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Although Working Cocker Spaniels are generally Kennel Club registered, they rarely conform to the current Kennel Club breed standard for Cocker Spaniels.
Working
Cockers tend to have a flatter head, they are taller and leaner in the body,
with a shorter coat and much less feathering. The ears also tend to be
slightly smaller and both dogs and bitches should be 25lbs or less.
The origins of the Working Cocker are thought to go back far further than those of the Springer Spaniel. In Wales over 1000 years ago, there were red and white spaniels, and these early spaniels were known as Tarf Gi (dispersing dogs) and were used to flush game for falcons and hawks and for driving game into nets.
The colours also vary considerably and WC's can be black, liver, black and white, liver and white, red and white, lemon and white, lemon roan (pictured above), blue roan, liver mixed with red roan and some of these colours can have tan markings. Occasionally puppies are born buff, which is neither lemon or red, but still acceptable.
Working Cockers, unlike Springer Spaniels, do not breed true to colour and two parents of any colour combination, can produce virtually any colour scheme within the same litter.
After the late 1950's until the 1970's, the standard of Working Cockers declined and there were very few good ones around. Therefore their reputation in the shooting field was badly affected.
All was not lost, as one bitch known as FTCH Speckle of Ardoon, won three consecutive championships between 1972 and 1974 and their popularity started to increase.
Although Speckle herself produced sound puppies, they were not outstanding, but they produced excellant progeny themselves. Her most well known grandaughter was FTCH Gwinernant Snake, who has produced fantastic puppies and been heavily line bred to.
Click here for details on working cocker health
web site designed and built by Manda Smith 8th August 2003
updated 8 February 2008
Tassietay Working Cockers - manda.smith@talk21.com