Whats the difference between a normal cocker and a working cocker spaniel?

Question

Help, as we have 2 from different breeders and 1 is completely different from the other-she has no hair and a long skinny body- but the breeder never said anything.
please wb xxx

Answer 1

Well there is no 'normal' classification but hopefully I can help.

Typically within working, hunting, herding, and sporting breeds there are two types of dogs: working lines and show lines. The show lines are bred for looks and there is USUALLY not alot of emphasis on their working ability. The working lines are bred for their working ability (for cocker spaniels this would be hunting ability) and, while they will generally conform to the breed standard (which is set in place to preserve a body type that can work), they MAY have a cosmetic fault that makes them less attractive. Often working lines are not as bulky as show lines because bulk hinders a dog's ability to work. Ideally, you want the 'total dog' which is a dog that has both looks and working ability along with great temperment and health.

The type of dog does not reflect health or temperment. You'll find a nearly equal mix of show and working breeders that breed for health. As a general rule, showline breeders breed for temperments suited for a family environment and working line breeders breed for a temperment that, while often not for an inexperienced owner, is perfect for doing the job the breed was intended to do. Ideally breeders would breed for health and temperment but not all of them do. Research your breeder and find out exactly what their breeding goals are. You'll likely find devout followers of either show or working dogs (I'm all for working temperment over a pretty face myself) but any breeder you choose should be breeding for health AND temperment.

Now, with all of that said, the dog you describes sounds to be just plain poorly bred. Neither show nor working line cocker spaniels should be lacking in coat nor have a long, skinny body. I would have a vet check her out just to see that everything is okay. Her lack of hair could be due to an allergy. Only your vet can tell you that since none of us can see your dog in person. The long, skinny body is just breeding and there's nothing you can do about it. Love your dog for who she is and please do not breed her. She is very obviously not up to the breed standard but she can certainly be a great pet.

Answer 2

I am going to do a search for you to find some books that you can buy that will give you a pictorial view of the metaphases that the American Cocker Spaniel went through since the early 1900's. But to make it brief, the American Cocker Spaniel did not look the way it does in the show ring today until about 1950. Back in the 40s the American and English cocker were born in the same litter and registered as different varieties. Breeders were supposed to choose which variety based on the shape of the head. Many were not great at conformation skills and chose a variety based on color. In any event today the English and American cocker are two distinct different breeds and cannot be bred together and receive registrations from AKC. The English cocker has less coat and a long flat head like a setter, while the American has profuse coat in the show ring, and a rounded head and shorter muzzle. The "working" cocker that you may have been discussing with someone has to do with dogs bred for the field and not the show ring. While these dogs are pure bred American Cockers they do not look that much like what we show in the conformation ring today. Often people are surprised when the dog grows up and does not look like the breed they envisioned. It is a pure bred dog, but does not have the look they though the entire breed has. This happens a lot in cockers, but in any breed quality and conformation can begin to sway away from the standard in lines where no dogs have ever been shown. This is why showing dogs’ keeps them looking like the breeds they are suppose to be. We don't want our pure bred dogs surprising their owners and even though they are pure bred growing too different than standard so they almost don't look like the right breed.


Ah there is one more thing I would like to add. When a black dog that has predominantly black behind it is bred to a buff dog (even one with profuse show coat) very often the buff puppies will not have much coat. If the black dog has several dogs that are heavy coated in buff behind it than the puppies may have plenty of coat. So that is another issue in producing coat on buff dogs with good conformation, that breeders must watch for.

The one I really want to recomend is Ruth's book:
The New Cocker Spaniel by Ruth M Kraeuchi but it may be out of print. Dr, Grossman's book is good also. But the link bellow looks like a different one than a larger, possibly older from the 90s one.

Answer 3

regular cocker spaniels are usually house dogs and good as family pets. The working breed is a little more agressive and built to do work [hunting,herding,etc]

Answer 4

there are no "normal" dogs.

Some are bred for the show ring (they look pretty). These are called show dogs. Show breeders tend to keep looks above health and temperament when breeding. these are generally referred to as "show dogs."

and some are bred to do a job (they haul crap around like the lady above says that doesn't know what she's talking about). These are called "working dogs."

the ones that are bred to do a job are bred less for looks and more for (pay atention here) HEALTH and a specific, healthy temperament.

Answer 5

cocker spaniels used to be for hunting but now more just as pets, the working dog was probably bred to hunt, and the normal cocker was probable bred just to be a pet

Answer 6

See below link 4 all your queries

http://www.freewebs.com/bringing-pet/

Answer 7

Get a normal cocker, I think that working cockers, haul crap around..... idk