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General Appearance
Merry, sturdy, sporting; well balanced; compact; measuring approximately same from withers to ground as from withers to root of tail.

Characteristics
Merry nature with ever-wagging tail shows a typical bustling movement, particularly when following scent, fearless of heavy cover.

Temperament
Gentle and affectionate, yet full of life and exuberance.

Head and Skull
Square muzzle, with distinct stop set midway between tip of nose and occiput. Skull well developed, cleanly chiselled, neither too fine nor too coarse. Cheek bones not prominent. Nose sufficiently wide for acute scenting power.

Eyes
Full, but not prominent. Dark brown or brown, never light, but in the case of liver, liver roan and liver and white, dark hazel to harmonise with coat; with expression of intelligence and gentleness but wide awake, bright and merry; rims tight.

Ears
Lobular, set low on a level with eyes. Fine leathers extending to nose tip. Well clothed with long, straight silky 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
Moderate in length, muscular. Set neatly into fine sloping shoulders. Clean throat.

Forequarters
Shoulders sloping and fine. Legs well boned, straight, sufficiently short for concentrated power. Not too short to interfere with tremendous exertions expected from this grand, sporting dog.

Body
Strong, compact. Chest well developed and brisket deep; neither too wide nor too narrow in front. Ribs well sprung. Loin short, wide with firm, level topline gently sloping downwards to tail from end of loin to set on of tail.

Hindquarters
Wide, well rounded, very muscular. Legs well boned, good bend of stifle, short below hock allowing for plenty of drive.

Feet
Firm, thickly padded, cat-like.

Tail
Set on slightly lower than line of back. Must be merry in action and carried level, never cocked up. Previously customarily docked.
Docked: Never too short to hide, nor too long to interfere with, the incessant merry action when working.
Undocked: Slightly curved, of moderate length, proportionate to size of body giving an overall balanced appearance; ideally not reaching below the hock. Strong at the root and tapering to a fine tip; well feathered in keeping with the coat. Lively in action, carried on a plane not higher than level of back and never so low as to indicate timidity.

Gait/Movement
True through action with great drive covering ground well.

Coat
Flat, silky in texture, never wiry or wavy, not too profuse and never curly. Well feathered forelegs, body and hindlegs above hocks.

Colour
Various. In self colours no white allowed except on chest.

Size
Height approximately: dogs: 39-41 cms (151/2-16 ins); bitches: 38-39 cms (15-151/2 ins). Weight approximately: 13-14.5 kgs (28-32 lbs).

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

• CHESHIRE COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Miss D Stonier. Tel No: 01625 424343
• COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Mrs A Webster. Tel No: 01530 249952
• COCKER SPANIEL CLUB OF LANCASHIRE. Sec. Mrs Grice. Tel No: 01744 605581
• COCKER SPANIEL CLUB OF SCOTLAND. Sec: Mrs G Ure. Tel No: 01324 552897
• COVENTRY COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Mrs L Parker. Tel No: 01908 565088
• DEVON & CORNWALL COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Miss S Ellison. Tel No: 01884 881 449
• EAST ANGLIAN COCKER SPANIEL SOCIETY. Sec. Mrs Crowley. Tel No: 01394 384554
• EAST OF SCOTLAND COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Mrs M Hynd. Tel No: 01383 881967
• HAMPSHIRE & SUSSEX COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Miss Morris. Tel No: 01243 583208
• HOME COUNTIES COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Mrs S Sadler. Tel No: 01206 213680
• LONDON COCKER SPANIEL SOCIETY. Sec. Mrs Y Donnellan. Tel No: 02392 268824
• MIDLAND COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec: Mrs P Lester. Tel No: 01543 373293
• NORTH MIDLANDS & EASTERN COUNTIES COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Mrs M Harper. Tel No: 01205 280027
• NORTH OF ENGLAND COCKER SPANIEL ASSOC. Sec: Ms E Ruddell. Tel No: 0161 653 8535
• NORTH OF IRELAND COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Mr T Stewart. Tel No: 0289 266 2509
• NORTH WALES COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Miss A Hughes. Tel No: 01745 353715
• PARTI-COLOURED COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Mrs G Pearce-Gudger. Tel No: 024 7640 3453
• ROTHERHAM & DISTRICT COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Mr A Curry. Tel No: 01757 708105
• SOLID COLOURS COCKER SPANIEL ASSOC. Sec. Miss S Kettle. Tel No: 01268 554619
• SOUTH WALES & MONMOUTHSHIRE COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Mrs J M Craig. Tel No: 01792 864402
• ULSTER COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Mr Stewart. Tel No: 02892 662509
• WEST OF ENGLAND COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Mr A Murray. Tel No: 01934 4141562
• YORKSHIRE COCKER SPANIEL CLUB. Sec. Mrs Welch. Tel No: 01429 770793

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Discover Dogs, Gundog Group 

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