Is my cocker spaniel too big to be purebred Cocker?

[abbie2299]

We bought our cocker spaniel Bert last year,  he was sold to us as a full cocker spaniel however he has ended up being much larger than most cocker spaniels I have seen. He is now 19 months old and he weighs 20kg and doesn’t have an ounce of fat on him and is 49cm tall to his withers. Is it normal for some cocker spaniels to grow this big, or do you think he is perhaps part springer? He is black and white with a spotty nose and legs.

[Issy]

It would be difficult to tell without seeing both parents but we used to have a show cocker that as an adult weighed 18kg without being overweight and we have a working cocker puppy now who is 8.5kg at seven months so think will only get to 10 or 11 kg as an adult, if that! 
They do come in all sorts of sizes and so long as he is healthy I wouldn’t worry too much.

[Jaysmumagain]

Firstly a big welcome Abbie...as Issy says it really can vary.  I am just wondering is he an  English Cocker Spaniel breed in the UK with Kennel Club papers etc. - not that my boy has papers (rescue cocker)

My friend in the States had two American cocker spaniels and I can honestly say that they were a quite a few pounds heavier than my two English cockers, in fact I honestly think I wouldn't want to attempt to sling them under my arm.

Also you do find some larger frame cockers my MIL's dog was a lot bigger than my present one.  A picture would help.

I too wouldn't worry too much, apart from your expectations etc of what you where told when buying, a healthy loving dog is the main thing.

[elaine.e]

Welcome to COL

49cms is certainly extremely tall for a Cocker and I can't remember ever coming across one that tall, although some definitely go over breed height. I once had a beautifully bred show type who grew to 44.5cms, no idea why, and stood out in the show ring for the wrong reasons! But even he was smaller than yours.

Is he Kennel Club registered or do you have any other papers at all? They might cast some light on his breeding. Is he a show type or worker? Show types tend to conform to breed standard height and build more than workers, who are bred to work and often with very little regard to the breed standard in terms of confirmation and height.

[Finvarra]

Dylan is 16kg and slim. He is a tall boy (must measure him), but he is pure bred cocker through and through. There were only three in the litter, and one of them was quite small, so I wonder if they got extra nourishment in The womb that made them grow larger. As Issy said, they come in all shapes and sizes. I do hate when someone asks me if he is a springer though 

Lesley and Dylan