Picardy Spaniel

The Picardy Spaniel is one of the oldest French gun dogs — a setter-like spaniel from the Somme that survived the fashion for English breeds.

History

French land spaniels were the standard hunting dogs of the aristocracy before the Revolution, and most of that family was displaced in the nineteenth century when English setters and pointers became fashionable. The Picardy survived in the marshes of the Somme estuary, where the local wildfowlers kept using it, and it is the direct descendant of those pre-Revolutionary spaniels rather than a reconstruction.

Temperament

The breed is known for being calm, gentle and biddable, easy with children and other dogs, and steady rather than flashy in the field.

Care and training

It needs substantial exercise and work for its nose, and it is built for cold water and heavy cover. The feathered coat needs regular brushing and the drop ears want checking after wet work.

Health

Generally sound, with hip dysplasia and ear infections among the known tendencies. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.