Cock-A-Chon

The Cock-A-Chon is a hybrid animal, a cross between the Cocker Spaniel, a small flushing dog from England, and the Bichon Frise, an affectionate and entertaining companion animal. The Bichon Frise is a small white dog that is the descendant of an Italian Water Spaniel, the same Italian Water Spaniel that gave rise to the Poodle and the Maltese breeds. These small companion animals were known as the Bichon Tenerife and prized for their cheery and loving dispositions. They often travelled with sailors to be used as items of trade and from the 1300’s to the 1800’s they were favored by one royal family or another. After falling out of favor with the royals, these spunky little canines found homes working the streets with organ grinders and performing tricks at circuses and fairs. The breed was re-established after World War I, the first breed standard was developed in 1933, and they were recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1972. Spaniels are classified as a type of gun dog, but in truth, they have been assisting hunters since long before the gun was invented. The first Spaniels were divided into just two groups which were based on where they worked; the water Spaniels and the land Spaniels. Land Spaniels were originally bred to flush game out of the deep brush for bow hunters and in some cases, to retrieve birds and other animals from where they had fallen. Sometime in the 17th century a distinction began to be made between types of land Spaniels and they began to be classified as either Springer or Cocker Spaniel, based entirely on the size of the dog. The spaniels that were taller were named Springer Spaniels as they were used to “spring” game animal, the smaller dogs, however, were adept at flushing out woodcocks and other such birds for their owners, earning them the name of Cocker Spaniel and the Cocker Spaniel Club was founded in England in 1902. Cocker Spaniels in America were bred to be companion animals and house pets and so they developed differently than the Cocker Spaniel in England; their backs lengthened, their heads became more domed, and their prey drive was greatly reduced. It was enough of a change that in 1935 a group was formed for those who preferred the traditional look of the English Cocker Spaniel and were adamant about discouraging interbreeding between the original English Cocker Spaniel and the newer Americanized version of the Cocker Spaniel and in 1946 the American Cocker Spaniel was recognized as a separate breed, which is the breed employed to develop the Cock-A-Chon.