Cocker Spaniel

Description

The Cocker Spaniel, also referred to as Cocker, is a breed of dog that originated in the United States of America. The breed belongs to the sporting group that generally makes excellent companions. It has two modern breeds: the American Cocker Spaniel and the English Cocker Spaniel. Cockers were originally developed as gun dogs, and have been bred for hunting and spaniel field trials. Their coat comes in many various colors. These include solid shades of liver, black, gold, red, and some mixtures of liver and tan or black and tan.

Height and Weight

Both the male and female Cockers generally share a common weight of 24 to 28 lbs. In terms of height, bitches are smaller. They have a 13.5 to 14.5 in height, while the males have 14.5 to 15.5 in height at the withers.

Temperament

Cocker Spaniels are generally gentle and loving. They make excellent family pets for their breed enjoy being around the family, and are specifically excellent with children. Also, Cockers make companionable, loyal, and affectionate family dogs. In addition to that, the breed make admirable gun dogs because of their relentless original hunting instincts. Nevertheless, Cockers do not make outstanding guard dogs. They only bark to let you know that there’s someone coming to the door. Cocker Spaniels are lively, friendly, and enthusiastic by nature. As a matter of fact, they have earned the nickname “Merry Cocker” because of these qualities. The breed is also described as the type that is very intelligent and eager to please.

Grooming

Due to the Cockers’ longer hair, grooming can be a little high maintenance. They need daily brushing and trimming. Even their eyes and ears require regular cleaning to keep them from infections and from acquiring tear stains.

Health Concerns

Cocker Spaniels are a moderately healthy breed with an have an average lifespan of 10 to 14 years. There are, nonetheless, quite a few health issues associated to their breed. These include cataracts, skin conditions, auto-immune diseases, epilepsy, and otitis media.

Best Environment

Members of the Cocker Spaniel breed are capable of thriving in a country or city environment. Since they are inquisitive and amiable, they do very well around people as well as with other pets. Cockers have the capacity to tolerate temperate climates, though they are known to be mainly indoor dogs because of their social nature. In addition to that, Cocker Spaniels need a considerable amount of exercise. Ideally, they need to receive three walks every day. Although they are not very well fitted for dwellings where they cannot freely roam around the yard, apartment-living and other forms of small environments is possible given that similar level of exercise of provided.