Springer Spaniel or Cocker Spaniel: which suits you?

This is the biggest practical difference. The Royal Kennel Club's guidance applies to show and working lines alike; our Springer guideexplains how the two lines are usually described. If you can give more than two hours a day, with chances to run, swim or do field work, the Springer's needs are within reach; if you cannot, the Cocker's guidance is the closer fit.

Our Springer guide notes that its feathering tangles on the ears, legs and belly. Even so, the Cocker's daily grooming is the bigger time commitment. Our dog grooming guide compares brushes and tools, and our grooming cost guide covers professional grooms.

In UK vet records, 10.09% of Cockers had an ear infection in a year, and ear discharge was recorded at 14.66 times the odds of other dogs (Engdahl et al., 2024). Our Springer guide gives ear-care advice for the same reason: long ears that limit airflow. Dry the ears after swimming and check them weekly with either breed.

For a Springer, the Royal Kennel Club's Good Practice tests are hip and elbow scores and an eye certificate with gonioscopy. For a Cocker, they are DNA tests for acral mutilation syndrome and prcd-PRA. Both breeds share the AMS DNA test, which is Best Practice for Springers. Look up any dog's results on the RKC Health Test Results Finder linked from both guides.

The Royal Kennel Club lists the Springer as medium and the Cocker as small; the median adult Cocker in UK vet records weighed 15.05 kg. A 2024 UK study found a median lifespan of 13.3 years for English Cocker Spaniels (McMillan et al., 2024). Our Springer guide does not yet give a lifespan figure, so we have not compared the two.