American Cocker Spaniel
GENERAL APPEARANCE L : Compact, stocky with a refined, well-chiseled head, with an integrally balanced and ideally sized assembly. Shoulders well supported over forelegs, with a slightly descending topline. Muscular and moderately angled hind limbs. Cheerful, healthy, well-balanced, in movement, demonstrates a keen interest in the work. A dog well balanced in all its parts is more desirable than a dog with strongly contrasted qualities and defects.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS : The measurement from the point of the breastbone to the back of the thigh is slightly longer than the measurement from the highest point of the withers to the ground. The body must be of sufficient length to allow free and firm movement. The dog can never look long and short.
BEHAVIOR AND TEMPERAMENT: Balanced in temperament, without any shyness.
HEAD : To obtain a well-proportioned head, which must be well balanced with the rest of the body, it is necessary to encompass an intelligent, alert, smooth and attractive expression.
CRANIAL REGION
skull : Round without exaggeration, with no tendency to flatten; clearly defined eyebrows. The bone structure below the eyes is well chiseled.
Stop: Pronounced.
FACIAL REGION
Truffle : Of sufficient size to bring balance between the muzzle and the cheeks, with well-developed nostrils, typical of the hunting dog. It is black in color, in black, black and brown and black and white dogs; in other colors it can be brown, liver or black, the darker is better. The color of the truffle harmonizes with the color of the contours of the eyelids.
Muzzle : Long and deep. To be correctly balanced, the distance from the stop to the tip of the nose must be half the distance from the stop to the occiput.
lips : The upper lip is full and deep enough to cover the jaw
Jaws and Teeth : Square and flat jaw. Strong, healthy teeth, not too small and with a scissor bite
cheeks : Not prominent..
eyes : The eyeball is full and looks straight ahead. The contour shape of the eyelids gives a slight almond-shaped appearance. The eye does not have a fragile or protruding appearance. The color of the iris is dark brown and in general the darker is better. Lobular, long, fine in texture, well coated with hair and set no higher than a line situated in the lower part of the eye.
Ears : Moderately long, moderately thick, wide, set high. Carried down close to the cheeks, without folds, rounded at the ends, neither too fleshy nor too thin. When brought forward, they should reach more or less to the corners of the mouth.
NECK : Neck long enough for the truffle to easily reach the ground, well muscled and without throatiness. It rises robustly from the shoulders and arches slightly to articulate with the head.
TRUNK
Top Line: Slightly sloping from shoulders to root of tail.
Back : Strong, sloping slightly and evenly from shoulders to set off docked tail.
chest : Deep, and its lowest point is at or just below the elbows; its chest is wide enough to allow room for the heart and lungs, but not so wide as to interfere with the movement of the forelimbs. Deep, well sprung ribs.
TAIL: The docked tail is set on and carried along the topline or slightly above; never upright like a terrier and never so low as to indicate shyness. In movement the tail is happy.
MEMBERS
PREVIOUS : They are straight, parallel, muscular and strongly boned. Inserted close to the body just below the scapula.
Shoulders : Well placed, forming an angle with the forearm of approximately 90°, which allows the dog to move its forelegs with ease and with considerable forward reach. The shoulders are well defined, sloping without protrusion and articulated in such a way that the highest point of the withers forms an angle that allows it to adjust to the well sprung ribs.
Elbows : Viewed in profile, with the forelimbs vertical, the elbows are directly below the highest point of the scapula.
Pasterns : Short and strong. Ergos on forelimbs can be removed.
HINDQUARTERS : Viewed from behind, the hind limbs are parallel when still and in motion. They are strong boned and muscular.
Knees : With moderate angulations. Strong and without deviations in motion or stopped.
Hocks : Strong.
Feet : Compact, large, round and firm with thick pads. They don't turn either out or in.
DRIVE : The prerequisite for good movement is balance between the front and rear train. He has correctly built shoulders and forelegs, to counterbalance the driving force of the hindquarters. Above all, its movement is coordinated, smooth and easy. The dog must have a good range of movement. Excessive animation should not be confused with proper movement.
COAT
On the head, short and thin; on the body, of medium length, there is plenty of undercoat for protection. The ears, chest, abdomen and legs are well feathered, but not so excessively as to hide the true lines and movement of a cocker spaniel, or affect its appearance and function as a moderately furry hunting dog. Texture is very important. The coat is silky, smooth or slightly wavy and has an easy-care texture. Excessive curly coat or cotton texture should be severely penalized. The use of a back clipper is undesirable. Grooming to enhance the dog's true lines should be done in a way that looks as natural as possible.
COLOR
Black Variety: Solid black color, including black with brown spots. Black must be jet. Shades of brown or liver in the coat are not desirable. A small white patch on the chest and/or throat is permissible. In any other region shall be disqualified.
Variety Any Solid Color Other than Black (ASCOB): Any solid color other than black ranging from the lightest cream to the darkest red, including brown and brown with brown spots. The color should be of an even tone, but a lighter color on the fringes is permissible. A small white patch on the chest and/or throat is permissible.
Particolor Variety: Two or more defined colors, one of which must necessarily be white. Black and white, red and white (red can have shades from the lightest cream to the darkest red), brown and white, and roan, including those colors with brown markings. It is preferable that the brown marks are located in the same places as the brown marks on the black and ASCOB varieties. Roan colored specimens are classified as particolor, and can be of any type of roan. If a color occupies an area equal to or greater than 90% (ninety percent), it must be disqualified.
Brown Marking: The brown color can range from the lightest shade of cream to the darkest shade of red, and is restricted to 10% (ten percent) or less of the specimen's color. Excessive brown marks (more than 10%) are disqualifying.
In the case of the Preto or ASCOB varieties, the brands must be located as follows:
The. A dot of brown above each eye.
B. On each side of the muzzle and cheeks.
ç. On the inner sides of the ears.
d. On all four legs and/or limbs.
and. Under the tail.
f. On the chest, optional: presence or absence should not be penalized.
Brown marks that are not clearly visible or that are only traces should be penalized. Brown marks on the muzzle that extend over the muzzle and come together will also be penalized. In a tan-marked black or ASCOB dog, the absence of marking in any of the specified locations is disqualifying.
SIZE : The ideal size at the withers for an adult dog is 38.1 cm and for a female 35.56 cm. The height can vary by 1.27 cm above or below the ideal height. A male whose size exceeds 39.37 cm or a female whose size exceeds 36.83 cm shall be disqualified. An adult male whose height is less than 36.83 cm or an adult female whose height is less than 34.29 cm shall be penalized. Height is determined by a perpendicular line from the ground to the top of the withers, the dog in a natural stay, with its fore and hindquarters parallel to the measurement line.
FAULTS
Any deviation from the terms of this standard should be considered a fault and penalized in exact proportion to its severity and its effects on the health and well being of the dog.
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS
• Aggressiveness or excessive shyness.
• Any dog that shows any sign of physical or behavioral anomaly must be disqualified.
• Color and Markings: The aforementioned colors are the only acceptable colors or color combinations. All other colors or color combinations imply disqualification.
• Black: White spots, except on the chest and throat.
• ASCOB: White patches, except on the chest and throat.
• Particolor: The main color by 90% or more.
• Brown Spots: (1) Brown spots in excess of 10%.
(2) Absence of brown marking on the Preto and ASCOB varieties, in any of the specified places on a dog marked in brown.
• Height: Males, above 39.37 cm.
Females, over 36.83 cm
GRADES
• Males must have both testicles, of normal appearance, well let down and accommodated in the scrotum.
• Only clinically and functionally healthy dogs with typical breed conformation should be used for breeding.