the
Clumber Spaniel
A LOVING AND ADVENTUROUS HUNTING COMPANION
BY CINDY BRIZES
I t is believed that the Clumber Spaniel was the result of cross- ing some form of the Alpine Spaniel with a type of Basset Hound. When training the Clumber, these traits can be seen and should be adjusted for. While many of the other Spaniel breeds will naturally stay close while hunting and take eas- ily to the quartering pattern that is typical of many of the other Spaniel’s hunting styles, the Clumber will rely much more on its nose. In a hunt test, you can often see a Clumber make a bee-line to a bird that it had scented many yards away. And the long, low, sturdy build of the Clumber is perfect for pushing through the thickest cover, as it was bred for in England. While some of the other Spaniels may be hesitant to enter a thick patch of briars or underbrush, the Clumber will plow right in. I often tell potential Clumber Spaniel owners that although the Clumber Spaniel is the couch potato of the Sporting Group, this is a relative term. While Clumbers do not have the energy of an
English Springer Spaniel, the Pointers or the Setters, that doesn’t mean it spends its life just laying around doing nothing every day. A well-bred Clumber Spaniel needs to be structurally sound enough to hunt thick fields of cover all day. In addition to structure, there are other traits that were bred into the Clumber to help it with the work it was meant to do; coat color and texture, amount of loose skin, and eye shape are some of these traits. Many new Clumber puppy owners are surprised at the amount of energy that a Clum- ber can have and, as with other Sporting breeds, this energy needs to be channeled to keep it from becoming destructive. Clumbers can get bored doing the same activity over and over again, so it can be a lot of fun for the dog and owner to try different venues. While I have trained and competed with Clumbers in most AKC venues, including conformation, obedience, rally, tracking, hunting, and agility, the Clumbers especially excel in tracking and hunting.
300 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2021
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