Are There Two Different Kinds of American Cocker Spaniels?
by Carolyn Glanton
My Mom also has a cocker spaniel that is a mixture of white and tan. He is also beautiful but his coat is more silky and feathery, his feet are not so big and he also has a tail. My son's dog looks like a common cocker whereas my moms cocker is not so common, or so I thought, until I looked up some pics. When my mom's female cocker had puppies people were coming from all over to buy them. So what's the deal? Is my mom's cocker also common? Reply from Pauline (Web Owner) American Cocker Spaniels, like English Cocker Spaniels, come in all shapes and sizes, depending upon their breeding. They can have tails or their tails can be docked. There is a specific standard for the 'ideal' cocker if the dog is to be shown and breeders tend to keep the 'best' looking puppies for their own breeding purposes. The remaining puppies may well be show standard and some may not, but all will make great family pets. This is what the American Spaniel Club have to say about the cocker coat: "On the head, short and fine; on the body, medium length, with enough undercoating to give protection. The ears, chest, abdomen and legs are well feathered, but not so excessively as to hide the Cocker Spaniel's true lines and movement or affect his appearance and function as a moderately coated sporting dog. The texture is most important. The coat is silky, flat or slightly wavy and of a texture which permits easy care. Excessive coat or curly or cottony textured coat shall be severely penalized....." Assuming that your son and mother's cocker spaniels are not cross-bred, it's entirely possible that they look very differnt because of their coat texture. I have an English Cocker Spaniel whose coat was beautifully fine and silky (until he was neutered, but that's another story!) but the feathers on his legs and paws were thick and cotton-wool like. Cocker spaniels will also look different depending on how they're groomed. Hand-stripping is hightly recommended to keep their glossy coat, however, once a cocker has been clipped, it will lose the glossy coat. Perhaps this is the 'difference' you are referring to? Cocker Spaniel Questions And Answers Return to About Cocker Spaniels - Homepage |