American Cocker Spaniel

The American Cocker Spaniel is the smallest of the sporting spaniels — a compact gun dog with a domed head, long low-set ears and a heavy, silky coat.

History

It descends from English Cocker Spaniels taken to North America, where breeders selected for a smaller dog with a shorter muzzle and a fuller coat until the two were recognised as separate breeds in the middle of the twentieth century. It was bred to flush and retrieve woodcock, which is where the name comes from.

Temperament

The breed is known for being gentle, cheerful and eager to please, a sociable dog that attaches closely to its family. It is sensitive to rough handling and does better with encouragement than correction.

Care and training

It needs regular exercise and takes readily to reward-based training. The coat is the real commitment: it mats without frequent brushing and most households clip it, and the long pendulous ears need cleaning and checking as a matter of routine.

Health

Known tendencies include ear infections from the ear shape, several inherited eye conditions, and luxating patellas. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.