Breed Description: The American Cocker Spaniel is an active, friendly dog with a refined, rounded head, long, lobular ears and a sturdy compact body. Although mostly sought after for companionship, the Cocker Spaniel still retains the keen hunting instincts typically found in all spaniels.
Group: Sporting
Purpose of Breed: Hunting and flushing small game
Country of Origin: USA
Average Size: Averages 14-15 inches and 24-28 pounds
Color(s): Jet black, and other solid colors; may include tan markings; also parti-colored.
Coat Type: The Cocker Spaniel has a medium-length silky coat along the back and sides of its body, except for its ears, chest, abdomen and legs, which are covered with profuse amounts of long, silky, flat or wavy hair.
Grooming: The Cocker Spaniel's beautiful coat needs to be bathed and brushed frequently and taken to a professional grooming salon on a regular basis. This breed requires standard care for ears, pads and nails. Eyes should be cleaned regularly.
Exercise Needs: Although very adaptable to apartment living, the Cocker Spaniel enjoys fresh air and daily exercise and excels in active sports like agility competitions.
Temperament: This warm and friendly breed can become overly excited and requires lots of love and attention. Sensitive, loving and faithful, Cocker Spaniels make wonderful companions and are happiest when they feel like part of the family.
Common Ailments: Eye sensitivities
Life Expectancy: Averages 10-14 years Trivia: Rutherford B. Hayes owned a Cocker Spaniel named "Dot."
More Information: The American Cocker Spaniel Club, Inc. www.asc-cockerspaniel.org
This page contains the following solutions.
As a profound animal lover of all kinds, a lot of my pet experiences haven't always been the best. My greatest accomplishment was when I found the most well behaved, sociable, Cocker Spaniel puppy! I've had my dog, Beauty, for 4 yrs. Now. My 6 year old son is super over active and can be a lite rough with Beauty.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
By Karen from Waldron, AR
To begin with, according to the American Kennel Club, Cocker Spaniels don't come in "miniature", so it sounds as if what you have is probably a "runt of the litter" or a cross with a smaller breed. From the picture I'd say the breeder bred down (breeding one runt to another) until he/she got what he/she is calling a "miniature".
She's so cute! A real sweetie, you are blessed to have her. I have 2 Cocker/Springer Spaniel mixes. We call them "Sprockers" for fun. Cockers are smart, they love paper tissues, we keep our waste baskets either in a cabinet or on top of our dressers. But, Cockers are prone to skin allergies and unfortunately also to eye problems and even blindness. Our Sadie went blind about 4 years ago. She's still the leader of the pack and gets around great. The only down side is we can't move the furniture! She runs through the house, goes out the dog door, across the deck, down the stairs and through the backyard. She's so smart that she's memorized where she can run without getting hurt. Wishing you all the best with your new puppy. Cocker Spaniels are so special.
Deborah, Thank you! She is a very cute and sweet lil' dog and very loveable. I am still learning a lot about her. I have only had her for a year now I got her when she was 2 months old.
Crickentnc, My Cocker Spaniel, Lady is the same exact size now that she is in the pic above. She has not grown any at all. Lady is now a year old. She turned a year back in March. She is full of love she is such a loveable lil' dog.
I have been a breeder of American and English Cocker Spaniels for 12 years. I have had people contacting me wanting to buy miniature Cocker Spaniels. They are even telling me that they have seen them that weigh only 5-8 lbs.
I know that a true full blood Cocker does not come in miniature size or in a tea cup version. How can I prove this to them?
Share with them the Akc guidelines.
People will believe what they want no matter what you tell them, which is sad. The only thing you can do is show official breeder documents and refuse to deal with them, politely of course.
They will find someone disreputable to get them what they want so be active with your rescue and breeder groups locally to shut down bad breeders.
Check out these photos.
This is a picture of the newest member of our family. Her name is Star and she is a miniature Cocker Spaniel that we got from the pound last October. They said she is about 7 years old.
Maxis a 2 year old Cocker Spaniel. Our little darling doggie was found wandering in a subdivision, had on a rabies tag, and they could not locate the people who had it. We think they simply moved away and left him
Chucci is a 10 month old American Cocker Spaniel. We got him last July. He likes to hang out with me! Chucci loves our walks in the country every morning.
Lily is an 18 month old American Cocker Spaniel. I saw puppies advertised on a community bulletin board. I went to see them and fell in love with her.
Our dog's name is Bailey and the cat is Cleo. Our 4 month old Cocker Spaniel loves our 9 year old Calico cat.
Millie is an 8 year old Cocker Spaniel. I got Millie a year ago from a family that had 8 dogs, and some of them were picking on her and biting her. The family decided to find her a new home.
I received him from a breeder in August. My previous Cocker had passed away a few weeks prior after battling lung cancer, and Merlin was having difficulty finding a home due to a congenital defect. No one seemed to want this adorable little puppy who would need surgery. Well, they missed out. He had his surgery last week and is doing fabulous!
Lily Belle is 18 months old and an American Cocker Spaniel. I got my pet from a farmer, who had both the father and mother. She was being advertised on a community bulletin board.
Fantasia is a 3 year old Black and Tan Cocker Spaniel. She was a birthday gift from my kids. Fantasia loves to chase tennis balls.
I adopted her from a Cocker Spaniel rescue shelter when she was one year old. She loves to run and to chase balls.
Lacey is seven and a half years old. Lacey is a small sable American Cocker Spaniel who I purchased from a local breeder who decided to get out of the business. I was waiting on Lacey to have another litter, so I could get one of her puppies.
It was the owner's lost and our gain! The family that Lucky came from had 2 dogs, a Pit and Lucky. The owners wanted to keep the Pit for breeding and said they could not afford 2 dogs. We felt that the reasons although not good, were great for our family.
Bentley is 4 years old. Technically he's a Cocker Spaniel, but he thinks human. Bentley came into my life in early 2006, as a puppy. I can't imagine a day without him now.
Even our Millie gets hot in AZ! We moved from WA to AZ and even our dog Millie had a hard time getting used to the heat and needed the fan. Its now her favorite place to sit.
