Clumber Spaniels
By Debbie Zurick

The Clumber spaniel is not a common breed. Clumbers have been part of the British sporting scene as a pure breed, for more than 200 years. By repute, a kennel of them was sent over to the Duke of Newcastle at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire by a French Duke facing the guillotine. In time they spread to other estates, and became a favourite of the King Edward VII and George V. Happily they are established in Royal kennels again.

There has been a move to restore this ancient breed of spaniel back into the shooting fields. This has been led by the Working Clumber spaniel society formed in 1984 by a group of passionate people only interested in working their dogs. Whose aims are to prominent selective breeding, from work proven dogs, training events, mock field trials, shooting days, and field trials, to get these dogs back in the right working homes. We are looking for dogs with low hip scores; tighter eyes with less haw showing, and lean well muscled. But still remaining the largest of the spaniel breeds. An active dog with a busy style and pleasing tail action. These dogs are either white & lemon or white & orange. Dogs weighing 55lb to 65 lb in weight, and the bitches 45lbs to 55 lbs in weight. The kind of Clumber our Victorian forefathers respected. We need to draw on the past for our future, but increasingly adapted to the different needs of the 21st Century.

They have been called vulnerable breeds by the kennel Club a long with some other minor breed spaniels. But the only way to carefully restore this vulnerable breed is to breed from the healthiest with the least faults, not doubling up on faults , But in addition also from the dogs that have proven themselves in the field to be good retrievers, strong hunters, but most important of all a biddable temperament , a dog that you can train. It is no good just breeding numbers; they must be of the right type.

It is nice to have choices in the spaniel world whether it be a Springer or Cocker, but sometimes, something a little different, a little bit more of a challenge, for example a Clumber may take longer to train and mature.

Some people prefer to shoot with a hammer guns, some with an over & under, some with a side by side. Some people prefer a Classic car others a new Japanese sporty number, that’s what makes life interesting”Variety is the spice of Life”.

It makes all your training worthwhile, when occasionally the heads of a few guns are turned. They come up and say to you that, they have been reading about these “funny white dogs”. However they are impressed by their pace and style, their stamina and the way that their large pink nose dictates scent from a difficult bird that could have been missed. So whether you are a rough shooter, beater or picker up or looking for a dog on the peg or possible for competition, maybe next time you are looking for a Spaniel. Have a look at a Working Clumber spaniel.

For more information Tel Hon secretary Debbie Zurick 01643 831427
www.workingclumber.co.uk or www.sedgehurstclumbers.co.uk

Rufus & Withy out on a days shooting picking up