American Cocker Spaniel

Breed Rating

Breed Details

General

The American Cocker Spaniels are pure breed dogs which originated from English Cocker Spaniels brought to the United States. Cockers are dedicated workers, sweet, gentle, cheerful, amusing and charming who puts great respect to their owners. They are great for apartment or small space living as long as they are exercised daily to keep them happy and balanced dogs.

Socialization should be a part of this dog's training to ensure that they do not develop shyness which can escalate to negative behaviors. With humans with great leadership skills, this dog will remain stable and could be trusted with children.

Color

This breed usually comes in a variety of solid color, merle, black with tan points, solid color with tan points and parti-color. Some more color combinations can also be white with red or buff, white with black and tan points or white with black.

Coat

The breed's silky coat is either flat or wavy. It is in medium length on the body while fine and short on the head. There is also feathering on their legs, abdomen, chest and ears. There are two types of breed developed for the American Cockers: field lines and show lines. Field lines which are bred for working have shorter coats than the show lines making it perfect for working in the woods.

Personality

This breed is bold and dedicated workers. Cheerful, sweet and gentle dogs. They are of average intelligence and highly respects their master making them easy to train. Very charming, amusing and trustworthy in nature. They should be socialized early in life to avoid developing their shyness. Field lines have better hunting skills than show lines.

Care

The American Cockers major health concern are cataracts, glaucoma and patellar luxation. Other issues that should be watched out for are allergies, cardiomyopathy, CHF, ectropion, entropion, hip dysplasia, lip fold pyoderma, liver disease, otitis externa, phosphofructokinase deficiency, PRA, prolapse of nictitans gland, seborrhea and urolithiasis. There also reports of issues with IMHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia). These dogs tend to tear such that they are required to be wiped under the eyes often. If you prefer to leave the coat long, it needs to be brushed daily and shampooed frequently. Cutting and clipping should also be done regularly making sure their eyes are never covered by their coats. Be careful not to pull out the silky hair while brushing. During walks, try to avoid brushy thickets as these can cause their coats to tangle. This breed is an average shedder.

Training

These dogs are very playful, active and loyal but socialization should be a part of their training as early as possible to avoid a tendency for shyness. American Cockers with a good pack leader are great with children. Although they can be a challenge when it comes to housebreaking, they are pretty easy to train and get along nicely with other animals.

Activity

The American Cocker Spaniels need a lot of exercise to burn off their excess energy. They are active indoors and can be fine with a small yard but they still need to satisfy their primal instinct to walk and sniff.