Field Spaniel Dogs & Puppies

The Field Spaniel shares their early history with the English Cocker Spaniel, the only difference between the two breeds initially being one of size. The Field Spaniel was composed of those land spaniels weighing over 25 pounds. These larger Field Spaniels were derived from the Cocker, Sussex, and English Water Spaniels and were initially required to be black. After becoming recognized as a separate breed in the late 1800s, the Field Spaniel succumbed to breeding for exaggeration, and the repeated infusion of Sussex Spaniel blood resulted in dogs of excessive length, overly heavy bones, and short legs. The breed lost its usefulness as a hunter, and although it enjoyed a short vogue in the early 1900s, it ultimately teetered on the brink of extinction.

Crosses to English Springer Spaniels were made in an effort to recreate the original Field Spaniel. The crosses were successful, and the modern Field Spaniel is not only a handsome replica of its former self but also an able hunter. All modern Field Spaniels can be traced back to four Field Spaniels from the 1950s: Ronayne Regal, Gormac Teal, Colombina of Teffont, and Elmbury Morwena of Rhiwlas. Despite the fact that Field Spaniels were being shown in America in the late 1800s, no champions were made up between 1916 and 1966; in fact, the breed was essentially extinct in America for much of that time. The breed was reintroduced into America in the late 1960s. The Field Spaniel remains among the rarest of breeds in America.