dogage.co
MediumSporting Group

Cocker Spaniel

The Cocker Spaniel was split from the English Cocker in 1946 after the American type diverged toward a smaller, domed-skulled show dog.

Calculate Cocker Spaniel age
Lifespan13.3 yrrange 13–14
SizeMediumSporting Group
Weight20–30 lb9.1–13.6 kg
Senior at7 yrgeriatric at 11

Gallery (3)

About

About the Cocker Spaniel

The Cocker Spaniel was split from the English Cocker in 1946 after the American type diverged toward a smaller, domed-skulled show dog. It was the AKC's most-registered breed through the 1950s before being overtaken by Labradors.

Aging

How Cocker Spaniels age

RVC VetCompass places median lifespan at 13.3 years. The long pendulous ears create chronic otitis risk; cataracts (9.5% on OFA screens) and patellar luxation (5.4%) lead late-life concerns, alongside documented immune-mediated hemolytic anemia risk.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 13.3 yr · range 13–14Senior careSenior at 7 · geriatric at 11Common health issues10 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
20–30 lb(9.1–13.6 kg)
Height
13.5–15.5 in(34.3–39.4 cm)
Coat type
Long
Colors
BlackBlack & TanSilverBuffRedBrownBrown & TanBlack & WhiteRed & WhiteBuff & WhiteBrown & WhiteBlack White & Tan
Temperament

Temperament

How Cocker Spaniels tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

gentlemerryaffectionateadaptable
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Moderatetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Moderatetypical onset ~2 yr

    Patellar Luxation

    Description and veterinary guidance for Patellar Luxation land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Moderatetypical onset ~5 yr

    Hypothyroidism

    Description and veterinary guidance for Hypothyroidism land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
60min
per day

About 60 minutes of activity per day keeps a Cocker Spaniel physically and mentally satisfied. Split it between a structured walk and free play.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

Compare

Compare Cocker Spaniel to another breed

Pick any of the 200 breeds in the library and we'll open a side-by-side comparison.

Start typing a breed name.

References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.