American Cocker Spaniel

Gentle and cheerful; responds best to calm handling.
An American Cocker Spaniel
Photo: usbotschaftberlin
Adult male
11–14 kg
25–30 lb
Adult female
9.1–11 kg
20–25 lb
Lifespan
13.3 yrs
Handler demand
Suits a first-time owner
Class · Companion
also Family

What it's like

In temperament the American Cocker is gentle, cheerful and affectionate, usually eager to please and quick to learn. It is a sensitive dog that responds better to calm handling than to harshness, and many keep a keen nose from their working past.

Owners in a large survey found American Cocker Spaniels much like dogs in general on independence, calmness, friendliness with people and friendliness with other dogs. Breed is only a small part of any one dog's personality, so meet the dog before you decide.
Day to day
Activity
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Suits a first-time owner
With people
Affection
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Bonded to its family
Independence
Keen to work with you
Around the home
Sensitivity
Needs a calm, predictable home
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Usually fine with small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
Is an American Cocker Spaniel right for you?
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Living with one

It has a coat of medium length. Most of the shedding comes when the seasons change. Plan on brushing a few times a week, plus daily brushing through the seasonal moult. It needs plenty of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

An American Cocker Spaniel is a small dog, heavier than a Pug and lighter than a Cocker Spaniel. Males end up clearly heavier than females. It is one of the heaviest small breeds.

The breed is compact and sturdy, with a rounded, domed head, a defined stop, a short, broad muzzle and large, round dark eyes. The long ears hang low and are well feathered. The coat is silky and flat or slightly wavy, short on the head but long on the ears, chest, belly and legs, and show dogs are often groomed to carry it long. Colours include solid black, other solid shades such as buff and red, and parti-colours, sometimes with tan points.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male American Cocker Spaniel puppy is already as heavy as a grown Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
10 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight7
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
0510152m4m6m9m12m18m
0510152m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
2.9–3.4 kg 6.4–7.5 lb
2.6–3.2 kg 5.7–7.1 lb
3 months
3.9–4.7 kg 8.6–10.4 lb
3.3–4.1 kg 7.3–9.0 lb
4 months
5.5–6.6 kg 12.1–14.6 lb
4.5–5.5 kg 9.9–12.1 lb
5 months
6.8–8.2 kg 15.0–18.1 lb
5.4–6.7 kg 11.9–14.8 lb
6 months
7.9–9.5 kg 17.4–20.9 lb
6.1–7.6 kg 13.4–16.8 lb
7 months
8.6–10.4 kg 19.0–22.9 lb
6.7–8.3 kg 14.8–18.3 lb
8 months
9.2–11.1 kg 20.3–24.5 lb
7.1–8.9 kg 15.7–19.6 lb
9 months
9.7–11.7 kg 21.4–25.8 lb
7.5–9.3 kg 16.5–20.5 lb
10 months
10.0–12.1 kg 22.0–26.7 lb
7.8–9.7 kg 17.2–21.4 lb
11 months
10.3–12.4 kg 22.7–27.3 lb
8.0–10.0 kg 17.6–22.0 lb
12 months
10.5–12.6 kg 23.1–27.8 lb
8.2–10.2 kg 18.1–22.5 lb
15 months
10.9–13.2 kg 24.0–29.1 lb
8.7–10.8 kg 19.2–23.8 lb
18 months
11–14 kg 25–30 lb
9.0–11.2 kg 19.8–24.7 lb

Health and lifespan

In UK vet records, the conditions below turn up more often in American Cocker Spaniels than in crossbreeds. Cherry eye and dry eye stand out as far more likely. None of them is rated serious. These are figures for the breed as a whole, not a prediction for your dog.
Listed by likelihood level, highest first, then by how serious it is, then by name.
  • Cherry eye
    Far more likely
    Impact: moderate
  • Dry eye
    Far more likely
    Impact: moderate
  • Underactive thyroid
    Much more likely
    Impact: moderate

Lifespan

In UK vet records, the typical American Cocker Spaniel lived to about 13 and a half years, about average for a small breed.

Where it comes from

The American Cocker Spaniel shares its roots with the English Cocker, and the black dog Obo's son Obo II, born in Canada late in the 19th century, was a prolific early sire. From the 1920s American breeders moved toward a more domed skull, a shorter foreface and a heavier coat, and in the 1940s the two types were recognised as separate breeds4,12.

As it diverged from the English type, the American Cocker Spaniel developed mainly as a show dog and companion, though it was first meant to flush and retrieve game birds, and its name is generally linked to the woodcock. It drew public attention in the mid-twentieth century: Checkers, the dog Richard Nixon mentioned in a televised speech in the early nineteen-fifties, was a cocker, and the heroine of Disney's Lady and the Tramp was drawn as one.

Breed standard

Kennel clubs do not all register this breed the same way.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured American Cocker Spaniel figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a small breed is most likely at the early end.

Compare with related

English Cocker Spaniel
Retrievers & water dogs · Medium
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Companion & toy · Small
Kooikerhondje
Retrievers & water dogs · Small
Lagotto Romagnolo
Retrievers & water dogs · Medium
Or compare the American Cocker Spaniel with any breed you choose
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Sources

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Parts of this page were written by AI ·