Cocker Spaniel
The Cocker Spaniel is the smaller of Britain's two great flushing spaniels, named for the woodcock it was bred to push out of thick cover for the gun. The breed standard asks for…
About the Cocker Spaniel
The Cocker Spaniel is the smaller of Britain's two great flushing spaniels, named for the woodcock it was bred to push out of thick cover for the gun. The breed standard asks for a merry dog with an ever-moving tail, and that describes most of them exactly.
As with the Labrador, the show and working strains have drifted a long way apart. Show Cockers carry more coat, a longer ear and a domed skull; working Cockers are smaller, plainer and tireless. A first-time enquirer is often surprised by the difference, so ask which a stud is before anything else. Height is roughly 39 to 41 cm for dogs, and the breed comes in a wide range of solid and parti colours.
Cocker health screening centres on the eyes: an annual BVA/KC eye certificate, ideally with gonioscopy, because glaucoma runs in the breed. Ask too about hip scores, and about the DNA tests for prcd-PRA, familial nephropathy and acral mutilation syndrome. Familial nephropathy in particular is a kidney disease no breeder wants to discover the hard way, and a clear or carrier result on both sides settles it.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Cocker Spaniel
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Good Practice — the Royal Kennel Club’s minimum before breeding
The tests the Royal Kennel Club says breeders should, at a minimum, complete before breeding.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNA test — prcd-PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| DNA test — AMS (Acral Mutilation Syndrome) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNA test — AON (Adult-Onset Neuropathy) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| DNA test — FN (Familial Nephropathy) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| Hip score (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Total of both hips, 0–106. Lower is better. |
| Eye testing (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Result printed on the eye certificate. |
| Gonioscopy (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Grade 1–3 on the certificate; 1 is normal or mild. |
Breed hip median
Breed median 10 (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years, 1,148 dogs scored). Lower is better. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Cocker Spaniel stud dogs
Every stud dog on Breed Right is on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register. The Royal Kennel Club also runs an Activity Register, which is open to any dog including crossbreeds — those dogs cannot be listed at stud here. Results marked Verified were checked by us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records; results we have not yet checked are not shown.
Also available
Cocker Spaniel litters
No Cocker Spaniel litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
