In England, spaniels were originally divided into two groups – water spaniels and land spaniels – though the different breeds didn’t really start to separate until the mid-19th century.
Throughout the 1800s, different types of Cocker Spaniels were developed and used not to retrieve game, but to drive game toward the hunter.
One of the reasons the Cocker Spaniel is so popular is that he makes a good family dog.