American Cocker Spaniels have a fairly decent demand in India. They are not that hard to get and are also quite pocket-friendly. They have an average tolerance to heat and by providing a little extra care during the hotter months, they can efficiently thrive in the Indian households. They are very adjustable to different surroundings and conditions and are also well adaptable to apartment living. They do not require a large amount of space for themselves and can easily reside in smaller houses which are very common in the country. It is an overall good breed to raise anywhere in the world and would always make their owners happy.
American Cocker Spaniels have a compact and sturdy body and are very well balanced. Overall, the Cocker Spaniels are the smallest member of the Sporting group. The Spaniels especially the American ones are known for their good speed and endurance. Official standards for the American Cocker Spaniels are as follow:
Cocker Spaniels (American) are compactly built and their physical characteristics like their weight and height reflect that fact. The average weight of the American Cocker Spaniels is between 9-14 kg and their height is anywhere between 13.5-15.5 inches. Males are just slightly bigger in size than the females.
|
GENDER |
WEIGHT |
HEIGHT |
|
MALE |
12-14 kg |
14.5-15.5 inch |
|
FEMALE |
9-12 kg |
13.5-14.5 inch |
The coat on their body is of medium length and is quite silky and flat, while around the head area, the coat is shorter and fine in texture. They have got enough undercoat that provides decent protection. Their chest, abdomen, legs, and ears are all covered with a heavy coat which has a feathery appearance.
They have a well-proportioned and an ideal sized body with a long and muscly neck which sits strongly on their shoulders. The chest region is deep and sufficiently wide with well-sprung ribs. Forelegs are strongly boned, straight and set close to the body. And, the hind legs are equally sturdy and well-coordinated with the front legs.
They have a rounded head which is proportional and in balance with the rest of the body. They have circular (oval) eyes which are mostly dark brown in color. They also have long, well-feathered ears which are not placed very high on the head.
They have a well-made jaw region with strong and sound teeth which are moderate in size. The upper and lower jaw meets in a scissors bite. Their muzzle is broad and quite deep.
Cocker Spaniels are known for their happy, joyful and an overall positive attitude. They remain in a very good mood most of the times and also possess an all-around even temperament. They are very fond of making new friends and thus loves to meet new people and socialize with them. Apart from an affectionate and loving behavior, they also possess a good amount of intelligence which helps them in learning new things from their owners fairly quickly. They know how to spread happiness and positivity and it is hard to be in a bad mood when a cocker spaniel is close to you.
The American Cocker Spaniel is a very popular sporting breed whose demand is very high in the U.S.A, as expected, and various other parts of the world. Their popularity and demand in the Indian regions are on a gradual rise.
They are one of the jolliest and cheerful dogs to be around. They have an affectionate and contented disposition and are always looking forward to meeting new people as they love to socialize. They also make their trainers very happy as they are very agreeable and responsive while getting trained and they make the training experience fun and easy for the one teaching them new things.
Because of their sweet and amiable nature, they are also known as ‘merry’ cockers. And, due to their good adaptability, fairly easy handling and eager to please nature, they are also considered a decent option for a novice dog owner. The only thing that requires a good amount of time and attention from their owners is the grooming needs. Their fairly long and silky coat requires regular brushing and cleaning but they compensate for that with their average shedding potential.
Cocker Spaniels in general, are divided into two types: the American Cocker Spaniels and the English Cocker Spaniels.
But, when talking particularly about the American Cocker Spaniels, they are mostly divided on the basis of different colors that they can possess. And, these different colors are listed below:
|
Adaptability |
***** |
Sensitivity Level |
***** |
|
Affection Level |
***** |
Potential for mouthiness |
**** |
|
Apartment-Friendly |
***** |
Drooling Potential |
* |
|
Barking Tendencies |
*** |
Energy Level |
**** |
|
Friendly towards dogs |
**** |
Health Issues |
**** |
|
Friendly towards other animals |
*** |
Intelligence |
***** |
|
Child Friendly |
**** |
Playfulness |
**** |
|
Exercise Needs |
*** |
Shedding Level |
*** |
|
Grooming Needs |
***** |
Social Needs |
***** |
|
Good for novice owners |
*** |
Stranger Friendly |
**** |
|
Trainability |
***** |
Watchdog Ability |
*** |
|
Tolerates Heat |
*** |
Tolerates Cold |
**** |
A high-quality nutritious diet will be good for the growth and development of the Cocker Spaniel. The help or advice from a skilled vet can prove to be useful in deciding the final meal for your doggy. Cockers usually do well on a chicken and rice-based diet but it is not always the case, hence altering the diet should be carried out under the supervision of the vet.
They require a moderate amount of exercise to maintain their health and shape. As they are always very glad to spend their time with their family members, so taking them for short walks will make them happy and will be beneficial for their health as well. They also like to play various games with their owners either in the house or outside in a park or an open field. They love to chase after a ball and then retrieve it for their owners.
Cocker Spaniels is people pleasing breed. They love the appreciation and affection of their owners and thus they do very well while getting trained. They are fairly quick learners and the whole process of training them is relatively easy than training some other stubborn breeds. One thing to note is that they are quite sensitive in nature, hence, harsh and critical methods to train them are not recommended.
Heavy grooming is required to maintain their good-looking coat. Daily brushing with a metal comb is necessary to remove extra lose hair to avoid mat formation. Bathing them thoroughly at least twice a month with a good quality shampoo and conditioner is also recommended. Blow drying the coat after the bath is also quite critical. Trimming of nails should also be done as deemed necessary by the owner. The good thing about their coat is that it sheds on an occasional basis and in limited amounts.
American Cocker Spaniels are prone to quite a few health problems. Some of them that are commonly found are:
American Cocker Spaniels do require frequent visits to a skilled veterinarian for regular health and body check-ups.
The Cocker Spaniels are the smallest kind of land spaniels and their history dates back to the 14th century. They were used for hunting the game bird called the woodcock and this was the inspiration behind their name.
Around the year 1870, the Americans impressed by the English Cocker Spaniels, started importing them to the United States. Here, the English Cocker after few years of breeding and development began to take shape and became the modern-day American Cocker Spaniel.
They were recognized as an official breed by the AKC in the year 1878. They became highly popular in the American states because of their sweet and mellow disposition and since then their popularity is on a gradual rise in other countries also.
