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Sporting dogs, sometimes known as gun dogs, are the hunter’s best friend. They have accompanied hunters since the days of bows and arrows, nets and falconry. The term gun dog, in fact, is relatively modern, since it wasn’t until the 18th century, in 1711, that hunting birds with guns—or wing shooting as it was known—came into vogue. Although hunters have found dogs useful for millennia, it was probably in the early medieval period that sporting dogs of the types we know today began to be developed.
Grouped according to their skills, sporting dogs fall into four main categories: spaniels, setters, pointers and retrievers. Some are difficult to place in a single category because of their ability to multitask. There are spaniels that retrieve and retrievers that point, for instance. In an introduction to H. W. Carlton’s Spaniels (Harmsworth Press, 1922), William Arkwright wrote that “the spaniel is the most generally useful to the sportsman—being able to understudy, in an emergency, all of the other members of the family, be they pointers, setters or retrievers, while none of these can fully return the compliment.” Some pointers might disagree with that assessment, being capable of pointing, flushing and retrieving. Whatever their talents, all of the sporting dogs are famed for their friendly, willing dispositions and energetic natures.
Spaniels
Spaniels and setters are the oldest of the sporting breeds. The spaniel breeds are indispensable when it comes to flushing grouse or driving birds out of cover, an opinion that is at least 700 years old. Setting or couching spaniels had the job of lying down whenever they found a partridge or other game bird. The hunter then threw a net over the bird and dog or raised a funnel net into which the birds were driven.
It’s often suggested that spaniels originated in Spain, hence their name, but dog experts are no longer certain that’s the case. The French verb espanir means “to crouch” or “flatten oneself,” and it seems just as plausible a source of the name because it accurately describes the spaniel’s early hunting style.
Wherever they originated, spaniels spread across Europe and into England. Each region developed spaniels according to the terrain and game they hunted. The British developed flushing spaniels, which crept along until they scented game, then flushed the birds for the hunter. Among these flushing spaniels are the American and English Cocker; English and Welsh Springer; and Clumber, Field and Sussex Spaniels.
The American Cocker Spaniel and English Cocker Spaniel (the two breeds split in 1936) took their name from their use in hunting woodcock. Most Cockers today aren’t used much for hunting, but when they work, they quarter the ground (move back and forth across the area) ahead of the hunter, working at a fast, snappy pace. They flush the game, then drop to a sitting position so they don’t interfere with the shot. On command, they retrieve the bird, sometimes even from water.
English and Welsh Springer Spaniels acquired their names from their usefulness in springing game for the gun, net, hawk or hound. The liver-and-white or black-and-white English Springer covers ground rapidly and is adept at finding game and retrieving on land or from water. The red-and-white Welsh Springer is also an excellent water dog with a superb nose, and can be used on any kind of game. The original use for the Welsh Springer was as a gun dog. Its job was to startle game, making it fly up in the air for the hunters.
The Clumber Spaniel is a slow but thorough worker, adaptable for use in heavy cover. Clumbers hunt silently, which allows them to come extremely close to game, and they can learn to be fine retrievers. Early Clumber Spaniels were favored by retired gentlemen because of their slow pace and easy handling. They do their best work in small areas with abundant game, where speed isn’t essential.
Sussex Spaniels have a rich, golden-liver color. Their history, going back to the 18th century, traces to Rosehill Park in the English county of Sussex, which had heavy clay soil, dense undergrowth and thick hedgerows, terrain for which the slow-moving, determined Sussex was ideally suited. The Sussex barks with a full, bell-like note when it scents its prey. Like many spaniels, it can learn to be an excellent retriever.
It used to be that any spaniel weighing 25 pounds or more was classified as a field spaniel. That’s how they were differentiated from Cocker Spaniels. Today’s Field Spaniel, one of the oldest of the land spaniels, is a distinct breed. An excellent bird dog, it’s easily trained and tireless, with a superb sense of smell.