Items10The creator’s order
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English Cocker SpanielTwo quite different dogs share this name. Working-line Cockers are smaller, finer and shorter-coated, bred to push through brambles with endless drive, and they will invent their own jobs if you do not supply one; show Cockers carry heavier coats and longer ears and usually settle more readily into…0i - 2
English Springer SpanielFew breeds show a wider gap between field and show lines, which have bred largely apart for decades. A field-bred Springer is lean, wiry and tireless, happiest quartering ground and retrieving for hours; a show Springer is heavier-boned with a longer coat and deeper ears, and is generally the…0i - 3
Welsh Springer SpanielPick a Welshie if you like the Springer idea but would rather avoid the working-versus-show gamble: this breed never split into separate lines. It is a little smaller, about 43 to 48 cm and 16 to 20 kg, and comes only in red and white with a flat, soft coat.
Expect a loyal, sometimes clingy dog…0i - 4
Boykin SpanielSouth Carolina's state dog was bred around Camden to hunt wild turkey and waterfowl, and it remains a largely American breed that is hard to find elsewhere. At 11 to 18 kg, with a liver or chocolate coat that runs from straight to moderately curly, it sits between Cocker and Springer in…0i - 5
American Cocker SpanielThis is not simply an English Cocker with an accent. The American is the smallest of the sporting breeds, at 34 to 39 cm and 11 to 14 kg, with rounder eyes, a domed skull, a shorter muzzle and a long, silky coat.
That coat is the real commitment: plan for regular professional clipping or a lot of…0i - 6
Field SpanielA rare and underrated middle ground. The Field is bigger, calmer and more independent than a Cocker, standing around 45 cm and weighing 18 to 25 kg, with a single coat in black, liver or roan whose feathering mats without regular combing.
It is patient with children but can grow bored and…0i - 7
Sussex SpanielLow, long and golden liver, the Sussex is the family's slow and steady thinker: only 38 to 41 cm tall but a solid 20 to 23 kg. It is the one spaniel that gives tongue, howling once it finds scent, which is useful in the field and less welcome next door.
At home it is calm and clownish, though…0i - 8
Clumber SpanielThe largest of the English spaniels, named after Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire, carries anything from 25 to 39 kg on a low, heavy frame. Its gentle pace suits someone who wants a steady walking companion rather than a ball-chasing athlete.
The trade-offs are practical ones: the mostly white coat…0i - 9
Cavalier King Charles SpanielThe easiest spaniel to fit into ordinary life: 5.4 to 8 kg, happy in a flat or a farmhouse, friendly with strangers and other dogs, and wearing a silky coat that needs weekly brushing rather than trimming. It still has a spaniel's urge to chase birds.
Health is the hard part. Mitral valve disease…0i - 10
King Charles SpanielOften confused with the Cavalier, the King Charles (called the English Toy Spaniel in America) is smaller at 3.6 to 6.4 kg, with a domed head, shorter muzzle and lower-set ears. It is a quiet lapdog for a calm home, dislikes rough handling and is the least sporting dog here.
The flat face brings…0i
