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Breed guide · Dogs
He sniffs every doorway in the building on the way to the lift. I leave ten minutes early for everything now.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
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At home
Some Cockers are small and round-headed, with a short muzzle and a lot of coat. Others are taller, with a longer muzzle and less coat.
What's going onThose are the American and the English Cocker, separate breeds since 1946. The English one is usually busier and needs more to do. Both have a nose that wants a job, and ears that need looking after.
At home
Head shaking, scratching at an ear, or a dog who suddenly does not want their head touched.
What's going onThey have narrow ear canals under long, heavily feathered ears, and ear inflammation is the first risk on their health record as a puppy. Check and dry their ears every week, and after every bath.
At home
Nose down from the moment the door opens, through every flower bed and under every parked car.
What's going onTheir ancestors were bred to find birds in the woods, and the nose still works. Ten minutes of finding their breakfast around the flat does more for them than another lap of the building.
At home
Scratching, licking their paws, and a musty smell that comes back soon after a bath.
What's going onAllergic skin is on their record from adolescence, and greasy skin from young adulthood. A matted coat hides both. Brush them several times a week and part the coat to look at the skin.
At home
Squinting, rubbing their face along the sofa, or an eye that looks red or cloudy.
What's going onCataracts (cloudy lenses), raised pressure inside the eye and dry eye are all on their record. A painful eye can look like a change in mood first. Squinting or a red, cloudy eye means contacting your vet now.
At home
Head on your foot, in the kitchen the second you move, and flat on the floor after a raised voice.
What's going onThey were bred to work close to one person, and they take a raised voice to heart. Reward what you want, calmly. A Cocker who suddenly snaps when their head is touched may well be sore, not cross: think ears and eyes first.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their past
Built for: Finding birds by scent, close to one person.
In Dubai: A family dog.
Their looks
Built for: Long, heavy ears, a thick coat and big round eyes.
In Dubai: Humidity, which makes that care harder.
Their nose
Built for: Following scent all day.
In Dubai: Needing a job to do near you.
Those looks came with care the old field dogs never needed.
You cannot change their ears. You can keep them clean and dry and give their nose a job, and the ten things below show you how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on a Cocker Spaniel's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
They still have a spaniel's nose, and searching settles them.
Every age, with easy searches at floor level from 7 years
Why
They still have a spaniel's nose, and searching settles them.
What to do
Scatter part of their breakfast on a towel, or hide a toy in another room and let them find it. On the hottest days, do ten minutes of searching indoors instead of a walk.
A sniffing walk tires them more than a fast one.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
A sniffing walk tires them more than a fast one.
What to do
A harness and a five-metre line, somewhere quiet, early in the day. Let them set the pace and follow their nose, and call them back every few minutes for a reward.
Once their nose is on something, their name stops working.
Every age, starting at mealtimes in puppyhood
Why
Once their nose is on something, their name stops working.
What to do
Use one whistle sound for "come back". Start at mealtimes indoors, pay them every time, and use it outside only once it works at home. As they get older, add a hand signal in case their hearing fades.
They will still chase a cat, and they are small enough to be hurt by one, or by a car.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They will still chase a cat, and they are small enough to be hurt by one, or by a car.
What to do
Keep the lead on near roads and bins. At a distance where they can still listen, reward them for looking at a cat and turning back to you, and close the gap slowly over weeks.
They carry things gently to you, the way their ancestors carried birds.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They carry things gently to you, the way their ancestors carried birds.
What to do
Keep a soft toy that is theirs, and give it a few short throws along the floor. When they pick up something they should not have, swap it for a treat or their toy. Do not chase them for it.
Ear inflammation is the first risk on their record from puppyhood, and their ear canals are narrow.
Every age, for life
Why
Ear inflammation is the first risk on their record from puppyhood, and their ear canals are narrow.
What to do
Lift the flaps, look and smell. Dry inside after every bath. Use the cleaner your vet recommends, keep the hair under the flaps short, and use a snood at mealtimes. Head shaking or a smell means telling your vet that week. Regular ear cytology (a swab from the ear looked at under a microscope) is in your plan from age two.
A Cocker in a thick coat heats up fast, and a busy nose does not notice.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
A Cocker in a thick coat heats up fast, and a busy nose does not notice.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Keep walks short in the heat, carry water, and head home before they slow down.
They want to be wherever you are.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They want to be wherever you are.
What to do
If you are out for more than a few hours, arrange a visit, a walker or daycare. Hide part of their lunch before you go, and keep leaving and coming home calm. If they are distressed when you leave, contact your vet.
Yeast and allergies are on their record from adolescence, and greasy skin from young adulthood.
Every age, most of all from 6 months
Why
Yeast and allergies are on their record from adolescence, and greasy skin from young adulthood.
What to do
Brush them several times a week, keep the hair between their pads and under their ears short, and book a regular groom. Part the coat as you go and look for red, greasy or smelly skin. Long-term allergy control and skin support are in your plan from age two.
All four are on their record, and a weekly look helps you spot a change early. Pale or yellow gums can be a sign of immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia (the immune system destroying red blood cells), so contact your vet now.
Every age
Why
All four are on their record, and a weekly look helps you spot a change early. Pale or yellow gums can be a sign of immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia (the immune system destroying red blood cells), so contact your vet now.
What to do
Look at their eyes in good light. Lift their lip: teeth clean, gums pink. Brush their teeth daily if they will let you, and watch for a skip on a back leg for a stride or two. Squinting, pale or yellow gums, or a red, cloudy eye mean contacting your vet now. Weigh them monthly.
Three of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
American or English
There are two Cockers, separate breeds since 1946. The American Cocker is smaller, with a rounder head, a shorter muzzle and a much heavier coat. The English Cocker is taller and busier, with a longer muzzle and less coat, and hip dysplasia (a poorly fitting hip joint) is on its health record. Ask which one you are being offered.
Colours
Cockers come in every shade from pale buff and silver to red, brown and black, though the silver and buff are American. Some are black and tan, and some are patched with white, or flecked with it (roan). Whatever their colour, their ears need the same care.
The first six months
Their vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first, with a baseline ophthalmic evaluation (eye exam). Handle and dry their ears from the first week, so it is never a fight later.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Keep a soft towel by the bath for their ears, the ear cleaner your vet recommends, and a snood for mealtimes. Find a groomer early, and a snuffle mat for the hottest days.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Their health runs in families, so the parents matter a great deal. Ask the breeder about both parents' eyes, ears and skin, and meet the mother if you can.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep sniffing every doorway. If they start shaking their head, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
Before the 1880s
A small British spaniel found woodcock by scent and flushed them for the gun. Dogs of this type went to North America with settlers and sportsmen.
What they still carryThe nose, the soft mouth and the wish to be close to you.
The 1880s
An English-bred dog called Obo II is credited as the founding sire of the American line, a smaller Cocker than the British dog from the start.
What they still carryA compact size that suits a flat.
1920s to 1950s
American breeders moved the Cocker towards the show ring and the home: smaller, with a rounder head, large eyes and a much heavier coat. By the late 1930s it was the most popular breed in the United States.
What they still carryThe ears, coat and eyes that need so much care.
1946
The American Kennel Club recognised the American and English Cocker Spaniels as separate breeds. In Britain, the English one is still simply the Cocker Spaniel.
What they still carryTwo breeds with one name.
Today
In the UAE a Cocker, American or English, is a family dog in a flat or a villa, often groomed in a salon.
What they still carryLong, heavy ears and a thick coat in a humid city.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Cocker suits you, so might these.
English Cocker SpanielThe same kind of dog: the cocker spaniel as bred in England, a little bigger, with a lighter coat to groom.Guide coming soon
Springer SpanielAnother spaniel from the same sporting family, larger, with a shorter coat that is easier to keep.
CockapooThe same friendly, busy temperament, in a smaller cross with a cocker parent and a coat that sheds far less.
BeagleA similar size and the same love of company, with a short coat that needs far less grooming and a much louder voice.
