Cocker Spaniels By: Nicole
Table of Contents
Introduction Ranks And Popularity Color And Fur Body Sickness
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Introduction
Cocker Spaniels are a type of dog. There are English and American types of Cocker Spaniels. Cocker Spaniels are active, sporty dogs. They need to exercise everyday and they also need regular brushing and a trim every once in a while. The Cocker Spaniels were originally bred as gun dogs. They are merry dogs and has good balance. They are fast and can accept things quickly. They are smart and gentle dogs that loves kids. Cocker Spaniels make good pets.
Ranks And Popularity
The Cocker Spaniels are one of the most popular breeds of dog. The American Cocker Spaniels were the most popular type of dog in America in year 1936 until year 1952 when the Beagles were the most popular type of dog. Then, again in the year 1983 until 1990. The English Cocker Spaniels are much less popular at the UK. In year 2009, the English Cocker Spaniels had 322 registrations while the American Cocker Spaniel had 22,211 registrations. In the year 2009, the American Cocker Spaniels was ranked 23rd most popular breed at the USA and the English Cocker Spaniels was ranked 66th in registrations. The English Cocker Spaniels are the second most popular dog breed in the UK in year 2009 because they had 22,211 registrations. The first was the Labrador Retriever who had 40,943 registrations. In the year 1999, the American Cocker Spaniels was ranked 13th most popular breed at the USA and the English Cocker Spaniels was ranked 76th in registrations. Cocker Spaniels are still very popular even now.
Color And Fur
Cocker Spaniels have strong bodies and silky, flat, or wavy fur. Cocker Spaniels can be a lot of different colors. They can be black, liver colored, red, gold, roan, roan and tan mix, three colors mixed together, or solid colors with white marks. Sometimes, they are tan or a mix of liver and tan. Cocker Spaniels can be rare colors like white. The white Cocker Spaniels usually have parents that have light golden fur, but sometimes they can still have parents that have dark fur.
Body
There are a lot of differences between the American and English Cocker Spaniels. The differences are that the American Cocker Spaniels are smaller, have a domed head, a shorter nose, and a shorter back. While the English Cocker Spaniels are taller with a narrower head and chest. The size of the English Cocker Spaniel is about 15.5-16 inches (or 39-41 centimeters) for male dogs, 14-15.5 inches (or 38-39 centimeters) for female dogs. American Cocker Spaniels are usually smaller than the English Cocker Spaniels. The difference between the show dogs and the work dogs in the UK is that the the work dogs are usually bigger, have flatter heads, shorter ears, shorter and better fur, and are usually more energetic. The weight of a Cocker Spaniel show dog should be 28-32 pounds or 13-15 kilograms. The English and American Cocker Spaniels are very different so you have to chose the right type of dog for you.
Sickness
Cocker Spaniels can have a lot of sicknesses. They can have ear infections, hip dysplasia, and eye problems. The American Cocker Spaniels have an average life span of ten years and four months, and the English Cocker Spaniels have an average life span of eleven years and two months. The most common reason for death is cancer. The second most common reason is old age. Dogs that have long ears are more likely to get ear infections than dogs that have short ears. The most common dog’s ear problems are caused by bacteria, viruses, funguses, and especially yeast infections. The symptoms are the dog shaking its head or scratching its ears more than usual. The ear will be swollen, sometimes a yellow or green-ish liquid will come out of the ear. Usually, the ear will smell pretty bad. Keeping the fur on the dog’s ear short will help the dog prevent ear problems. Otitis Externa is a type of ear problem that can be caused by parasites, bacteria, viruses, funguses, foreign bodies, tumors, ear mites, or underlying dermatological disease. Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) is a group of eye problems that can make the dog blind eventually. The symptoms are night blindness and could lead to total blindness between age three and five. Canine glaucoma is an eye problem that is caused by the increase of the pressure of the fluid in the eye. If untreated, it might lead to total blindness. Taking your dog to the vet for regular checkup is a good way to prevent your dog from getting sick.
Fun Facts
Here are some interesting facts about Cocker Spaniels; • The word cocker comes from a kind of bird that the Cocker Spaniels hunt named Eurasian Woodcock. • The English Cocker Spaniel group is the very successful in dog shows. • Ticks and fleas can live in dog’s ears.
Cited Sources text background picture from: http://petcollectionworld.com/dog/cocker-spaniel-puppies/attachment/ puppy-cocker-spaniel/ cover and glossary picture from: http://www.dailypuppy.com/puppies/archie-the-cockerspaniel_2009-09-29 contents picture from: http://shrewsbury.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/cocker-spaniel-dog.jpg information from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocker_Spaniel , http://www.akc.org/breeds/ cocker_spaniel/index.cfm?sess=4a42055cae75f9628321fe433619f40f
Glossary
gun dogs
dogs that help hunters hunt
roan
a type of orangey color
merry
jolly, happy
registration sort of like votes in this situation beagles
a type of dog
liver colored a dark reddish color domed head round head hip dysplasia
your hips turn bigger
life span
life time
About The Author Nicole is currently a fifth grader at Shanghai American School. Her birthday is December 12th. She owns a dog, a cat, and about 10 chickens that lives with her in Shanghai. Her favorite colors are lilac and turquoise. She also like to draw, shop, and fashion design. Her favorite animals are kittens, sheep, and puppies.