THE STANDARD ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIEL FROM OUR VIEWPOINT: Origin, distinction English Springer Spaniel hunting breeding, standard (beauty breeding), Working English Springer Spaniel
Generalizations by authors about "the English Springer Spaniel breed" in German breed portraits without any differentiation between the English Springer Spaniel with papers from the ability/performance breeding, the Working English Springer Spaniel and the English Springer Spaniel from the so-called "beauty breeding" are the rule and do not correspond to the facts. In the breed portrait, the English Springer Spaniel is generally attributed with the ability to sniff, bush, water work, retrieving, tracking, etc. There is no differentiation between the English Springer Spaniel from the hunting breeding and the so-called FCI standard breeding/beauty breeding. Standard breeders of the English Springer Spaniel with the breeding goal of "beauty" communicate clearly that the English Springer Spaniel from their breeding lines has no hunting instinct at all. And almost all English Springer Spaniel puppies in Germany are from the standard breeding/beauty breeding. On average, there are only two litters from hunting breeding per year in the Hunting Spaniel Club.
We will discuss the different breeding lines below:
According to tradition, the origin of the English Springer Spaniel lies in the sixteenth century. Thus, the English Springer Spaniel is from the English working lines one of the oldest hunting dog breeds. 1902 was the year the English Springer Spaniel Club was founded in Great Britain and the breeders of that time saw the English Springer Spaniel as a pure working dog and improved its typical appearance. The English Springer Spaniel (ESS) was used exclusively for finding and flushing out small game ("to spring game" or "springing the game"). In Great Britain, the "working Springer Spaniel" or "field trailer with working test" are very popular.
The FCI Standard English Springer Spaniel has nothing to do with the English working lines and is, according to FCI Standard 125, a purebred dog with a height of 51 cm, both for the bitch and the dog. The weight is between 20 and 26 kilograms and it is brown/white, black/white and both colors with tan markings. It belongs to FCI Group 8 (
Searchers, retrievers, water dogs
),
Section 2 Scent hound with working test.
The country of origin of the breed is Great Britain, it is considered
FCI Breed Standard 125
.
In Germany, the
hunting
FCI Standard English Springer Spaniel classified as a versatile tracking dog. In other countries it is bred for hunting as a bush dog and versatile hunting dog, used with a shotgun for hunting small game.
Hunting breeding, hunting tests and hunting papers in Germany:
In Germany, the hunting breeding of the Standard English Springer Spaniel only began in the 1960s and the hunting test regulations are still based on those of the "German Wachtelhund". The English Springer Spaniel is classified as a flushing dog and is tested according to FCI Regulation B (with tracking sound). In other countries, however, it is tested according to FCI Regulation A (without tracking sound) and with different test requirements. (Exception: Austria, Switzerland).
The breeding of English Springer Spaniels in this country therefore distinguishes between FCI standard breeding and FCI aptitude and performance breeding (Hunting Spaniel Club). The FCI standard also applies to English Springer Spaniels from hunting aptitude/performance breeding and rightly refers to a medium-sized, agile tracking dog with a height of 51 cm. Although the puppies from aptitude/performance breeding are given to hunters, the hunting test results of the offspring in breeding tests in Germany are rather modest and on average around half of the registered ESS from hunting breeding pass the tests, according to the publications in the JspK eV. More and more English Springer Spaniels from hunting performance breeding seem to be taking part in the beginner dummy sport these days.
The coat and other features or a hairy thing:
In my opinion, the breed of the Standard FCI English Springer Spaniel has changed over the last twenty years, especially in the last few years in type, expression and hair volume. The breed dispositions are under breed
The English Springer Spaniel's ears have become significantly longer and heavier (so-called "snoods" are used as a result). In Germany, the English Springer Spaniel is noticeably large-framed and heavy, with breeding approval of up to 56 cm and 30 kg for the males. They do not give the impression of a medium-sized, agile sniffer dog. The coat of the English Springer Spaniel is no longer plain these days, but requires a lot of care from one year onwards (also in hunting breeding), and must be trimmed/plucked every six weeks for life, otherwise the family or hunting dog will look unkempt and matted. Ear infections, skin diseases and eczema can be the result. The extent to which the spaniel is now usable for hunting and dummy training in terrain with burrs or snow is up to the owners and hunters to decide. From 2022, the English Cocker Spaniel will be listed as a "cruel breed" in Germany and is subject to an official veterinary certificate at VDH exhibitions. The English Springer Spaniel, American Cocker Spaniel, Welsh Springer Spaniel are listed under "separate examinations by the veterinarian" for exhibitions. The current BSI of the VDH lists characteristics: Quote "Some of the spaniel breeds show problems with eyes and ears".
The hunting use of a puppy from hunting breeding:
As before, a breed of flushing dog classified by the JGHV and FCI requires independent, free hunting, a reliable tracking sound, a sense of direction and resistance to thorns, as well as a certain robustness and enthusiasm for work. This means that the English Springer Spaniel in Germany must be bred for work before and after the shot. The tracking sound is only obligatory for passing the JZP/AZP, other breeding tests can also be taken without the tracking sound (JspK). One regulation of the VDH/FCI/JGHV breeding associations is that the parents of a hunting litter with green papers must have passed breeding tests for performance or breeding ability. At "Springfield's", English Springer Spaniels were hunter-tested up to the eighth generation and entered in the ABL, GHL performance and working dog lists.
VDH Champion title in hunting breeding:
Breeding for "beauty and performance" always requires champion titles for both the breeding bitch and the stud dog, plus performance tests. There are few breeding permits with unrestricted breeding suitability and hunting breeding tests. This in turn results in a significant shortage of healthy and hunting-tested stud dogs with direct hunting ancestors from divergent lines! As of 2021, there are three hunting-tested (breeding test) black/white stud dogs available in the JspK. (One from non-hunting breeding).
Difference between "Working Type English Springer Spaniel" and "Show Type English Springer Spaniel":
The so-called "working type" of the English Springer Spaniel differs fundamentally from the "show type" of the English Springer Spaniel in size, appearance, speed and work ethic. The "working type" from the English working lines for hunting is smaller and lighter and does not correspond to the FCI standard. The "working type" is not normally bred in Germany. The English Springer Spaniel "show type" from the FCI standard breeding is significantly larger and heavier. Original working characteristics such as speed, robustness, intelligence and nose performance and obedience when hunting as well as the general trainability of the hunting working type were only found in the hunting
Type or dual-purpose type of the English Springer Spaniel. In the English Springer Spaniel show dogs from the FCI standard breeding, however, these breed-specific "skills" were selectively bred out. However, "typical behavior" of hunting dog breeds is lost relatively quickly if the selection criteria are only focused on the phenotype without defined working abilities.