Why cocker spaniels have long ears

In brief, there are numerous reasons for Cockers being prone to ear problems. If there are no ear problems, these ears should be left alone like for any other dog breed.

If problems do develop, it is important to treat early and correctly. Also, it is important to resolve not just the ear infection. In addition, the underlying primary cause such as allergies or thyroid conditions also need to be diagnosed and treated. This will prevent future ear problems. Cocker Spaniels are vulnerable to many different skin problems, and thus ear problems.

Some symptoms of ear infections in Cocker Spaniels are itchiness, head shaking, redness of ear canal, excessive wax build up and unpleasant smell. Ear infection may be due to yeast infection or bacterial infection, or both.

Your veterinarian will check ears in detail to help decide on appropriate treatments. Sometimes, different ear treatment may be needed for each ear in the same dog! If present, infection and inflammation resolution needs to be confirmed before stopping therapy.

Otherwise ear problems can become chronic and will surface again. Chronic ears in Cocker Spaniels are very common, unfortunately. Dealing with any ear problem early should prevent deeper ear problems. If present, deeper problems should be treated until they resolve completely, under veterinary supervision. If we look at a range of dog breeds that are bred for hunting or seeking out quarry then we would find that there is one distinct feature that is common among these types of dogs — long, floppy ears.

But long ears are not just the reserve of spaniels, many other hunting and scenting dogs benefit from floppy ears — dogs such as:. Although we can never fully understand how scent works for a dog, when we look at a breed such as the Bloodhound and see him sniffing the ground with his ears flopping around his face , it is reasonable to think that long, floppy ears play a part in movement of scent particles towards his nose, improving his chances of tracking his prey.

Like the other hunting and scenting breeds, Cocker spaniels have long ears to help with hunting. These small spaniels were originally bred to hunt birds. They were especially skilled at hunting a type of bird called the woodcock. This is where the Cocker Spaniel's name comes from. Scientists now know that dogs are capable of identifying cancerous samples by scent, although they are still unsure exactly what the dogs are smelling.

This idea was first confirmed by a study done with six dogs in England in In that study, a Cocker Spaniel named Tangle had the best success rate at detecting cancer, with 56 percent accuracy.

Researchers continued to work with Tangle, and his success rate improved to 80 percent. President Nixon's Checkers might be the most famous First Dog, because Nixon mentioned him in an hour-long newscast in which he defended himself against accusations of corruption.

Oprah Winfrey owned two Cockers, Solomon and Sadie. Will and Kate have an English Cocker Spaniel, which is actually a separate breed from the American Cocker Spaniel, though they are very similar. The main differences are in the head. Breed Overview Height: 25 to 27 inches males ; 23 to 25 inches females Weight: 90 to pounds Physical characteristics: Short, dense, and loose coat, with many folds around the face, neck, and ears.

Afghan Hound. Breed Overview Height: 25 to 27 inches at the shoulder Weight: About 50 to 60 pounds Physical characteristics: Coat is long, thick, and fine and can be any color or combination of colors, including brindle and domino.

American Cocker Spaniel. Basset Hound. Continue to 5 of 9 below. Breed Overview Height: Up to 15 inches at the shoulder Weight: 20 to 25 pounds Physical characteristics: Short coats in all hound colors, including but not limited to tri-color tan, black, and white , red and white, and lemon and white. Treeing Walker Coonhound. Breed Overview Height: 22 to 27 inches males ; 20 to 25 inches females Weight: 50 to 70 pounds Physical characteristics: Smooth, short, and fine coat typically found in white, black, or tan tri-color.

Breed Overview Height: 8. Lhasa Apso. Breed Overview Height: 10 to 11 inches at the shoulder Weight: 12 to 18 pounds Physical characteristics: Dense double coat in nearly any color, most commonly black, white, gold, gray, cream, or a combination of these.

Continue to 9 of 9 below. Breed Overview Height: 25 to 27 inches males ; 23 to 25 inches females Weight: 70 to 90 pounds males ; 55 to 75 pounds females Physical characteristics: Short and stiff coat in various shades of gray. Featured Video. Related Topics. Getting Started.