Hi, ive got a male cocker spaniel, whos 8mths old. Every one that sees him says his a springer??. His kc reg as a cocker but his realy big ( 18 inch at shoulder ), he is flat coated and i was told he is a true gun dog not a show dog? Does it mean he is a springer just because he is biger than a cocker?

Tim

Hi guest, no Cockers and Springers are different breeds, it could be that the working cocker is bigger than the present day show cocker. Years ago we had cockers and they were a lot bigger that the cockers you see about today infact I would say some were more than 18" at the withers. So I would think you have a large Cocker, not that that matters you have a dog you love who cares what he is called bet you don't.

Working ciocker Spaniels look more like Working Springers to the casual onlooker than the show Cocker.

As the others have said, it's likely you have a Working Cocker, although size varies in Working lines as much as it does in show lines - some Working Cockers I have seen have been much smaller than my own Show-type Cockers. Have a look at your dog's pedigree, Guest - if there are dogs there with the letters "FT Ch" in front of their names, then you have a Working Cocker.

I have got a working cocker, he is a lanky black thing that looks nothing like an ordinary cocker, though I think he is much more handsome.
To make it worse mine has a tail so people think he is a flatcoat retriever.  Were you sold him as a show cocker, strange the breeder did not explain the differences because they are very different esp when it comes to energy, they need alot of mental stimulation.
Check out this link for some info on working cockers  working cockers   
There are a few working cocker owners here so if you have any more questions why don't you join and we will help you any way we can.