Dog Community

Snobby Cockers?

Posted : 6/28/2006 5:51:59 PM

Hi everyone! This is my first post! Nice forum...

I have the most beautiful American cocker spaniel. He was a stray and was rescued by an organization in Ohio. We found their website and eventually found him.

If you go to petfinder.com, the majority of cocker spaniels there are also beautiful.

But, if you go to any American cocker spaniel breeder's site, all of their cockers look a bit snobby. Their noses are turned up and their foreheads are really high. Especially the tri-colour and chocolate ones.

Is this a question of haircut, or is there a genetic difference of some kind?

Thanks,
Amina

bluelighting

Posted : 6/28/2006 6:03:14 PM

Welcome to board! What a beautiful cocker you have[

].

I do believe it's the type of haircut since those dogs are show dogs when showing cocker they like to leave a crown along the forehead of the dog. Most groomer that don't do show dogs just shave the head and don't leave the crown.

Xebby

Posted : 6/28/2006 6:09:07 PM

You have to realize that show quility dogs and pet quility dogs are going to look so much different. It's almost like a beauty contest wih show dogs, they have to look certain ways to meet the standard, where your ordinary house dog with no intention of showing will look rather plain, but still cute in my openion.

If you ever see a show dog on just any plan old day at the owners home they don't look much different than any other. Just like us, on an ordinary day we may not look as nice as when we get all dessed up and go out o dinner.

jones

Posted : 6/28/2006 7:20:03 PM

Congrats on your pup! I love cocker spaniels. I think the "snobby" look you're describing is partly just the way a well bred American Cocker looks - they're supposed to have a pronounced stop (that high forehead) and shorter muzzle. They look unusual because you just don't see really well bred cockers out walking around very often - there are lots of less well bred, "pet quality" cockers around that may be great dogs but not fit for the ring. My dog, pictured in my avatar, is one of them. Another part of it may be the stack - the posture show dogs are shown in, usually, on breeder websites... this is to show the structure of the dog but of course when they're "at ease" they have a different carriage.

jeano

Posted : 6/29/2006 1:38:05 AM

English cockers and American cockers are two different breeds. The English have the straight dog nose that we are used to, and the American has that dished face. The English cockers are supposed to be a little bit bigger, too.

Compare the two here:
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/englishcocker.htm

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/americancocker.htm