WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WORKING COCKER AND A SHOW COCKER?
If you can just consider for a moment that there have been working dogs far longer than show dogs then this will give you a perspective to work from. The working strain of cocker is how a small hunting spaniel was always meant to look, just take a look at old drawings and tapestry’s of hunting scenes and you will note the lurcher type dogs and the small sharp nosed hunting dogs. The physical difference between the two types of cocker is now so significant that I personally no longer class them as the same breed. So when I mention what I consider the show cocker’s shortfalls I am not doing it in a really derogatory sense I am just comparing them to the type of dog I feel would make a good working dog. The working cocker is far more alert than it’s show cousin, mentally they are very sharp and many a cocker has driven a Springer trainer to the brink of despair. Working Cockers are very selfish and if there ain’t nothing in it for them then really what is the point of doing it in the firs
