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24 Cocker Spaniel Colors & Patterns (With Pictures)

Nicole Cosgrove Profile Picture

By Nicole Cosgrove

english cocker spaniel on green grass

You might think of Cocker Spaniels as instantly recognizable dogs. They do have a rather distinct, with their long, hanging ears covered in curly fur and some characteristic patterns that you often see. But those patterns change, and so do the colors that these dogs come in.

You might think you know Cocker Spaniels, but have you seen all 24 of these Cocker Spaniel colors and patterns? Would you ever recognize all of these pooches as Cocker Spaniels if no one told you they were? This list just goes to show what a diverse breed this really is, even if they all still share the same trademark lovable personalities and the same general physical look.

Of the 24 colors, all Cocker Spaniels are a mix or variety of these 10 main colors, some through markings and ticks, others through patterns and spots.

Cocker Spaniel Colors

cocker spaniel colors1

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The 24 Cocker Spaniel Colors:

While many often picture Cocker Spaniels with large white markings, many of the breed are solid colored. There are four solid colors that Cocker Spaniels come in. The dog doesn’t have to be 100% that color to count as solid though. A small white patch is acceptable, such as a streak or star on the chest.

Because of the way genes work, a solid-colored Cocker Spaniel can carry the gene to create a particolored Cocker Spaniel. However, a particolored dog cannot carry the gene to create a solid-colored Spaniel. If a dog has two dominant solid genes, they can only produce solid puppies, even when mating with a parti-color Cocker Spaniel. But in this case, the offspring would all carry the parti-color gene, even though all of them would be solid-colored.

Solid Cocker Spaniel Colors

1. Black Cocker Spaniel

black cocker spaniel
Image Credit: Andrew Price, Pixabay

2. Golden Cocker Spaniel

golden cocker spaniel
Image Credit: Katrina_S, Pixabay

3. Liver Cocker Spaniel

liver cocker spaniel dog ongoing training
Image Credit: Shirebrook Photography, Shutterstock

4. Red Cocker Spaniel

red cocker spaniel
Image Credit: Katrina_S, Pixabay

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Particolored Cocker Spaniels

Dogs with a large portion of white are considered to be particolored Cocker Spaniels. These dogs are two-tone, with either the white or their base color showing as their main color. Their markings can appear in different shapes, sizes, and places, so no two particolor Cocker Spaniels have quite the same coat. They may even appear to be almost completely one color with only small splotches of a second color strewn in.

5. Black and White Cocker Spaniel

black and white cocker spaniel
Image Credit: Steve Sewell, Pixabay

6. Liver and White Cocker Spaniel

liver and white cocker spaniel
Image Credit: onthegoTam, Pixabay

7. Orange and White Cocker Spaniel

family of orange and white Cocker Spaniel dogs
Image Credit: Artush, Shutterstock

8. Lemon and White Cocker Spaniel

lemon and white cocker spaniel
Image Credit: JessicaMcGovern, Shutterstock

9. Red and White Cocker Spaniel

red and white cocker spaniel
Image Credit: Eudyptula, Shutterstock

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Roan Patterned Cocker Spaniels

Roan patterns are when one color is diluted with white hairs and made to look like a lighter color than it actually is. This requires the white hairs and colored hairs to be mixed among each other, and it results in a very unique look.

But the names of these colors are a bit misleading. A blue roan doesn’t have blue fur at all. Instead, it has black fur with many white hairs mixed in, which results in the black Cocker Spaniel looking lighter and appearing as a blue. Similarly, a chocolate roan is actually a liver-colored dog with white hairs mixed among the brown until the dog appears to be a chocolate shade instead.

10. Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel

Male Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel dog lying on the grass
Image Credit: Tracey-d, Shutterstock

11. Lemon Roan Cocker Spaniel

lemon roan cocker spaniel dog standing outdoor
Image Credit: chrisukphoto, Shutterstock.

12. Chocolate Roan Cocker Spaniel

chocolate roan cocker spaniel
Image Credit: Marcelino Pozo Ruiz, Shutterstock

13. Orange Roan Cocker Spaniel

orange roan cocker spaniel
Image Credit: SJ Duran, Shutterstock

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Tan Markings on Cocker Spaniels

Tan markings can appear with any other coats or colors, which means they can even produce tri-tone Cocker Spaniels. The tan markings will appear on the muzzle, eyes, legs, tail, and even the chest. They may show up in all or only some of these areas.

Red and orange roan Cocker Spaniels can also carry the gene for tan markings, though it isn’t expressed visibly in these dogs. Furthermore, since tan is a recessive gene, in order for a dog to have tan markings, they must inherit the gene from both parents.

14. Black and Tan Cocker Spaniel

black and tan cocker spaniel
Image Credit: Katrina_S, Pixabay

15. Liver and Tan Cocker Spaniel

liver and tan cocker spaniel dogs
Image Credit: Andy Leather, Shutterstock

16. Blue Roan and Tan Cocker Spaniel

blue roan and tan cocker spaniel
Image Credit: Yuriy Kozak, Shutterstock

17. Liver Roan and Tan Cocker Spaniel

liver roan and tan cocker spaniel dog on a windy day
Image Credit: Shirebrook Photography, Shutterstock

18. Black, White, Tan Cocker Spaniel

black white tan cocker spaniel
Image Credit: Sid74, Pixabay

19. Liver, White, Tan Cocker Spaniel

close up liver, tan and white cocker spaniel dog
Image Credit: Blue Horse Photography, Shutterstock

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Sable Cocker Spaniels

Cocker Spaniels can also come in sable varieties, on top of the other colors we’ve already seen. Sable is a special type of color where each hair is actually two distinct colors. The base of each hair will be the dog’s main color, while the tips are all black. This can lead to a very beautiful dog that almost seems to change colors when the light hits their coat differently. Sable Cocker Spaniel coloring can also show up in a parti-color with white or alternatively, with tan markings.

20. Sable Cocker Spaniel

sable cocker spaniel
Image Credit: Georgethefourth, Shutterstock

21. Sable and Tan Cocker Spaniel

sable and tan cocker spaniel
Image Credit: Sue Robinson, Shutterstock

22. White and Sable Cocker Spaniel

white and sable cocker spaniel
Image Credit: Liliya Kulianionak, Shutterstock

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Cocker Spaniels with Additional Patterns

While we’ve already covered a lot of different patterns and colors of Cocker Spaniels, there are still two more ways to classify their patterns that are worth discussing briefly.

Ticked patterns are small colored flecks in the white fur of a Cocker Spaniel with white fur, while open-marked means that the white in the dog is completely white with no ticking.

23. Ticking Pattern Cocker Spaniel

cocker spaniel with ticking pattern
Image Credit: Lukas Gojda, Shutterstock

24. Open-Marked Pattern Cocker Spaniel

open marked cocker spaniel
Image Credit: Aneta Jungerova, Shutterstock

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Conclusion

You’d be forgiven for not realizing just how many Cocker Spaniel colors there are until you checked out these 24 different varieties. This breed really offers it all, from solid colors, to particolored dogs, to tri-colored dogs, roans, and even more possibilities. All of them are beautiful dogs, but which Cocker Spaniel patterns and colors are your favorites?

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Featured Image Credit: andriano.cz, Shutterstock

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