Spaniels were native dogs to Spain and are thought to have made their way to Britain by migrating Roman legions. Excavations of a Roman Villa in Dorset, England show cave drawings of hunting spaniels around 150 AD. Spaniels appear in The Bayeux Tapestry which represents the conquest of England by William I in 1066. The 14th century English writer Geoffrey Chaucer, wrote a poem in 1387 first using the written word Spaniel in English literature.

The purpose of spaniels was to serve as hunting dogs. Before guns were used to shoot game, spaniels would flush the game and a trained falcon or hawk would capture the prey. After the flintlock gun was introduced in Britain in the late 17th century, sportsmen started training gundogs. In the next three hundred years, spaniels were trained to hunt within an area, flush the game for “fly shooting” and retrieve the game with his soft mouth for his master. Spaniels were also popular hunting dogs in America in the 1700’s.

Around 1800 the Boughey family of Aqualate in Shropshire, England began carefully breeding the first English Springer Spaniel and started keeping a stud book in 1813. It was here that Mop I whelped in 1812 was the first pure strain of the English Springer Spaniel.

In 1902 the Kennel Club (based in London, England) gave recognition to the English Springer Spaniel as a separate breed. Years later in 1930 Westminster (founded in New York, USA) also gave recognition to the English Springer Spaniel as a separate breed.

The English Springer Spaniel has became the most effective gundog with every desirable trait a hunter could want all wrapped up in one intelligent, friendly dog! The Springer has a natural ability to spring the game and hunt along with being a good swimmer and retriever as well as great family dog!

Tags: history springer spaniel, hunting dog springer spaniel, where springer spaniels orginate

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