English Cocker Spaniel

English Cocker Spaniel, white with black patches

The English Cocker Spaniel is a breed of dog. It is one of many Spaniel breeds. Spaniels were bred to hunt. They were used as hunting dogs to retrieve shot animals. Now they are family pets, but are still very active. Cockers have a will of their own. Most English Cocker Spaniels are loving, happy, friendly and intelligent animals.

English Cocker Spaniels make good family pets.^[1] They do not like being alone. They will make noise and chew things if alone for too long. These dogs are faithful, social and affectionate. They like to sit close to their owners and sleep in the same room. They want to be together as often as possible. English Cocker Spaniels rank 18th in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs. This means that they are very intelligent.

English Cocker Spaniels are happy and wag their tails a lot. Because of this, they have the nickname "merry cocker".^[2] They can also be dominant but loyal to their family. English Cocker Spaniels come in many different colors. Their height is from 38 to 41 cm, weight is from 11–13 kg.^[3]

The English Cocker Spaniel's hair needs to be trimmed from time to time. If not they will shed a lot of hair.^[4]