ENGLISH COCKER SPANIEL
APPEARANCE
The Cocker is an adorable sturdy, compact, well-balanced dog. It has a characteristic expression showing intelligence and alertness. Coat is medium-length, silky and smooth. It should not be curly. The most common colors are liver roan (with or without tan markings), orange roan, blue roan, liver patches (with or without tan markings), black, black and tan, white with black, red, russet brown, or liver. hese dogs weigh in at 25-32 pounds for females and around 28-35 pounds for males. The height of the female English Cocker Spaniel is around 14-16 inches inches, and the height of the male is around 17-17 inches.
PERSONALITY
The Cocker is extremely loyal and affectionate; bonding very well with the family members. They don’t like being alone. They will also bond strongly to an individual person in a family. Cockers are noted for their optimism, intelligence and adaptability. Some can be overly dependent on their owners to the point where they become clingy, so it is important to teach your English Cocker Spaniel to be independent.
TRAINING
Cockers, like all dogs, need firm obedience training until they understand that you are the alpha dog. However, once this is established, you’ll find the Cocker Spaniel to be very intelligent and easy to train. In fact, this breed is one of the best at competitive obedience training. Males tend to be more cooperative than females who are fairly dominant. Cockers should be handled with gentleness and firmness as they are very sensitive.
EXERCISE
Three walks a day are usually enough to keep them happy, but they also need to have regular opportunities to run freely in the countryside. He enjoys country walks, swimming, fetching a ball and as much exercise as you can give it. This is a great breed to consider for agility or other competitive dog activities, as they love the excitement and the exercise.
SOCIALIZATION
This dog gets along very well with other dogs, cats and family pets in the household. When it comes to children these dogs are generally very good, and they are also very friendly with strangers in most instances. However, this dog does not like to be teased, so children should be taught how to interact with this dog.
LIVING CONDITIONS
The Cocker Spaniel will adapt to a city life so long as it gets enough exercise and activity. An apartment will suffice for the dog if there is a yard for it to play and exercise in. Indoors, they are relatively inactive.
GROOMING
The Cocker Spaniel requires regular combing and brushing, as their texture makes them particularly prone to matting and tangling. They’ll likely need to be bathed a bit more often than some other breeds. Prone to occasional ear problems his long ears require regular care and attention, especially during the summer. Clean out excess wax and check for ticks and signs of infection. They will need to have the hair around the pads of their feet trimmed regularly.
HEALTH ISSUES
English Cocker Spaniels have an average lifespan of 11 to 12 years. Common health issues with English Cockers are bite problems, skin allergies, cataracts, deafness and benign tumors. health issues that can also have an effect on English Cocker Spaniels include canine hip dysplasia, patellar lunation, canine dilated cardiomyopathy, and heart murmurs.
HISTORY
The English Cocker Spaniel or Cocker Spaniel gets its name from the woodcock, a bird that hides in dense thickets and for whom this spaniel was originally bred to hunt.
