At one time, spaniels were divided into land spaniels and water spaniels, and from those early dogs came the varieties we have today: Springer, or Springing Spaniels, Cock, Cocker, or Cocking Spaniel, Field Spaniels, English types, and so on. In fact, any spaniel known for hunting ability was called a “Cock Spaniel,” and that’s all anyone at the time cared about.  Since these dogs all came from essentially the same bloodlines and litters, a top weight limit of twenty-eight pounds became the dividing line between a Cocker Spaniel and a Field Spaniel, dogs over 28 pounds being determined to be field spaniels (some sources indicate the cut-off was 25 pounds). The smaller dogs were called “Cocker,” primarily because of their prowess at Eurasian woodcock shoots.  Before the late 19th century, these dogs weren’t recognized as a separate breed by the English Kennel Club, nor were they specifically bred for. One litter could produce Springers, Cockers and even Sussex.  We came across one source that described British bench shows as more than confusing because pups entered as Cocker Spaniels one year could be entered as Springers the next after having grown in size. For a long time, spaniels were a “functional category” in England rather than an individual breed.

Around 1881, the American Spaniel Club club was formed and included in its ranks the breeders of many spaniel types. Over time, breeders splintered off into their own clubs as differences between the spaniels were identified and refined. American Cocker Spaniels were smaller than the English Cocker Spaniels, and some felt that an additional difference between the two was that the former was bred more for the show ring, while the latter was bred to hunt. We’re not sure this is a fair evaluation these days (see why here). Needless to say, differences beyond size were recognized between the various spaniels, and the breeders of the respective breeds went their own way. The Cocker Spaniel and Sussex Spaniel were recognized by the AKC in 1878, the Field Spaniel in 1894, the English Springer Spaniel in 1910, and English Cocker Spaniel in 1946.

Black Cocker Spaniel by Gill Evans is available for purchase here.