These are 10 of the most fascinating facts about the adorable Cocker Spaniel dog breed
Over the past 18 months, many of us have welcomed a new four-legged friend to our homes as the Kennel Club has seen the number of dog owners increase by almost 8% from 2020.
But with 221 different purebred dog breeds to choose from, there is a lot of thought to be done before selecting your perfect puppy.
There’s even academic advice to seek out, with psychologist Stanley Coren’s book “The Intelligence of Dogs” categorizing breeds by instinct, obedience, and adaptability.
One dog that often appears at the top of people’s canine wish lists is the Cocker Spaniel – they were the UK’s third most popular pet in 2020 (only beaten by the Labrador Retriever and the French Bulldog) and have a range of positive attributes that make them a great pet.
Here are 10 fun and interesting facts about the breed.
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There are actually two distinct breeds of Cocker Spaniel – the American Cocker Spaniel and the English Cocker Spaniel – but both are simply referred to as Cocker Spaniel in their country of origin.
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Cockers are the 18th most intelligent dog species according to behavior experts. In 2015, a four year old cocker spaniel named Ginger from Strone, near Dunoon. took Gaelic lessons with her owner and mastered basic commands like suidh (sit) and fuirich (stay) in just three weeks.
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The “Cocker Spaniel” part of the Cocker Spaniel’s name refers to why they were originally bred in the UK – to hunt woodcock. They were then exported to the United States to hunt the woodcock, bred to have slightly different attributes to allow it to specialize in stalking different types of birds.
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A Cocker Spaniel, or at least one of its descendants, was a passenger on the Mayflower – the ship that carried pilgrims from England to the New World in 1620. There were two dogs registered on the crossing – a Mastiff and a Spaniel (at this point there were no distinct breeds of spaniel).
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