What is a Working cocker?

The cocker spaniel has divited in two lines: show and working. They differ from each other in looks and in working abitilies. But they do also have similarities.

The working cocker has been bred by something what I call "inner breedstandard". It means that the focus has been on how to get a good worker with great instinct for game. They need to have a great will to please and a lots of drive and speed. They need to be fast learning and fearless. They need to be good retrievers.

When compearing with show cocker they are faster and racier built and have less coat. The ears are bit higher set and they have flatter and boarder head. The nose is often thinner. But still they have something which is so familiary cockery.

These dogs are happy and clever with great will to please. But some how they can be very individualists and can be very independent. Specialits call them "devilish cockers" with great respect for the breed. These caracters can be also found in the show bred cockers. But they don't usually are so eager to please (they can be).

These two lines in cocker spaniel do some times cross, but usually they are kept apart. One great crossing is 1/2 showbred FTCH Speckle of Ardoon which still holds the record of all spaniel breeds: She has won three times the Cocker Championship in 1972-74. She can be found in every pedigree of field bred cockers.

I don't recomend working dogs to be bought as pets. These dogs are bred to work and let that be so.

Our Tara is always stearing in to the eyes and she wants to be very close to us. She has a lot of drive and she jumps so high (have never seen such jumps on show cockers). She likes to carry things in her mouth. Her nerves seems to be very good. She setles well to new situations. And her tail waggs a lot. We'll see how she developes. Anni, our second working cocker, seems to be a brave and happy girl. And at the age 12 weeks she carries everything in her mouth. But she is more active than her sister Tara. I'm so pleased with their caracters.

I have the honour to own both show and working cockers and I have a great intrest in both. And I also think that show cockers should have the right temperament and to be able to work.