Cocker Spaniel
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.
Spaniels were first mentioned in the 14th century by Gaston III, Count of Foix in his work the Livre de Chasse.
Two dogs are considered to be the foundation sires of both modern breeds, the English variety are descended from Ch.
"[2] 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.
[9] 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.
[10] Following the formation of The Kennel Club in the UK in 1873, efforts were made by breeders to record the pedigrees of cockers and springers.
Obo is considered by breed enthusiasts to be the father of the modern English Cocker Spaniel, while his son, Ch.
[12] During his lifetime, Obo II was claimed in advertisements to be the sire or grandsire of nearly every prize-winning cocker in America.
[14] Cocker Spaniel coats occur in a variety of colors, including black, liver, red, and golden in solids.
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 dogs.
[18] Called simply Cocker Spaniel in the UK,[19] 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.
[19] The English Cocker Spaniel is the most popular dog breed for showing in the UK, Crufts, with seven best-in-show wins since the prize was first awarded in 1928.
[21] 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.
