American Cocker Spaniel

The American Cocker Spaniel is a sporting dog breed. It is a spaniel dog type that is related to the English Cocker Spaniel. The two breeds grew apart sometime in the 20th century, mostly because different breeding standards in the UK and the USA. In the United States, the breed is usually called the Cocker Spaniel, anywhere else, it is mostly called the American Cocker Spaniel in order to distinguish it and its English cousin, which was already known as "Cocker Spaniel" before the creation of its American cousin. The word cocker is commonly believed to originate from their use to hunt woodcock in England, and spaniel is thought to be derived from the breeds origins in Spain.