Cocker Specific Discussion > Genetics & Breeding

'Foreign' Breeding

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Lobo do Mar:
Hi, this is just out of curiosity, from someone who knows nothing about breeding.

I live in Portugal, and Salty is an English Cocker Spaniel (show strain), although we dont know much about his parents.

'English Cocker Spaniels' from Portugal (or the US or wherever) - how strong and recent is the actual 'genetic' link to the population of English Cocker Spaniels in the UK?
And how much are similarities just from breeding to the standard?

I guess another way of asking this is, 'how much gene exchange is there between the populations of this breed in different countries? (especially, specifically, Portugal?)

The root of this curiosity comes from the 'general knowledge' here that Golden Cockers are the badly behaved 'black sheep' ones, but I haven't heard this said in the UK
I know its just anecdotal, but my question still piques my curiosity

Thanks

Leigh

cazza:
Hi

Sorry I have no idea, hope someone pops along that can provide you with some info or point you in the right direction to find answers to your questions  :D

bizzylizzy:
Oh tell me about it! I live in Germany and are faced with those sort of prejudices quite often. I think it stems back to the 60‘s and 70‘s when cockers were extremely popular, here at least. I imagine that the gene pool wasn‘t too big and the issue of „cocker rage“ came up. Coupled with the fact that cockers are pretty sensitive and don‘t react well to the sort if heavy handed training methods that were also acceptable at that time which no doubt accounted for a lot of cases of fear aggression, I think any cocker that got a bit nippy was instantly labled  as having cocker rage or being at the least very aggressive. I‘ve heard of groomers refusing to groom cockers and even my vet asked me if I‘d actually CHOSEN a cocker! I have to add that within a year he was greeting us with „oh here comes my favourite cocker!“
Here they‘re a bit like Marmite, people either adore them or hate them (usually because they‘ve never actually encountered one) even the celebrity dog trainers don‘t seem to take them seriously.
I googled some of the names on Humphrey‘s pedigree and found ancestors in Hungary, Spain and France although, strangely, non in UK.
The Federation Cynologique International might be able to provide you with breeding statistics.

Lobo do Mar:
Yes, definitely based on 60's and 70's 'cocker rage' here too.
Its just funny that the Golden ones are singled out as the worst ones here.

Also the fact that a lot of dogs here are just locked in gardens for their whole lives and very often left alone during the week - not good for a Cocker  :'(

We were warned against a Cocker by the vet too - especially as our daughter was around 8. She was right about the hassle though  :005:

Funny that you say that tho, from my experience of living in Germany with a dog, it is a very dog friendly country, I wish there was a Hundewiese culture here - 90% of the other dogs Salty sees here are those throwing themselves snarling against the fence between chasing their tails as we pass every other house  :'(

Cockers are very well known and well thought of here tho, generally (although, unfortunately having dogs is often like having a big car outside the property around here)

Interesting to know that Humphrey has international heritage, must be part of it to breed between countries? Or maybe only in Germany as the gene pool is smaller as they are not popular?

Unfortunately, The Federation Cynologique International didnt seem to have data on Portugal

Perhaps I should have just asked, 'how common is international breeding?'.

bizzylizzy:
I wouldn‘t want to say Germany isn‘t dog friendly but certainly its a bit of a regional thing - I joined the German Cocker Facebook Group and they have a map of the country pinpointing where everyone lives. Here in Hesse (around Frankfurt Main) there are very few, the most are up north in what was formerly the British sector where no doubt the presence of British Military bases has had some influence.
There was a gold cocker being advertised on the local dogs home website last year and the description said „ suitable for someone who understands the problems involved with cockers! „ I was so incensed, I actually sent an email and  politely suggested that that sort of generalisation put all cockers waiting to be rehomed at a disadvantage. I received a rather curt reply from the manager saying that in her 40 years experience she had never experienced a cocker spaniel that wasn‘t aggresive! I didn‘t bother to reply!  >:D

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