From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Field Spaniel
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| Nicknames |
Field |
| Country of origin |
England |
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The Field Spaniel is a medium-sized breed of dog. It is one of several spaniel breeds which can serve as gundogs.
Description
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.
Care
Grooming
Being a spaniel, the breed requires some grooming to keep a neat
appearance and to prevent ear infections. Normally the head, face,
ears, throat and feet are trimmed. Ear trimming is important in all
spaniel breeds as the long ears prevent air circulation in the ear
canal causing excessive moisture and infection. Fields Spaniels
have webbed feet and excessive hair can also lead to excessive
moisture and infection. Fields that are shown have more extensive
grooming to present their conformation in the ring. In addition
Field Spaniels for show may also have their feathering on the legs
and undercarriage trimmed. Nails should never be allowed too grow
long. An active Field Spaniel will naturally wear down nails
however carpeting can sometimes prevent this.
History
Long bodied Field Spaniel
The Field Spaniel was the first spaniel developed specifically
for conformation showing. The breed developed at the time when dog
showing was first coming into vogue. With most spaniels being a
base colour with white splashes, breeders wanted to create a solid
black dog. They bred every black spaniel of that time including Cocker Spaniels
and the Irish Water Spaniel. Upon
introduction, the Field Spaniel was an instant hit. The Field
Spaniel enjoyed a burst of success quite early and quickly became a
popular breed. The intense focus of show breeders on this breed led
to a rapid demise of the original Field Spaniel. The dogs were
crossed with Sussex Spaniels and Basset Hounds to
produce low legged, long backed versions leading to tremendous
health problems. Just as quickly as the Field Spaniels star rose in
the show world, it fell once myriad genetic problems emerged.
On the brink of extinction, breeders worked to restore the Field
Spaniel to its former glory. Crosses with English Springer Spaniels,
under the watchful eyes of the English Kennel Club were made to
increase the gene pool. Even though The Field Spaniel is now
restored to normal, it has never achieved the same level of
popularity and remains a rare breed. The Field is now seen more
often in the show rings and in the field as a hunting
companion.
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