^© The Kennel Club - Unauthorised Reproduction of Text and Images Prohibited

The Kennel Club Picture Library - © David Dalton

General Appearance
Serviceable-looking dog with refined chiselled head, strong, well boned legs, well up at the shoulder, compact sturdy body, wide muscular quarters, well balanced.

Characteristics
Merry, free, sound, keen to work.

Temperament
Equable with no suggestion of timidity.

Head and Skull
Well developed and rounded, neither flat nor domed. Eyebrows and stop clearly defined. Median line distinctly marked to rather more than half-way up crown. Area surrounding eye socket well chiselled. Distance from tip of nose to stop approximately one-half distance from stop up over crown to base of skull. Muzzle broad, deep, square, even jaws. Nose well developed. Nostrils black in black and tans, black or brown in buffs, browns, brown and tans, roans and parti-colours.

Eyes
Eyeballs round, full and looking directly forward. Shape of eyerims gives a slightly almond appearance. Neither weak nor goggled. Expression intelligent, alert, soft and appealing. Colour of iris dark brown to black in blacks, black and tans, buffs and creams, and in the darker shades of parti-colours and roans. In reds and browns, dark hazel; in parti-colours and roans of lighter shades, not lighter than hazel; the darker the better.

Ears
Lobular, set on line no higher than lower part of eyes, leather fine and extending to nostrils, well clothed with long silky, straight or wavy hair.

Mouth
Jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck
Long, muscular and free from throatiness. Rising strongly and slightly arched.

Forequarters
Shoulders deep, clean-cut and sloping without protrusion, so set that upper points of withers at an angle permitting wide spring of ribs. Forelegs straight, strongly boned and muscular, set close to body well under scapulae. Elbows well let down, turning neither in nor out. Pasterns short and strong.

Body
Height at withers approximating length from withers to set on of tail. Chest deep. Lowest point no higher than elbows, front sufficiently wide for adequate heart and lung space, yet not so wide as to interfere with straight forward movement of forelegs. Ribs deep and well sprung throughout. Body short in couplings and flank, with depth at flank somewhat less than at last rib. Back strong, sloping evenly and slightly downwards from withers to set of tail. Hips wide with quarters well rounded and muscular. Body appearing short, compact and firmly knit together, giving impression of strength. Never appearing long and low.

Hindquarters
Strongly boned, muscled with good angulation at stifle and powerful, clearly defined thighs. Stifle joint strong without slippage. Hocks strong, well let down; when viewed from behind, hindlegs parallel when in motion or at rest.

Feet
Compact, not spreading, round and firm, with deep, strong, tough pads and hair between toes; facing truly forward.

Tail
Previously customarily docked.
Docked: Docked by three fifths of tail. Set on and carried on a line with topline of back or slightly higher. Never straight up and never so low as to indicate timidity. When dog in motion, merry tail action.
Undocked: Set on a line with topline of back. Moderate length. Feathering in proportion to the coat of the dog. Thicker at the root and tapering towards the tip. Carried on a line with the topline of back, or slightly higher, but never curled over the back or so low as to indicate timidity. When dog is in motion, merry tail action.

Gait/Movement
Co-ordinated, smooth and effortless, covering ground well.

Coat
On head, short and fine; on body, medium length, with enough under coating to give protection. Ears, chest, abdomen and legs well feathered, but not so excessive as to hide body lines or impede movement and function as a sporting dog. Texture most important. Coat silky, flat or slightly wavy. Excessive coat, curly, woolly or cotton texture undesirable.

Colour
Blacks: Jet black; shadings of brown or liver in sheen of coat undesirable. Black and tan and brown and tan (classified under solid colours) having definite tan markings on jet black or brown body. Tan markings distinct and plainly visible and colour of tan may be from lightest cream to darkest red colour. Amount of tan markings restricted to ten per cent or less of colour of specimen; tan markings in excess of ten per cent undesirable. Tan markings not readily visible in ring or absence of tan markings in any of specified locations undesirable. Tan markings located as follows:

1. A clear spot over each eye.
2. On sides of muzzle and on cheeks.
3. On underside of ears.
4. On all feet and legs.
5. Under tail.
6. On chest, optional, presence or absence permissible.

Tan on muzzle which extends upwards and joins over muzzle highly undesirable. Any solid colour other than black of uniform shades. Lighter colouring of feathering permissible. In all above solid colours a small amount of white on chest and throat while not desirable, permissible, but white in any other location highly undesirable.
Parti-colours: Two or more definite colours appearing in clearly defined markings essential. Primary colour which is ninety per cent or more highly undesirable; secondary colour or colours which are limited solely to one location also highly undesirable. Roans are classified as parti-colours and may be of any usual roaning patterns. Tricolours, any of above colours combined with tan markings. Tan markings preferably located in same pattern as for black and tan.

Size
Ideal height: (the word approximate leaves too much to chance.) dogs: 37-39 cms (141/2-151/2 ins); bitches: 34-37 cms (131/2-141/2 ins).

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Last Updated - September 2007

Glossary of Canine Terms

Health Information

The Kennel Club operates health screening schemes with other organisations.  Some are clinical veterinary screening schemes and some are DNA screening schemes, which may be relevant to this breed.

The current health screening requirements and recommendations for Kennel Club Accredited Breeders of this breed show what is required and recommended for the sire and dam of any litter of this breed bred by an Accredited Breeder.

Breed specific summary results from the Purebred Dog Health Survey in 2004 are available.  Individual summaries are only available where the breed response rate was greater than 15%.

Recommended Reading

All the below publications are available from the Online Shop.

Kennel Club Breed Standards Kennel Club Breed Standards are available for most breeds indicating the qualities which competition judges normally take into account and the standard or model which breeders endeavour to achieve. The Breed Standards can be purchased by group.

The Kennel Club Illustrated Breed Standards Containing full descriptive standards for 192 breeds, as well as representation for the six Kennel Club recognised breeds that are currently without standards, this beautifully illustrated volume is a must for all dog enthusiasts. This third edition has been completely revised and updated by a panel of experts and incorporates the very latest standards for breeds in each group.

Breed Clubs and Societies

• AMERICAN COCKER SPANIEL CLUB OF GB. Sec. Mrs A Rathbone. Tel No: 01782 624090
• HOME COUNTIES AMERICAN COCKER CLUB. Sec. Mrs J de Layen-Chance. Tel No: 01323 741121
• NORTHERN COUNTIES AMERICAN COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Mrs Caine. Tel No: 0115 9135071

Date:

Last updated on:

Categories:

Discover Dogs, Gundog Group 

This article has been read 22725 times.