- The American Cocker Spaniel is a medium size breed of dog.
- Spaniels were hunting dogs brought from Spain to England, where the type was developed into a gun dog for hunting small game, especially birds, and the name Cocker was described in 1904 as having been derived from its use in hunting woodcocks.
- The most common cause of death in Cocker Spaniels is cancer and followed closely by that is old age.
- In the United States, the breed is usually referred to as the Cocker Spaniel, while in Canada and elsewhere in the world, it's called the American Cocker Spaniel.
- Famous owners of American Cocker Spaniels: Richard Nixon, Oprah Winfrey and Albert Staehl.
- The English Cocker Spaniel has a more rectangular head, a shorter coat, and is larger.
- Often called a 'sweet' dog, Cocker Spaniels make excellent family pets, due to their good nature.
- The only fatality in the infamous Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse was an American Cocker Spaniel named Tubby.
- American Cocker Spaniels are on average between 13.5 to 15.5 inches (34 to 39 cm) high at the withers.
- American Cocker Spaniels are the smallest of all the recognized Spaniel breeds.
- The head of an American Cocker Spaniel makes the breed immediately recognizable, with the rounded dome of the skull, well-pronounced stop, and square lip. The drop ears are long, low set, with long silky fur, and the eyes are dark, large, and rounded.
- Cocker Spaniels can live in an apartment, provided they are exercised at least once a day.
- The average litter size for the American Cocker Spaniel is 5 to 7 pups with newborn pups weighing in at between seven and nine ounces.
- Cocker Spaniels can develop progressive retinal atrophy, a genetic eye disease that causes blindness, heart problems, epilepsy, cataracts, glaucoma, hemophilia, and patellar luxation.
- The first Cocker Spaniel registered in the United States' American Kennel Club was "Captain", in 1878.
- Over time, the Cocker Spaniels in the United States became smaller than the English dogs.
Facts about the Alaskan Malamute
