COCKER SPANIEL

Kennel Club, London

F.C.I Standard No. 5

GENERAL APPEARANCE:- Merry, sturdy,sporting; well balanced; compact; measuring approximately same from withers to ground as from whithers to root of tail.

CHARACTERISTICS:- Merry nature with ever-wagging tail shows a typical bustling movement, particularly when following scent, fearless of heavy cover.

TEMPERAMENT:- Gentle and affectionate, yet full of life and exuberance.

HEAD AND SKULL :- Square muzzle, with distict stopset midway between tip of nose to occiput.  Skull well developed, cleanly chiselled,  neither too fine or too course.  Cheek bones not prodominent.  Nose sufficiently wide for acute scenting power.

EYES:- Full, but not prodominent. Dark brown or brown, never light, but in the case of liver, liver roan, and liver and white, dark hazel to harmonise with the coat; with expression of intelligence and gentleness but wide awake, bright and merry; rims tight 

EARS:- Lobular, set low on a level with eyes.  Fine feathers extending to the nose tip.  Well clothed with long straight silky hair.

MOUTH:- Jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e.  Upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

NECK:- Moderate in length, muscular.  Set neatly into fine sloping shoulders.  Clean throat.

FOREQUATERS:- Shoulders sloping and fine.  Legs well boned, straight, sufficiently short for concentrated power.  Not too short to interfere with tremendous exertions expected from this grand, sporting dog.

BODY:-Strong, compact.  Chest well developed and brisket deep; neither too wide not narrow in front.  Ribs well sprung.  Loin
short, wide with firm, level topline gently sloping downwards to tail from end of loin to set on of tail

HINDQUATERS:- Wide, well rounded, very muscular.  Legs well boned, good bend of stifle, short below hock allowing for plenty of drive.

FEET:- Thickly paded, cat like.

TAIL:- Set on slightly lower than line of back.  Must be merry in action and carried level, never cocked up.  Preferably docked but never too short to hide, nor too long to interfere with the incessant merry action when working.

GAIT/MOVEMENT:- True through action with great drive covering ground well.

COAT:- Flat, silky in texture, never wiry or wavy, not too profuse and never curly.  Well feathered forelegs, body and hindlegs above hocks.

COLOUR:- Various.  In self colours no white allowed except on chest.

SIZE:-
Height: Dogs approx. 39-41 cms (15 1/2- 16 ins
Bitch approx. 38-39 cms (15-15 1/2 ins)
Weight approx. 28-32 lbs

FAULTS:- Any departures from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be exact proportion to its degree.

NOTE:- Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

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