I am writing a series of articles for Bird
Dog & retriever News about dog breeds. The first dog breed
that I chose to write about is the English Springer Spaniel because
that is the kind of dog I currently have. I thought this would
be a good breed to start writing about.
I have owned an English Springer Spaniel for two years. I got
Scooby from Steve Bannie of Northerner Sky Kennels of Scandia,
MN. Scooby was trained by Tony and Beth Ann Roettger of Roettger
Ridge of North Branch MN and myself.
I have run Scooby in hunt tests, shows and a field trial. Scooby
and my success has earned us four ribbons. I hope to finish her
Junior Hunter and start her Senior Hunter in May.
History
The word "spaniel" means small dog from Spain. There
are three types of spaniels: field spaniels used for upland hunting,
water spaniels used for waterfowl, and toy spaniels used as pets. |
At 19-21 inches the English Springer Spaniel
(ESS) is the tallest of the field type of spaniels. The other
field spaniels are the: Clumber Spaniel, English Cocker Spaniel,
Field Spaniel, the Sussex Spaniel, and the Welsh Springer Spaniel.
Spaniels are a very old breed. They can be found in the writings
of Shakespeare in the 1500s. They were used wealthy peoples estates
for hunting.
In 1880 the American Springer Club was formed. They began to
separate the English Springer and the Cocker Spaniel. In 1902
the English Springer Spaniel was recognized by the British Kennel
Club. The English Springer was recognized by the AKC in 1927
when the English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Association became
the parent club of the breed.
At one time a hundred years ago the English Springer Spaniel
and the English Cocker were in the same litter. The bigger pups
were considered the springers and the smaller |
pups were considered a English Cocker Spaniel.
Today's Springer
Today there are two different types of English Springer Spaniels.
There is a field springer that has shorter hair than the show
springer. The last springer that was a show and field champion
was in the 1930s.
The English Springer Spaniel (ESS) is a small flushing dog which
is best to be used for hunting upland game such as grouse and
pheasant. The ESS is not big enough for large waterfowl both
they can be used for smaller waterfowl like ducks. That's why
they have a thicker coat for the water. In testing they will
test a springer on water and land.
The English Springer Spaniel is a great family dog. But they
have a longer coat so they will shed. They should be groomed
once a week if they are in a house. They should be walked once
a day for 15-20 minutes. They are always willing to please their
owner. And I really enjoy Scooby my dog.
Ron Guldan is eleven years old and hails from New Brighton,
MN
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