Their barking never fails to let you know that strangers are present. They are always keen on fun and games and are affectionate, loyal and cuddly. They are friendly to humans and animals, as long as the latter don't catch their eye out in the open as potential prey. As with some other original working dog breeds, breeding based chiefly on aesthetic criteria could generally lead to exaggerated features, such as overly long floppy ears.ДЄppearances don't deceive: English Cocker Spaniels are jolly and outgoing dogs that need family contact. Special Spaniel clubs dedicated to pure breeding quickly shot up in Europe. Several more breeds have developed from Springer Spaniels, including the English Cocker Spaniel, which was recognised as an independent breed in 1892 by the English Kennel Club. He considered the Springer Spaniel, which during hunts mainly took on the role of flushing out rabbits or birds and retrieving them once they had been shot, to be a land Spaniel. In 1570, the scientist John Caius classified the British dog breeds of the era, including Spaniels, which he divided into land and water Spaniels. For instance, the British writer Geoffrey Chaucer mentioned вЂњSpaniel dogsвЂќ as early as the 14 th century, and around 200 years later, William Shakespeare also immortalised the Spaniel in his works.

What is certain is that the ancestors of today's Spaniel breed were already highly popular hundreds of years ago. A theory, if not a legend, assumes that they arrived in Britain from Spain with Julian Caesar's Roman soldiers well over 2,000 years ago and that their name is derived from the Latin term for вЂњSpanish dogвЂќ. The precise origin of English Cocker Spaniels is unknown.

Clocker spaniel