The English Cocker Spaniel: Best in Show at the Sporting Spaniel Society in Sydney, Australia under Judge Jamie Hubbard. (Photo by Cabal Captures Canines)
Most notably for me, on this trip, was the bone and mass of the English Cock- ers shown down under. We have gone through a trend to refine this breed. This is to be a lot of dog in a small pack- age. They should have as much bone as possible without being considered coarse or cloddy. This is a round Span- iel with broad ribbing and body. They are not “Setter-like”. This is a total mis- conception by many judges. They are round in bone, body and butt. They have meaty thighs and short, chunky hocks. They should be heavy to pick up. This breed is also trimmed heavily here, more so than in other countries. They should not be pealed down in jacket or stylized in underline. Judges should be well aware of the correct presentation and purpose of the jacket on this breed and all Spaniels. I am not sure why all the trimming became necessary but it certainly has. Overseas they are more naturally presented and tidied. As if often the case, this breed has some serious and great breeders who don’t often suffer the results of
all-breed shows. They are breed special- ist and attend specialties only. The hon- or of this presence in your ring should be noted as they know their breed and know it well. You will find them bring- ing you’re the very best of this breed. They have retained the bone, bulk and grace that this breed balances. The only place for this Americaniza- tion to be acceptable is with our Ameri- can Cocker, that has not suffered from our presentation, but rather benefited from it. Meaning, the skilled presen- tation of this breed, the coat produc- tion and style has allowed the breed to flourish for decades. Today it is suffer- ing from a lack of dedicated younger breeders to fill the gaps of those who are gone or retiring. Still however, this breed should have ribs and body. This is not a Toy Spaniel. They should have strong, big teeth for their size and bone and body to support their running abil- ity. Currently this breed is challenged with straighter fronts and over-angulat- ed rears that have plagued the breed for many years now.
Our job as judges and breeder is to protect and preserve our breeds. It is important that we all keep learn- ing the finer details of our breeds and not accept fads as fact. The sport of dogs is an exercise in lifelong learn- ing. The experience to see, touch and share space with dogs overseas worked to remind me of just how far some of these current trends have taken over the breeds we hold dear. The style vs. type; the fancy vs. correct, coupled this with our trends to over trim and over present dogs we end up with a new level of invention. These breeds are important to me. I want to retain the original thought of those who worked to develop these breeds, knowing they had specific needs and wants as well as reasons for the traits they sought. It is those exact points which fuel this discussion. I hope this will get us all thinking about the balance between improving and protecting our breeds and open a dialogue to learn about these wonderful breeds both here and around the world.
S how S ight M agazine , M ay 2017 • 213
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