The breeds · side by side
for pheasant in heavy cover
English Springer Spaniel or English Cocker Spaniel.
Two flushing spaniels for the cattails. Size against the cover, the drive the handler can keep honest, and the field line are what the choice turns on.
Every value below shows its source and how sure we are. Breed sets the odds; the parents set the dog. Nothing here is a prediction about one dog.
What the question turns on
Height at the shoulder
show linedogs 20 in · bitches 19 in
show linedogs 16.5 in (16 to 17) · bitches 15.5 in (15 to 16)
Range
Close: quarters in a brisk, bustling manner, covering ground within gun range
Close (a flushing spaniel working within gun range in cover)
Primary game
Pheasant
Woodcock ('first bred to hunt woodcock', which gave the breed its name); today upland game generally
Exercise need
More than 2 hours a day
Up to 1 hour per day (Royal Kennel Club band)
Coat
field lineShorter, coarser coat with less feathering
show lineLonger, more profuse coat; heavier, stockier build
show lineShort and fine on the head; medium length on the body; flat or slightly wavy; silky; well-feathered 'but not so profusely as to interfere with field work'
The rest, read the same way
Weight
field line42 lb (35 to 50)
show linedogs 50 lb · bitches 40 lb
33.2 lb (28.9 to 38.3)
show linedogs 31 lb (28 to 34) · bitches 29 lb (26 to 32)
Shedding
Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)
Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)
Heat tolerance
3 of 5 · Medium double coat: outer coat of medium length, flat or wavy, over a short, soft, dense undercoat
3 of 5 · Medium-length silky coat with feathering
Median lifespan
13.5 years (13.4 to 13.6)
13.3 years (13.2 to 13.3)
Life expectancy at birth
11.9 years (11.7 to 12.1)
11.3 years (11.1 to 11.5)
Exercise need
More than 2 hours a day
Up to 1 hour per day
Energy
field lineHigher energy and exercise need than show-bred dogs
AKC Energy Level 3 of 5 ('Moderate'); the standard: 'alive with energy ... neither sluggish nor hyperactive'
Grooming load
3 of 5 · More than once a week
4 of 5 · Grooming: Every day; coat length Medium (RKC)
Grooming
More than once a week
Every day (RKC); weekly (AKC band 3 of 5); trimming permitted 'to remove overabundant hair' (AKC standard)
Role
Flushing spaniel: finds and flushes ("springs") game within gun range
'An outstanding rough shooting dog': used by a hunter to find, flush and retrieve shot upland game in a variety of cover
Also used on
Grouse, woodcock
Not recorded for this breed yet.
Search pattern
field lineQuarters in front of the gun in a windshield-wiper pattern
Scored in AKC Spaniel Hunt Tests 'in the areas of pattern, bird finding, flushing, marking and retrieving'; used 'to find, flush and retrieve shot upland game in a variety of cover' (ECSCA); the AKC standard asks for a dog 'capable both of covering ground effortlessly and penetrating dense cover'
Field trial standard
field lineHunts within gun range, steady to wing and shot, retrieves to hand, honors the bracemate's flush
ECSCA Working Dog / WDX test (find, flush, retrieve, short water retrieve); AKC Spaniel Hunt Tests, Junior to Master (Master: steady to wing and shot, water blind plus water mark); AKC Cocker Field Trials since 1925, FC/AFC on 10 points and a win or two wins
Water work
field lineA water series is optional in trials; the National includes one
A short water retrieve is required in the Working Dog test; the AKC Master Hunter level requires a water blind in addition to the water mark
Cold water
3 of 5 · Waterproof double coat; a flushing spaniel that retrieves from water, not a cold-water specialist
2 of 5 · An upland rough-shooting dog; a short water retrieve is required in the ECSCA Working Dog test and the AKC Master test adds a water blind
Hip dysplasia
12.4% · 20,621 OFA hip evaluations, all data as served Oct 5 2026; 12.4% dysplastic (mild 7.9, moderate 4.0, severe 0.6; borderline not counted), 86.2% normal (10.9% excellent)
6% · 10,156 OFA hip evaluations to date: 93.3% normal (20.1% excellent, 62.2% good, 11.0% fair), 6.0% dysplastic (4.3% mild, 1.4% moderate, 0.2% severe); rank 172
Elbow dysplasia
15.9% · 5,945 OFA elbow evaluations, all data as served Oct 5 2026; 15.9% abnormal (grade I 13.0, grade II 2.6, grade III 0.4)
0.3% · 1,551 OFA elbow evaluations to date: 99.6% normal, 0.3% abnormal (0.2% grade 1, 0.1% grade 2)
Most common disorders
Owner-reported within-breed prevalence, UK Kennel Club 2014 survey: lipoma 6.4%, skin cyst 3.1%, arthritis 2.9%, cruciate disease 1.8%, hip dysplasia 1.6%, skin lump 1.6%, otitis externa 1.5%, umbilical hernia 1.1%, epilepsy 1.0%, elbow dysplasia 0.9%
One-year prevalence 2016 (n = 2,318): periodontal disease 20.97%, otitis externa 10.09%, obesity 9.88%, anal sac impaction 8.07%, diarrhoea 4.87%, aggression 4.01%. Most common causes of death: neoplasia 9.26%, mass-associated disorders 8.33%, collapse 7.41%
Aggression, as studied
Show-bred dogs scored higher than field-bred on stranger-directed (P<0.0001) and owner-directed (P<0.05) aggression; dog-directed was borderline
Aggression was recorded in 4.01% of UK ECS in 2016 (95% CI 3.21-4.81), about twice the 2.24% in dogs overall; higher in males (4.95%) than females (2.87%) and in solid-coloured (7.00%) than bi-coloured (3.66%) dogs, highest in golden (12.08%). A population-level clinical-record finding, never a prediction for one dog
What to ask a breeder for
Clearances
- Optional, recommended: fucosidosis, PFK deficiency, degenerative myelopathy, autoimmune thyroiditis, cardiac evaluation · US
- PRA DNA test (crd4 / cord1) · US
- Eye examination within 12 months of breeding · US
- Elbow evaluation · US
- Hip evaluation · US
- DNA repository sample · US
- DNA, recommended: fucosidosis, PFK deficiency, PRA (cord1), acral mutilation syndrome, DAMS · UK
- Hip and elbow scoring; eye testing including gonioscopy · UK
- Progressive Retinal Atrophy (prcd-PRA) DNA test · US
- Hip scoring · UK
- Eye testing including gonioscopy for PLA · UK
- DNA tests for Adult-Onset Neuropathy (AON) and Familial Nephropathy (FN) (RKC best practice) · UK
- DNA tests for Acral Mutilation Syndrome (AMS) and prcd-PRA (RKC good practice) · UK
- Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC) DNA test (field-bred dogs) · US
- Acral Mutilation Syndrome (AMS) DNA test (field-bred dogs) · US
- BAER hearing test (parti-colored dogs, from 35 days) · US
- Eye examination by an ACVO ophthalmologist (annual) · US
- Autoimmune thyroiditis: OFA thyroid panel (an annual clearance per the ECSCA CHIC guidance) · US
- Adult Onset Neuropathy (AON) DNA test · US
- Familial Nephropathy (FN) DNA test · US
- Patellar luxation evaluation (12 months or older) · US
- Hip evaluation (OFA at 24 months or older; preliminary under 24 months allowed) · US
The health clearances each breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.
The selector
Which one, for your life?
A few minutes of honest answers: the birds, the ground, the water, the house, the week. The selector ranks both of these against what you said, explains every rank, and shows exactly where the one you came in wanting lands.
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