The American Spaniel is a hunting dog that has been bred artificially. The pet has a bright beautiful appearance, has a small size, making it suitable for indoor use.

Breed description

The American Cocker Spaniel has a fairly strong and compact physique, a beautiful head shape and a friendly muzzle. This breed is the smallest of all representatives of hunting dogs. Males grow up to 40 cm, their weight is about 15 kg. Females - up to 38 cm, weight - up to 10 kg.

  • The body of the representatives of the breed is proportional, the head is harmoniously combined with the body.
  • The muzzle is wide with a square outline, has a pronounced transition from the forehead zone.
  • Scissor bite. The jaw is covered with tight lips.
  • The dog has a massive nose, which is not particularly prominent.
  • The eyes are round in shape, most often of a dark color.
  • The chest is expanded and lowered, which makes it easier to move.
  • The loin of the representatives of this breed is wide, the ribs are long and rounded.
  • The limbs are strong, arranged in parallel.

Recognition of the breed gives a soft and silky coat. The shortest coat on the head, and in the chest, ears and limbs, the coat is long and thick, in other places - its length is average.

Origin history

Dog handlers are inclined to believe that the closest relative of the American cocker spaniel is the English cocker, who was brought to the continent during the colonization of the United States.The breeding of a new breed began only a century later, after the States gained independence from England. Scientists wanted to create a hunting dog, which would significantly differ in size from existing ones. In this regard, they decided to cross a small hunting spaniel and an English cocker. The result was not long in coming - so a new breed of small stature with fluffy hair was bred. At the end of the XIX century in Manchester organized an exhibition of a new breed.

Scientists managed to maintain the instinct of a true hunter, but the dog had an incredibly beautiful appearance, which made it popular on almost all continents.

In the middle of the past century there was a clear division of the breed into English and American cocker. But the peak of the popularity of these dogs in the Soviet Union fell by the 70s.

American Cocker Spaniel breed standard

The appearance of the spaniel must have the following characteristics:

  • A compact, muscular body that even looks like a square in shape.
  • Paws are dense, long enough, the muscular system is dry. Perfectly developed pads, elongated claws. Paws are completely covered with long hair.
  • The shape of the back is straight and wide, no sagging is observed.
  • The shape of the head is round; there is a clearly defined transition zone to the muzzle. There is a curly forelock on the head.
  • The nose is round, neat, has a black color.
  • Eye shape - round, set shallow. In the lower eyelid, slight sagging is observed.
  • Ears have a rounded shape, hang down, they are covered with a fairly thick coat. Standard indicators indicate that the tip of the ears should reach (namely the skin) to the nose.
  • The tail is thickened, it is also covered with thick hair. It has a saber shape. Previously, the tail was stopped in this breed, this facilitated the movement of the animal. Now this procedure is not necessary.
  • Color can be any, but the most common are black, dark brown or chocolate.
  • In height, the dog can reach up to 40 centimeters, the female - a little lower. But there are also mini individuals, no more than 30 cm tall.
  • The maximum weight is 20 kilograms.

The purpose and nature of the dog

The American Cocker Spaniel dog has practically no distinguishing features from other representatives of active breeds.

The following character traits are characteristic of her:

  1. She is friendly, she easily becomes attached to her master, shows special love for children and spends time with them with pleasure.
  2. The dog is not diligent, it is able to easily come up with an activity for herself. Sometimes he sees and uses the apartment as a sports ground.
  3. He does not like to be alone. If the owners are not at home for a long time, it can damage property, for example, to bite slippers or furniture.
  4. Due to the well-developed hunting instinct, the cocker chases birds during a walk.
  5. High activity of the dog is obliged to walk with her at least twice a day, while lowering it from the leash.
  6. Spaniel loves water, in the summer you can walk by the pond, arranging him training on the water.
  7. Thanks to their goodwill, cockers get along well with other pets, can sleep with cats or other dogs.
  8. Unfortunately, this breed does not belong to the guard, so the guard dog from the cocker will not work.
  9. It barks in rare cases, usually during the pursuit of game.
  10. Despite being cautious at first, the dog quickly begins to show confidence. Bite can only as a last resort.

Criteria for choosing a cocker spaniel puppy

If you decide to buy a puppy of the American Cocker Spaniel, then do not be afraid of the fact that the kids will not have such a long silky coat as adults. The final formation of the coat ends by about 2 years.

What you need to pay attention to when choosing a small pet:

  • It is best to excommunicate the cocker from the mother at the age of 6-10 weeks.
  • Puppies must be active and friendly.
  • Having laid the dog on his back, try to gently squeeze his stomach with his palm. If he perceives this gesture as a game and does not show aggression, then be sure - you have chosen a worthy representative of the breed.
  • Check your ears carefully for fleas.

If you choose a dog to participate in exhibitions, then it is better to give preference to males, as they are more consistent with the standards. Females are ideal for home keeping, they are considered more family-friendly and easier to train.

Keeping and caring for a dog

Care must be taken for the American Cocker Spaniel. Dogs have a long and thick coat, which should be combed regularly and washed stably at least once every 2 weeks. It is necessary to start combing from a very young age, this will facilitate further care for the pet. Initially, use a soft brush, it is it that will avoid damage to delicate skin. A little later, the brush can be replaced with a comb.

  • Twice a month it is advised to do a hygienic haircut. And after 2-3 months you can trim the dog completely - this will give it grace.
  • Another place that requires careful attention is long ears. They need to be inspected daily, removing accumulated dirt. It is better to feed the dog from a vessel with a narrow neck, this will prevent dirtying of the ears.
  • The eyes are cleaned with the most common cotton pads soaked in water without the addition of any soap.
  • Brush your teeth and claw regularly.

From early childhood, teach your puppy to eat at the same time. The first months, meals should be six times a day, from about 7 months you can transfer to 2 meals a day. Given that the breed is considered active, it is important to monitor the calorie intake. All sorts of snacks with sweets or other goodies can lead to the fact that the dog will gain weight.

How to train and educate a cocker spaniel

Dog training consists of several stages.

  1. Initially, the spaniel needs to be trained in such commands as “not allowed”, “to me”, “sitting”, “next to”. They will allow him to adapt to the survival in society.
  2. The second stage begins at 4 months of age. Then you can begin to study such commands as “give”, “aport”, etc. For each executed command, it is worth encouraging the animal. In the field, it is advised to develop hunting instincts.

If you need a dog for hunting purposes, then initially they recommend hunting with more experienced dogs.

Pros and cons of the breed

Cocker Strengths:

  • They are compact in size.
  • Easy to learn.
  • Friendly
  • Hardy.

The disadvantages include the following features:

  • Loud barking.
  • With improper upbringing, they can show aggression.
  • Cowardly.
  • They love all kinds of goodies, so you should follow the diet.
  • Propensity to various diseases.

How much do puppies cost according to 2018

Looking through online ads, you can see the cost of a puppy 2.5 - 3.5 thousand rubles. As a rule, they sell cockers at such a price, which cannot be documented. Puppies with documents, but from ordinary parents, will cost 1.5 - 2 thousand more. But if you decide to buy a pet from titled parents, then be prepared to pay from 6.5 to 30 thousand rubles for it. Compliance with standards, a rare color, affects the cost. Exhibition copies with a good pedigree can cost up to 2.5 thousand dollars.

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