A very handsome small Spaniel, similar to the English Springer but smaller and more often more vocal. Just known as the Cocker Spaniel to most of us outside the US.
The Cocker Spaniel and the English Springer Spaniel both originated from the same Field Spaniels and the smaller pups were used to hunt and flush woodcock, hence the name Cocker. As with the Springer, this breed has also separated out further into “working” and “show” variants.
Apart from the size difference English Cocker and English Springer are very similar to look at, especially with Cockers in traditional Springer liver and white or black and white colours. That said some small working Springers can be as small as a large Cocker. Cockers tend to have a thicker coat and longer ears which tend to start a little lower down the head.
Cockers come in a huge variety of colours, unlike their larger cousins. Some of the array of colours that you may see an English Cocker in are Solid Black, Black and tan, Solid Liver, Liver and tan, Chocolate Brown, Lemon, Red with black or brown pigmentation, Gold with black or brown pigmentation, a whole array of roan markings; Lemon, Orange, Liver and Blue. The roan markings are usually mixed with black or brown pigmentation. They can also be a mixture of colours, often spots or patches of one of the solid colours on a white background.
The English Cocker Spaniel is a very loyal dog, who loves company and make very good family pets. The appreciate plenty of exercise, although not necessarily as much as their larger cousins, and is better suited to an active family. Like the Springer they tend to form a strong bond with one member of the family, who is usually the one who feeds them, or the one who spends most time with them.