Cocker Spaniel Information

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(Cocker Spaniel) The American Cocker Spaniel is the smallest breed of sporting spaniels. They have a compact body with a short back and a gently sloping topline. Their legs are stout, straight, and well-boned. American Cocker Spaniels have a defined, round head with an abrupt stop and a square jaw. Their friendly eyes are round, dark, and close-set, and their strong teeth meet in a scissors bite. Depending on the color of coat, an American Cocker Spaniel could have a brown or black nose. Their dropped ears (pendulous ears) hang very long, and their tails are docked to less than half their original length. American Cocker Spaniels have a beautifully soft, lush, silky, feathered coat. The coat on this breed is of medium length and comes in a wide variety of colors.

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Character

American Cocker Spaniels are commonly used as pets, but they also serve a working purpose. They are naturally kind, affectionate, and sensitive, and they are respectful of authority. American Cocker Spaniels are fairly intelligent, trusting, and cheerful. They are usually excellent with children and very even-tempered. However, there are temperamental variations due to the breed’s popularity. When buying American Cocker Spaniels, it’s important to choose them from reputable breeders. Poor breeding can lead to a number of unappealing characteristics and bad behavior in specimens. Well-bred American Cocker Spaniels are lively, playful, and social. They need proper training from a young age to avoid the onset of shyness.


Cocker Spaniels are good hunters and make great family pets too. They are known for their intelligence and cooperation but may be stubborn. They enjoy interacting with their owners and other dogs. they are a good family pet too. Sometimes training these spaniels may be difficult, but will learn eventually with patience and consistency. The key in training this breed is to keep in mind that these dogs are very sensitive to your emotions and getting upset or frustrated with them is an easy way to lose their trust. For best results be patient.

The Cocker Spaniel is known for aggression problems and may be difficult to train, you must socialize this dog as a puppy if you would like it to get along well with people and other dogs.

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Size

14 – 16 inches
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Weight

15 – 30 pounds
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General Health

American Cocker Spaniels are affected by a number of health concerns. IMHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia) is fairly common in this breed, and is usually a life-threatening condition. Eye and ear problems like infections, PRA, glaucoma, and cataracts are common. Ear inflammation, luxating patellas, and hip dysplasia are less prevalent, but they are still a concern. The average life span of an American Cocker Spaniel is 12 to 15 years, and they average 5 puppies per litter.


Most live on average of 13 to 17 years and yield 5 to 12 puppies per litter.

Puppies weigh 7 to 9 ounces at birth.

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History

The American Cocker Spaniel was originally developed in the United States from careful breeding of the English Cocker Spaniel. The breed is most heavily utilized as a companion and show dog, but it has a number of other natural talents including hunting, tracking, retrieving, and agility. They also make excellent watchdogs.

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Maintenance

American Cocker Spaniels need regular trimming and grooming. Even if their coat is left long, it needs to be maintained. Daily brushing and frequent shampooing are sufficient. American Cocker Spaniels’ eyes need frequent cleaning to prevent the onset of irritation or infection. They are average shedders.


Their ears need to be cleaned at least twice a month, or once a week just to be careful. Otherwise they might develop infection or a case of mites.

A deep food bowl specially made for long eared breeds will help prevent ear infections. The ears should be cleaned weekly.

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Ideal Environment

American Cocker Spaniels are content in any living environment, though they prefer at least a small backyard. This breed needs to be exercised regularly to prevent the onset of weight problems or emotional distress.

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Dog Training!

If you're having problems training your dog or getting control, you should read our review of DogProblems.com. Adam will do whatever it takes to help you whip your dog into shape. I've used them to help with my Great Dane as well as help friends train their dogs. It's the first place I go to help answer users Questions. Many training issues are too extensive to answer in this forum, which is why I refer a lot of the load to his site. Update: I've been using and recommending DogProblems for three years now. I, as well as my users, value the techniques we've learned. I get weekly emails from users who have become better owners from the information they received.

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Cocker Spaniel Q&A

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Our cocker spaniel has become increasingly plagued with the crusty skin associated with cocker spaniels. I try to manage it with veterinarian supplied shampoo and food. Lately he seems to be "shivering" almost constantly and having difficulty jumping up or down and loses his hind quarter traction more easily. Is there a type of illness that plagues cockers or is this simply a question of age. I think he's only 7/8 years old so that doesn't seem logical to me. I'm just looking for some feed back - I hate to run him into the vet - stressful to him AND me...

regarding the difficulty jumping and traction, you should definelty have your dog evaluated by a neuro vet. our cocker had similar problems including the shaking which was due to him hurting. he got to the point he could barely walk. it turned out that he had a disk that had calcified and the ruptured. we were lucky to catch it when we did as he had imediate surgery and recovered perfectly.

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My cocker spaniel has a crust on one side of nose is this something that needs to be treated by a vet?

it may be because she cant lick it and its drying up, our american cocker had it straight across the top of her nose but she was find with it. the vet didnt subscribe anything so i believe it should be ok

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my pup cockerspaniel vey cute he is 8 weeks ol and is bitting and grawling like he is playing but i need to know if this is a big concern what i can do to control it because he play bits my small kids and i heard their great with kids he loves them but i need to know if he is doing it now willl he do it when hes older i dont want him to bit n-e one when he gets big so help people how do i nip this in the but while he is big because i love him alot by the way he is a male and his name is T Mac!!!help

Talk to a trainer and get the little bites under control. My female did the same. As soon as I felt teeth on my skin, I would stop playing and pull my hands away from her, if she continued (usually she would)then I would calmly close and hold her mouth and say wrong. She is now 13 months old and we don't have any play biting problems. I had to be consistant and get it every time. I got this tip from our puppy trainner.

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I've got a puppy from a recent litter that is a black white and tan. He also has big patches of silver on him. Others out of the same litter also have some silver on them. Could you tell me if that changes what color that is? Or what you call that? Cheryl

Hi there,Our two and a half year old female is turning silver too. I've never seen anything like it. She was solid black with just a few white wiskers on her chin. If you ever find out please let me know..

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i have a cocker spaniel , is he almost 8 years old,,, he has really bad ear problems and im constanly going to the vet to get medicine. is there something i can do at home to help with his ear infections... the medication that the vet gives only works when he is on it,, and as soon as it runs out,, it comes back

We had this problem as well. Each week we would sprinkle powerder in his ears.. usually baby powder or corn starch and that seemed to keep him cleared up. With our cocker we use UBAvet. Its a liquid that we warm and put in her ears once a week. We got it from our vet but you can likley buy it on line. In three years she has not had an ear infection so I swear by this.

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We have a 2 year old cocker. He has two problems. he constamtly is scooting across the floor due to anal gland issues. we get them expressed every two weeks (sometimes more) and it keeps coming back. Second problem is he has tremendously itchy feet, belly and near his tail. He is on a science diet food due to a urinary issue. any advice for us? the vet bills are adding up...

Have you tried NUTRO Food? It is specially formulated for allergy sensitive pets---100% Guaranteed--even for taste! And it is all human grade food-- The itching is usually a sign of a food allergey--and corn is a big allergy trigger---Science Diet, I think has 2 different types of corn wihtin their first 3 ingredients---

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Hello! I have a 6 month old cocker spaniel. She is very smart and sweet. But it seems that she has a problem with younger children when they try to pet her (childrens 5 and younger). She growls and tries to bite them. What can I do??

cockers are very shy dogs if you can get the kids to understand the idea try giving the kids treats and tossing them to the dog so the dog relates the small kids with treats after awhile she should warm up to them just be very careful.

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My cocker spaniel is 5 months. The man that breeds the dogs say that he is a miniature cocker. Everyone says that he is getting bigger. How can I tell if its true???

There's no such thing as a "miniature cocker spaniel". Someone scammed you.

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My 15 month old, spayed female, tries to "ride" everyone all the time. I know it's a dominance thing, but my question is: is it normal for her to urinate and pass little feces balls while doing it, or is it a health problem? Her vet has no answers. She gets regular Anal cleaning with grooming.

I suggest you go to a certified trainer. If you stop the action...it's likely that the urinating and feces dropping will go with it.

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I just got a cocker spaniel from a relative. He had an abusive first owner and second owner put him out in a muddy yard no grooming. He is nervous but affectionate. He has one fore leg that he has scratched all the hair from and 2 spots on his rear that have no hair. Please tell me any advice I know nothing about cocker spaniels. I have had to cut off his beautiful ear hair due to mattes. His legs are next but I try not to do too much in 1 day. Any help is appreciated.

It will take time for him to get used to you. Take him to the groomer and get him a nice haircut. I genenral groomers are well trained and know how to handle any dog. Once you develop trust between your new puppy, obidience class is another option. You will really see the difference in your dog behaviour. If the dog was abused and left alone in a back yard, you will need to socialize your doggy with other dogs and people. Have fun spending time with your puppy!!!

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