Clumber Spaniel

History and origin: what is documented and what is merely retold

One point is beyond dispute: the name comes from Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire, the seat of the Dukes of Newcastle. Everything else belongs to the territory of retelling, and it is precisely here that breed pages tend to drift furthest from their sources.

The most widely repeated version runs like this: the French Duc de Noailles, saving his kennel from the French Revolution, sent his best dogs to England. Dozens of publications repeat it — recently even the introduction to a peer-reviewed genetics paper. The difficulty is that the earliest printed source says something rather different.

In William Barker Daniel’s Supplement to the Rural Sports (London, 1813), on p. 684, the spaniels are said to have been presented to an ancestor of the Duke while he was in France (when in France), by the Duc de Noailles. The direction of travel is therefore the opposite of the familiar story: no kennel was evacuated to England — an English aristocrat received dogs while abroad. There is no revolution and no date in that sentence at all. Later nineteenth-century writers cite Daniel directly: Vero Shaw (1881) does so openly, and Rawdon Lee (1893) dates the episode to “probably about the middle of the eighteenth century” — that is, before the Revolution — adding that he could find no trace of Clumbers in France itself.

The most sceptical account of the whole story comes not from an outside critic but from the British breed club. In its historical sketch the club calls the tale of flight from the Revolution a “wonderful (but fanciful) story”, and adds a claim anyone can check: “There is no mention in either of the Dukes’ papers to any gift or sale being made”. On the club’s reading, what is actually known is only that in the 1760s dogs were brought to Clumber Park from the Continent, with France not singled out.

The chronology supplies a further argument. The visual evidence quoted most often is Francis Wheatley’s painting The Return from Shooting, dated 1788 — that is, painted before the French Revolution began. The breed club points out that the three spaniels shown in it were described as “Springers or Cock-flushers” rather than as Clumbers, so the picture speaks for a long presence of heavy spaniels on these estates rather than for one breed.

The FCI standard itself words the origin with deliberate caution: Clumbers, it says, are said to have come in the first place from France over two hundred years ago, and were brought to Britain by the Duke of Newcastle, who bred them at Clumber Park. The registry, in other words, presents this as tradition rather than as an established fact — and that is the most honest formula on offer.

As for royal favour, the Clumber is linked with Prince Albert and Edward VII. The club and the registries repeat these statements consistently, yet each is given without a reference to an archival source. Caution is therefore in order: this is a durable tradition in how the breed is described, not a documented episode.

Breed standard: two registries, two different sets of figures

This is the most important passage on the page, because it is from here that the nonsensical “merged” ranges reach reference works. The FCI and the AKC describe the Clumber differently — not only in their figures, but in the very set of measurements they give.

FCI standard No. 109 (Group 8, Section 2 — spaniels; the valid edition dated 13 October 2010) sets weight only, and gives no height whatsoever. Ideal weight: dogs 29.5–34 kg, bitches 25–29.5 kg. The Kennel Club, whose breed standard underlies the FCI document, gives the same weights with an imperial equivalent and likewise quotes no height at all.

The American AKC does the opposite, setting both height and weight — and its upper weight limit is noticeably higher: dogs 70–85 pounds, bitches 55–70 pounds; ideal height 18–20 inches for dogs and 17–19 inches for bitches.

The practical conclusion is straightforward. Ranges such as “25–39 kg” or “43–51 cm” belong to no standard at all: they arise when the lower figure is lifted from one registry’s line for bitches and the upper from another’s line for dogs. Dogs and bitches differ in both height and weight here, and folding the two into a single span is not sound.

The FCI standard also records a historical change in its own text: the breed grew heavier from roughly the 1950s onwards, and although the top weight for dogs stands at 34 kg, some individuals exceed even that figure. The gap between the British and the American numbers is therefore not a registry’s mistake but a reflection of real drift in type.

On colour the standard sets out a clear hierarchy that is very often flattened. A plain white body with lemon markings is preferred, while orange markings are permissible — lemon is the preferred variant, not an equal alternative. Slight head markings and a freckled muzzle are allowed. The Kennel Club lists lemon and white, orange and white, and their mirrored forms as the standard combinations.

In outline the Clumber is markedly more substantial and lower to the ground than the lighter Field Spaniel, and it is this pair, together with the Sussex Spaniel, that reference works confuse most often.

Character and temperament: a calm that should not be mistaken for idleness

The standard describes the Clumber’s temperament consistently: steady, reliable, kindly and dignified, “more aloof than other Spaniels”, and without any tendency towards aggression. It is an unusual case in which an official document records exactly the trait owners single out: reserve towards strangers, without suspicion and without nervousness.

Indoors this really is a very quiet dog: the Clumber sleeps a great deal, often snores, does not career about the house for the sake of it and rarely gives tongue without reason. Hence the sofa-dog label, which is inaccurate — in the field a different mode switches on, focused and methodical. Unlike the more energetic Welsh Springer Spaniel, the Clumber works slowly, but he works dense cover with remarkable thoroughness.

With children Clumbers are usually patient and gentle, and they live well alongside other dogs and cats, particularly if reared together. As a guard the breed is close to useless — far too good-natured for the role — though its bulk and deep voice can deter a stranger at the gate.

One domestic quirk deserves a mention: the habit of carrying something about in the mouth. Clumbers collect toys, sticks and slippers and “present” them to owners and visitors. This is not a behaviour problem but a breed mannerism, easier to live with than to fight.

Pros and cons of the Clumber Spaniel

The Clumber suits some households extremely well and others hardly at all, and the dividing line does not run where most people expect. It is not exercise: a breed content with a steady hour a day is manageable for a great many families. It is tolerance for mess, patience with a dog that thinks before it obeys, and a willingness to take health testing seriously before a puppy is ever chosen.

On the credit side, the Clumber is genuinely restful company: quiet, undemanding and dignified indoors, gentle with children and other animals, and steady enough that his mood does not swing with the weather. He is also unmistakable — few dogs draw as many questions on a walk. For anyone wanting an attached, level-headed companion rather than a sporting partner in perpetual motion, little else does the job as well.

On the debit side, the coat moults the whole year round and the dog drools; both are constants of life with the breed, not problems to be solved. Training asks for patience rather than firmness. The two serious drawbacks are of a different order: a long, well-documented list of inherited conditions, which makes the parents’ test results rather than the puppy’s looks the decisive question — and a rarity such that finding a responsible breeder takes real time and a willingness to wait for a litter.

Training and socialising the Clumber Spaniel

Clumbers are intelligent and remember well, but they are not among the dogs that obey a command for the sake of obeying it. They weigh up first what is in it for them — which is why only positive reinforcement works: praise, food, a game. Harsh handling destroys the working relationship and produces nothing in return.

Sessions are best kept short and consistent. The breed is more independent in its decision-making than, say, the Pyrenean Sheepdog (Smooth-Faced), which is accustomed to close cooperation with a handler. Early socialisation matters enormously: from puppyhood, introduce the Clumber to different people, sounds, surfaces and animals.

On exercise, the Kennel Club points to roughly an hour a day. Here, though, comes a caution most breeds do not carry: the Clumber has two documented inherited conditions that declare themselves precisely under exertion (both are set out below). Flat-out training to exhaustion is therefore out of place, and any episode of sudden weakness, incoordination or collapse after work is a reason to ring the vet at once — not to let the dog rest and think no more of it.

Care and grooming: ears, eyes and weight under daily watch

The priorities of Clumber care do not have to be guessed at: the Kennel Club states plainly what judges in the ring are asked to watch for in this particular breed. The Clumber sits in category 2 of Breed Watch — “breeds with visible health concerns linked to exaggerated conformation that need closer attention and monitoring”.

The list of points for special attention in the Clumber runs to four items, and each of them is in effect a line on the owner’s daily checklist:

• eyelids not in normal contact with the eyeball — turned inwards or outwards;
• obvious ear irritation;
• excess weight;
• incorrect hind conformation and/or poor rear movement.

Ears. Large, heavy, close-lying ears are poorly ventilated, and that makes an ideal setting for inflammation. Check them weekly for redness, odour and excess wax, clean them gently with a suitable ear lotion, and make sure they dry properly after a bath or a swim.

Eyes. Because of the way the eyelids are built, the eyes want a look over every day. The standard notes, incidentally, that a visible third eyelid is not to be counted a fault — so the things to watch for are redness, discharge and signs of irritation, rather than the mere visibility of the haw.

Coat. The Clumber moults all year round, and heavily during the seasonal moults. Brushing 2–3 times a week, and daily while the coat is coming out, lifts the dead hair and keeps mats from forming. Bath as required, usually once every 1–2 months. Hair between the pads and in the ear canal is trimmed away carefully.

Teeth and nails. Brush the teeth 2–3 times a week with a paste made for dogs; trim the nails once a month, or as they need it.