Episode 6: Hunting Spaniels

07/09/20 • 57 min

1 Listener

This episode kicks off a new mini-series on other types of gun dogs: flushing spaniels, retrievers, terriers, scent hounds, and sight hounds. This broader look at hunting dogs will explore the history of each type of dog and how it fits into the overall timeline of hunting dogs as they developed alongside their human partners. We’ll also look at where these dogs are today and how they are being used in the field.

Like always, we dive into some linguistics to better understand the cultural origins of the dogs. To an English speaker, a spaniel is a spaniel is a spaniel. But to a French speaker, there’s a significant difference between l’épagneul and le spaniel. Perhaps most curiously, what do spaniels even have to do with Spain, anyway?

Spaniels were developed before pointing dogs but after hounds had found favor with humans as hunting companions. The more cooperative nature of hunting and retrieving birds – but not injuring the hunter’s falcon – required a much more cooperative dog. The earliest spaniels were selected for their strong bond with humans, their ease of training, and their overall cooperativeness. This was the first time that man and dog were truly working together and sharing game captured in the field.

Modern spaniels are set apart from other hunting dogs by their small size, their close working style to stay within gun range, and the way in which they quarter in front of the hunter in a windshield-wiper pattern. Their energy and enthusiasm are unmatched.

Starting with water spaniels, we discuss the Irish water spaniel, the American water spaniel, and the Boykin spaniel. These three breeds can [likely] trace their origins back along the same path, having been adapted to meet the specific size and temperament needs of their human companions. The English water spaniel, although now extinct, also played an important role in the foundation of today’s spaniels.

On land, there are no spaniel breeds more popular than the cocker and the springer spaniels. Believe it or not, these were originally a single breed, differentiated only by their size. A single litter could contain both smaller “woodcocker” spaniels as well as larger “springer” spaniels better suited for working heavier cover and larger birds. Eventually the breed split, followed by the later split between the English and American cocker spaniels. We also discuss lesser-known spaniels such as the Field spaniel, the Sussex, and the Clumber spaniels.

Not all spaniels were developed in the United Kingdom and Ireland, either. The Germans developed their own “quail dog”, the Wachtelhund. This dog has exceptional intensity in the field and, like its German versatile cousins, is renowned for its tracking and game-driving abilities. Across the border in the Netherlands, the Kooikerhondje was developed for the unusual task of luring ducks into a trap. Rather than flushing birds, the Kooikerhondje playfully piques the curiosity of nearby ducks, who swim closer to investigate playing dog and end up funneling into a trap. This behavior eventually led to the development of the Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever, which we will discuss next time in our episode about retrievers.

Tune in to learn more about your favorite spaniel breeds or perhaps discover a lesser-known breed. As always, we thank you for listening and hope you’ll continue to share the great feedback about this series.

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Hunting Dog Confidential is presented by Eukanuba Premium Performance

Share | Comment, review and discuss this episode of the podcast in our Project Upland Community Facebook group.

Enjoy the show and don’t forget to rate, review, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Hunting Dog Confidential is presented by Eukanuba Premium Performance

Previous Episode

Episode 5: Breed Origins Part 3 - United Kingdom and Ireland

In the final chapter of this mini-series on the origins of pointing dogs, we cross the English Channel to talk about Pointers and setters. Some might argue that by crossing the channel we are leaving behind the versatile breeds and are now looking at more specialized bird dogs. However, like everything else in the bird dog world, it’s a lot more complicated than that.

Pointers and setters likely came to England in the 1600s and 1700s, most likely originating from the area now serving as the border between France and Spain. However, it’s entirely possible that there were already longhaired hunting dogs in England that had shown some pointing behavior. The history is a little muddy, but one thing is for certain: Pointers and setters soon exploded in popularity among the wealthy and elite in England.

The agricultural revolution led to a better understanding of livestock breeding practices to enhance desired traits. Cows were bred to produce more milk, sheep were bred to produce more wool... and soon dogs were bred to point and hunt better. Dog shows and field trials became a natural extension of the livestock shows and trials. Competition took off and the dogs became supercharged versions of themselves.

Over in Ireland, setters were developing as skilled hunting companions in the moors. The original setter was likely red and white, but soon breeders were looking for that gorgeous, solid red coat of today’s Irish setter. The red and white setter nearly died out, but thankfully breed enthusiasts fought to bring it back from the brink of extinction. At the same time, little black and tan dogs were being bred and shaped into the Gordon setter that we know today.

When considered as a group, the British and Irish breeds represent hunting dogs with style. They perform all the same tasks as the rest of the pointing breeds, but they do it with an undeniable beauty and intensity. It’s not hard to see why they were desired throughout Europe and nearly caused the loss of many of the continental breeds.

Tune in to learn more about some of the trickier questions. What does “setter” really mean? Are we supposed to put “English” in front of the Pointer? And perhaps most fascinating... why has retrieving traditionally not been a priority for these dogs?

And don’t forget about our very first giveaway! We have a few free download codes for Project Upland’s first upland classic release on Audible: Woodcock Shooting by Edmund Davis. Want to check it out? Lucky winners will be chosen from those who make a meaningful contribution to the podcast this week – so leave a review and send us a note at [email protected] to be entered to win!

Share | Comment, review and discuss this episode of the podcast in our Project Upland Community Facebook group.

Enjoy the show and don’t forget to rate, review, subscribe and share this podcast.

Hunting Dog Confidential is presented by Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food

Next Episode

Episode 7: From Spaniels to Retrievers

We are in the midst of talking about the origins of hunting dogs; specifically, we are covering the history of flushing spaniels, retrievers, and hounds. In this episode, we pick up where we left off with some further discussion about spaniels.

A running theme for Hunting Dog Confidential has been the idea that hunting dog breeds are a reflection of the culture from which they originated. Two spaniel breeds are particularly good examples of this idea: the Welsh springer spaniel and the Russian spaniel. Both breeds have a fascinating history as they followed cultural lines and not necessarily geopolitical borders. The movement of people –whether soldiers at war or merchants on trade routes– is largely responsible for the movement and intermixing of these early dogs.

Both the hunting spaniel and the pointing dog are examples of questing dogs, meaning they leave their handler and independently search for game. This behavior was perfect for locating birds in a field, but it wasn’t ideal for a new kind of hunting that involved waiting for game to approach, or perhaps luring that game to the unseen hunter. Generations of purposeful breeding for the desire to run independently meant that these dogs simply weren’t suited for sitting patiently by the master’s side and awaiting a command to spring into action.

Hunters looked for ways to infuse the hunting spaniels with the newly desired traits of patience and unquestioning obedience, which led them to working dogs. They found exactly what they were looking for aboard ships: hearty, capable dogs were living aboard merchant and fishing vessels that traveled back and forth between Europe and North America. These dogs were intelligent, willing to work, strong swimmers, and –perhaps most importantly—thrived in the confining environment of a boat at sea. Eventually, the retriever was born.

Tune in to hear more about the earliest origins of the retriever and the unusual hunting methods that eventually gave way to shooting waterfowl on the wing. As always, we thank you for listening and hope you’ll continue to share the great feedback about this series. We can be reached at [email protected] with your ideas, comments, and questions.

Share | Comment, review and discuss this episode of the podcast in our Project Upland Community Facebook group.

Enjoy the show and don’t forget to rate, review, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Hunting Dog Confidential is presented by Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food