text: cocker spaniel cocker spaniels are dogs belonging to two breeds of the spaniel dog type : the american cocker spaniel and the english cocker spaniel , both of which are commonly called simply cocker spaniel in their countries of origin . in the early 20th century , cocker spaniels also included small hunting spaniels . cocker spaniels were originally bred as hunting dogs in the united kingdom , with the term cocker deriving from their use to hunt the eurasian woodcock . when the breed was brought to the united states , it was bred to a different standard , which enabled it to specialize in hunting the american woodcock . further physical changes were bred into the cocker in the united states during the early part of the 20th century . spaniels were first mentioned in the 14th century by gaston iii of foix - béarn in his work the livre de chasse . the " cocking " or " cocker spaniel " was a type of field or land spaniel in the 19th century . prior to 1901 , cocker spaniels were only separated from field spaniels and springer spaniels by weight . two dogs are considered to be the foundation sires of both modern breeds , the english variety are descended from ch . obo , while the american breed descends from obo 's son , ch . obo ii . in the united states , the english cocker was recognized as separate from the native breed in 1946 ; in the uk , the american type was recognized as a separate breed in 1970 . in addition , there is a second strain of english cocker spaniel , a working strain which is not bred to a standard but to working ability . both breeds share similar coat colors and health issues with a few exceptions . history while their origins are unknown , " " are mentioned in 14th century writings . it is commonly assumed that they originated in spain , and edward of norwich , 2nd duke of york in his 15th century work the master of game introduces them as " another kind of hound there is that be called hounds for the hawk and spaniels , for their kind cometh from spain , notwithstanding that there are many in other countries . " the master of game was mostly an english translation of an earlier 14th century old french work by gaston iii of foix - béarn entitled livre de chasse . in 1801 , sydenham edwards wrote in britannica that the " land spaniel " is divided into two types : the hawking , springing / springer and the cocking / cocker spaniel . the term cocker came from the dog 's use in hunting woodcocks . during the 19th century a " cocker spaniel " was a type of small field spaniel ; at the time , this term referred to a number of different spaniel hunting breeds , including the norfolk spaniel , sussex spaniel , and clumber spaniel . while there were no sussex cockers or clumber cockers , there were dogs known as welsh cockers and devonshire cockers . the welsh or devonshire were considered cockers until 1903 when they were recognized by the kennel club as the welsh springer spaniel . prior to the 1870s , the only requirement for a dog to be classed as a cocker spaniel was that it needed to weigh less than 25 pounds ( 11 kg ) , although breeders separated the cocker from the king charles spaniel which remains a smaller breed of spaniel . this maximum weight limit remained on the cocker spaniel until 1900 , with larger dogs being classed as springer spaniels . the colors of the devonshire and welsh cockers were described by john henry walsh under the pseudonym stonehenge in his book the dog in health and disease as being a deeper shade of liver than that of the sussex spaniel . following the formation of the kennel club in the uk in 1873 , efforts were made by breeders to record the pedigrees of cockers and . in 1892 , english cocker spaniels and english springer spaniels were recognized as separate breeds by the kennel club . there are two dogs which are thought to be the foundation sires of both modern breeds of cocker spaniels . ch . obo is considered by breed enthusiasts to be the father of the modern english cocker spaniel , while his son , ch . obo ii , is considered to be the progenitor of the american cocker spaniel . obo was born in 1879 , at which point registration as a cocker was still only by size and not by ancestry . he was the son of a sussex spaniel and a field spaniel . although obo was an english dog , obo ii was born on american shores – his mother was shipped to the united states while pregnant . during his lifetime , it was claimed in advertisements that obo ii was the sire or grandsire of nearly every prize winning cocker in america . modern breeds there are two modern breeds of cocker spaniel , the english cocker spaniel and the american cocker spaniel . they were bred as gun dogs ; to use their sense of smell to cover low areas near the handler in order to flush birds into the air to be shot , and to use their eyes and nose to locate the bird once downed , and then to retrieve the bird with a soft mouth . the major differences between the english and american varieties is that the american is smaller with a shorter back , a domed head and a shorter muzzle , while the english variety is taller with a narrower head and chest . cocker spaniel coats come in a variety of colors including black , liver , red and golden in solids . there are also black and tan , and sometimes liver and tan , as well as a variety of color mixtures of those solid colors including , roan and tans , tricolors and those solid colors with additional white markings . rare colours can appear unexpectedly in certain lines , for instance while an all - white cocker is usually bred by selective breeding of very light golden strains , they can still appear very uncommonly to parents who are dark colored . a noted occurrence of this happened in 1943 , when a grandson of my own brucie , best in show at the westminster kennel club dog show in 1940 and 1941 , was born all - white . in its native united states , the american cocker spaniel was ranked the 23rd most popular breed according to registration statistics of the akc in 2009 , a decrease in popularity since 1999 when it was ranked 13th . for twenty five years the american cocker spaniel was the most popular dog in america . it was ranked number one first in 1936 prior to the english cocker spaniel being recognized as a separate breed , and held onto the spot until 1952 when beagles became the most popular dog . it regained the spot in 1983 and held on at number one until 1990 . in the uk , the american cocker spaniel is far less popular than its english cousin with 322 registrations compared to the english cocker 's 22 , 211 in 2009 . english cocker spaniel called simply cocker spaniel in the uk , this is the breed that was originally recognized by the kennel club ( kc ) in 1892 . the american kennel club ( akc ) recognized the english cocker spaniel as a separate breed in 1946 . the size of the english cocker spaniel according to the kc is 15 . 5 – 16 inches ( 39 – 41 cm ) at the withers for males , and 15 – 15 . 5 inches ( 38 – 39 cm ) for females . the weight of a show dog should be 28 – 32 pounds ( 13 – 15 kg ) . the english cocker spaniel is the most successful breed at the most popular dog show in the uk , crufts , with seven best - in - show wins since the prize was first awarded in 1928 . this was mostly due to the success of dog breeder h.s. lloyd 's ware kennel , dogs of which won best - in - show on six occasions between 1930 – 1950 . they are the second most popular dog breed in the uk according to statistics released by the kc with 22 , 211 registrations in 2009 , beaten only by the labrador retriever with 40 , 943 . in third place was the english springer spaniel with 12 , 700 . the english cocker 's popularity has increased steadily since 1999 in the united states when they were ranked 76th in registrations by the akc , to 2009 when they were ranked 66th . there are physical differences between the show strains and working strains in the uk . while the show strain is bred to the conformation standard , the working strain is bred for working ability and as such several physical differences have appeared . working type dogs tend to be larger with flatter heads and shorter ears . the coat also tends to be shorter and finer than the show variety and have less feathering . the working strain seems to be more energetic than the show strain . american cocker spaniel cocker spaniels were recognized by the akc in 1878 . generally smaller than its english cousin , separate classes were created for the two types in america in 1935 and the cocker spaniel club of america discouraged breeding between the two types in 1938 . the american cocker spaniel was recognized as a separate breed by the kc in the uk in 1970 . the american cocker spaniel is referred to as the cocker spaniel within the united states . the american cocker spaniel was bred smaller as american woodcocks are smaller than their european cousins , and the breeds appearance changed slightly during the first part of the 20th century as the preference by american breeders was for a more stylized appearance . the standard size according to the akc is between 14 . 5 – 15 . 5 inches ( 37 – 39 cm ) at the withers for males and 13 . 5 – 14 . 5 inches ( 34 – 37 cm ) for females . the weight of the breed is on average between 24 – 30 pounds ( 11 – 14 kg ) . at the westminster kennel club dog show , the most prestigious dog show in the united states , the american cocker spaniel has won best in show on four occasions since its first award in 1907 . the most successful breed is the wire fox terrier with thirteen wins . the american cocker spaniel is judged in three separate breed classes under akc rules ; " black " , " parti - color " , and " any solid color other than black ... " ( ascob ) . sophia and olivia won the gold medal of dog showing in 2012 . common health issues in a survey conducted by the kennel club ( uk ) , the american cocker spaniels had a median age of death of ten years and four months , while the english cocker spaniel had a median age of eleven years and two months . according to the survey , the most common cause of death for both breeds was cancer , while old age was the second most common cause . the two modern breeds are susceptible to several health problems . issues common to the two breeds include ear infections , and a variety of eye problems . a large number of breeds are susceptible to hip dysplasia . in a survey conducted by orthopedic foundation for animals , the american cocker spaniel was ranked 115th out of 157 different breeds , with 1 being the highest percentage dysplastic and 157 being the lowest percentage dysplastic . the english cocker was ranked 129th . otitis externa cocker spaniels and other dogs that have long , pendulous ears are more predisposed to ear problems than some other breeds . the fold of the ear can prevent air from entering , and it also creates a warm , moist environment where organisms can grow . otitis externa is an inflammation of the ear canal which can be caused by a variety of factors including parasites , microorganisms , foreign bodies , tumors , and underlying dermatological disease . ear mites can cause otitis externa ; ticks and fleas can also live in dogs ' ear canals . the most common types of canine ear infections are caused by microorganisms , including yeast and bacterial infections . the most common variety of this is malassezia . symptoms can include the dog shaking its head or scratching at its ears more frequently . the ear canal will appear inflamed , a pus - like substance will be discharged in some cases , and the ear will smell quite pungent in most cases . treatment for the more common causes of otitis externa in dogs often includes oral antibiotics and flushing the ears with an antibacterial solution . in some cases , anti - inflammatory medication is prescribed . some conditions can increase the chance of ear infections , including living in a humid environment and frequent swimming or bathing without adequate drying of the ear afterwards . keeping the hair on the ears short can be used as a preventative method to ear problems . eye conditions progressive retinal atrophy ( pra ) is a group of diseases that affect a dog 's eyesight and can lead to blindness . it has been documented in a large number of different dog breeds including both the american and english cocker spaniels . the two types of cockers are susceptible to a specific type of pra called progressive rod - cone degeneration ( prcd ) , symptoms include night blindness leading to total blindness between the ages of three and five . prcd is the most widespread hereditary retinal disease which may lead to blindness in dogs . another leading cause of blindness is canine glaucoma . this is an increase in the pressure of the fluid in the eye which , if left untreated , can cause visual impairment and eventual loss of sight . the condition can be inherited ( primary glaucoma ) or a secondary condition to a variety of other eye issues including tumors or lens luxation . both breeds are affected by juvenile cataracts which can occur at up to four years of age . symptoms can include discoloring of the pupil , and treatment may include surgery to remove the cataract . in popular culture the cocker spaniel is featured in the 1955 disney film lady and the tramp who is lady .