Cocker Spaniel
History
The English Cocker Spaniel is a breed of gun dog. The
name cocker comes from the fact that the breed originally
hunted woodcock. It is one of several varieties of spaniel
and somewhat resembles its American cousin, the American
Cocker Spaniel, although it's closer to the working-dog
form of the Field Spaniel and the Springer Spaniel. Outside
the US, the breed is usually known simply as the Cocker
Spaniel, as is the American Cocker Spaniel within the US.
The word "spaniel", means a "dog of Spain".
It is generally accepted that Spaniels are traced back
to Spain for their development as a hunting and retrieving
breed of dog. From Spain the dogs were transported, traded,
given away as gifts, or simply traveled with their masters
to England.
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 1800’s.
Before 1892 cocker spaniels were not specifically bred
as such or recognized as a separate breed by the
English Kennel Club. One litter of springer spaniels
would
produce three types of dogs (springers, Sussex, and
cockers).
Bench shows in England were confusing as pups would
be entered
as cockers one year and springers the next year as
they grew larger. During the 1850’s and 60’s other
dogs types of cockers were recorded. There were Welsh Cockers
and Devonshire Cockers. The first Cocker strain to become
well known and to make definite strides toward the Cocker's
recognition as a separate and distinct breed in England,
was the "Obo" kennel of Mr. James Farrow.
The English Cocker Spaniel had been imported from
Great Britain to North America and Canada in the
1870's and
the English and American Cocker Spaniel had identical
histories
up until around the 1930's. They were considered
one breed of spaniel. When the English Cocker Spaniel
was
introduced
to North America, it originally was for the purpose
of hunting small birds, such as pheasant, grouse,
and woodcock.
The English Cocker Spaniel under went significant
changes within a number of kennels during the 1920's
and 1930's,
to achieve a different type of dog. There were
those breeders who were breeding for conformation,
or show
purposes, and
those who were breeding for field work. The result
was an "Americanized" Cocker Spaniel, slightly smaller,
1 to 2 inches shorter at the withers, a smaller head and
muzzle, a more dramatic down-slope of the top line, and
a longer, silkier, more dense coat of hair. The year 1935
brought about a dramatic change in that the breeders who
favored the English style, formed a separate club from
the original American Cocker Spaniel Club (established
in 1881), and agreed not to interbreed their lines with
this new "Americanized" variety.
American
Cockers have been a highly popular American breed since
the 1940s, occupying the top position
in number of
American Kennel Club registrations from 1940-1952.
The breed declined a bit in popularity and then
resurged to #1 in registrations from 1984-1990.
Since then, the breed's popularity has declined. Some
say the reason is puppy mills churning out poor quality
dogs with health and temperament problems, while others
say it was show breeders who bred the sporting
and companion qualities out of the American Cocker
in favor of a certain style of looks that are falling
out of favor with the American public, but it is probably
a combination of both.
In
the last fifteen years, dedicated breeders have been
bringing the American Cocker back to his original loving,
stable, loyal nature. When selecting a puppy, be sure to
only buy from a reputable breeder that will allow you to
see the parents. Puppies in the pet store window may be
cute, but may very well cost you a great deal of vet bills
and heart-ache.
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