Home › Breeds › Cocker Spaniel

Sporting · Small-Medium (20-30 lbs) · 12-15 years

Cocker Spaniel

Gentle, smart, happy; affectionate and merry disposition.

20–30 lb

At a glance

Kid-friendly
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First-time owners
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Energy
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Shedding
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Good with cats
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Alone time
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Apartment OK
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Trainability
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What this is

What they’re great at

✓ Willing, capable learner
✓ Forgiving of first-timer mistakes
✓ Adapts beautifully to smaller spaces
✓ Wants to work WITH you - biddable to the bone
Why it matters

Honest challenges

Alone time is genuinely hard
Bred to work or live beside a human all day - solitude was never in the job description.

What helps: Train it like a skill: the Alone-Time guide builds tolerance in micro-doses from day one. The frozen-KONG-only-when-you-leave ritual turns departures into jackpots. Cover long days honestly: a midday walker, daycare 2-3x a week, and a camera to know (not guess) how they're doing.
What you can do

Exercise & training

Exercise: Moderate - 45-60 min/day
Training profile — Gundog / retrieving-pointing-flushing type: Biddable and handler-focused: these breeds genuinely want to work WITH you. Under-exercised gundogs invent jobs - usually involving your furniture.
Sports and outlets that suit them: Scent work · Agility · Therapy work
What you can do

Grooming & coat

Grooming: High - professional grooming every 6-8 weeks, brushing several times weekly, frequent ear care (very prone to ear infections).
Shedding: Moderate.
Good to know

Health to know about

Chronic ear infections, eye problems (PRA, cataracts, glaucoma), autoimmune hemolytic anemia, skin allergies
Breed-typical tendencies, not a diagnosis. Individual dogs vary enormously — your veterinarian screens for what matters for your dog.
How much should YOUR Cocker Spaniel eat?

This page can only give breed ranges. The app calculates calories and portions from your dog’s actual weight and life stage, splits them across the right number of meals, and adjusts as they grow.

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Why it matters

Emergency red flags

Poisoning (chocolate, xylitol, grapes, medications, rodenticide)
Vomiting, drooling, tremors, collapse, or known ingestion
→ Call ASPCA Poison Control 888-426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline 855-764-7661 immediately; do NOT induce vomiting unless instructed
Know your ER
→ Save your nearest 24-hour emergency vet's address and phone in your phone TODAY, not during a crisis
This page never carries product links in the emergency section. ASPCA Poison Control (888) 426-4435 · Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661.
These need to work when the signal does not

The app keeps every Cocker Spaniel red flag on your phone and opens them with no connection at all — which is the whole point at 2am in a car park. Add it to your home screen and it works like any other app.

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📊 The numbers›

Typical ranges for planning, not promises — costs vary by region, breeder and individual dog.

GroupSporting
SizeSmall-Medium (20-30 lbs)
Lifespan12-15 years
Healthy adult weight20–30 lb
Original purposeFlushing woodcock and small game birds.
Monthly care$100-$160 (incl. grooming)
Typical puppy price$800-$2,000
🐕 Similar breeds›
American Water SpanielBarbetBoykin SpanielBracco ItalianoBrittanyChesapeake Bay RetrieverClumber SpanielCurly-Coated Retriever
Got a Cocker Spaniel?

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Add them once and everything here becomes about your dog: feeding by their weight, training picked for their stage, a day built around your hours, and a vitals log that shows the trend. Free, works offline, no account needed.

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