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Winning Field Spaniels and Cocker Spaniels
Why/how we got started –
with Cocker and Field Spaniels
Ruth’s love of the Cocker
Spaniels began as a child when shown a picture
of her mother with two black cocker spaniels.
Never able to have a Cocker Spaniel as a child
her love never faded and she pursued this love
as an adult. We began our showing with English
Cocker Spaniels in 1982 Starting with Watervaal
Weather Man and Watervaal Eleisha Blue then
followed shortly after with Talapamara Gemini
Lady. We then starting our Wintergem kennels in
1986 having our first Cocker litter. We later
in 1991 had a play with American Cocker Spaniels
as our daughters had a love of them also. This
then lead Peter into giving in and join Ruth and
the girls but wanting a stronger dog. Then
finding the Field Spaniels.
It is from here that the
Field Spaniel became the main breed in the
Wintergem Kennels. Our first Field Spaniel was
Australian Grand Champion Stephdie Lord Grundig
(Lord). We purchased Lord from Di Seymour of
the then Stephdie Kennels, as a small 8 week old
puppy and watched him grow into this beautiful,
gentle, loving, patient and loyal dog who shared
our home and lives for 11˝ years before he went
to doggie heaven and is still greatly missed
today.
So taken with the good nature
of the Field Spaniel and his ability to adapt to
city living that we then purchase more Field
Spaniels and enjoyed time showing and breeding
with these lovely breed. Ruths love of her
Cocker Spaniels had to go on the back burner for
some years and now more recently has been
starting to have the Cocker Spaniels begin to
come back to live in our kennels and be shown by
her.
The Field Spaniel is a Rare
Breed and there are only limited numbers being
shown in Australia and around the world. We
only have a very few breeders living in
Australia with Field Spaniels.
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Short History of the Field
Spaniel
Field Spaniels began as
a man made breed in the 1850’s as a demand for a
working spaniel to meet the needs of the
sportsmen of that time. The Fields were then
breed from Cocker spaniels, English Springer
Spaniels and it is believed one also links back
to Setters and along the next few years that a
Basett Hound or may have been slipped into the
breed. Most of the Fields shown in those time
and the early 1900’s were Black and class as the
big Black Spaniel. This breed became very
popular with the sporting men of the time and
later after the war the need for a hunting dog
dwindled and so did the breed. But thanks to
some very devoted and protective Breeders they
were able to keep this beautiful breed going
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Standard with expansions
The Field Spaniel appearance
is a well balanced, noble, upstanding sporting
dog; built for activity and endurance. A
combination of beauty and utility and unusual
docility. The head of the Field Spaniel is a
breed characteristic it is a very stamp of the
high breeding, character and nobility; skull
well developed with a distinct occipital
protuberance gives the character alluded to; not
too fine across the muzzle, long and lean,
neither snippy or squarely cut, and in profile
curving gradually from nose to throat; lean
beneath the eyes, a thickness here gives
coarseness to the whole head. The great length
of muzzle gives surface for the free development
of the olfactory nerve and thus secures the
highest possible scenting powers. The Fields
eyes are not too full, but not small, receding
or overhung. The colour in all cases to match
the coat colour and markings except in livers
which maybe light hazel. A Grave expression
suggesting docility and intelligence and showing
no haw.
The Ears of the Field spaniel
are moderately long and wide, sufficiently clad
with nice Setter like feathers and set low.
They should fall in graceful folds, the lower
parts curling inwards and backwards.
The mouth of the Field
Spaniel (in the UK and Aust breed standard) a
strong and perfect and complete scissor bite.
However, the Field Spaniel Society in the UK,
USA and most breeders will forgive a not perfect
bite but it is preferred a scissor bite.
The neck on the Fieldspaniel
is Long, strong and muscular, so as to enable
the dog to retrieve his game without undue
fatigue.
The Forequarters of the Field
Spaniel, the shoulders should be long and
sloping and well set back, thus giving great
activity and speed. The forelegs should be a
fairly good length with straight clean flat bone
and nicely feathered. Immense bone is not
desireable.
Body of the Field spaniel
should be moderate length, well ribbed up to a
good strong loin, straight or slightly arched,
never slack. The chest deep and well developed
but not too round and wide. Back loins very
strong and muscular.
The Field spaniels
hindquarters are strong and muscular. The
stifles should be moderately bent and not
twisted either in or out.
The feet of the Field Spaniel
not too small; round with short soft hair
between the toes; good strong pads.
The Field spaniels tail is
well set on and carried low, if possible below
the level of the back, in a straight line or
with slight downward inclination, never elevated
above the back and in action always kept low,
nicely fringed with way feather of silky
texture.
The coat of the Field spaniel
is flat or slightly waved and never curled.
Sufficiently dense to resist the weather and not
too short. Silky in texture, glossy and refined
without duffleness, curliness or wiriness. On
the chest under the belly and behind the legs
there should be abundant feather, but never too
much especially below the hocks, and that of the
right sort, namely Setter like.
The Field Spaniel colours –
should be a self coloured dog, black, liver,
golden liver, mahogany red, roan or any one of
these colours with tan over the eyes, on the
cheeks, feet and pasterns. Other colours such
as Black and White, Liver and White, Red or
Orange and White, while not debarring a dog is a
fault.
The weight and height of the
Field Spaniel is from 35 to 50 lbs (20 –25
kilos) and the Height is approximately 18 ins at
the shoulder. It is preferred that the Field
not be smaller than this as they then are
getting more to a cocker height.
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Hints and Notes
The correct movement
and nobility of outlook both of which are
hallmarks of the breed. The Field must be
correctly proportioned.
Roughly, the length of rib
cage is tow thirds of the body length, the rest
being a short strong loin and wide driving
quarters. The dept of the dog from withers to
brisket is roughly the same as the length of the
front leg from elbow to the ground.
A young Field Spaniel should
not be allowed to climb up and down steps or
stairs and should not be picked up by their
elbows, for it is very easy for a youngster to
become out at elbow and finish up with a
permanently bowed front and pin toes. Ensure
that your very young Field Spaniel is not over
or under exercised.
The Field that is not
adequately exercised will not develop the muscle
necessary to make the structure function
properly. Fields need free galloping over rough
terrain to develop their shape correctly, and if
you meet up with a Field that works you will see
the difference in the shape of him to some of
the show dogs which tend to softness.
A Field Spaniel will live
quiet happily in the city home an enjoys the
company of people and other animals. He will
also live very happily in the country with large
open spaces. One must remember that they will
require exercise regularly specially if they do
not have a large running area.
The Field spaniel has a soft
temperament and from time to time some
youngsters become frighten of everything that is
strange to them. I have been trailing the
technique of teaching the youngster the command
of smell it at anything that the puppy shows
fear from. Sometimes this fear doesn’t appear
until your puppy is over 10 months of age and
this then becomes a long continuing time of
taking the young dog through training and
getting their confidence back with people and
strange places. This can take a few years. So
be prepared! for this event.
Feeding a Field Spaniel, it
is often recommend by Vets to keep you puppy on
puppy formular till it is 12 months of age.
Most of the Field Spaniel breeds have found this
is not a good practise and not ideal for the
Field puppy. But rather to begin the Field
puppy on and adult formula or better to feed
natural diets for their Fields.
Titles of very good books on
the Field Spaniel
The History and Management
of the Field Spaniel by Peggy Grayson
The History and Management
of the Field Spaniel – Revised & Enlarged by
Peggy Grayson
Field Spaniel by Becki Jo
Hirschy Wolkenheim – Pet Love
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