Bocker

To understand the Bocker history you will have to know the history of the parent breeds, the Beagle and the Cocker Spaniel. The Beagle is one of the oldest known breeds, originating in the 1300s and being used in England in the 14th century for rabbit hunting. According to some, Beagle comes from the Celtic word “small” but others say the name comes from a French word that means open throat. This is in reference to their tendency to howl or bay. The origin of the breed is not recorded well but it is believed to have been from pack hounds in England during Roman times. They were almost exclusively used for hunting and were called pocket-sized dogs because they were so small. In fact, they only averaged about nine inches tall at the time. They came to the United States in 1642 although they were not much like the English version of the Beagle. They were bigger and looked more like a Basset Hound. The Beagle was accepted into the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1885 and is the 5th most popular dog in the United States. The Cocker Spaniel originated in the 1800s in the United States for flushing and retrieving birds. In fact, their name “cocker” stands for woodcock, which is a type of bird they were good at hunting. There are two types of Cocker Spaniel; the American and the English, which were considered the same breed until the AKC separated them in 1935 although the Cocker Spaniel breed was recognized in 1878. They are the 29th most popular dog breed in the United States.