Spaniel, cocker spaniel. Briefly about the breed.
Common features.
Spaniels are a group of gun dogs whose main purpose was to search for game and retrieve it after shooting.
Some types of spaniels were universal; in addition to birds, they hunted rabbits, foxes and ungulates. Nowadays, more and more spaniels are kept as family pets, given their elegant appearance, friendly disposition, intelligence, loyalty, courage and small size. Spaniels of all varieties remain unrivaled despite the ever-changing fashion for pets. They are easy to train, completely versatile, ideally suited for living next to a person, both in an apartment and in their own home. But this ancient breed of dog has been a hunting dog at all times and has retained its qualities to this day. In addition to the Cocker Spaniel, there are 8 more subspecies of this group, among them the Russian Hunting Spaniel, which is not recognized by the FCI, as well as a decorative variety - the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (English Toy Spaniel). The most characteristic, common features of these dogs are long hanging ears, prone to diseases without proper care, a good-natured look of expressive eyes and hair - shorter on the back, croup, front side of the limbs and head and longer in the feathering area - skirt and pants, paws. The body of these dogs is square or close to square. The head is proportional to the body, has a rounded skull and a rectangular muzzle. The tail is long and straight, carried on the line of the back or below; in some representatives of the breed it is docked. The coat of spaniels is usually quite thick, silky and soft. Origin.
It is generally accepted that spaniels were bred in Spain in the early Middle Ages, from where they came to other European countries. There are also Celtic and Roman hypotheses.
Spaniel varieties.
The most common subspecies of this dog breed in Russia are English and American Cocker Spaniels, Russian Hunting Spaniels, King Charles Spaniels and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
Let's talk about them. American Cocker Spaniel.
Homeland: USA, 19th century.
The American Cocker Spaniel was bred around 1880; the ancestor of the English hunting cocker spaniel is considered. This is the smallest representative of the hunting group of dogs. The dog's height is from 36 to 38 cm, weight is 11-13 kg. The hair on the head is short and soft; on the body - medium length with dense undercoat; on the ears, chest, belly and limbs the hair is thicker, softer and longer. The texture of the coat is silky, close-lying, straight or slightly wavy. The color is varied. They are affectionate and loyal, well trained, not aggressive, and get along with children. They live up to 14 years and may suffer from heart disease, joint disease, and epilepsy. English cocker spaniel
Homeland: Great Britain, 19th century.
Officially recognized in 1920. This is a real hunting breed, bred to hunt birds - woodcocks. Nowadays they are mostly companion dogs. This is a medium-sized spaniel: height 38-41 cm, weight 13-15 kg. There are mini varieties. The coat is smooth, silky, not hard, not wavy or curly, and not too abundant, unlike the “Americans”. The paws, skirt and hind legs above the hocks are well covered with hair. The color is very diverse: black, any solid color. The English Cocker Spaniel is considered an ideal dog for a novice owner; it gets along well with children, feels great in the city, and can be trained well with kindness and food stimulation. Aggressive training methods are not recommended; reverse aggression is possible. They live up to 15 years and may suffer from eye problems and behavioral problems. Russian hunting spaniel.
This is the only gundog breed of Russian origin from the 19th century, used for hunting birds and hares.
The breed is recognized by the RKF, but not recognized by the FCI. The breed standard was adopted in 1951. This is a small dog, 38-42 cm tall and weighing 15-18 kg. The coat color is black, brown or red, as well as two- and three-color. The dog is balanced, but active; long walks are necessary. King Charles Spaniel.
According to the FCI, they belong to group 9, section 7 - English toy spaniels. Homeland: Great Britain, British Isles. The breed owes its name to King Charles (Charles II Stuart 1630-1685). These are small dogs, 25-27 cm tall, weighing 4-6 kg, with a small, somewhat flattened muzzle and upturned nose, large, wide-set, slightly bulging eyes. The coat is long, silky and comes in black and tan, ruby and white and red (Blanheim) colors. The dog has a cheerful disposition, but does not need much physical activity outside the home, is affectionate, obedient, and loyal to other animals and children. Life expectancy is up to 12 years, there are problems with the heart and eyes.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
. This dog breed belongs to FCI Group 9, Section 7 - English Toy Spaniels. These are decorative dogs, very similar to the King Charles Spaniel, except that their muzzle is not short and upturned, but elongated, and their eyes are set closer and not so protruding. Originally from Great Britain, these spaniels were bred to protect the owners’ feet from the cold that reigned in castles or in carts, as well as to attract fleas, giving the owner a chance to protect himself from the plague. They serve people exclusively as companions. The standard dog is 30-33 cm tall and weighs 5-9 kg. This dog has a thick, soft, silky coat that comes in Blenheim, tri-color, ruby, and black and white. They are very calm, loving to curl up at the feet of their owners, but despite this they are excellent runners. These dogs have been proven to have a calming effect on most people and are extremely beneficial for the elderly and anyone suffering from loneliness (empty nest syndrome), they are not averse to playing with children and are great at traveling. These are healthy and clean pets, but can suffer from heart disease. Life expectancy 9-11 years
Spaniel haircut hygienic
A hygienic spaniel haircut helps keep the dog clean and well-groomed. This procedure should be carried out regularly to prevent certain skin diseases, fight fleas and ticks, and maintain a neat appearance for your pet. A hygienic haircut for a Cocker Spaniel includes removing clumps of tangled hair (mats), treating the paws (removing excess hair between the toes and pads) and ears, the lower part of the tail and the anus. Such manipulations must be carried out once a month.
Features of wool
Selective work on the breed has changed the appearance of the cocker since the era of his passion for hunting. The coat has lengthened - the American Cocker Spaniel has become a hero of dog shows, a source of pride for experienced dog breeders and groomers. If there is a difference between the English Cocker Spaniel and the American one, then, of course, there are differences in their care and maintenance.
According to the standard requirements, Cocker coats of different lengths:
- the back and head are covered with a short and close-fitting cape;
- the body is moderately long, flowing, with a thick undercoat.
In addition, we recommend reading the article Colors of American Cocker Spaniels to get a more detailed idea of the characteristics of the coat of this breed.
Difficulties of care
Raising cute dogs is an expensive hobby, despite the adaptation of the modern Cocker Spaniel to living with a person in an apartment. Sufficient funds and time are needed to care for these delicate beauties. Alas! Cockers themselves cannot tidy up their luxurious coat, so caring for the American Cocker Spaniel is the permanent responsibility of its owner.
After walks, you can’t do without cleaning the fur, because no one wants to see skin irritations or allergies in your pet after splashing through puddles and examining bushes. Cleaning of paws, ears and eyes is inevitable. You can even bathe only with special “dog” shampoos.
Unlike the English Cocker Spaniel, the longer-haired American Cockers suffer from a common problem - mats. They form in the abdomen and joints. Advice: periodically lubricating these places with cosmetic oils will reduce their formation.
The American Cocker requires brushing every day, even lightly. Another thing is haircut and grooming, professional comprehensive care, which should be carried out only for show beauties. In addition, many dog owners teach themselves how to perform certain procedures. This helps pets to always be beautiful, and owners to be proud of their successes and save decent amounts.
Combing
Let's talk about combing first. You can definitely handle this procedure on your own. At the same time, despite its apparent simplicity, it also has its own complexities and nuances.
How to teach a puppy to brush
An American Cocker Spaniel puppy should be trained to manipulate its appearance from the moment it arrives in the home. The baby's fur is short, so some owners do not care for it. According to experienced dog breeders, this is a big mistake.
When combing, you need to take care of your baby's delicate skin, otherwise he may get a staphylococcal infection. It's best to start with the blunt teeth of a plastic comb. Later, it can be replaced with a massage brush, and then switch to special devices.
At 3 months and older, the puppy is ready for adult tools. You can even comb it with a cord comb, but be careful. A good time for brushing is when the puppy is tired after playing and relaxed before going to bed.
Take advantage of this moment!
Stroking with your hands soothes and sets you up for gradual and persistent combing. Daily care will harden the skin, improve blood circulation, and enhance hair growth. As a result, the Cocker will not be susceptible to minor scratches and tugging while removing mats.
It is recommended to teach the dog to lie on its back while moving the brush along and against the hair growth. Finally, the spaniel can stand up and brush himself off.
The treatment will get rid of lost hair and prevent it from falling into buns. As a result, the cocker will be neat, and the owner will be happy.
Interesting photo
A haircut
Now let's talk about how to cut an American Cocker Spaniel. The first coat trimming is done for 2-month-old puppies. Subsequently, they are cut as they become overgrown.
The American Cocker Spaniel's haircut includes two options: partial and full.
Partial haircut
This is exactly the type of American Cocker Spaniel haircut that can be done at home. This is not professional training of a dog for a show; there are no special tricks here. So you can handle it quite well on your own, the main thing is not to be afraid of anything.
Performed for hygiene purposes without professional intervention twice a month. Treat paws to avoid sticking of debris and accumulation of dirt between the toes. The fur is trimmed above the claws. A dog with well-groomed paws will not limp and will be able to move quickly. The owner has less worries after active walks!
Inside the ear, you also need to remove excess hair. They irritate the ear canal and provoke the spaniel to scratch its ears. In turn, dirt brought in during scratching often becomes the cause of staphylococcal infection and skin inflammation.
Typically, hairdressers use a haircut to give the tail a wedge shape. In addition, tangles and excess hair around the anus must be trimmed.
Full haircut
Performed by salon specialists approximately once every 3 months or in special cases, immediately before the exhibition. Even if you are going to do a full haircut yourself at home, I recommend visiting the salon at least once. There you will clearly see how to properly trim an American Cocker Spaniel so as not to make mistakes in the future.
Experts warn:
You should not cut the hair on the spaniel's back too much.
By 8 months, puppy fluff is rejected, making the dog seem unkempt. The situation is corrected with a special cord slicker. Daily treatment of the surface of the back and sides with such a tool will remove the undercoat and the coat will lie flat. Even a single haircut of the back will not allow the fur to lay down nicely and not become frizzy.
For show dogs this is a serious disadvantage! This is interesting: Haircuts that make you look younger after 40 photos, 2019
And one more piece of advice. It is highly advisable to get your haircut done on time. Attempts to hide the breed's shortcomings in the structure of the head behind long hair are easily recognized by specialists, and rare haircuts frighten dogs and cause aggression.
The American Cocker Spaniel's haircut (photo below) should provide a hair length that meets the requirements of the breed standard:
- the head and muzzle are covered with the shortest hair;
- middle - along the back and along the shoulders;
- long - on the paws, stomach, chest and ears.
Tools for cutting and combing
Usually the haircut is done with a special clipper with attachments, but the back and croup are treated with a special knife. This process is called stripping and is essentially an artificial shedding.
Caring for the American Spaniel's coat requires a whole arsenal of special tools. The following combs are required for the combing procedure:
- with large teeth - for removing debris;
- with fine teeth - to add shine to the coat.
A metal comb is called a “rake”. It comes with one- or two-sided teeth.
Long wool is cleaned with slicker brushes, a special small comb with sharp teeth. The hair cutter removes matted hair. At the stage of completing the combing, you need a massage comb.
In general, the American Cocker Spaniel clipper is used as a regular one, without any special devices, only the attachments for different purposes are changed. But after cutting with a clipper, final trimming is done with regular and thinning scissors.
Grooming an American Cocker Spaniel
Comprehensive professional care, or grooming, is performed in special salons by professional specialists. The scheme includes the following procedures for the American Cocker:
- disinfection bathing;
- combing;
- wool cutting;
- trimming;
- cleaning and rinsing ears;
- "dog" manicure;
- eye wash;
- dental care;
- treatment against parasites.
It should be noted that cockers are bathed only in warm water, with special shampoos for long-haired dogs. In addition, professional groomers use tinting agents to add expressiveness to the coat.
Specialists do not allow water to get into the ears during bathing and notice any problematic formations on the skin. Owners also need to be attentive and master the tricks of care. But some important procedures are best left to professionals.
Nail care
The well-being of the American Cocker Spaniel and the characteristics of its gait depend on the length of its claws. They need to be constantly inspected, as neglected problems lead to paw deformation. Natural wear and tear of claws occurs during walks, but the road surface has different effects on epithelial cells. The claws are effectively ground down only on asphalt and other similar surfaces.
If the claws have grown seriously, they are shortened with a special pruner or nail clipper. The first “manicure” is given to a puppy at 3 months of age, and then about once every month or two.
In the light, the outlines of the claw bed are visible, which cannot be touched. The sections are processed with a special faceted file or needle file to the correct shape. Before the exhibition, the gray claws of American Cocker Spaniels are coated with a nourishing varnish. This gives them a special shine and a special, exhibition gloss.
Dental care
Teeth change during life once, every 4-6 months. Dairy ones are being replaced by permanent ones. Please note that according to the 42 teeth standard, dogs must be strong and healthy.
From puppyhood, you need to instill the habit of healthy foods and not give sweets. Regular teeth cleaning is carried out using a cotton swab and tasteless and odorless toothpaste. The dog should not swallow the paste to avoid stomach upset. Cleaning is completed by wiping the teeth with a napkin. Treatment of caries and oral diseases is carried out only by veterinarians.
Ear care
The pet's ears are long, blade-shaped. During feeding, it is recommended to tie them on the head or offer dishes with a small diameter. Feeding the American Cocker Spaniel has some peculiarities, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with them.
Carefully inspecting and cleaning a spaniel’s ears means ensuring healthy hearing. The treatment is done with a cotton swab moistened with alcohol, and care is taken to ensure that there is no excessive discharge or other signs of the disease.
A typical problem in the spring and summer seasons is ear mites. After a walk in the tall grass of a park or forest, be sure to have your American Cocker Spaniel's ears examined. If a tick is detected, it must be carefully unscrewed and removed. Be sure to treat the suction area with alcohol.
Useful video
Watch an interesting and very useful video on how to properly care for your American Cocker Spaniel.
Conclusion
The American Cocker Spaniel, the haircut, care and maintenance of which are described in this article, requires money, time, and, of course, a lot of love for this breed. If you do everything correctly and in a timely manner, the dog will definitely become not only a devoted friend and favorite of the whole family, but also the star of exhibitions of any rank.
Standard spaniel haircut
If you decide to prepare your pet for an exhibition, you will definitely have to give him a standard haircut. This “hairstyle” is performed according to strict rules and favorably emphasizes the advantages and qualities of the breed. In the Cocker, special attention is paid to the belly - it is given a peculiar “skirt” shape, which, with regular and proper care, looks very impressive, falling down in shiny waves. The hair on the head and face is cut off completely, but so that all the hairs are the same length.
Types for boys and girls
If we are not talking about a show haircut, the requirements for which are the same for both males and females, then English Cocker boys and girls can be cut in different ways.
Thus, for active and energetic males, we can recommend shorter haircut options than for gentle and calm females.
For boys, we can recommend two most suitable options:
- Stripping with a short "skirt" . With this haircut, the hair on the body, neck and head is plucked by hand. Along the edges of the ears it is shortened almost to their edges, small feathers are left on the limbs, and the hair on the lower abdomen is cut quite short.
- Short haircut with poodle paws . The fur on the animal’s body is greatly shortened, but a “cap” remains on the head and lush fringes on the ears.
The following hairstyles are more suitable for English Cocker girls, although, of course, no one is stopping the owner from cutting his pet’s hair like a poodle or shortening its fur on its “skirt” as much as possible:.
- Trimming with a long "skirt" . Along the bottom of the body, the hair is left as long as possible; the neck, back and shoulders are trimmed in order to remove undercoat and protruding hairs that spoil the dog’s silhouette.
- Trimming with a “skirt” of medium length . It is similar to the previous one and is done in almost the same way, except that the hair along the belly line and on the paws is not just trimmed to give the desired line to the silhouette, but is shortened by about half the length. With this haircut option, the dog retains its main exterior features and looks neat and well-groomed.
Trimming with a long “skirt” is a show version of the English Cocker’s haircut, and therefore is equally suitable for both males and females.
American Cocker Spaniel Grooming
One of the varieties of the breed is the American Cocker Spaniel; the haircut of this subspecies has its own characteristics. The process starts from the head. By reducing or increasing the cut hair, the width of the muzzle is adjusted. Using thinning scissors, the eyebrows, shoulders and neck are processed, and the sides are trimmed. The area under the eyes is cut into a crescent shape, and eyelashes that are too long are shortened. If the fur on the belly is not too thick, it is better to cut it shorter. The American Spaniel's haircut should make the dog's silhouette look like an inverted letter "U".
What tools will you need?
To groom your pet you will need the following tool:
- hair dryer;
- tangle cutter;
- a special clipper with attachments (the clipper is not suitable for humans, since dogs have a different hair structure);
- straight scissors;
- rounded scissors for decorating paws;
- thinning scissors;
- comb-furminator, trimming knife or fingertips for stripping the back;
- wide-toothed comb;
- brush.
A grooming table is quite expensive, but if you plan to groom your pet often, this purchase makes sense. The table has a rubberized platform on which the dog will not slip, the height is adjustable to suit your height, and a rod with a lock securely fixes the furry client and prevents escapes.
