Read with thread with great interest, Nicole you made my heart sink 
we have messaged before with field questions, after reading your comments),
I agree with this, most working cocker's have at least a few and often quite a lot of FTCHs in their pedigrees but relatively very few dogs are of a suitable standard or achieve the required level of training to actually be successful in FTs themselves. I have 3 working cocker's and all of them have lots of FTCHs in their pedigrees; the older two are good working dogs and we have a lot of fun beating and picking up and doing scurries but they are not of the required grade for competing in tests or trials. Only the youngest one is *possibly and potentially* of a quality to compete and I'm not even talking about field trial level yet, I'm planning to do a few working tests with him to see how we both get on and will take it from there.
If you remember me from Australia where there are only 3 working cocker's here, none in NSW, I'm still plodding away at training my two, who are show cocker's with not a FC in sight on the pedigree, and they are also pets occasionally sleep on bed with me, and me never trained dogs before previously had Airedales one passing first Obed pass. Do I have no hope at all after reading many different articles "show dogs do hunt" and knowing that in Europe they also have to pass a working test to get there CH. I was on my soap box of they are gundogs now feeling very disillusioned 
knew it was not going to be easy. Just found the Sporting Spaniel Club(which is all springers working I assume) who run a couple of spaniel trails each year, I know I will never win anything but was hoping to get them to standard (over years) then at least attempt to trial and maybe a pass. Have just got in contact with club asking where trial is so I can go and watch after your comments now feeling like they will not take me seriously and I'll look foolish turning up with show cockers.
I don't really have any experience in Show Cockers at all let alone training them to work but I really hope what I said hasn't put you off training your dogs!! The point I was making in what you've quoted above is that a dog's working/trialling potential is NOT dependent on the amount of FTCH dogs in their pedigree. I'm not sure how that has made you feel like you have no hope as I haven't mentioned Show Cockers at all... And my dogs are first and foremost pets as well so again I didn't mention that as being an issue. What I did say about very few dogs being of the required standard to make serious contenders for Field Trialling is true but that's something we all have to live with, I have two dogs myself who aren't good enough to trial but that's ok, we still have a lot of fun and just because they're never going to win a trial or even compete in one doesn't mean that I'm going to stop training them and actually taking them out beating and doing scurries and stuff. I'm just being realistic about their abilities but as I said my youngest dog is a competition possibility and I'd say to anyone who thinks they have a dog with potential like this go for it, reach for the stars, if they've got the ability and the training is in place then their breeding isn't an issue. The infamous FTCH Jade of Livermere, one of the best and most widely used Working Cocker dogs ever seen was bred out of two non-FTCH parents.
Of course all Cockers are gundogs, again, I didn't say they weren't... I didn't mention Show Cockers or their abilities at all!! I have said in another thread recently thought that I would love the opportunity to train a Show Cocker to work one day and I probably will do it at some stage. By all means keep training your dogs and join the club, I don't know the situation in Australia either so I honestly don't know what 'reaction' you'll get from the other members, that's down to them but I don't see how anything I said would make you think that they'll think you're foolish
My emphasis in my post was on the level of training being more important than the breeding of the dog so if anything that should encourage you (if you take what I say to heart
) as it implies that the 'type' of dog isn't as important as the level of training they reach - I am of course referring specifically to Working Cockers in my post though as that's what I have and it's what the OP who I was responding to has as well.
I would really think that if your dogs are trained well enough then you'll have the respect of any fellow gundog trainers or workers regardless of their breed or type and from what you say it sounds like your two are doing pretty well which is something to be proud of
