English cocker spaniels hold a special place in my heart. Watching these handsome dogs hunt a field, quartering in their distinctive figure-eight pattern, is almost hypnotic. Like when you gaze into a log fire and do not want to look away. Though the diminutive cocker is not the only spaniel breed I have owned and trained, it is the breed I favor above all others, due to its immeasurable love for both people and the challenge and excitement of the hunt.