounded and comparatively wide skull showing no prominence in the cheeks, which, like the sides of the muzzle, should present a smooth, clean-cut appearance.
Muzzle - Proportionately shorter and lighter than in the Field Spaniel, showing no fullness under the eyes, the jaws even and approaching squareness. Teeth sound and regular, the front ones meeting. Lips cut off square, preventing any appearance of snipiness. None well developed in all directions, and black in color, excepting in the reds, livers, parti-color of these shades, and in the roans of the lighter hues, when it may be brown or black.
Eyes - Comparatively large, round, rather full, yet never goggled nor weak as in the Toy Spaniel kinds. They should he dark in the blacks, black- and- tans, the darker shades of parti-colors and roans. In the reds and livers, and in the parti-colors and roans of these colors, they should be brown, but of a shade not lighter than hazel.
Ears - Lubular, set low, leather fine and not extending beyond the nose, well clothed with long, silky hair which should be straight or wavy.
Neck and Shoulders - Neck sufficiently long to allow the nose to reach the ground easily, muscular, free from throatiness and running into clean-cut, sloping shoulders which should not be wide apart at the points.
A downward tendency in front he ought not to possess, but should stand well up at the shoulders like the clever little sporting dog that he is. Massive in appearance by reason of his sturdy body, powerful quarters and strong well-boned limbs, he should, nevertheless impress one as being a dog capable of considerable speed combined with great powers of endurance and in all his movements he should be quick and merry with an air of alertness and a carriage of head and stem suggestive of an inclination to work
Skull - Not so heavy as in other sporting Spaniels, with smooth forehead and clearly defined eyebrows and stop, the median line distinctly marked and gradually disappearing until lost rather more than half-way up a well- developed, rounded and comparatively wide skull showing no prominence in the cheeks, which, like the sides of the muzzle, should present a smooth, clean-cut appearance.
Muzzle - Proportionately shorter and lighter than in the Field Spaniel, showing no fullness under the eyes, the jaws even and approaching squareness. Teeth sound and regular, the front ones meeting. Lips cut off square, preventing any appearance of snipiness. None well developed in all directions, and black in color, excepting in the reds, livers, parti-color of these shades, and in the roans of the lighter hues, when it may be brown or black.
Eyes - Comparatively large, round, rather full, yet never goggled nor weak as in the Toy Spaniel kinds. They should he dark in the blacks, black- and- tans, the darker shades of parti-colors and roans. In the reds and livers, and in the parti-colors and roans of these colors, they should be brown, but of a shade not lighter than hazel.
Ears - Lubular, set low, leather fine and not extending beyond the nose, well clothed with long, silky hair which should be straight or wavy.
Neck and Shoulders - Neck sufficiently long to allow the nose to reach the ground easily, muscular, free from throatiness and running into clean-cut, sloping shoulders which should not be wide apart at the points.
Legs and Feet - Fore-legs short and straight, though proportionately longer than in any of the other breeds of short-legged Spaniels, strongly boned and muscled with elbows well let down and straight, short, strong pasterns. Hind-legs proportionately short. Stifles well bent. Second thighs dearly defined. Hocks clean, strong, well let down, bent and turning neither in nor out, the hind quarters from a back view, presenting an impressive combination of propelling power. Feet neither small nor large, round, firm, nut spreading and with deep, strong, horny pads and plenty of hair between the toes. They should turn neither in nor out.
Stern - Should be set on and carried level with the back, and when at work its action should be incessant in this, the brightness and merriest of the whole Spaniel family.
Coat - Flat or slightly waved, silky and very dense, with ample Setter-like feather.
Color and Markings - Blacks should be jet black, and reds, livers, etc., should never be of faded or "washy" shades, but of good, sound colors. White on the chest of self-colors, while objectionable, should not disqualify.
Weight - Not under or exceeding 24 lbs.
Coat - Flat or slightly waved, silky and very dense, with ample Setter-like feather.
Color and Markings - Blacks should be jet black, and reds, livers, etc., should never be of faded or "washy" shades, but of good, sound colors. White on the chest of self-colors, while objectionable, should not disqualify.
Weight - Not under or exceeding 24 lbs.
Comments: Known as the "Merry Cocker", the American Cocker Spaniel breed standard defines the ideal dog of the breed as being "equable in temperament with no suggestion of timidity." The breed ranks 20th in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, a rating that indicates good "Working or Obedience Intelligence", or trainability. IQ tests run on a variety of breeds in the 1950s and 1960s showed that the American Cocker performed the best when tested on its ability to show restraint and delayed response to a trigger, a trait which was put down to the breed's bred-in ability when hunting to freeze upon finding a bird before flushing it out on command. However, they proved to be the worst breed tested when it came to manipulating objects with their paws, for instance uncovering a dish of food or pulling on a string.
With a good level of socialization at an early age, an American Cocker can get along with people, children, other dogs and other pets. This breed seems to have a perpetually wagging tail and prefers to be around people; it is not best suited to the backyard alone. Cockers can be easily stressed by loud noises and by rough treatment or handling.
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