meet the... English Cocker Spaniel

Head

• General Appearance: Mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size and in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is slightly arched at the sides but almost flat on top when viewed in profile or from the front. The brows are only moderately developed, not heavy. The head and skull are cleanly chiseled but without sharp angles. There is very little taper when viewed from a profile or above. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles.
• Expression: Soft, alert, gentle, attentive, lively, and intelligent. Never appearing hound-like or mournful.
• Stop: The stop is moderate but fairly defined.
• Skull: Bench Type:
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 1:1, with the topskull being equal to the muzzle.
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is somewhat parallel to slightly convergent.
  
  Field Type:
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 1:1 to 5:4, with the topskull being equal to the muzzle or just slightly greater in length.
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is somewhat parallel to slightly convergent.
• Muzzle: Bench Type:
  The muzzle is full, deep, and broad throughout, appearing as a rectangle but without sharp angles. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, have good bone substance, never snipey or weak.
  
  Field Type:
  The muzzle is full, deep, and broad throughout, appearing as a rectangle but without sharp angles or slightly tapering toward the nose when viewed from above or in profile. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
• Lips or Flews: Bench Type:
  Lips are fairly clean and fit rather well over the teeth and jaws. The upper lip should be sufficiently deep to give the muzzle its deep and rectangular appearance, without extending well below the lower plane of the bottom jaw, never pendulous.
  
  Field Type:
  Lips are clean and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws.
• Nose: The nose is well-pigmented, black, or self-colored, according to the coat. The nostrils are well-opened.
• Cheeks: Bench Type:
  The cheeks give some fill beneath the eyes. They are flat to smoothly muscled, never appearing coarse.
  
  Field Type:
  The cheeks may be slightly more developed and well-muscled to denote jaw strength.
  Cheek: Not prominent.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level or scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work are not to be penalized.
• Eyes: Moderate in size, oval, open almond, or diamond in shape, and hazel, amber, or medium to dark brown in color. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are full, yet never prominent or bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
• Ears: Bench Type:
  Moderate to somewhat long in length, extending to the tip of the nose when held forward. They are set fairly low on the skull, being level with, or just below, the corner of the eyes. They are lobular, hanging close to the head.
  
  Field Type:
  They can be as in the bench type or somewhat shorter and set a bit higher than the corner of the eyes.

Body and Tail

• General Description: Compact, solid, and of good substance, the body displays strength without heaviness and stamina without raciness. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
• Neck: Moderate length allows for good head carriage and movement. It is graceful yet strongly muscled, with a good arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
• Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. The prosternum is slightly well-developed.
• Topline: Bench Type: Slightly sloped from slightly prominent withers to croup. The back is broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is short, taut, flat, and level (or slightly arched) yet supportive. The back is never swayed or roached.
  
  Field Type: The topline may be slightly sloped as in the bench type or level from slightly prominent withers to croup. The back is broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is short, taut, flat, and level (or slightly arched) yet supportive. The back is never swayed or roached.
• Croup: Broad and gently sloped.
• Underline: A slight to moderate tuck-up is present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
• Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
• Tail: Set slightly lower than the topline level but still as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, typically level with or slightly above or below the level of the topline, but never tucked. The tail is usually in constant, merry action. The tail may be left natural (preferred) or docked short to approximately 1/3 of its original length. Field types may be docked to 2/3 of the original length. Natural tails are of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight or gently curved.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
• Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
• Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of moderate bone, and parallel to one another.
  Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
• Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
• Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, strong, sturdy, of moderate bone, and well-muscled.
  Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
  Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
• Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
• Stifle Joint: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
• Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.

Coat

• Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
• Coat Type: The English Cocker Spaniel breed comes in two coat varieties: the bench-coat variety and the field-coat variety.
  
  Bench-coat variety: The hair on the face, head, and front of the forelegs and hindlegs is short and fine. The hair on the body is somewhat close, fairly longer, medium-long in length, and may be flat to slightly wavy and silky in texture, never wiry, curly, or profuse. The undercoat is dense and protective. The ears, backside of the forelegs, hindlegs below hocks, chest, underline, and tail are fringed or well-feathered. A topknot may or may not be present. Profuse hair that is unfitting for a working dog will be severely penalized. Use of clippers is prohibited and will be disqualified.
  
  Field-coat variety: The coat is much less abundantly profuse than the bench type. The hair on the face, head, and front of the forelegs and hindlegs is short and fine. The hair on the body is only slightly longer, being moderate in length, dense, tight, flat, or wavy, and shorter on the head and front of the legs. The texture may be soft to harsh and protective. The back of the hind legs and forelegs appear feathered, but not profusely. Hair on ears may be somewhat feathered. Dogs may or may not exhibit a slightly longer topknot on the topskull. Profuse hair that is unfitting for a working dog will be severely penalized. Use of clippers is prohibited and will result in disqualification.
• Coat Color or Pattern: Solid colors in black, liver, and any shade of cream to red, including yellow, lemon, golden, and tan to dark mahogany. Black or liver with tan points or sable. Any of the above-listed colors or patterns with white ticked or roan markings. Parti-color: any of the above-listed colors and patterns with approximately equal parts of white, ticked, or roan coat markings. Roans in the following colors: black (called blue), orange, lemon, liver, black (blue) and tan, liver, and tan, all with or without patches of permissible corresponding colors and patterns.

Movement

The movement of the English Cocker Spaniel breed is energetic, lively, effortless, efficient, and sound. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.

Temperament

The English Cocker Spaniel breed is gentle, affectionate, and merry, with boundless enthusiasm and energy. They are eager and willing to please. Field types still exhibit a deep desire and instinct for fieldwork. They are natural at retrieving and make excellent water dogs as well. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.

Faults

All dogs should be in proper, healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.