Cocker Spaniel Colors Guide (Black, Golden, Merle, Roan etc.)

Cocker Spaniels come in a large range of coat colors & patterns from solid colors to complex multi-colored markings. They can be black, golden, merle, blue roan, orange roan, black & white, liver, parti, red, buff, black & tan and more.

As there are so many different Cocker Spaniel coat colors, we have put together this coat color guide so you can decide which color Cocker Spaniel you want to get!

Table of Contents

Black Cocker Spaniel

What Is A Black Cocker Spaniel?

A Black Cocker Spaniel is like any other Cocker Spaniel except it has a black colored coat. They have medium build where their distinctive features are their long floppy ears and elongated face shape.

How Much Is A Black Cocker Spaniel Puppy?

As black is one of the most common Cocker Spaniel colors, this coat color has a lower price tag than other coat colors. Usually, a Black Cocker Spaniel sells for a price between $2500 and $4000. A great way to keep up to date on current Cocker Spaniel prices is to regularly check out reputable dog breeder websites like PuppySpot!

How Rare Are Black Cocker Spaniels?

Black Cocker Spaniels are not rare. In fact, they are one of the most common Cocker Spaniel colors. You are very likely to see a Black Cocker Spaniel at the dog park or when you are out and about.

Black Cocker Spaniel Names

Pepper
Cinders
Ash
Ink
Velvet
Panther
Tux
Charcoal
Jet
Scout

Black Cocker Spaniel Breeders

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Golden Cocker Spaniel

What Is A Golden Cocker Spaniel?

A Golden Cocker Spaniel is simply a Cocker Spaniel that has a golden or caramel colored coat. Don’t get this coat color mixed up with the Golden Cocker Retriever which is a cross between a Cocker Spaniel and A Golden Retriever.

How Much Is A Golden Cocker Spaniel?

A Golden Cocker Spaniel usually sells for a price between $2500 and $4000. This is a similar price range to a Black Cocker Spaniel as they are a common coat color. It also means that their price range is slightly less than other Cocker Spaniel colors. A great way to keep up to date on current Cocker Spaniel prices is to regularly check out reputable dog breeder websites like PuppySpot!

Are Golden Cocker Spaniels Rare?

No, Golden Cocker Spaniels are not rare at all. In fact they are the most common Cocker Spaniel coat color. As they are so common, it also means that they are one of the cheapest Cocker Spaniel coat colors.

Golden Cocker Spaniel Names

Biscuit
Butterscotch
Sandy
Buttercup
Summer
Goldie
Toast
Honey
Waffle
Sunny

Golden Cocker Spaniel Breeder

Black And White Cocker Spaniel

There are two main types of Black and White Cocker Spaniels. One type has a white base coat with black patches that are often featured on their ears, around their eyes and on their backs. The other type are called “Roan Cocker Spaniels” and they have individual black and white hairs that are evenly dispersed throughout their coats giving them a blue-grey appearance.

What Are Black And White Cocker Spaniels Called?

Cocker Spaniels with a black and white coat are usually called Black and White Cocker Spaniels or Roan Cocker Spaniels if they have an even distribution of black and white hairs in their coat.

Are Black And White Cocker Spaniels Rare?

No, Black and White Cocker Spaniels are not rare. In fact they are a very common coat color. There is only really one coat color that is more common than black and white and it is gold.

Black And White Cocker Spaniel Names

Mittens
Coco
Chess
Oreo
Domino
Cookie
Bailey
Pongo
Coda
Milo

Black and White Cocker Spaniel Breeders

Merle Cocker Spaniel

What Is A Merle Cocker Spaniel?

A Merle Cocker Spaniel carries the merle gene which creates mottled patches of different colors and patterns on their coat. It can also affect skin pigmentation of the paws and nose and their eye colour. They can either be a Blue Merle Cocker Spaniel or a Red Merle Cocker Spaniel.

What Makes A Merle Cocker Spaniel?

Merle is a genetic pattern of a Cocker Spaniel’s coat that dilutes random sections to a lighter colour whilst leaving patches of the original colour remaining. It occurs when a Cocker Spaniel carries the “M” Merle allele and a negative “m” copy of the Merle allele. A Merle French Bulldog is (M/m).

What Is A Blue Merle Cocker Spaniel?

A Blue Merle Cocker Spaniel has a black base coat where patches have been diluted due to the merle gene. This gives the dog a blue-grey hue. Alternatively a Red Merle Cocker Spaniel has a brown (liver) base coat where patches have been diluted to give it a red-brown hue.

Are Merle Cocker Spaniels Healthy?

Merle Cocker Spaniels have a propensity to have health issues, especially Double Merle Cocker Spaniels. It is problematic when two Merle Cocker Spaniels are bred together as there is a 25% chance for each puppy born to be homozygous (M/M) for the merle trait. M/M carriers are called double merle and are very likely to have ocular and auditory defects.

red merle cocker spaniel — Red Merle Cocker Spaniel via @badachbulldogs

Are Merle Cocker Spaniels Rare?

Yes, Merle Cocker Spaniels are very rare. To introduce the merle gene into a Cocker Spaniel line another breed has to be introduced somewhere along the line. Technically, Merle Cocker Spaniels are not truly purebred. For these reasons they are extremely hard to breed.

Merle Cocker Spaniel Price

Merle Cocker Spaniels are extremely rare. The price of a Merle Cocker Spaniel is between $4500 to $8000. It takes a lot of experience for a breeder to be able to produce a healthy Merle Cocker Spaniel puppy as they have to carefully track lineage. A great way to keep up to date on current Cocker Spaniel prices is to regularly check out reputable dog breeder websites like PuppySpot!

Merle Cocker Spaniel Breeders

Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel

What Is A Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel?

A Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel has a black coat with white hairs evenly distributed throughout it. The ratio of black to white hairs is about fifty-fifty which gives them blue-grey tinge, hence the name “Blue Roan”.

What Color Is A Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel?

Technically a Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel is a black and white dog however the distribution of black to white hairs gives them a grey-blue appearance. The color of a Blue Roan could be considered to be black and white however it can equally be considered to be blue or a dark grey.

What Does A Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel Look Like?

Blue Roan Cocker Spaniels look like any other Cocker Spaniel except they have a coat made up of black and white hairs that gives them a blue appearance. Blue Roan Cocker Spaniels generally have solid black long floppy ears and solid black patches around their eyes and nose. The rest of their body is covered in the distinctive roan pattern. They may also have solid black patches on their backs as well.

How Much Is A Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel?

Blue Roan Cocker Spaniels sell for prices between $3000 and $7000. They are a very popular Cocker Spaniel color which inflates the price. The exact price of a Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel depends upon litter size and the breeder. A great way to keep up to date on current Cocker Spaniel prices is to regularly check out reputable dog breeder websites like PuppySpot!

How Long Do Blue Roan Cocker Spaniels Live?

Blue Roan Cocker Spaniels live for 12 to 14 years. There is no evidence that different coat colors result in different lifespans meaning that Blue Roan Cocker Spaniels have the same lifespan as any other Cocker Spaniel.

Are Blue Roan Cocker Spaniels Rare?

Blue Roan Cocker Spaniels are not rare but it is more likely to see other coat colors of this breed in your day to day life. In comparison to other roan coats, Blue Roan Cocker Spaniels are much more common than Orange Roan Cocker Spaniels.

Do Blue Roan Cocker Spaniels Have Blue Eyes?

Blue Roan Cocker Spaniels do not have blue eyes. They usually have almond shaped dark brown or black eyes. Cocker Spaniels are not known for blue eyes however Merle Cocker Spaniels can have them.

Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel Names

Checkers
Acer
Blue
Domino
Lightning
Storm
Silver
Blizzard
Shadow
Sapphire

Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel Breeders

Red Cocker Spaniel

What Is A Red Cocker Spaniel?

A Red Cocker Spaniel has a deep rusty red coat or reddish-brown coat. They have a solid colored coat. Red Cocker Spaniels usually have dark brown or black eyes and black noses.

How Much Are Red Cocker Spaniels?

Red Cocker Spaniels sell for prices between $3000 and $7000. They are a popular coat color which means they have a high price point. The exact price of a Red Cocker Spaniel depends upon litter size and the breeder. A great way to keep up to date on current Cocker Spaniel prices is to regularly check out reputable dog breeder websites like PuppySpot!

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Are Red Cocker Spaniels Rare?

Red Cocker Spaniels are not that rare. They are not as common as Golden or Black Cocker Spaniels however they are not as rare as other colors such as merle, liver, orange roan etc. Red Cocker Spaniels are growing in popularity so it is relatively easy to find them.

Red Cocker Spaniel Names

Redford
Maple
Charlie
Lava
Ruby
Archie
Pepper
Burgundy
Fred
Autumn

Red Cocker Spaniel Breeders

Buff Cocker Spaniel

What Is A Buff Cocker Spaniel?

A Buff Cocker Spaniel has light yellowish brown coat. They may also look silver in color. The coat color ‘buff’ gets it’s name from the buff coat which was a leather clothing item worn by European cavalry during the 17th century that had a yellow tinge. Buff is a recessively inherited coat color so it is quite rare.

What Color Is A Buff Cocker Spaniel?

A Buff Cocker Spaniel is a light yellow-brown color. The coat can range from a very light tone that is almost white or silver to a deeper yellow-brown that looks like caramel. Often Buff Cocker Spaniels slightly change color as they get older.

Buff Cocker Spaniel Names

Caramel
Ginger
Nutmeg
Rusty
Sienna
Toffee
Fawn
Coffee
Chip
Bruno

Buff Cocker Spaniel Breeders

Parti Cocker Spaniel

What Is A Parti Cocker Spaniel?

A Parti Cocker Spaniel has a white base coat that covers at least 50% of their body with a secondary color marbled through it. Examples of secondary colors in Parti Cocker Spaniels includes black, red, silver, tan and buff. Most commonly, Parti Cocker Spaniels are red and white or black and white.

Black And Tan Cocker Spaniel

Black and Tan Cocker Spaniels have a solid black base coat with tan patches. They usually do not feature that much tan as the patches are mainly on their muzzle and around their eyes giving them the appearance of having eyebrows.

Are Black And Tan Cocker Spaniels Rare?

Black and Tan Cocker Spaniels are rarer than solid Black Cocker Spaniels however they are not as rare as orange roan, merle or liver Cocker Spaniels.

Black And Tan Cocker Spaniel Names

Misty
Sabre
Noir
Phantom
Sammy
Zeus
Prince
Bear
Nala
Fawn

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Tri Color Cocker Spaniel

What Is A Tri Colored Cocker Spaniel?

Tri Color Cocker Spaniels are white, black and tan. Black is the most dominant color appearing in large patches on their back, hindquarters, head, nose, around the eyes and on the ears. White patches are usually located on their legs, chest, tummy and on the muzzle. Tri Color Cocker Spaniels have small patches of tan on the side of their muzzles and around their eyes, often giving them the appearance of having eyebrows.

Silver Cocker Spaniel

What Is A Silver Cocker Spaniel?

A Silver Cocker Spaniel has an ivory colored coat. Unlike a Buff Cocker Spaniel, the color of a Silver Cocker Spaniel stays constant throughout their life. They are born with a very pale coat color and it doesn’t get darker as they mature.

Orange Roan Cocker Spaniel

Orange Cocker Spaniel via @cocker.pauline

What Is An Orange Roan Cocker Spaniel?

An Orange Roan Cocker Spaniel has a red coat with white hairs evenly distributed throughout it. The ratio of red to white hairs is about fifty-fifty which gives them orange-brown tinge, hence the name “Orange Roan”.

What Color Eyes Do Orange Roan Cocker Spaniels Have?

Orange Roan Cocker Spaniels usually have almond shaped dark brown or black eyes. This is the same eye color as most other Cocker Spaniel coat colors.

Orange Roan Cocker Spaniel Breeders

Liver Cocker Spaniel

What Is A Liver Cocker Spaniel?

A Liver Cocker Spaniel has a solid brown coat with a brown nose. If a Cocker Spaniel looks like it has a brown toned coat but has a black nose, it is not considered to be liver.

Liver Cocker Spaniel Names

Ted
Cocoa
Mocha
Tootsie
Pecan
Truffles
Bear
Bruno
Moose
Espresso