sins
Well-known member
]I got hold of my mother in law’s old book on dogs called “the dog as a companion and guard” by F Townend Barton MRCVS from 1911. In the section on spaniels the author states about working spaniels (Welsh springers /cockers/clumber)
“ So many of the show bench spaniels are perfectly useless for field work, owing to the enormous amount of inbreeding that has been indulged in”….sound familiar?
In 1911 there seemed to be a variety of “Toy spaniels” some of which were British in origin and others of Asiatic descent
The dogs were categorized by colour, “the Blenheim was at one time used in field sports but the present type would be of very little use for such purposes. It seems to be the aim of the present day fancier to reduce the toy spaniel to a minimum weight compatible with show bench points"
Blenheims were orange and white, the body being white with orange patches or markings, body compact, forelimbs perfectly straight and heavily feathered. Hind limbs straight with a superabundance of feathering, while that on the tail must be five to six inches long. The head must be well domed ,forehead projecting well over the eyes and the stop deep so as to render the animal apparently noseless.It also mentions the lozenge about the size of a sixpence in the centre of the blaze but the absence of the spot was still considered typical. The best weight being seven to ten pounds.
The King Charles apparently was the black and tan version and the Prince Charles was the tricolour! A fourth toy spaniel called the ruby also existed!
The toy spaniels were "active little dogs and ought not be pampered too much, otherwise they become fat asthmatical and liable to develop skin trouble” and a fairly good one could be bought for ten to twelve guineas!
Sins
“ So many of the show bench spaniels are perfectly useless for field work, owing to the enormous amount of inbreeding that has been indulged in”….sound familiar?
In 1911 there seemed to be a variety of “Toy spaniels” some of which were British in origin and others of Asiatic descent
The dogs were categorized by colour, “the Blenheim was at one time used in field sports but the present type would be of very little use for such purposes. It seems to be the aim of the present day fancier to reduce the toy spaniel to a minimum weight compatible with show bench points"
Blenheims were orange and white, the body being white with orange patches or markings, body compact, forelimbs perfectly straight and heavily feathered. Hind limbs straight with a superabundance of feathering, while that on the tail must be five to six inches long. The head must be well domed ,forehead projecting well over the eyes and the stop deep so as to render the animal apparently noseless.It also mentions the lozenge about the size of a sixpence in the centre of the blaze but the absence of the spot was still considered typical. The best weight being seven to ten pounds.
The King Charles apparently was the black and tan version and the Prince Charles was the tricolour! A fourth toy spaniel called the ruby also existed!
The toy spaniels were "active little dogs and ought not be pampered too much, otherwise they become fat asthmatical and liable to develop skin trouble” and a fairly good one could be bought for ten to twelve guineas!
Sins