English Water Spaniel
English Water Spaniel | |
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domestic dog ) |
The English Water Spaniel is a breed of
Pre-dating the
History
In 1570, Dr John Caius described the Water Spaniel. It has been suggested that Shakespeare also knew the breed "for he mentions the 'water rug' in Macbeth. "[1] Furthermore, Shakespeare specifically mentions the breed in Act III Scene 1 of The Two Gentlemen of Verona when Launce says of his love, "She hath more qualities than a water-spaniel."
The breed is mentioned specifically by name as early as 1802, in Sportsman's Cabinet, where it is described as having "hair long and naturally curled, not loose and shaggy"; the description accompanied an engraving of a liver and white curly-coated
The
The stud book of the
Writing in 1967, author
Appearance
Very unlike the Irish Water Spaniel in appearance, the English Water Spaniel more closely resembled a curly-haired version of the Springer Spaniel, with some traits of the Collie, poodle, and setter. The white and liver (tan) dog stood about 20 inches (51 cm) tall and looked like a typical, lean, long-legged spaniel with long ears and tail, a white underbelly, and a brown back, except that it had the coat of a water dog.[3]
The English Water Spaniel was described as having a long and narrow head, with small eyes and ears that were long and covered in thick curls of fur. The body was moderately stout and barrel shaped, but not as much as that of the Field Spaniel. Its legs were long and straight with large feet.[9] The dog varied in size with the larger varieties known as "Water Dogs" and the smaller as "Water Spaniels".[1][5]
Due to the English Water Spaniel's colours of liver (tan) and white, it has been suggested that the breed may have been the source of the colours now found in the modern English Springer Spaniel and Welsh Springer Spaniel breeds.[1]
Hunting
Paintings by Henry Bernard Chalon and Ramsay Richard Reinagle both show English Water Spaniels working with their masters hunting ducks. An engraving by Henry Thomas Alken Snr. shows a slightly different looking English Water Spaniel, but also reinforces its area of work by again showing it while duck hunting. In The Sportsman's Repository (1820), the author advises that if an individual wishes to hunt ducks or any other type of waterfowl, then the hunter had best use an English Water Spaniel.[3]
The breed is described as swimming and diving as well as the ducks themselves; and they are intelligent enough to avoid being lured away from the nesting places. The author described the best variety of the breed to be those with long ears whose coat was white under the belly and around the neck but brown on the back.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d Henriques, Harry. "History of Spaniels - Norfolk and English Water". Spaniels in the Field. Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
- ^ "Irish Water Spaniel Information". Sarah's Dogs. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
- ^ a b c d e Horter, Ria. "Vanished Dog Breeds" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-01-25.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4437-3148-5. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4365-0001-2. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
- ^ "Retrievers". Great American Hunter.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
- ^ "AKC Meet the Breeds: Curly-Coated Retriever". American Kennel Club. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
- ^ "The History of the Field Spaniel". Lyndongraey. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
- ISBN 978-1-4446-5312-0. Retrieved 2010-01-24.