be ‘nicely furnished’ with feathering, an excessive amount is not to be con- sidered a virtue—the standard calls for moderate, and is specific on this point. Coat quality and condition are to take precedence over quantity of coat. 7. Trimming. Where to begin? Again, as in many other breeds of show dogs, grooming and trimming in this coun- try have advanced to quite an art form. Yet our standard states some specific requirements about trimming that should not be ignored by judges. It is certainly legitimate to trim the breed in a manner that enhances a ‘smart, func- tional appearance’. Above all, the final appearance should be natural. Which means that the dog should look like its coat grew that way, not like it was bar- bered into existence. Topcoats should have length to protect the dog from the elements when working; they should not be scissored off to an inch in length! Outlines should be trimmed to give the dog an attractive, but natural silhouette, not trimmed with straight scissors like a paper cut out. Quote from the stan- dard–‘Overtrimming, especially the body coat, or any chopped, barbered or artificial effect is to be penalized in the show ring, as is excessive feathering that destroys the clean outline desirable in a sporting dog’. 8. As regards croups, tail sets and tail carriage: The English Springer Spaniel should never carry its tail directly off the back with no slope to the croup. The croup should slope gently to the set on of the tail, and the tail should ideally be carried at two–three o’clock. Every other ESS breed standard in the world, except the North American ones, still calls for the tail to be ‘set on low’. Tails in North America have gradually migrated upward in both set and car- riage for many years, with the result
that the pelvic slope has been drasti- cally reduced, opening the angle of the pelvis and femur and creating structure that places the rear feet of the dog far out behind a line dropped from the point of the buttocks, instead of plac- ing the rear toes just behind that line. The changes caused by this pelvic slope are not simply aesthetic; instead the results are rear legs that are not placed under the body at the correct point to support the dogs center of gravity and a change in movement from long steps on the ground to short steps on the ground with a lot of incorrect ‘kick’ in the air behind the dog. 9. The ESS is an efficient trotting dog, capable of utilizing its legs at a trot for long periods of time on often diffi- cult terrain when hunting. An efficient trotting dog is one that keeps its legs on the ground for long periods of each stride. Feet only work when they are on the ground, propelling the body for- ward with power and ease. There is far too much lift and kick seen in the breed today. While it might look fancy and long strided that sort of motion is totally incorrect because it expends far more energy than a stride that is long on the ground. The ESS should swing its front legs forward from the shoulder blade, not pop them forward from the elbow. The only way this can be achieved is for the dog to have the correct length and angle of the bones of the front assembly. The hindquarter provides the forward propulsion, and the longer that the rear foot stays on the ground, accompanied by the forceful opening of the hip, stifle and hock joints, the easier and more efficient the gait will be. Correctly built and muscled English Springer Spaniels should move freely and easily in a gait that seems effortless. The fast, choppy, short stepping motion,
or the high lifting and kicking motion also all too often seen, are both incorrect. Springers should tend toward a center line as speed increases—when viewed from the front or rear, legs should not be parallel and should never be wider at the foot than at the attachment. 10. Numbers one through nine above all come together in number 10, which is Silhouette and Proportion. These two things are critical in the English Springer Spaniel. A well pro- portioned dog, correctly built, properly angulated, free from exaggeration, with the right amount of bone and substance and the correct shape and length of head and neck, will present a clean, smooth, upstanding silhouette, com- bining the essential elements of both beauty and utility. The standard calls for “length of the body (measured from point of shoulder to point of buttocks) is slightly greater than the height at the withers”—and this proportion is of critical importance to the dog’s ground–covering ability and stamina in the field. The correct silhouette and proportion are what express the proper breed type of the individual dog. Always look for the outline and beware of the myriad of failings of the outline, though the dog might at first strike you as eye catching or fancy. The breed should carry its cor- rect, upstanding outline and propor- tion when it moves. The head will (and should be allowed to, by the handler) go somewhat forward to assist in balance, but the dog should never sink to the ground or appear low in action. “At his best, he is endowed with style, symmetry, balance and enthusi- asm, and is every inch a sporting dog of distinct Spaniel character, combining beauty and utility.”
“AT HIS BEST, HE IS ENDOWED WITH STYLE, SYMMETRY, BALANCE AND ENTHUSIASM, AND IS EVERY INCH A SPORTING DOG OF DISTINCT SPANIEL CHARACTER, COMBINING BEAUTY AND UTILITY.”
228 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , F EBRUARY 2018
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