Английский кокер-спаниель: история и характеристики породы.

The English Cocker Spaniel is a breed of gun dog. It is noteworthy for producing one of the most varied numbers of pups in a litter among all dog breeds. The English Cocker Spaniel is an active, good natured, sporting dog standing well up at the withers and compactly built. There are "field" or "working" cockers and "house" cockers. It is one of several varieties of spaniel and is the foundation of its American cousin, the American Cocker Spaniel. The English Cocker is closer to the working dog form of the Field Spaniel and the English Springer Spaniel. English Cocker Spaniels are also known as the "Merry Spaniel" due to their constantly wagging tail. Outside the US, the breed is usually known simply as the Cocker Spaniel, as is the American Cocker Spaniel within the US. The OED states that the word cocker is derived from the fact the breed was used to flush woodcocks.

Spaniel type dogs have been found in art and literature for almost 500 years. Initially, spaniels in England were divided among land spaniels and water spaniels. The differentiation among the spaniels that led to the breeds that we see today did not begin until the mid 19th century. During this time, the land spaniels became a bit more specialised and divisions among the types were made based upon weight. According to the 1840 Encyclopedia of Rural Sports, Cockers were 12–20 lb (5.5–9 kg).

In the late 19th century with the increase in popularity of dog shows and the creation of standards for various breeds, the Spaniel family began to split into various different breeds. A group of enthusiasts decided to create a large black spaniel breed. Four dogs would act as progenitors for this new breed, of which two were Cocker Spaniels, one was a Cocker Spaniel/English Water Spaniel cross and one was a Norfolk Spaniel. This new breed was named the Field Spaniel, and was recognised by the Kennel Club in 1892.

The American Cocker Spaniel was developed from the English Cocker Spaniel in the 19th century to retrieve quails and woodcocks. They were originally divided from the English Cocker solely on a size basis but were bred over the years for different specific traits. The two Cocker Spaniels were shown together in America until 1936, when the English Cocker received status as a separate breed. The American Kennel Club granted a separate breed designation for the English Cocker Spaniel in 1946. and South Africa. In England and Wales, docking can only be carried out on dogs where the owners have proved that the dogs will be used as working or shooting dogs. The breed standard indicates that the males of the breed are on average between at the withers with the females a little smaller, growing to between Both males and females of the breed weigh approximately American Cocker Spaniels are smaller, with males being on average between and females again being smaller on average at between , both weighing approximately .

The breed standard of the United Kingdom's Kennel Club states that in solid colours, no white is allowed except for a small amount on the chest In working Cockers, breeders value working ability over the colour of the dog. Solid English Cocker colours can come in black, liver/brown, red/golden with black or brown pigmentation and Parti coloured cockers come in blue roan, liver roan, orange roan with black or brown pigmentation, lemon roan with black or brown pigmentation, black and white ticked, liver and white ticked, orange and white ticked with black or brown pigmentation, lemon and white ticked with black or brown pigmentation, black and white, liver and white with brown pigmentation, orange and white with black or brown pigmentation, lemon and white with black or brown pigmentation. All of these colours can also have Tan points. Of the solid colours, sable is considered rare and controversial and is classified by some countries as being a type of parti colour on account of its mixed hair shafts. While some have claimed this colour is from a cross with a different breed, geneticists have discovered English Cocker sable is unique to this breed. In addition, a silver/ash colour, usually associated with the Weimaraner dog, is considered genetically possible but is yet to be recorded by the United Kingdom's Kennel Club. Of the roan varieties, lemon roan with a light brown pigmentation is the most recessive of all the roans. With a good level of socialisation at an early age, Cocker Spaniels can get along well with people, children, other dogs and other pets. This breed seems to have a perpetually wagging tail and prefers to be around people; it is not best suited to the backyard alone. Cockers can be easily stressed by loud noises and by rough treatment or handling. When trained with a soft hand and plentiful rewards, the Cocker Spaniel will be an obedient and loving companion with a happy, cheerful nature.

A 2022 UK study of veterinary clinic data found a life expectancy of 11.31 years slightly above the 11.21 overall average but below the 11.82 average for crossbreeds. A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 13.3 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 for crossbreeds. A study made by the University of Cambridge surveying 932 English Cocker Spaniel households throughout Britain found owners to report higher aggression in different coloured English Cocker Spaniels depending on the scenario. A review of 2,318 English Cocker Spainels attending veterinary care found the most common conditions to be: periodontal disease with 20.97% prevalence, otitis externa with 10.09% prevalence, obesity with 9.88% prevalence, anal sac impaction with 8.07% prevalence, diarrhoea with 4.87% prevalence, and aggression with 4.01% prevalence.

This breed, like many others with origins as working dogs, has some genetic lines that focus on working dog skills and other lines that focus on ensuring that the dog's appearance conforms to a breed standard; these are referred to as the "working" (or "field bred") and "conformation" strains, respectively. After World War II, Cocker Spaniels bred for pets and for the sport of conformation showing increased enormously in popular appeal, and, for a while, was the most numerous Kennel Club registered breed. This popularity increased the view that all Cockers were useless as working dogs. Today, this breed is experiencing a resurgence in usage as a working and hunting dog. Dogs from working lines are noticeably distinct in appearance. As is the case with the English Springer Spaniel, the working type has been bred exclusively to perform in the field as a hunting companion. Their coat is shorter and ears less pendulous than the show bred type. Although registered as the same breed, the two strains have diverged significantly enough that they are rarely crossed. The dogs that have dominated the hunt test, field trial and hunting scene in the United States are field bred dogs from recently imported English lines. Working dog lines often have physical characteristics that would prevent them from winning in the show ring. This is a result of selecting different traits than those selected by show breeders. The longer coat and ears, selected for the show ring, are an impediment in the field.

A field bred cocker spaniel is first and foremost an upland flushing dog. In performing this task there are some skills the dog must be trained to perform. Hup This is the traditional command to sit and stay. To be an effective hunter the dog must comply with this command absolutely. When this command is given, the dog can be given directions called to the handler. The ability to hup a dog actively working a running bird allows the handler and any gunners to keep up without having to run. Retrieve to Hand The majority of hunters and all hunt test or field trial judges require that a dog deliver a bird to hand, meaning that a dog will hold the bird until told to give it to the hunter directly. Quarter Dogs must work in a pattern in front of the hunter seeking upland game birds. The dog must be taught to stay within gun range to avoid flushing a bird outside of shooting distance. Follow Hand Signals Upland hunting involves pursuing wild game in its native habitat. Gun dogs must investigate likely covers for upland game birds. The dog must be responsive to hand signals in order for the hunter to be able to direct the dog into areas of particular interest. Steady When hunting upland birds, a flushing dog should be steady to wing and shot, meaning that he sits when a bird rises or a gun is fired. He does this in order to mark the fall and to avoid flushing other birds when pursuing a missed bird.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote two poems to her red cocker spaniel Flush, To Flush, My Dog and Flush or Faunus. The 1930 play The Barretts of Wimpole Street by the Dutch/English dramatist Rudolf Besier also had Browning's red cocker spaniel as a central character. The play was adapted to two film versions in 1934 and 1957, a musical (Robert and Elizabeth), and a 1982 TV film The Barretts of Wimpole Street made by the BBC. Flush: A Biography is a semi fictional biography of Elizabeth Barrett's red cocker spaniel written by Virginia Woolf and published in 1933. Jasper is a cocker spaniel which features in the 1938 Daphne du Maurier novel Rebecca. Garden and Gun Magazine has featured English cockers on the cover of its Sporting South issues several times. An English cocker is prominently featured in several episodes of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small on PBS. An English cocker spaniel named Frisky is featured in the hit TV show Bluey. Frisky, who is voiced by Claudia O'Doherty, is depicted as Bluey's fairy godmother who has started a relationship with Bluey's Uncle Rad.

William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales owned an English Cocker Spaniel called Lupo, bred from Ella, a dog owned by her parents Michael and Carole Middleton. He was a working type English Cocker Spaniel. Lupo was born in a litter just prior to Christmas 2011. Following the birth of Prince George of Wales, Lupo was featured in one of the first official photographs. He was subsequently featured in a family portrait with the Duke and Duchess and Prince George in March 2014. The annual Broadmoor Resort dog parade, which has been held for more than 75 years during the July 4th celebration, has regularly awarded English Cocker Spaniels as "Best Behaved" in the competition. In 2019, BUZZ MAGAZINE a leading society publication in Houston, Texas awarded it's "Houston Dog of the Year" award to a blue roan coloured English Cocker Spaniel "Buddy".