Six Key Facts About Cocker Spaniels
Cocker Spaniels are both a relatively popular and grossly underrated dog breed. They typically rank around 30 th in breed popularity rankings but arguably deserve to be much higher. Here are the 6 main things to know about the Cocker Spaniel, including how good they are for families with kids, how much grooming they need, and more.
What to consider before getting a Cocker Spaniel
Cocker Spaniels are one of those breeds people often can’t quite describe and put in a figurative box. Many incorrectly view them as a type of lap dog because they are small and fluffy. At the same time, people who realize this is actually a sporting breed and are indeed looking for such a dog, often stay away from the Cocker Spaniel because they are looking for something larger.
This is likely the reason behind the Cocker Spaniel’s “mid-table” popularity rankings . However, if people realized the awesomeness of this breed and how cool it is to have a smaller, lab-like, and apartment-friendly sporting dog at home, the Cocker Spaniel would indubitably be even more popular.
1. This is the smallest sporting dog breed
Cocker Spaniels aren’t just a small sporting breed – they are the smallest dog of this group. If you’re curious as to what sporting dogs are exactly, these are generally breeds used for sport hunting. The most popular examples are retrieving dogs such as Golden and Labrador Retrievers or Setter and Pointer breeds such as the Vizsla, the Irish Setter, or the German Pointer.
All these breeds are bred and trained to assist the hunter without being actual hounds themselves. Most sporting breeds are pretty large – up to 24 to 26 inches tall (61 to 66 cm) and as heavy as 60 to 80 pounds (27 to 36 kg).
Not the Cocker Spaniel, however. These dogs sit squarely in the medium-size category – they don’t get taller than 14.5 to 15.5 inches at the shoulder (37 to 39 cm) and they tend to weigh up to 25 to 30 pounds (11 to 14 kg). For reference, that’s the size of a standard dachshund.
How exactly is such a small dog a sporting breed? The same way a dachshund is a hound – the small size has its advantages. In the case of Cocker Spaniels, these dogs are bred for chasing birds out of thick forests and bushes for hunters to shoot down.
2. The Cocker Spaniel is a surprisingly muscular and powerful little dog
As a sporting breed, the Cocker Spaniel is far from a softie couch potato breed. These dogs are athletic, strong (for their size), and full of energy. This further emphasizes why you should treat Cocker Spaniels like small labs and not just a regular small dog breed.
A healthy adult Cocker Spaniel will need about an hour up to an hour and a half of outdoor exercise every day. This should be divided into two walks to and in the dog park but doesn’t include time spent in the yard. Cocker Spaniels are excellent companions for light daily jogging and love to play fetch or interact with other dogs in the dog park.
Of course, because of their smaller size, they are not quite as energetic as other sporting breeds. So, if you want a serious running companion and not just a jogging buddy, consider some of the other sporting breeds first. Still, that’s just a function of the Cocker’s small size. For their weight class, Cocker Spaniels are one of the most energetic breeds and frequently excel at agility competitions too.
As for yard time, one of the biggest benefits of choosing a Cocker Spaniel compared to other sporting breeds is that they can do well in apartments. That isn’t to say that a Cocker wouldn’t appreciate having a nice yard to play in, of course – they will. However, a spacious enough apartment living room coupled with plenty of dog toys and enough walks outside can work too.
If you do have a yard, remember that it has to be really well fenced – Cocker Spaniels were literally bred to chase birds so you don’t want your pup escaping while you’re not looking.
3. Cocker Spaniels are both highly intelligent and easy to train – perfect for first-time owners
Like Labrador and Golden Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels are incredibly intelligent and trainable animals. Obedience training a Cocker Spaniel is a must, as it is for any other dog, but it’s also much easier and smoother than with most others. With the right approach, you can teach a Cocker Spaniel to be an incredibly well-behaved, loving, gentle, and interactive animal.
That’s thanks not only to the Cocker’s intelligence, however, but also the breed’s intuitive need to please. Unlike some other breeds, sporting dogs are bred and trained to work with people, follow commands, and receive plenty of praise after each successfully completed task. This is what makes them so easily trainable and a big reason why living with a Cocker Spaniel is so fun.
4. These dogs are very social and friendly
The Cocker’s smarts are perfectly coupled with their social and friendly nature. If you’re looking for a small and manageable dog breed that will also get along with your whole family, small kids, your other dog or cat, and the occasional guests you may have over – the Cocker Spaniel is an excellent pick.
Of course, proper socialization will still be required. However, as with training, socialization is much easier on a Cocker than it is with other breeds. Do that and your Cocker Spaniel will easily learn to accept and befriend anyone you bring home. If you don’t socialize your Cocker, however, there’s the risk of the dog becoming socially awkward. Unsocialized dogs can either be fearful or somewhat aggressive toward strangers or other dogs.
This is neither unique to the Cocker nor is it that much of a concern for the breed. You must really try to make a Cocker Spaniel anti-social as they socialize that easily.
That overly friendly nature does have its drawbacks, however. For one, Cocker Spaniels really aren’t any good as watch or guard dogs. More significantly, they are very susceptible to separation anxiety. This is a severe form of anxiety that happens if you live the dog home alone for too long every day.
What does this mean for you?
Simply put, if you plan on working away from home every day and there won’t be any family members around, the Cocker Spaniel might not be the right breed for you. If you do want such a dog, here are a few potential solutions to the problem:
- Find a family member to keep your dog company while you’re out.
- Hire a dog walker or a dog sitter.
- Arrange for playdates with another dog owner.
- Get your dog plenty of new and interactive toys.
- Restrict certain areas of the home to prevent damage to the furniture in case your dog gets too anxious (but don’t just lock your Cocker in a small space!)
- Get a second dog to keep your Cocker company.
- Exhaust your dog with playtime and exercise before you leave.
There are some other minor tips such as playing music and arranging for toy-hunt games while you’re out but these are rarely sufficient on their own.
5. Good and regular grooming is required with this breed
Cocker Spaniels have gorgeous, long, and flowing hair – one of the main reasons why people are often surprised when we say that’s a sporting breed. Their beautiful locks need daily brushing to prevent tangles and matting as well as to reduce shedding. Cocker Spaniels are not the heaviest shedders but they certainly leave an above-average amount of hair around the house if you neglect their grooming.
6. Cocker Spaniels live very long and healthy lives when they are well-taken care of
Cocker Spaniels are a relatively healthy breed and easily reach an average lifetime of 14 years. You do need to make sure your dog stays healthy, however. This means maintaining a proper diet, offering plenty of exercise, and not skipping the routine vet visits. Do this and you’ll likely avoid the relatively common for the breed Progressive retinal atrophy, Cataracts Glaucoma, Hip dysplasia Epilepsy and Luxating patella.
From everything we listed, it’s quite clear that Cocker Spaniels are basically smaller and fluffier versions of larger sporting dog breeds such as Labrador and Golden Retrievers. Intelligent, trainable, social, and playful, these dogs are great for most families. They get along well with kids and with other pets, provided that they’ve received adequate socialization and obedience training.
Their small stature can trick some owners into neglecting their training, of course. That’s a mistake people make with most small breeds. Fortunately, Cocker Spaniels are friendly and they don’t typically get aggressive. Treat your Cocker right and you’ll get a wonderful and spirited little pet.
