Cocker Spaniel E-Book

Richard G. Beauchamp

• Herausgeber: CompanionHouse Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Serie: Comprehensive Owner's Guide
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 218

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2003

Beschreibung

"Above all merry" well describes the affectionate, fun-loving Sporting dog known as the Cocker Spaniel. The breed's personality and elegant appearance have kept the Cocker Spaniel in the top ten breeds in the United States for decades, and today new owners are discovering the many charms of this apartment-size dog. Although the breed was developed to hunt woodcock and other small game in England, few Cockers today are used as hunting companions; most Cockers enjoy a luxurious existence as companion dogs for families. Author and sporting breed expert Richard G. Beauchamp describes his much-loved breed of which is he is a former breeder and handler: "Under the obvious wealth of furnishings, a well-bred Cocker Spaniel remains a most versatile companion. He is small enough to make a pleasant house dog, yet of more than sufficient size and stamina to spend the day trudging alongside his master over hill and dale." This Comprehensive Owners' Guide retells the breed's origins and characteristics as well as discusses the breed standard and offers new owners advice about selection, care, training, showing, and more. New owners will welcome the well-prepared chapter on finding a reputable breeder and selecting a healthy, sound puppy. Chapters on puppy-proofing the home and yard, purchasing the right supplies for the puppy as well as house-training, feeding, and grooming are illustrated with photographs of handsome adults and puppies. In all, there are over 135 full-color photographs in this useful and reliable volume. The author's advice on obedience training will help the reader better mold and train into the most well-mannered dog in the neighborhood. The extensive and lavishly illustrated chapter on healthcare provides up-to-date detailed information on selecting a qualified veterinarian, vaccinations, preventing and dealing with parasites, infectious diseases, and more. Sidebars throughout the text offer helpful hints, covering topics as diverse as historical dogs, breeders, or kennels, toxic plants, first aid, crate training, carsickness, fussy eaters, and parasite control. Fully indexed.

Leseprobe

Physical Characteristics of the Cocker Spaniel

(from the American Kennel Club breed standard)

Eyes: Eyeballs are round and full and look directly forward. The shape of the eye rims gives a slightly almond shaped appearance. The color of the iris is dark brown.

Nose: Of sufficient size to balance the muzzle and foreface, with well developed nostrils typical of a sporting dog.

Lips: The upper lip is full and of sufficient depth to cover the lower jaw.

Teeth: Teeth strong and sound, not too small and meet in a scissors bite.

Skull: Rounded but not exaggerated with no tendency toward flatness; the eyebrows are clearly defined with a pronounced stop. The muzzle is broad and deep, with square even jaws.

Ears: Lobular, long, of fine leather, well feathered, and placed no higher than a line to the lower part of the eye.

Neck: The neck is sufficiently long to allow the nose to reach the ground easily, muscular and free from pendulous “throatiness.” It rises strongly from the shoulders and arches slightly as it tapers to join the head.

Forequarters: The shoulders are well laid back forming an angle with the upper arm of approximately 90 degrees. Forelegs are parallel, straight, strongly boned and muscular and set close to the body well under the scapulae. The pasterns are short and strong. Feet compact, large, round and firm with horny pads.

Topline: Sloping slightly toward muscular quarters.

Coat: On the head, short and fine; on the body, medium length, with enough undercoating to give protection. The ears, chest, abdomen and legs are well feathered, but not so excessively. The texture is most important…silky, flat or slightly wavy and of a texture which permits easy care.

Body: The chest is deep, its lowest point no higher than the elbows, its front sufficiently wide…yet not so wide as to interfere with the straightforward movement of the forelegs. Ribs are deep and well sprung. Back is strong and sloping evenly and slightly downward from the shoulders to the set-on of the docked tail. The docked tail is set on and carried on a line with the topline of the back, or slightly higher.

Hindquarters: Hips are wide and quarters well rounded and muscular. When viewed from behind, the hind legs are parallel. The hind legs are strongly boned, and muscled with moderate angulation at the stifle and powerful, clearly defined thighs. The stifle is strong. The hocks are strong and well let down.

Proportion: The measurement from the breast bone to back of thigh is slightly longer than the measurement from the highest point of withers to the ground.

Color and Markings: Black Variety, any Solid Color Other than Black (ASCOB), Parti-Color Variety.

Size: The ideal height at the withers I for an adult dog is 15 inches and for an adult bitch, 14 inches.

Contents

History of the Cocker Spaniel

Trace the ancient beginnings of the Cocker Spaniel as a working gun dog and follow its spread in popularity around the world as a companion dog, show dog, competition dog and ambassador of canine good will.

Characteristics of the Cocker Spaniel

Merry, sporting, outgoing and more! Find out about the traits that make the Cocker Spaniel a popular choice for a companion dog. Discussed here are the personality and physical traits of the Cocker as well as breed-specific health concerns.

Breed Standard for the Cocker Spaniel

Learn the requirements of a well-bred Cocker Spaniel by studying the description of the breed as set forth in the American Kennel Club’s breed standard. Both show dogs and pets must possess key characteristics as outlined in the breed standard.

Your Puppy Cocker Spaniel

Be advised about choosing a reputable breeder and selecting a healthy, typical puppy. Understand the responsibilities of ownership, including home preparation, acclimatization, the vet and prevention of common puppy problems.

Everyday Care of Your Cocker Spaniel

Enter into a sensible discussion of dietary and feeding considerations, exercise, grooming, traveling and identification of your dog. This chapter discusses Cocker Spaniel care for all stages of development.

Training Your Cocker Spaniel

By Charlotte Schwartz Be informed about the importance of training your Cocker Spaniel from the basics of housebreaking and understanding the development of a young dog to executing obedience commands (sit, stay, down, etc.).

Health Care of Your Cocker Spaniel

Discover how to select a qualified vet and care for your dog at all stages of life. Topics include vaccinations, skin problems, dealing with external and internal parasites and common medical and behavioral conditions.

Your Senior Cocker Spaniel

Consider the care of your senior Cocker Spaniel, including the proper diet for a senior. Recognize the signs of an aging dog, both behavioral and medical; implement a special-care program with your vet and become comfortable with making the final decisions and arrangements for your senior Cocker Spaniel.

Showing Your Cocker Spaniel

Enter the world of showing dogs. Learn about the American Kennel Club, the different types of shows and the making of a champion. Go beyond the conformation ring to find out about competitive trials and performance events.

KENNEL CLUB BOOKS®COCKER SPANIEL

ISBN 13: 978-1-59378-233-7

Copyright © 1999 • Kennel Club Books® • An Imprint of I-5 Press™ • A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC™

3 Burroughs, Irvine, CA 92618 USA

Cover Design Patented: US 6,435,559 B2 • Printed in South Korea

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, scanner, microfilm, xerography or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Photography by:

Norvia Behling, T. J. Calhoun, Doskocil, Isabelle Français, Carol Ann Johnson, Bill Jonas, Mikki Pet Products, Antonio Philippe, Alice Roche, Karen Taylor and Haja van Wessem.

Illustrations by Renee Low.

The Cocker Spaniel is one of the most popular and well-known breeds around the world. Who doesn’t recognize a friendly Cocker “smile”?

ANCIENT ORIGINS OF THE DOG

In the beginning, there were wolves and the caveman. Now, just take a look around your neighborhood, the park or any dog show that you might happen to attend. The amazing thing is every breed of dog known to man descends from none other than the “big bad wolf.”

How did it all happen? For one thing, it happened very slowly. The transformation actually began in the Mesolithic period of civilization, over 10,000 years ago. There is little doubt that early man saw something of value in the manner in which the wolf pack “sorted out” the herds of animals it pursued. The very young and the geriatric members of a herd were isolated from the healthier, fleet-of-foot individuals.

Obviously, our caveman on his best days wasn’t nearly as fast as the wolf when it came to activities of this sort, so he was no doubt impressed by the shrewdness of these fleet four-footed hunters. If nothing else, Mesolithic man recognized that the wolf had some value and, instead of relegating the wolf to mortal-enemy status, he allowed the wolf families to remain unmolested.

As time marched along, some of the wolves became rather friendly with man. Man himself realized he could manipulate breedings of these wolves so that the resulting offspring became somewhat trainable. He began customizing the evolving wolves to suit his growing needs. Although there is no doubt that procuring food remained a top priority on man’s list of primary needs, he began assigning other duties to his friends from the forest: they were becoming hunters, guardians and herders.

ROMAN CLASSIFICATION

As early as the first century AD, Romans had classified dogs into six general groups: House Guardian Dogs, Shepherd Dogs, Sporting Dogs, War Dogs, Scent Dogs and Sight Dogs. Most dogs we know today can trace their ancestry directly back to dogs from these groups. A good many other breeds were developed by combining two or more individuals from these original groups to create yet another “breed.”

Among the modern-day “setting spaniels” is the black and tan Gordon Setter, a relative of the Cocker Spaniel.

From here on, man began to manipulate which animals mated to each other in order to produce an animal that was even more efficient at its respective task. This was the dawning of a new type of wolf, one that we now refer to as Canis familiaris (domestic dog) rather than Canis lupus.

ENTER THE HUNTER

One type of hunting dog that man developed retained the wolf’s characteristics of pursuing prey until the prey was cornered and killed, or until the dog was totally exhausted. This practice is more or less typical of the group of dogs known today as hounds. While the tenacity of these trailing dogs was held in high regard, a hound’s willingness to chase could continue on for miles if need be, and a good many of the hunters found this counterproductive to food procurement and, beyond that, wearing on their constitution.

Thus was born the need for a hunting dog that did not follow through on either the chase or the attack. The duty of these close-working hunters was to assist their masters by finding and flushing out or retrieving the game. The dogs worked quietly so as not to scare away the birds and, like any good assistants, they obeyed their master’s commands without hesitation. Since the dogs were taken to the hunt in groups, they had to be amiable of disposition and totally non-aggressive with one another.

During the Middle Ages, before guns were invented, hunters used nets and trained hawks to capture their prey. Helping them locate the wild fowl were dogs that actually had originated in Spain—the word Spain having its origin in the Latin word Hispania. From there, as a natural progression, the word spaniells and then the modern word spaniels evolved.

At any rate, once these spaniels located the game, some of the dogs would drop to the ground and remain motionless, waiting for the hunter to dash up and fling his net over the covey. These “setting” spaniels later developed into our modern-day Irish, English and Gordon Setters.

Another group of the spaniels was trained to find birds and drive them out of the underbrush so that falcons could pursue them. These dogs had various names but, for the most part, their names came about as the result of their size at maturity and what they would be used for.

Along with their differences, the spaniels had numerous characteristics in common. Since they most often had to search for their prey through dense shrub and tangled thickets, they needed moderate size, compact bodies and powerful legs to help them move through the difficult terrain that often stopped other breeds cold. They had long silky coats that protected them and easily shed thistles and brambles. Their tails were docked to prevent them from being caught in the brush. They had higher rounded foreheads that are said to have shielded their eyes against branches. Their long lobular ears gathered and channeled scent molecules to their large ultrasensitive noses.

Typical character traits of this group are the dogs’ devotion to their owners and their desire to “follow him, even tho they be in a crowd,” as it was written at the time. The dogs had merry dispositions and would accompany their masters in the field, “wagging their tails and raising or starting wild game or beasts.”

The first spaniel to arrive in the US did so in 1620, arriving on the Mayflower, although no information about this dog is available. Around this time, there were many references to the “spaniells” who had a great talent for springing or flushing birds from their hiding places. Another type within the group was to become known as “cocking spaniells,” so named because of their specialty in tracking woodcock.

“THE BARD”

Although never known to be a dog fancier, “The Bard,” William Shakespeare, mentioned spaniels time and time again in his many plays.

It was only when dog shows began to become popular in the middle of the 19th century that attempts were made to be more specific in categorizing the spaniels. The first attempt to do so was the creation of separate classifications for land and water spaniels. A dividing line of 28 pounds was drawn, with those over the 28-lb limit being classified as Field Spaniels and those falling within the 28-lb limit being classified as Cocker Spaniels (the name being derived from the aforementioned term “cocking spaniells”).

All known spaniels derive from the same background, including the ever-popular English Springer Spaniel, a dog that stands somewhat taller than the Cocker Spaniel.

Even at that, the lines between the various spaniel breeds were so indistinct that both large and small spaniels were born to the same litter and their ancestry could be comprised of almost anything carrying the spaniel suffix. A perfect example of this confused state of affairs was also one that was to produce the patriarch of the Cocker Spaniel breeds in both America and England. He was born near the end of the 19th century and his name was Obo. He was the black offspring of a Sussex Spaniel sire and a Field Spaniel dam, and bred by Mr. James Farrow in England. Obo, with his fashionable long back and short legs of the day, developed an enviable record at the UK shows. His style and his offspring were very popular, and a number of them were exported to America.

As efforts were made to distinguish between the types of spaniels, the Cocker was separated from the larger Field Spaniel, shown here, according to weight.

A bitch whose name was Chloe II was bred to Obo in England and sent to the US in whelp. There she produced a litter containing a son that was registered as Obo II. According to the dog authorities of the day, the younger Obo was “not without faults” but still a great stride forward for the breed. He was considered an outstanding sire and by 1920 there was hardly a Cocker in America who did not trace back to him.

It is worth noting that, by this time, the Cocker Spaniel had been registered in the US for over four decades, with registrations tracing back to 1879, even though the breed was not yet recognized as a distinct breed. The first Cocker Spaniel registered was named Captain and was liver and white color.

The red dog Robinhurst Foreglow was whelped in 1917 and traced back to Obo II on both his mother’s and father’s sides. He was said to be the model Cocker, better than Obo II, with longer legs and a more compact body. He was “more robust in every way and bold and fearless as well,” apparently a stylish-looking hunter’s companion.

Much the same type as Foreglow was a black descendent named Torohill Trader. Trader was as compact and upstanding as Foreglow but brought what was thought to be a magnificent headpiece to the breed. His expression truly defined the American ideal of the day.

Obo II, credited with founding the breed in the United States, had countless offspring and unprecedented influence on the Cocker Spaniel.

FURTHER DIVISION

In America, an interesting and somewhat confusing situation was developing. The Cocker was evolving into two distinct types— one called the American Cocker type and the other called the English Cocker type. Although the latter might have been a bit more streamlined than the Cockers in England, the American fanciers who called their Cockers “English” type believed their dogs to be truer to the type of dog that was bred in England.

The two groups of fanciers had a definite parting of ways, even though both types of dog were registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC) as “Cocker Spaniels.” Those who championed the American Cocker type were larger in number and they carried on the trend that had begun with Obo II and Foreglow. They favored a Cocker that was proportionately even higher on leg and shorter in back than the old dogs. Torohill Trader was the dog that enabled them to accomplish this.

The English Cocker Spaniel (simply called the Cocker Spaniel in the UK) was once considered a “type” of the Cocker breed. Since 1946, the American and English Cockers have been recognized as separate and distinct breeds.

The group in America who favored the English Cocker type feared that the type they wanted to perpetuate would be lost forever unless drastic steps were taken. In 1936, the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America (ECSCA) was founded and the British standard was adopted as the standard of excellence. The members of the group vowed not to interbreed their dogs with dogs of the American type.

Mrs. Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge receives credit for achieving separate breed status for the American and English types of the Cocker Spaniel.

Still, the AKC made no distinction between the Cockers that were registered in its stud book. In order to force the AKC to make a distinction between the two types, the ECSCA realized strong measures had to be taken again. Club president Mrs. Geraldine R. Dodge organized a committee to research the pedigrees of all English, American and Canadian Cockers residing in the United States. Then, through a massive pedigree purge, they eliminated any Cocker unable to prove five solid generations of pure English breeding. Only those dogs that could legitimately do so could be identified as pure English Cockers.

THE AMERICAN VARIETIES

In September 1946, the AKC granted separate breed status to the American and English Cockers, with the English type to be known officially as the English Cocker Spaniel, while the American type was to be called simply the Cocker Spaniel. At the same time, the American type was given three separate varieties: Black, ASCOB (Any Solid Color Other than Black) and Parti-color.

Initially, black and tans were shown in the Parti-color variety. In 1944, they were transferred to the ASCOB variety and, finally, in 1983, they were transferred to the most logical place—the Black variety. It is interesting to note that, in 1948 and again in 1950, the parent club for the breed, the American Spaniel Club, asked the AKC to create a separate category for black and tans. This request was not granted.

DIFFERENCES

The main and most obvious differences between the (American) Cocker Spaniel and the English Cocker Spaniel are in their heads and the amount of coat they carry.

Blue roan is an interesting color that is commonly seen in the English Cocker Spaniel, shown here, but rarely seen in American Cockers.

BLACKS AND BLACK AND TANS

There is no doubt that those who hailed Ch. Torohill Trader as the “ideal American Cocker” in the 1930s knew what they were talking about. Not only did Trader help set American type in the breed but he also did so without sacrificing the qualities that made the breed a true flushing spaniel. Trader was a rock-solid dog who had the power and substance that enabled him to perform in the capacity for which spaniels were developed. He was beautifully proportioned, and authorities of the day said he was the prototype for the conformation that produced the “reach and drive” so often spoken of in gundogs but so seldom achieved. Trader’s influence was so great that it extended to all three of the Cocker varieties, but it is seen so vividly in the Black variety (and in black and tans) that it is worth making special note of.

There is a direct line of descent from Trader that passes down in a direct line to Ch. Elderwood Bangaway, who is without a doubt the acknowledged typesetter of the modern black Cocker. He brought elegance, refinement and balance to the breed and was able to pass these traits on to his offspring. His son Ch. DeKarlo’s Dashaway and grandsons Ch. Clarkdale Capitol Stock and Ch. Valli-Lo’s Flashaway stand behind the top black and black and tan winners in the variety even to this day.

In the black and tan, tan points appear above each eye and on the sides of the muzzle and cheeks.

Jet black is required in the Black variety; a small bit of white on the throat or chest is allowed.

WIDEST ARRAY OF COLOR

The Cocker Spaniel has one of the widest arrays of acceptable colors and patterns of any breed of dog known to man. Among the possible colors in the Parti-color variety are sable, roan, brown and tan, and blue and white.

PARTI-COLORS

Parti-colors had great difficulty in keeping up with the advances of the Black variety even though they had descended from what was basically the same stock. One of the most obvious, though not particularly significant, shortcomings of the Parti-color variety was in the wealth of coat commonly found among the Blacks. However, just as soon as it was thought that modernizing the Parti-colors was impossible, Honey Creek Kennels came upon the scene.

The Honey Creek dogs belonged to Bea Wegusen, whose intense linebreeding and inbreeding program completely revolutionized the variety. They won over all Parti-color competition and soon were standing alongside of, if not defeating, the best Blacks being shown. The descendants of Wegusen’s top-producing dam, Ch. Honey Creek Vivacious, became the cornerstone of the modern Parti-color variety.

Whatever shortcomings the Honey Creek dogs might have had were rapidly offset by astute breeders who employed the use of solid bloodlines for any needed finishing touches. To this day, it is highly doubtful that even the most modern Parti-color line does not trace back to Honey Creek at some point in its ancestry.

ASCOBs

The buffs and reds of the ASCOB variety were even slower than the Parti-colors to achieve the level of the Blacks. They seemed destined to remain forever in limbo until the advent of Ch. Maddie’s Vagabond’s Return in 1950. Here came a modern sporting-type Cocker Spaniel who not only was sound but carried a coat the likes of which had never been seen before among the buffs and reds. Clever breeders of the time used the Vagabond dog well, and as quickly as the first generation came Ch. Gravel Hill Gold Opportunity, a son, who surpassed even his sire in beauty and type. From that point on, the buffs and reds flourished.

The brown (actually liver) Cockers had been around since the days of Obo. However, the color was intensely disliked by the majority of Cocker breeders because dogs of that color were extremely lacking in type and had the glaring yellow eyes that legitimately accompanies the liver color. They were undoubtedly throwbacks to old Obo, whose sire, it must be remembered, was a liver-colored Sussex Spaniel.

Mepals Rosemary was one of the first Cocker Spaniels to acquire international fame.

In California, Arline Swalwell of Windridge Kennels was fascinated with the color and decided that she would produce “chocolate” Cockers, as she called them, on a par with those of the other varieties. With the help of Norman Austin and Frances Greer, she set about doing just that.

The trio was joined in its pursuit by two master breeders of the time, Bill Ernst of Begay Cockers and Mike Kinschsular of Lurola fame. Clever use of Black and Parti-color bloodlines so developed the brown Cocker that long-time breeders now consider the work done for the browns one of the most significant advances in the Cocker Spaniel’s recent history.

The buff is perhaps the most commonly seen Cocker color, and without a doubt has attained the quality of the other color varieties.

The Parti-color consists of white and another color, and may be in combination with tan points. This is a black and white without tan points.

THE AMERICAN SPANIEL CLUB

The American Spaniel Club (ASC) is the parent club of the Cocker Spaniel and was established in 1881, making it older than the AKC itself. The club began to have interest in the Cocker before it even was recognized fully as a separate breed. The ASC became a member club of the American Kennel Club as the parent club of the sporting spaniel breeds. With the official separation of the Cocker Spaniel as a breed in 1946 also came the Cocker’s own distinct listing in the AKC’s stud book the following January.

The Cocker Spaniel’s popularity grew and grew, as did that of the other sporting spaniel breeds. It became impossible for the ASC to put forth equal effort into each of these breeds, and thus it became necessary to transfer certain breeds to other clubs that would become organized into these breeds’ respective parent clubs.

Eventually, all of the sporting spaniel breeds except the Cocker were transferred to other parent clubs, with the ASC’s retaining jurisdiction over the Cocker Spaniel only. However, the ASC can offer classes for all of the sporting spaniel breeds at its specialty shows. This is truly a unique club, promoting and preserving the best interests of the Cocker Spaniel while retaining dedication to all breeds of sporting spaniel.

THREE VARIETIES

Each of the three varieties of Cocker Spaniel (Black, ASCOB and Parti-color) are shown separately and the winners of each variety go on to compete in the Sporting Group.

ONE OF AMERICA’S TOP DOGS!

The Cocker Spaniel is the smallest of the sporting spaniels and is one of the most popular purebred dogs in the United States. Many Americans know him as a companion dog, and his adaptability and love of his human family make his popularity in this respect well-deserved. Of course, a Cocker in the show ring, gaiting confidently in full coat, is a magnificent sight.

One should not, however, forget the Cocker’s origins as a sporting dog and hunter’s able assistant; he is a spaniel, after all! These skills should not be lost in today’s Cockers. When trained properly, they still perform as gun dogs, flushing game and retrieving when commanded. Likewise, the breed’s inherent talents make it an excellent all-around competitor. The Cocker is successful in the conformation ring, as well as in performance events like obedience and field trials. The Cocker Spaniel breed boasts many Dual and Triple Champions, proving that this is a dog that has it all…brains, brawn and beauty!

From coast to coast and on both sides of the Atlantic, the Cocker Spaniel is a swimming success!