Editing Cocker Spaniel (section)

==History==
[[image:111. English and Welsh Cocker.JPG|thumb|left|alt=A drawing of two dogs in greyscale, the other is light with dark patches|A drawing of English and Welsh Cockers, from John Henry Walsh's (under the pseudonym "Stonehenge") 1859 work ''The Dog in Health and Disease'']]
While their origins are unknown, "spaynels" are mentioned in 14th-century writings.<ref name="such7">[[#sucher99|Sucher (1999)]]: p. 7</ref> They are commonly assumed to have originated in [[Spain]], and [[Edward, 2nd Duke of York]] in his 15th-century work ''[[The Master of Game]]'' introduces them as "Another kind of hound there is that be called hounds for the hawk and spaniels, for their kind cometh from Spain, notwithstanding that there are many in other countries."<ref name="york119">[[#york1909|York (1909)]]: p. 119</ref> ''The Master of Game'' was mostly an [[English language|English]] translation of an earlier 14th century [[Old French]] work by [[Gaston III of Foix-Béarn]] entitled ''Livre de Chasse''.<ref name="yorkxii">[[#york1909|York (1909)]]: p. xii</ref>

In 1801, [[Sydenham Edwards]] wrote in ''Cynographia Britannica'' that the "Land Spaniel" is divided into two types: the hawking, springing/springer and the cocking/cocker spaniel.<ref>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=A.C.|title=Gun Dogs - Their Training, Working and Management|year=1932|publisher=Seeley, Service & Co.|location=London|page=89}}</ref> The term "cocker" came from the dog's use in hunting [[woodcock]]s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Case|first=Linda P.|title=The Dog: Its Behavior, Nutrition, and Health|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|location=Ames, Iowa|year=2005|edition=2nd|page=32|isbn=978-0-8138-1254-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2e_AToP1yREC&q=cocker+spaniel&pg=RA1-PA32}}</ref> During the 19th century, a "cocker spaniel" was a type of small Field Spaniel; at the time, this term referred to a number of different [[spaniel]] hunting breeds, including the [[Norfolk Spaniel]], [[Sussex Spaniel]], and [[Clumber Spaniel]]. While no Sussex Cockers or Clumber Cockers existed, some dogs were known as Welsh Cockers and Devonshire Cockers.<ref>{{cite book|last=Walsh|first=John Henry|title=The Dogs Of Great Britain, America, And Other Countries. Their Breeding, Training, and Management in Health and Disease|publisher=Orange Judd Company|location=New York|year=1906|url=http://chestofbooks.com/animals/dogs/Dog-Breeding/The-Field-Spaniel-Continued-Sussex-Spaniel-Cocker-Spaniel.html}}</ref> The Welsh or Devonshire were considered cockers until 1903, when they were recognized by [[The Kennel Club]] as the [[Welsh Springer Spaniel]].<ref name="dogkennel"/>

[[image:Obo-II-Drawing.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A drawing of a dark-colored cocker spaniel, in profile, facing left|Champion American Cocker Spaniel Ch. Obo II]]

Prior to the 1870s, the only requirement for a dog to be classed as a Cocker Spaniel was that it needed to weigh less than {{convert|25|lb|kg}}, although breeders separated the cocker from the [[King Charles Spaniel]], which remains a smaller breed of spaniel.<ref name="such8">[[#sucher99|Sucher (1999)]]: p. 8</ref> This maximum weight limit remained on the Cocker Spaniel until 1900, with larger dogs being classed as Springer Spaniels.<ref name="dusting">{{cite web|url=http://www.spanieljournal.com/bkolehouse.html|title=Dusting Off History to Look at Cocker Hunting Tradition|last=Kolehouse|first=Bobbie|publisher=Spaniel Journal|access-date=26 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215005015/http://www.spanieljournal.com/bkolehouse.html|archive-date=15 February 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> The colors of the Devonshire and Welsh Cockers were described by [[John Henry Walsh]] under the pseudonym Stonehenge in his book ''The Dog in Health and Disease'' as being a deeper shade of liver than that of the Sussex Spaniel.<ref>[[#walsh87|Walsh (1887)]]: p. 109</ref> Following the formation of The Kennel Club in the [[UK]] in 1873, efforts were made by breeders to record the pedigrees of cockers and springers. In 1892, English Cocker Spaniels and [[English Springer Spaniel]]s were recognized as separate breeds by The Kennel Club.<ref name="pal19">[[#Palika2009|Palika (2009)]]: p. 19</ref>

Two dogs are thought to be the foundation sires of both modern breeds of cocker spaniels. Ch. Obo is considered by breed enthusiasts to be the father of the modern English Cocker Spaniel, while his son, Ch. [[Obo II]], is considered to be the progenitor of the American Cocker Spaniel.<ref name="pal21"/> Obo was born in 1879, when registration as a cocker was still only by size and not by ancestry. He was the son of a Sussex Spaniel and a Field Spaniel.<ref name="dogkennel"/> Although Obo was an English dog, Obo II was born on American shores &ndash; his mother was shipped to the United States while pregnant.<ref name="pal21">[[#Palika2009|Palika (2009)]]: p. 21</ref> During his lifetime, Obo II was claimed in advertisements to be the sire or grandsire of nearly every prize-winning cocker in America.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asc-cockerspaniel.org/images/history/obostud.pdf|title=Obo II Stud Card|publisher=American Spaniel Club|access-date=26 April 2010}}</ref>