Clumber Spaniel

The Clumber Spaniel is the heaviest of the spaniels — a slow, methodical dog bred to work dense cover for aristocratic shooting parties.

History

It takes its name from Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire, where the Dukes of Newcastle kept and developed it from the eighteenth century. It was an aristocratic breed in the most literal sense: royal patronage sustained it, and the shooting style it suited — a walking line pushing through heavy cover — went out of fashion with the estates that practised it.

Temperament

The breed is known for being gentle, quiet and deeply attached to its people, dignified rather than exuberant, and slower to act than any other spaniel.

Care and training

Exercise needs are moderate but real, and weight control matters on a heavy frame with short legs. The dense coat sheds and needs regular brushing; the deep-set eyes and heavy ears want routine cleaning.

Health

Known tendencies include hip dysplasia, entropion and other eye conditions from the loose facial skin, and a tendency to obesity. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.