Breed in the Spotlight
By: Cristalina Pyrshep
Clumber Spaniel
KC: Gundog
UKC: Gun Dogs
AKC: Sporting
FCI: Group 8. Section 2 Flushing dogs. With working trial.
Showdog.com: Sporting
UKC: Gun Dogs
AKC: Sporting
FCI: Group 8. Section 2 Flushing dogs. With working trial.
Showdog.com: Sporting
A Real World Introduction
Brief History
The history of the Clumber Spaniel is somewhat uncertain with two main theories on where this breed originated. One theory stated that the first Clumber Spaniel type dog arrived at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire from the kennels of the French aristocrat "the Duc de Noailles" during the revolution. The other theory which is now favoured and research suggests that the Clumber Spaniel is an English breed developed in Britain from older breeds of hunting spaniels or possibly an old type of Bleinheim spaniel.
A 1788 painting shows the Duke of Newcastle with a number of white and lemon dogs, easily recognised as descendants of the modern Clumber Spaniel. It is generally acknowledged that the breed continued its association with the aristocratic houses of Great Britain until King Edward VII.
In the mid 1960s the Clumber Spaniel went into a decline in popularity, the fate of the breed was left in the hands of a few dedicated breeders who thankfully managed to maintain the excellent qualities of the Clumber.
Temperament
The Clumber Spaniel is best described as a gentle, loyal and affectionate companion. After two to three years of enjoying a somewhat wild youth the Clumber settles down into a truly dignified dog, almost aristocratic in nature however when he senses the time is right, he will happily play the clown. The Clumber has absolutely no tendency towards aggression, the breed mixes well with other dogs and his only aim in life is to please his master. The Clumber Spaniel is a family dog and enjoys serving and spending time with them. Although loving and eager to please the Clumber has an independent spirit and can sometime seem wilful and stubborn.
Today
Today the Clumber Spaniel is slowly growing in popularity. They are favoured in both the shooting and the showring as well as people who simply want a true and faithful companion with a great sense of humour and an outstanding character.
Breed Stats
Height: 17 to 20 inches (43 to 51 cm)
Weight: Dogs up to 75lbs (34 kg) and bitches 65lbs (29.5 kg)
Life Expectancy: 10 – 12 years
Clumber Spaniels on Showdog
Clumber Spaniels are currently ranked #113 on the breed list with 8 ranked kennels.
Clumber Spaniels have a few dedicated breeders including Perdix and Analeyn.
Perdix is at present the #1 Clumber Spaniel Kennel and has bred 45 champions so far. Analeyn joined Clumber Spaniels this year, she has already finished 3 champions and 2 Grand Champions and is currently ranked #2
Here is what they had to say..
1. SOP
Perdix: I believe the current top SOP is 84.85. Finishable is harder to answer, there isn't much competition in the ring right now, so it's either really hard to finish anything, or you can finish just about anything. I would guess 83.5 to finish easily. But I have several low 83's I'm showing now that have points and at least one major.
Analeyn: I believe the Top SOP is 85.85.
From my experience anything 84+ is still potentially finishable, however to be competitive in the Clumber ring & vying for Best In Breed/Groups, I would be more inclined to say 84.5+.
2. Availability
Perdix: There are usually nice quality pups available for sale. If a new kennel joins and asks about broods, the Clumber breeders are quite friendly and we will usually be able to find some to get them started. If they ask, broods can and will be found, but they generally don't show up on the sale list without someone requesting one.
Analeyn: Given our relatively small size, puppy sales aren't in abundance, so generally the number up for sale isn't high. In saying that, if you were to approach any breeder (including myself) we are all more than happy to offer you great starter stock.
3. Friendly Breeders
Perdix: Our breed forum is not currently very active, but the breeders are very friendly and willing to help out and work together. We tend to keep an eye out and offer stock to other kennels if we think they may have something the other breeder is interested in etc, as well as holding back nice pups for the stud owner if the litter is particularly good.
Analeyn: Yes, as mentioned previously Clumbers have a bunch of dedicated breeders who each know that breed development and improvement often goes hand in hand with breeder numbers. Therefore, we all welcome any potential newcomers with open arms.
4. Competition and Finishing
Perdix: Currently the show ring is a bit empty. I think this is where getting new players into the breed would help. Right now, nobody seems to have dogs trying to finish at the same time, which means you mostly compete against yourself. I'd love to get a few new players and get the numbers up in the ring again.
Clumbers session quickly. They'll be 20 in everything but obedience by 14 days. 20 in obedience by 20 days or so, but I start showing before then
Analeyn: Session time is moderate, approx. 25days to session fully. Generally Muscle & Coat finish faster than Obedience, but in Clumbers it is possible to begin showing with 19,20,20, without detriment to the dog's success (dependant on judge/show/handlers etc). In showing we generally have a major each night, and are beginning to become more competitive in the group.
5. Colours
Perdix: We have two colors- Orange and White and Lemon and White. Both are present in current dogs, without any discrepancy I've noticed in SOP.
Analeyn: Not that I am aware of, given your choices are White and Orange/White and Lemon.
6. Traits
Perdix: The two most important Clumber traits are Head and Size, both weighted at 15. After that, the whole top row is weighted at 10. I would say the weakest traits in Clumbers at the moment are feet and forequarter.
I have a trait program going in my kennel. I started from source dogs over a year ago, and have now had a few out of those lines that have finished. One trait problem I see is that in the traditional lines, most traits are entirely on one side or the other of 10. You don't get to choose between a stud with an 8 or an 11, they are ALL 11 somethings for instance. I've managed to get traits on both sides of 10 in all but two traits (forequarter and hindquarter). In addition, many of these trait bred dogs are starting to get very close to 10. Now the challenge is to spread the genes out across the breed, and bring the rest of the traits in the trait-bred dogs up to standard.
Analeyn: In terms of project opportunities, which a lower breed like Clumbers, which is just beginning to emerge into the deeper blues, trait breeding is always interesting. Whilst I myself breed for holistic traits (and inevitably SOP), a worthwhile project might be a more targeted trait program. I know Perdix is experimenting (successfully I might add) with a few trait dogs.
Final Thoughts
Perdix: I would absolutely love to see more players in Clumbers. It would help the breed as a whole, both in genetic diversity and number of dogs available, but also in the ring. We do get group placings from time to time, and I think the breed would improve quickly with some more breeders and bloodline diversity. We've attracted some of the top players in the game, yet are still middle of the road in difficulty, and welcoming of any player.
The only drawback I see to Clumbers is that they have a smaller litter size- 4-5 pups, sometimes smaller. This makes breeding a bit more challenging, but also keeps your litters a manageable size.
Thank you to Perdix and Analeyn for taking the time to be interviewed and if you would like to know anymore about the Clumber Spaniel then the advice is to contact one of the breeders and they will be happy to get you started.
Perdix: I believe the current top SOP is 84.85. Finishable is harder to answer, there isn't much competition in the ring right now, so it's either really hard to finish anything, or you can finish just about anything. I would guess 83.5 to finish easily. But I have several low 83's I'm showing now that have points and at least one major.
Analeyn: I believe the Top SOP is 85.85.
From my experience anything 84+ is still potentially finishable, however to be competitive in the Clumber ring & vying for Best In Breed/Groups, I would be more inclined to say 84.5+.
2. Availability
Perdix: There are usually nice quality pups available for sale. If a new kennel joins and asks about broods, the Clumber breeders are quite friendly and we will usually be able to find some to get them started. If they ask, broods can and will be found, but they generally don't show up on the sale list without someone requesting one.
Analeyn: Given our relatively small size, puppy sales aren't in abundance, so generally the number up for sale isn't high. In saying that, if you were to approach any breeder (including myself) we are all more than happy to offer you great starter stock.
3. Friendly Breeders
Perdix: Our breed forum is not currently very active, but the breeders are very friendly and willing to help out and work together. We tend to keep an eye out and offer stock to other kennels if we think they may have something the other breeder is interested in etc, as well as holding back nice pups for the stud owner if the litter is particularly good.
Analeyn: Yes, as mentioned previously Clumbers have a bunch of dedicated breeders who each know that breed development and improvement often goes hand in hand with breeder numbers. Therefore, we all welcome any potential newcomers with open arms.
4. Competition and Finishing
Perdix: Currently the show ring is a bit empty. I think this is where getting new players into the breed would help. Right now, nobody seems to have dogs trying to finish at the same time, which means you mostly compete against yourself. I'd love to get a few new players and get the numbers up in the ring again.
Clumbers session quickly. They'll be 20 in everything but obedience by 14 days. 20 in obedience by 20 days or so, but I start showing before then
Analeyn: Session time is moderate, approx. 25days to session fully. Generally Muscle & Coat finish faster than Obedience, but in Clumbers it is possible to begin showing with 19,20,20, without detriment to the dog's success (dependant on judge/show/handlers etc). In showing we generally have a major each night, and are beginning to become more competitive in the group.
5. Colours
Perdix: We have two colors- Orange and White and Lemon and White. Both are present in current dogs, without any discrepancy I've noticed in SOP.
Analeyn: Not that I am aware of, given your choices are White and Orange/White and Lemon.
6. Traits
Perdix: The two most important Clumber traits are Head and Size, both weighted at 15. After that, the whole top row is weighted at 10. I would say the weakest traits in Clumbers at the moment are feet and forequarter.
I have a trait program going in my kennel. I started from source dogs over a year ago, and have now had a few out of those lines that have finished. One trait problem I see is that in the traditional lines, most traits are entirely on one side or the other of 10. You don't get to choose between a stud with an 8 or an 11, they are ALL 11 somethings for instance. I've managed to get traits on both sides of 10 in all but two traits (forequarter and hindquarter). In addition, many of these trait bred dogs are starting to get very close to 10. Now the challenge is to spread the genes out across the breed, and bring the rest of the traits in the trait-bred dogs up to standard.
Analeyn: In terms of project opportunities, which a lower breed like Clumbers, which is just beginning to emerge into the deeper blues, trait breeding is always interesting. Whilst I myself breed for holistic traits (and inevitably SOP), a worthwhile project might be a more targeted trait program. I know Perdix is experimenting (successfully I might add) with a few trait dogs.
Final Thoughts
Perdix: I would absolutely love to see more players in Clumbers. It would help the breed as a whole, both in genetic diversity and number of dogs available, but also in the ring. We do get group placings from time to time, and I think the breed would improve quickly with some more breeders and bloodline diversity. We've attracted some of the top players in the game, yet are still middle of the road in difficulty, and welcoming of any player.
The only drawback I see to Clumbers is that they have a smaller litter size- 4-5 pups, sometimes smaller. This makes breeding a bit more challenging, but also keeps your litters a manageable size.
Thank you to Perdix and Analeyn for taking the time to be interviewed and if you would like to know anymore about the Clumber Spaniel then the advice is to contact one of the breeders and they will be happy to get you started.
Pictures by: Pixelpups, flickrr