8 - Breed Nutrition

Cockers have a natural tendency to put on weight (Edney and Smith, 1986), so it is important to be
especially vigilant if the dog:
• has a sedentary lifestyle
• has been neutered, which triples the risk of weight gain, especially among bitches (Jeusette et al,
2004)
• has reached the age of maturity, which is 6-7 years in Cockers; the muscle mass decreases and
the dog’s energy requirements fall by around 20% (Speakman et al, 2003)
• is competing with other animals; the dominant ones tend to eat more than they need.
Dogs are prisoners to the behaviour of owners
Overweight dogs are most often so because of bad dietary habits: either they are allowed to eat
when they want or they are given table leftovers on top of their regular ration.
Weighing the dog on a weekly basis is strongly
recommended. First step on the scales with the
dog in your arms, then step on them again
without the dog – the difference is the dog’s
weight. A normally active Cocker weighing 26 lbs
(±12 kg) needs around 800-850 kcal per day. If
it is fed only a dry food with a moderate energy
concentration, it will not need more than 440-480
oz (±200-220 g) of kibbles per day. The feeding
guides printed on food packaging are for indicative
purposes only and should be adapted to suit
the individual dog. The dog’s lifestyle, climatic
environment and individual predispositions do
have a strong impact on its energy requirements.
If its feeding amounts are not unreasonably high
and the dog still gains weight, you should take a
closer look at what the dog is eating between
meals. 3.5 oz (100 g) of meat accounts for almost
30% of its daily requirement!
Weight in kg (1 kg = ±2.2 lbs)
30
25
20
15
10
8
4
2
1
0
9
Growth curve
of Cocker spaniel puppies
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Age in months
American Cocker spaniel puppies
(lower bracket of the curve [10-13 kg adult])
English Cocker spaniel puppies
(upper bracket of the curve [12-14.5 kg adult])