Quick Links: Table of Contents
- English Cocker Spaniel Breed Overview
- History of the English Cocker Spaniel Breed. Where English Cocker Spaniels came from
- What the English Cocker Spaniel Looks Like
- How Much is the English Cocker Spaniel Puppy?
- Best English Cocker Spaniel Breeders
- English Cocker Spaniel Growth
- What Colors do English Cocker Spaniels Have?
- The Temperament of the English Cocker Spaniel
- How Long English Cocker Spaniels Live
- How Fast English Cocker Spaniels Can Run
- Good Names for English Cocker Spaniels
- How Intelligent are English Cocker Spaniels?
- How Popular are English Cocker Spaniels with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in English Cocker Spaniels and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of English Cocker Spaniel
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to English Cocker Spaniels
- Other Things to Know About English Cocker Spaniels
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?
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
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.
Michae Highfield
Puppy Price: $1300-$1400
Stonepost Kennel
Puppy Price: $1500
Noah Miller
Puppy Price: $1250.00
Cryeu2019s English Cocker Spaniels
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Stephens Gun Dogs
Puppy Price: $2,000
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
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
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 |
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.
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.
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
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 |
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.
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.
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:
- BAER Test
- Hip Dysplasia
- OFA/U of MO Adult Onset Neuropathy
- Patellar Luxation
- Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) DNA Test
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for English Cocker Spaniels here.
How to Take Care of 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.
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.
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:
