The Field Spaniel is a medium-sized breed of dog. It is one of several spaniel breeds which can serve as gundogs.

Appearance

The Field Spaniel is 17–19 inches (43–48 cm) tall at the withers. Its long, silky coat comes in solid colours of liver and black. Tan points are allowed as is Roan, which is defined as a blend of both dark and white hairs without large patches of either colour. The Field Spaniel is somewhat longer than taller to a ratio of 7:8. The UK Kennel Club breed standard states Field Spaniels should weigh 18–25 kg (40–55 lb).

While the breed standard gives specific limits to the size of the dog, it seems that there is a vast difference between the European preference of size to the one in United States. While in US the idea is more or less “the smaller the better” in Europe, specially in the Northern Europe, the idea is “the bigger the better”. However, the size difference between a male and female in Europe can be rather big. It remains the breeders and buyers consideration to decide which they like – or would they rather stay in the golden middle.

Temperament

The Field Spaniel is a very social breed that can adapt to almost any lifestyle. Whilst they will coexist peacefully with dogs and cats, as a hunting dog, their instincts make them difficult around rabbits, mice, rats and similar animals. They can sometimes be difficult around birds but should adjust if socialised as a puppy. Fields Spaniels are a family breed and will show affection to all household members. However, they are naturally cautious of strangers making them an excellent watchdog. The Field Spaniel will not handle abusive situations and should never be treated as a guard dog.

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The King Charles Spaniel (also known as the English Toy Spaniel) is a breed of small dog of the Spaniel type. The similar Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a different breed. The Cavalier is slightly larger, has a flat head and a longer nose, while the “Charlie” is smaller, has a domed head and flat face.

The English Toy Spaniel is a compact, cobby and essentially square toy dog possessed of a short-nosed, domed head, a merry and affectionate demeanour and a silky, flowing coat. The ears of the King Charles Spaniel are very long and set low and close to the head, fringed with heavy feathering.

Coat

Like its larger cousin, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the King Charles Spaniel has a silky, often slightly wavy coat. It tends to be shorter than that of Cavaliers.

This breed also comes in the same colour varieties as the Cavalier: Blenheim (brown-and-white), Prince Charles (tricolour), King Charles (black-and-tan), and Ruby (solid red). Originally, each of these colour patterns was regarded as a separate breed, but in the late 1800s the four varieties were consolidated into a single breed.

The American Kennel Club has two classes: English Toy Spaniel (B/PC) (Blenheim and Prince Charles) and English Toy Spaniel (R/KC).

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The English Springer Spaniel is a breed of gun dog traditionally used for flushing and retrieving game. It is an affectionate, excitable breed with an average lifespan of twelve to fourteen years. Descended from the Norfolk or Shropshire Spaniels of the mid 1800s, the breed has diverged into separate show and working lines. The breed suffers from average health complaints. The show-bred version of the breed has been linked to “rage syndrome,” although the disorder is very rare. It is closely related to the Welsh Springer Spaniel and very closely with the English Cocker Spaniel, in fact less than a century ago, springers and cockers would come from the same litter. They are commonly used as sniffer dogs by various nations. The term springer comes from their historic hunting role, where the dogs would “spring” or “flush” birds into the air.

Coat & Colours

Field-bred dogs tend to have shorter, coarser coats than the longer furred show-bred dogs. They normally only shed in summer and spring months, but shed occasionally in the autumn. The coat comes in black or liver (dark brown) with white markings or predominantly white with black or liver markings; Blue or liver roan; Tricolour: black and white or liver and white with tan markings, usually found on eyebrows, cheeks, inside of ears and under the tail. Any white portion of the coat may be flecked with ticking.

Sizes

Males in the show dog line average approximately 18 to 20 inches (46 to 51 cm) at the withers and weigh on average 50 to 55 lb (23 to 25 kg). According to the UK (FCI) Breed Standard, the English Springer Spaniel should be 20 inches (51 cm) at the withers. The females should be 17 to 19 inches (43 to 48 cm) and usually 35 to 45 lb (16 to 20 kg). Working types can be lighter in weight and finer in bone.

Temperament

The typical Springer is friendly, eager to please, quick to learn and willing to obey. An affectionate and easy-going family dog, its alertness and attentiveness make it the ideal hunting companion. The English Springer Spaniel ranks 13th in Stanley Coren’s The Intelligence of Dogs, considered an excellent working dog. It has exceptional stamina and needs moderate amounts of activity, to focus its mind and to provide exercise, although this is different for each dog. English Springers need plenty of exercise in order to run off their excess energy. Its long-legged build makes it among the fastest of the spaniels.

It is a sociable breed that enjoys the company of children and handles the company of other pets well, except birds, however they can become aggressive to other dogs of the same sex. If left alone for too long, they can become destructive and mischievous through boredom. They love the water, and tends to get wet whenever it has the chance.

Rage syndrome

They are one of the breeds in which rage syndrome has been recognised. It is normally reported in Cocker Spaniels, however due to the Springer’s relatively recent ancestry with that breed, it is also affected. It is described as when a dog attacks suddenly, often with a glazed look and appearing to be unaware of its surroundings. It can last from a few seconds to a few minutes, with the dog immediately returning to normal afterwards. There is no clear theory as to the source of rage syndrome, and treatment that works on one dog may not work on another. Cases are very rare and research is ongoing. It is only the show bred lines that seem to be affected, as there has been no reported cases in pure field-bred lines.

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The English Setter is a breed of dog and is part of the Setter family, which includes red Irish Setters, Irish Red and White Setters, and black-and-tan Gordon Setters. It is a gun dog, bred for a mix of endurance and athleticism.

Appearance

The coat is flat with light feathering of long length or short length depending on the type. The bench or show type has a long, flowing coat that requires regular grooming. The field or hunting type has a shorter coat that requires less grooming.

The various speckled coat colours when occurring in English Setters are referred to as belton; valid combinations are white with black (blue belton), white with orange flecks (orange belton)), white with orange flecks and lighter nose (lemon belton), white with liver flecks (liver belton), or “Tricolour” which is blue or liver belton with tan markings on the face, chest, and legs.

Temperament

This breed’s standard temperament is best described as a “Gentleman by Nature”. However, it can also be strong-willed and mischievous. English Setters are energetic, people-oriented dogs, that are well suited to families who can give them attention and activity, or to working with a hunter, where they have a job to do. They are active dogs outside that need plenty of exercise in a good sized fenced-in yard. Inside they tend to be lower energy and love to be couch potatoes and lap dogs that love to cuddle. Many are good around children.

They rank 37th in Stanley Coren’s The Intelligence of Dogs, being of above average working/obedience intelligence. English Setters are very intelligent and can be trained to perform about any task another breed can do, with the exception of herding. However, they are not always easy to train, as their natural bird instinct tends to distract them in outdoor environments. Their temperament is considered a soft one. Therefore they are very sensitive to criticism, and could be unwilling to repeat a behaviour out of fear to disappoint the trainer. Positive reinforcement training methods therefore work best for English Setters.

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The English Foxhound is one of the four foxhound breeds of dog. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent.

Appearance

The English Foxhound is about 21-25 inches tall to the withers, and weighs anywhere between 65-75 pounds, although some English Foxhounds bred for the show ring can be considerably bigger, with some males weighing over 100 pounds. The skull is wide, the muzzle is long, and eyes carry a sweet expression. The legs are muscular, straight-boned, and the paws are rounded, almost cat-like.

Temperament

The English Foxhound was originally a pack hound, therefore, it gets along well with other dogs and enjoys human companionship. It gets along with horses, children, and other pets, as it is a gentle, social, and tolerant breed.

It is a very active breed that enjoys the hunt. Though it is slower than the American Foxhound, it enjoys running and will run all day with very few breaks in between.

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