SPANIELS

Oh, the gundog spaniel! 

If other gundogs are the stoic, focused professors of the field (think the steady, powerful Labrador or the elegant, statuesque Pointer), then the spaniel is surely the bouncing, enthusiastic, utterly charming, and slightly mischievous terrier of the gundog world!

You won't get an ego with a spaniel, they are joyful clowns that amuse and entertain, they do the job passionately with 'style'.

They're not about covering vast swathes of ground with a methodical stride; instead, they're the busy, bustling bundles of energy who work close by, their noses glued to the ground, tails a blur of perpetual motion. You'll recognise that "merry nature" immediately – it's infectious!

While a Retriever might wait patiently for the whistle, a Spaniel is more likely to be found wiggling with excitement, eager to dive into the thickest cover with a joyful abandon that belies their sometimes surprisingly small size. They might not have the long legs to keep up with a Setter's gallop, but they make up for it with sheer tenacity and an uncanny ability to flush out game from places you'd swear nothing could hide.

And when they're not working? They're often the ultimate snuggle bugs, convinced that the best place in the world is right by your side, or even better, on your lap! They're incredibly affectionate, intelligent, and possess an eagerness to please that makes them a joy to train – if you can keep up with their boundless energy and sometimes cheeky independence.

So, while other gundogs might be admired for their impressive range or their calm steadiness, the spaniel is cherished for their unrivalled zest for life, their unwavering loyalty, and that irresistible, ever-wagging tail that just melts your heart. They're a delightful blend of tireless worker and devoted companion, always ready for an adventure or a cuddle, making them truly special members of the gundog family.

 

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Spaniels are hunting dogs. 

 

They are going to hunt.. they start practicing as soon as they are up on their feet at just a couple of weeks of age.

 

So your training shouldn't be on how to stop this and stop that .. in order to control the hunting instincts you have to be a part of them and base your training around harnessing what they do naturally - helping them learn how to hunt close by you, to flush out the quarry upon command but also to be steady to wildlife and livestock.

 

Spaniels are the hunters, the seekers and the chasers, to do those things effectively they need to be ready for action - in a state of arousal, triggered by anything that alerts their senses.. usually movement, but by scent and sound too.

 

 

Very hard-wired hunting spaniels often have little interest in retrieving...will chase the movement but disregard it once it's on the ground... You may see this in the spaniel that chases after a toy while it's in flight but is reluctant once he has to be steady to the flight and fall ..runs out, but won't pick the item.

 

 

Hunting teaches your dog that the rewards* and the best hunting happens both around and because of you.. hunting trumps play, it trumps food treats ..but better than hunting is hunting with you (and maybe hunting with you and food)

* Environmental access

 

Whereas

 

Keep your young dogs retrieves short and sweet .. retrieving teaches your dog that the rewards are away from you.. distance and confidence to be independent in their decisions can be introduced later.

 

 

 

Chasing is a particular strength in spaniel breeds,... the urge to chase inevitably creates pulling on the lead.

 

Despite what your little puppy can do - getting off to a great "walk beside you - comes back when called" start, many owners have lost control of their dogs by six - eight months.

Unable to prevent chasing of anything that they can.. rabbits, other dogs, butterflies, birds, leaves etc.

 

So what do you do? Put him on a tracker? Nope there are laws to protect the wildlife and wildfowl.

A long line lead?. . yes, so long as you put in the training.

Just keep him on his normal lead? Yes if you train him ..cos he's going to pull - and it hurts your hand very quickly.

 

Is he just a Naughty adolescent? 

Nope, it's the powerful hunting urges developing...and they will get more developed as he matures because Spaniels are ‘hard-wired’ to hunt.. born with a powerful instinct to search for, flush and chase anything that moves.

- Just what a gundog breeder is breeding for and what a handler & trainer are looking for.  

 

Gundog training is a process of teaching the dog ’what to do’ in any given situation, rather than teaching him ’what not to do’. 

 

It's proactive not reactive

 

A gundog is always 'working' where the environment has any form of opportunity to do so - whether it is to retrieve or to hunt. You may have noticed inside your home, your dog is a different dog to the one he is out of doors.. attentive, listening, quiet, gentle... The hunting opportunities are less within the home.

 

We don’t teach a dog ‘not to chase game’. we teach him what he should do in the presence of game.

 

This might be to retrieve, or to walk to heel or to sit to flushing game.

 

Once the puppy phase of having a strong dependency on the owner is up (typically at 6-9 months of age) the young gundog with his enthusiastic hunting instinct, when taken for a walk, will hunt.  

 

Everything he does is practicing his hunt behaviours ..(even when you think he's playing with another dog, even when you think he's ' submissive' and crouches low as another dog approaches)

 

If you haven't asked him to do anything else, hunting will always be the adopted behaviour.

 

Sooner or later something will move maybe a leaf, a bird, a rabbit and the dog, already ‘high’ on adrenaline will give chase.

 

He will look for signs that there maybe something to chase.

He will locate something and not take his eyes from it

He will stalk, then give chase

He may catch it, prevent further motion from it and then carry it around - he may cache it or guard it.

 

Congratulations, your dog just went through the entire predatory sequence ..and it felt intensely good .. he'll do it again. He's driven to do it ..and he'll get better and better

 

Your whistle or pleas for the dog to return have absolutely no chance whatsoever of being obeyed now.

 

So what can you do?

Teach your dog to follow you around.

 

People experience endless problems with pet gundogs chasing things, simply because they haven’t taught them what else to do, or because they allow them to be exposed to powerful temptations before they have trained the dog how to cope.    

 

Like so many problems, prevention is simpler than cure.  

When you take a young dog out for exercise, try to resist the temptation to walk in a straight line.   

It makes you very predictable, and the dog may begin to feel confident in venturing further and further afield in the knowledge that you will be plodding along in the same direction when he returns.   

The more independent the dog, the more you will need to keep changing direction.  

This forces the dog to keep an eye on you.  

Your objective should be for the dog to be following you, and not the other way around.  

Keep away from high risk areas where there are lots of other dogs around or rabbits to chase.   

You cannot start to train a dog under these conditions.

 

In areas where you cannot be certain there are no distractions of this nature, have your young dog wear a training lead so that you can prevent him amusing himself without you if the unexpected occurs.

 

Teach your dog a solid recall command.. it's not complete if you catch yourself saying:

 ‘my dog’s recall is great until another dog comes by’ or ‘another person', or a ‘rabbit'…’    

 

Teaching a dog to recall where there are no distractions is the first rung on the recall ladder.   

Proofing the recall is by far the biggest part of recall training. 

Recall training is more than just getting a recall established where there is nothing to distract your dog’s attention.

 

You need to begin at close quarters and only add distractions such as other dogs, people, and game, in gradual stages.  

Build up distances gradually over many weeks and put a strict limit on how far the dog is allowed to go from you.   

Always recall the dog before he reaches the limits within which he will obey – distance erodes control and is a strong ‘distraction’ or factor of difficulty to a young dog.

 

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Give your dog a job to do

Make sure your dog knows what he is supposed to be doing, whether that is following you, or fetching dummies, find things to occupy him.  

If you don’t he will do it for himself 

 

One of the simplest ways to occupy and amuse a dog during exercise is with retrieving.  

Make a point of nurturing your dog’s retrieving instincts so that you can give him longer and longer retrieves to keep him fit.  

 

If your dog is a spaniel, teach him to quarter from side to side in front of you and never allow him to run around hunting for himself

 

Train your dog as a gundog even if you never intend to go anywhere near a gun, gundog training is designed to harness the natural instincts and desires of the gundog and will give him and you a lot of pleasure.

 

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Here is a comprehensive list of spaniel breeds recognised worldwide, including those found in the UK and others from different regions:

 

UK Native Spaniel Breeds:

 * Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

 * King Charles Spaniel

 * English Cocker Spaniel

 * English Springer Spaniel

 * Clumber Spaniel

 * Field Spaniel

 * Sussex Spaniel

 * Welsh Springer Spaniel

 

Other Spaniel Breeds:

 * American Cocker Spaniel

 * American Water Spaniel (USA)

 * Boykin Spaniel (USA)

 * Brittany Spaniel (France) - Note: In the US, it is often referred to simply as a Brittany, as it is considered more of a pointing breed than a traditional spaniel by some.

 * French Spaniel (France)

 * German Spaniel (Germany)

 * Irish Water Spaniel (Ireland)

 * Kooikerhondje (Netherlands) - While technically a Dutch spaniel-type breed, it is often included in lists of spaniels.

 * Papillon (France/Belgium) - Also known as the Continental Toy Spaniel with erect ears.

 * Phalène (France/Belgium) - The drop-eared version of the Papillon, also known as the Continental Toy Spaniel.

 * Picardy Spaniel (France)

 * Blue Picardy Spaniel (France)

 * Pont-Audemer Spaniel (France)

 * Russian Spaniel (Russia)

 * Stabyhoun (Netherlands) - Another Dutch spaniel-type breed.

 * Tibetan Spaniel (Tibet) - Despite the name, it is not a true spaniel in the gundog sense but rather a small companion dog.

 

Extinct Spaniel Breeds:

 * Alpine Spaniel (Switzerland) - Famous for its association with the St. Bernard breed.

 * English Water Spaniel (UK)

 

Important Considerations:

 * Working vs. Show Lines: Within some breeds like the English Cocker Spaniel and English Springer Spaniel, there are distinct "working" and "show" lines. 

Working lines are typically bred for field ability and have a more athletic build and shorter coat, while show lines are bred for conformation to breed standards and may have a heavier coat and different temperament traits.

 

 * Regional Variations: The same breed might be known by slightly different names in different parts of the world (e.g., English Cocker Spaniel is often just called "Cocker Spaniel" in the UK, while in the US, "Cocker Spaniel" usually refers to the American Cocker Spaniel).

 * Breed Recognition: The recognition of specific breeds can vary between different kennel clubs and countries. The list above includes breeds generally recognised as spaniels or spaniel-type dogs.

 

                          

 

Here is a list of different breeds of spaniel that are present in the UK:

 

Spaniel Breeds Native to the UK:

 

 * Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: A small toy breed, popular as a companion dog. They come in four colour types: ruby, black and tan, Blenheim, and tricolour.

 

 * King Charles Spaniel: Another toy spaniel, closely related to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel but with a flatter head and more prominent nose. They also come in four colour variants: King Charles (black and tan), Prince Charles (white, black and tan), Blenheim (white with red patches), and ruby (red).

 

 * English Cocker Spaniel: Known for their happy and inquisitive nature. They come in both "working" and "show" lines and a wide variety of colours, including roan, sable, black and tan, and solid colours.

 

 * English Springer Spaniel: A larger, energetic breed widely used as working gundogs. They are commonly liver and white or black and white, and sometimes tricolour.

 

 * Clumber Spaniel: The largest of the spaniel breeds, known for being gentle and having excellent scenting abilities. They are typically white with lemon or orange markings.

 

 * Field Spaniel: A rarer breed, originally bred for the show ring. They have a glossy, relatively long black or liver coat.

 

 * Sussex Spaniel: A vulnerable native breed, originating from Sussex. They have a distinctive rich golden liver colour.

 

 * Welsh Springer Spaniel: Less well-known than the English Springer, with a rich red and white coat.

 

 

Other Spaniel Breeds Found in the UK:

 

 * American Cocker Spaniel: The American cousin of the English Cocker Spaniel, with a longer, denser coat and a shorter nose.

 

 * Irish Water Spaniel: A distinctive breed with a curly, waterproof coat and a "rat tail." They are the tallest of the spaniel breeds.

 

It's worth noting that there can be variations within breeds (e.g., working vs. show lines in Cocker and Springer Spaniels), and some less common spaniel breeds might also be present in the UK.

 

Additionally, crossbreeds involving spaniels, such as Cockapoos (Cocker Spaniel and Poodle) and Sprockers (English Springer Spaniel and English Cocker Spaniel), are also popular in the UK.

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