Breed History
Spaniels are one of the oldest dog breeds, with evidence of spaniel-type dogs spanning back over 500 years....
Its believed that the first Spaniel came to England along with the Romans, somewhere between 54-55 B.C. Due to their name, its assumed that the first spaniel originated in Spain. Spaniels have played a part in literature, with both Chaucer and William Shakespeare writing about spaniel breeds. The English Cocker Spaniel has a long history of being beloved by British royalty. When Pope Clement VIII came to visit King Henry VIII, Lord Wiltshires Cocker Spaniel infamously bit the pope on the toe. This clearly soured relations between the Catholic Church and Britain. King Henry XIII took the side of the spaniel and shunned the Catholic Church shortly after medieval toegate. These days, the royal connection with the Cocker Spaniel is less controversial. Prince William and Princess Kate (formally known as the Duke and Duchess of York) are paw-parents to Luna, a solid black English Cocker Spaniel.By the late 1600s, the spaniel breed was separated into two strains; water spaniels and land spaniels. Water spaniels were sent through marshlands and rivers to retrieve birds that had been shot with arrows. Their land counterparts were adept at jumping into the brush, causing all of the birds to take flight and reveal themselves to hunters who either had nets or other animals (such as falcons and Greyhounds) to kill their prey. After the advent of guns during the 17th century, the role of the field spaniel expanded. They became invaluable for tracking down fallen birds and causing enough of a ruckus in the undergrowth to scare off all the fowl inhabitants.The first English Cocker Spaniel wasnt recognized until 1892. Prior to that, all spaniels could come from the same litter. The largest puppies in a litter would be Springer Spaniels, medium-sized pups were Sussex Spaniels, and the smallest were Cocker Spaniels. After 1892, the English Cocker Spaniel was formally recognized. Cocker Spaniels would go on to do remarkably well as show dogs, with the English Cocker Spaniel winning the Best Dog In Show award at Crufts more than any other breed in history.