Working Spaniels?????

[lynnruby]

OK so I am fairly new to Cockers. I have had Ruby just over a year. The other day, on the way back from our walk we met a couple with a gorgeous golden boy. Ruby got very excited and wanted to play. When I commented that she seems to love other Cockers, the lady said her dog was not a Cocker. She said he was a Working Spaniel. He was only a bit taller than Ruby, definitely not a Springer, not a Fieldy...

She said she used to be a "Kennel Maid" and knew her Spaniels!! She said that Ruby was quite clearly a Cocker, but her dog wasn't!! He looked exactly like the working strain Cockers I've seen on here!

Am I missing something?

[langcliffe]

Nope! never heard of a working spaniel! Definitely not a KC recognised breed. Almost certainly a Working Cocker i would say...

[Alex77]

sounds like she likes to be 'different'.  ( ). i have heard someone refer to my Jasper (working type cocker) as a field cocker before.  i said i'd never heard of a field cocker was it diff to a working type? they just sort of blanked me! 

[Emilyoliver]

I chatted to a woman a while ago who asked what kind of spaniels I had. Told her cockers. (they're show type). She said her daughter had been sold a pedigree puppy that looked like mine but had been told it was a 'water spaniel' 

[jaybee]

Sounds a bit odd to me!

There's a woman we meet on walks sometime who has a worker, she calls her a worker and has told me she specifically searched for a worker, yet every time I see her complains that she her coat doesn't seem to be getting longer and her ears aren't 'long like Bingley's yet' 

[KellyT]

I've had people ask if hazel is a springer  

Never heard of a worker spaniel ... But have heard of a water spaniel....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Water_Spaniel

[Emilyoliver]

I've had people ask if hazel is a springer 

Never heard of a worker spaniel ... But have heard of a water spaniel....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Water_Spaniel

Except they've been extinct for nearly 80 years!

[KellyT]

I've had people ask if hazel is a springer 

Never heard of a worker spaniel ... But have heard of a water spaniel....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Water_Spaniel

Except they've been extinct for nearly 80 years!

Yep - I mean from books etc, not as a breed I've seen, I just googled the term to find the details.

[Helen]

I chatted to a woman a while ago who asked what kind of spaniels I had. Told her cockers. (they're show type). She said her daughter had been sold a pedigree puppy that looked like mine but had been told it was a 'water spaniel' 

did they mean an Irish Water Spaniel?  (not extinct, and put Jarv's topknot to shame!)

http://dogsbreed.net/category/irish-water-spaniel/

Back to OP - the lady you spoke to has it wrong - a working spaniel could be  cocker, springer, field, clumber or any other 'type' of spaniel that goes out on a shoot    Most likely a working (cocker) spaniel 

[Emilyoliver]

I chatted to a woman a while ago who asked what kind of spaniels I had. Told her cockers. (they're show type). She said her daughter had been sold a pedigree puppy that looked like mine but had been told it was a 'water spaniel' 

did they mean an Irish Water Spaniel?  (not extinct, and put Jarv's topknot to shame!)

http://dogsbreed.net/category/irish-water-spaniel/

Back to OP - the lady you spoke to has it wrong - a working spaniel could be  cocker, springer, field, clumber or any other 'type' of spaniel that goes out on a shoot    Most likely a working (cocker) spaniel 

Ha ha, I hope not. Did tell her the Irish was the only water spaniel I knew of and that it was huge with curly hair.

[lynnruby]

Thanks for all the replies, I was just a bit puzzled by her response  The dog was definitley not a Springer (I have a few friends with Springers so I know what they look like  ) he certainly wasn't a Clumber either.............I'm sure he was a working strain Cocker! He was only a bit bigger than Ruby, but had a much shorter coat and shorter ears.

[praia]

sounds like she likes to be 'different'.  ( ). i have heard someone refer to my Jasper (working type cocker) as a field cocker before.  i said i'd never heard of a field cocker was it diff to a working type? they just sort of blanked me! 

Working type spaniels are often referred to as "field-bred" in America. Some people shorten it further and simply say field cocker or field springer, which is why there is confusion for some people between field-bred dogs (working type) and the Field Spaniel (distinct breed).