English Cocker Spaniel Facts You Should Know (with Pictures).

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English Cocker Spaniel Breed Overview

The English Cocker Spaniel is a small-sized dog.

The adult English Cocker Spaniel stands 1 foot, 3 inches to 1 foot, 5 inches tall at the s.

The English Cocker Spaniel belongs to the Sporting Dogs group.

Dogs in the Sporting Dogs group, like the English Cocker Spaniel, were bred to help hunters catch and retrieve feathered game. Some sporting dog breeds such as Retrievers, which were built for swimming, were bred to hunt waterfowl in water.

Whereas sporting dog breeds like setters, spaniels, and pointing breeds were bred to hunt quail, pheasant, and other game birds nest on grasslands.

Many Sporting Group breeds have thick, water-repellent coats that protect them from harsh hunting conditions.

The fact that the English Cocker Spaniel belongs to the Sporting Dogs group is one of the reasons why English Cocker Spaniels have the personality and temperament that they have.

The temperament of the English Cocker Spaniel is generally described as:

  • Affectionate
  • Faithful
  • Friendly
  • Playful
  • Quiet
  • Trainable

History of the English Cocker Spaniel Breed. Where English Cocker Spaniels came from

There has been evidence of Spaniels since at least the 1300s, according to the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America (ECSCA).

Usually, Springer Spaniels and Cocker Spaniels were from the same litter, with the names being more of a more subtle differentiation based on their size and jobs.

In spite of this, selective breeding led to distinct breeds emerging by the turn of the 20th century, with Springer Spaniels and Cocker Spaniels becoming cousins instead of direct littermates.

In 1881, the American Spaniel Club was founded, and the breeders of both springers and Cocker Spaniels began to breed both for show and for competition instead of just for hunting.

Springers and Cockers were both shown as one breed by the Kennel Club until 1903, when they were separated into a new breed standard.

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What the English Cocker Spaniel Looks Like

The English Cocker Spaniel is a medium sized-dog breed.

In addition to having an elongated, squarish nose and dark-colored eyes, English Cocker Spaniels possess pendant ears.

In accordance with the breed standard, they have long, silky coats with feathering on the ends.

Working dogs often have their hair trimmed much shorter than family pets or show dogs in order to prevent tangles and dirt accumulation.

Cocker spaniels are available in liver, black, red, tan, white, or lemon colors.

English Cocker Spaniels are confused with American Cocker Spaniels but the faces are noticeably the most differing thing between the breeds.

The English Cocker Spaniel is a hard-working dog and prefers to stay busy rather than stay indoors and do mundane daily things.

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How Much is the English Cocker Spaniel Puppy?

How Much English Cocker Spaniels Cost

The average price of a English Cocker Spaniel puppy is $1520. The price of a English Cocker Spaniel puppy ranges from $1200 to $1800.

A lot of factors determine the price of the English Cocker Spaniel. These factors include what health records the English Cocker Spaniel puppy has, the lineage of the English Cocker Spaniel puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.

To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy English Cocker Spaniel based on the many factors that determine the price of the English Cocker Spaniel puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the English Cocker Spaniel puppy based on what you want in the puppy.

When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the English Cocker Spaniel breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.

You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.

Best English Cocker Spaniel Breeders

English Cocker Spaniel Breeders in the United States

We have researched reputable English Cocker Spaniel breeders that you can buy a puppy.

Go to this page for our complete list of reputable English Cocker Spaniel breeders in various states in the United States.

On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.

A few of these breeders are listed below.

  1. Michae Highfield

    Puppy Price: $1300-$1400

  2. Stonepost Kennel

    Puppy Price: $1500

  3. Noah Miller

    Puppy Price: $1250.00

  4. Cryeu2019s English Cocker Spaniels

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  5. Stephens Gun Dogs

    Puppy Price: $2,000

English Cocker Spaniel Growth

English Cocker Spaniel Growth

New English Cocker Spaniel owners need to know about the growth of their English Cocker Spaniels. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.

Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the English Cocker Spaniel will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their English Cocker Spaniel early.

See our calculator for predicting how big your English Cocker Spaniel puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the English Cocker Spaniel at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your English Cocker Spaniel

English Cocker Spaniel

What Colors do English Cocker Spaniels Have?

English Cocker Spaniels come in the following beautiful primary colors:

  • Bicolor
  • Tricolor (Brown, Black, & White)
  • Yellow / Tan / Blond / Fawn
  • White / Cream
  • Apricot / Beige
English Cocker Spaniel

The Temperament of the English Cocker Spaniel

The temperament of the English Cocker Spaniel based can be summarized as in the table below.

The table shows the scores of the English Cocker Spaniel for 13 important dog behavioral factors.

We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.

The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.

See our complete analysis of the temperament of the English Cocker Spaniel here.

Factor Score
Attachment Attention Seeking 82.2 percent
Separation Related Behavior 57.4 percent
Dog Rivalry 56.3 percent
Prey Drive 54.3 percent
Energy Level 53.6 percent
Dog Directed Fear 49.2 percent
Excitability 45.2 percent
Stranger Directed Fear 42.1 percent
Touch Sensitivity 37.4 percent
Dog Directed Aggression 36.5 percent
Stubbornness 31.4 percent
Owner Directed Aggression 26.4 percent
Nonsocial Fear 26.0 percent
Stranger Directed Aggression 25.4 percent
English Cocker Spaniel

How Long English Cocker Spaniels Live

The lifespan of the English Cocker Spaniel is typically from 12 to 14 years.

English Cocker Spaniels live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.

English Cocker Spaniel

How Fast English Cocker Spaniels Can Run

How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.

Based on our analysis of the speeds of 108 different English Cocker Spaniels, the average speed of the English Cocker Spaniel is 20.0 mph (32.2 kmph).

The fastest speed on AKC record that the English Cocker Spaniel ran in a race is 27.86 mph (44.8 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a English Cocker Spaniel is 9.03 mph (14.5 kmph).

Click here to see how the speed of the English Cocker Spaniel compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.

How fast English Cocker Spaniel can run compared to other mammals

Good Names for English Cocker Spaniels

Here are some really good names that are typical for the English Cocker Spaniel ranked by popularity:

  • Harley
  • Rascal
  • Chaz
  • Marshall
  • Cabo
  • Henry
  • Ron
  • Elton
English Cocker Spaniel

How Intelligent are English Cocker Spaniels?

English Cocker Spaniel
Intelligence Rank 18 out of 130 dog breeds
Trainability Tend To Learn New Commands After 5 To 15 Repetitions

According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:

  1. Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.

  2. Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.

  3. Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.

Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.

Prof. Coren found that the English Cocker Spaniel has an obedience intelligence rank of 18 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put English Cocker Spaniels in the `Excellent Working Dogs` category.

This means that English Cocker Spaniels tend to learn new commands after 5 to 15 repetitions.

However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.

See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:

Breed Intelligence Rank
German Shepherd Dog 3
Papillon 8
Collie 16
Irish Water Spaniel 24
Chesapeake Bay Retriever 27
Giant Schnauzer 28
Airedale Terrier 29
Samoyed 33
Cairn Terrier 35
Norwegian Elkhound 36
Finnish Spitz 43
Akita 54
Maltese 59
Italian Greyhound 60
Dandie Dinmont Terrier 62
Bull Terrier 66
Beagle 72
Bloodhound 74
Borzoi 75
Afghan Hound 79
English Cocker Spaniel

How Popular are English Cocker Spaniels with New Dog Owners?

Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.

The graph below shows the popularity trend of the English Cocker Spaniel.

The popularity of the English Cocker Spaniel averaged over the years is Number 53 out of about 200 dog breeds.

Popularity of English Cocker Spaniel

Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.

English Cocker Spaniel

Health Problems in English Cocker Spaniels and How to Prevent Them

Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.

The English Cocker Spaniel is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.

From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.

Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.

If you want a English Cocker Spaniel puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your English Cocker Spaniel breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.

The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen English Cocker Spaniels for:

  1. BAER Test
  2. Hip Dysplasia
  3. OFA/U of MO Adult Onset Neuropathy
  4. Patellar Luxation
  5. Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) DNA Test

You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for English Cocker Spaniels here.

English Cocker Spaniel

How to Take Care of English Cocker Spaniel

How to feed your English Cocker Spaniel.

To take good care of your English Cocker Spaniel, you need to make sure that you groom your English Cocker Spaniel regularly.

Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your English Cocker Spaniel regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your English Cocker Spaniel`s preventative care.

Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your English Cocker Spaniel daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your English Cocker Spaniel.

Also, you need to feed your English Cocker Spaniel high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your English Cocker Spaniel from getting overweight or underweight.

See our recommendations on what to feed the English Cocker Spaniel and how much food to feed the English Cocker Spaniel at different life stages.

Finally, you need to make sure that your English Cocker Spaniel has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your English Cocker Spaniel needs to drink at different ages.

How much water your English Cocker Spaniel needs.

Dog Breeds That Are Similar to English Cocker Spaniels

If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the English Cocker Spaniel.

We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the English Cocker Spaniel:

  • Cavachon (82 percent match with English Cocker Spaniel). Learn more about the Cavachon here.
  • Norwich Terrier (81 percent match with English Cocker Spaniel). Learn more about the Norwich Terrier here.
English Cocker Spaniel

Other Things to Know About English Cocker Spaniels

Here are some of the very important characteristics of the English Cocker Spaniel that you need to know about the English Cocker Spaniel breed:

  • English Cocker Spaniels do not like to be left alone.
  • English Cocker Spaniels do not have the tendency to drool.
  • English Cocker Spaniels are good for new dog owners.
  • English Cocker Spaniels can tolerate cold weather.
  • English Cocker Spaniels are very healthy. They do not suffer from a lot of health problems compared to other dog breeds
  • English Cocker Spaniels are very easy to train.
  • English Cocker Spaniels are highly vocal. They have the tendency to bark and howl.
  • English Cocker Spaniels have a high tendency to wander. They are easily distracted by other animals or objects.
  • English Cocker Spaniels require a lot of exercise. They are good for owners who like to exercise.
  • English Cocker Spaniels adapt well to apartment living.
  • English Cocker Spaniels are easily disturbed by noise in their environments. They are sensitive to human tone. They will understand the tone of your voice when you try to correct their behaviors with a firm tone.
  • English Cocker Spaniels are great family dogs. They are very affectionate with family.
  • English Cocker Spaniels get along well with kids. They are kid-friendly.
  • English Cocker Spaniels get along well with other dogs.
  • English Cocker Spaniels are very friendly towards strangers.
  • English Cocker Spaniels gain weight easily. You need to pay careful attention to what you feed them.
  • English Cocker Spaniels are highly intelligent.
  • English Cocker Spaniels have a high prey drive. They do not get along well with other pets.
  • English Cocker Spaniels have very high energy levels. They need a lot of exercise time to release their high energy.
  • English Cocker Spaniels are very playful.
  • English Cocker Spaniels weigh 26 to 34 pounds when fully grown.
  • English Cocker Spaniels are 1 foot, 3 inches to 1 foot, 5 inches tall at the s when fully grown.
  • English Cocker Spaniels have a lifespan of 12 to 14 years.