Once trained, they stay trained with minimal brush-ups. They do, however, necessitate a particular kind of humor best honed by watching comedies on the BBC. They're highly intelligent, cooperative, affable, frequently impish, occasionally devious little dogs.

Martin Bell and his field champion Rosie with a brace of snow geese.

They're tough, too. There is a difference between toughness and durability. Retrievers and versatile breeds are highly durable. Spaniels, on the other hand, are tough. Toughness is what you need when you aren't very durable. In our five years together, I can count on one hand the times Rascal didn't bleed on a hunt. I believe he would hunt himself to death if I didn't stop him. Moreover, his demise would come much more quickly than that of retrievers, pointers, versatile dogs or even English springers.

The English cocker is not for everyone. Some cocker fans, out of blind love, believe their dogs are perfect for everything from capercaille to cougar. They may howl in protest, but I would never recommend a single English cocker for anyone who hunts wild birds all day long for days at a time.

FOR MORE INFORMATION For info on field trial results, links to breeders and trainers, and info on the 2006 National Cocker Championship , see www.fieldcockers.com. For info on show- and dual-type English cockers, including rules for hunting tests and schedules for other events, see the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America at www.ecsca.org. Breeders/Kennels Martin & Shelly Bell Shelmar Kennels Katy, TX 77493 (281) 371-2554 www.shelmarkennels.com Mike & Rumi Schroeder Fallen Wings Kennel Hilbert, WI (920) 853-3041 Website

One cocker suffices for a day, two for a weekend. They hunt with such drive that I must rotate Rascal and Sanka in half-day shifts. Although both are in prime physical condition, they can take two days of this rotation before they need a day to recuperate. But frankly, I need a break after a couple days, too.

Martin Bell is an avid waterfowler, and his cockers pick up hundreds of ducks and geese every year. Nevertheless, I believe the breed is best suited to the primarily upland hunter who hunts waterfowl occasionally. However, if your main birds are bobwhites, Huns, prairie chickens or sharptail grouse in expansive, homogenous country, I believe you're better served by a dog that covers more ground (i.e., a pointing dog).

An English cocker is also probably not the best choice for an older hunter with bad knees and extra pounds. Their rapid, scurrying style of hunting, and their attention-demanding personality will wear you down if you're the quiet, slow-moving type.

Ultimately, you buy a cocker because of something you love about that wry personality of theirs. Martin Bell says that sometimes when he is handling one of his cockers in the field, the dog looks at him as if to say, "You poor fellow; you really don't know what you're doing, do you?" I told Bell that I thought the ideal field-bred English cocker owner was an avid bird hunter in good physical shape, with a somewhat intense personality and an ironic sense of humor. He chuckled and said, "Right on, Mate!"

Chad Mason's highly acclaimed collection of bird hunting essays, Voices On The Wind, is available from Countrysport Press. 800-766-1670, www.countrysportpress.com.