English Cocker Spaniel

Spaniels, in general, are classified as a type of gun dog, but they have existed since long before the gun, initially bred to flush game out of the deep brush for the hunter and in some cases, to retrieve birds from the water. Initially, they were divided into just two groups; water Spaniels and land Spaniels. It wasn’t until the 17th century that any distinction was made between types of land Spaniels. During this time Spaniels began to be classified as either Springer or Cocker Spaniel, based entirely on the size of the dog. The larger Spaniels, those that were over  were used to “spring” game animals for the hunt and were therefore called Springers, where the smaller dogs were particularly adept at flushing out birds like the woodcock for their owners, earning them the name of Cocker Spaniel. At this point in the history of the Spaniel, Springer Spaniels and Cocker Spaniels were frequently born into the same litter. In 1902 The Cocker Spaniel Club was founded in England. When the Cocker Spaniels began developing in America they changed considerably, their backs lengthened, their heads became more domed, and their prey drive was greatly reduced. The change was so great that in 1935 a group was formed for those who preferred the traditional look of the English Cocker Spaniel and were intent on discouraging interbreeding between the original English Cocker Spaniel and the newer Americanized version of the Cocker Spaniel. In 1946 the Cocker spaniels that had developed in America were recognized as a separate breed, the American Cocker Spaniel.