Author: English Springer Spaniel Guide Editorial Team

English Springer Spaniels diverged into field and show types after 1902 because breeding prioritized working ability or aesthetic standards.

Early spaniels and English Springer Spaniels historically worked alongside medieval hunters using nets and hawks to catch game birds.

English Springer Spaniels worked alongside humans in the British Isles to flush hidden game before the invention of firearms.

Springer Spaniels historically located and flushed game birds into nets, toward hawks, or for early firearms before retrievers existed.

The American Kennel Club formal recognition of English Springer Spaniels details their history as working dogs in America.

The Kennel Club in the United Kingdom officially recognized the English Springer Spaniel as a distinct breed in 1902.

Early spaniel littermates became cockers or springers based purely on adult size and flushing woodcock or heavier game.

Early spaniel breeders sorted puppies by weight before 1902 to separate woodcock hunters from pheasant flushing dogs.

The English Springer Spaniel history spans over a thousand years, originating from medieval working dogs used in hunting.

English Springer Spaniel origins trace back to medieval hunting dogs that flushed game for falcons and nets before modern breeds existed.