American Cocker Spaniel American Cocker Spaniel

The American Cocker Spaniel has been referred to as the "merry cocker", and merry he is. Playful, amiable, cheerful, sweet and sensitive are a few words to describe this dog. This dog loves to play and frolic. He gets along exceptionally well with children, but children must be taught to treat the dog in a gentle manner.

The amazing beauty of this animal only comes at a huge cost, and that cost is hours and hours of grooming. If you cannot afford the money to have this dog clipped and brushed on a regular basis, or you aren't willing to do it yourself then you should steer clear of this breed. The American Cocker Spaniel has a tendency to become overweight, so food monitoring and exercise is necessary. The furry feet of this dog can drag in all kinds of dirt into a house.

The American Cocker Spaniel is a direct descendent of the English Cocker Spaniel. Many were brought over to North America from England in the late 1870's. How they developed is not entirely clear, but the American hunters preferred a smaller dog for hunting quail and other small game birds. The American and English Cocker Spaniels were considered varieties of the same breed until 1946 when the AKC created two distinct categories. Once they were separated, they surged in popularity and became the number one dog in North America. The breed wasn't recognized by the English Kennel Club until 1968. The breed's huge popularity almost became its downfall as indiscriminate breeders were breeding without concern for the dog's temperament. Responsible breeders saw this happening and they took it upon themselves to turn this trend around, and today you will find that great temperament that made them famous in the first place.

In the height of their popularity in the show circuit, it was near impossible for any colour other than the blacks to win. The breed club was granted permission to even the playing field by having the breed represented in three different colours: black, parti-coloured, and ASCOB (Any Solid Colour Other than Black).