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Clumber Spaniel Dogs
Breed Rating (6 Reviews)
| Appearance | |
| Friendliness | |
| Hardiness | |
| Garden |
History
The Clumber Spaniel was first developed in England in the late 1700's and is one of the oldest Spaniel breeds. Possibly bred from the Alpine Spaniel and Bassett hound, the exact origin is unknown, but a concentrated breeding programme began at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire. The Clumber is the heaviest and stockiest of the Spaniels and adept at hunting and retrieving game through the thickest undergrowth. They originally appealed to English Nobility as keen-nosed hunters and expert retrievers. One of the earliest breeds to be shown in competitions.
Behaviour
The Clumber Spaniel is a loving and easy going breed. Within a family, they are docile and happy to sleep and may even need some encouragement when it is time for a walk. Not so much a lazy dog, but quite happy to sleep and stay inside. They are very gentle and affectionate towards people, children and other pets and generally pay little attention towards strangers, unless children are involved and the dog feels that there is a threat towards them. They are protective of family members, but rarely bark unless they feel the need to. Hopeless as a watchdog; they'll probably be sleeping. When out and about, the hunter in them comes into it's own. They love being outside and playing. Games of fetch can last for hours and they like retrieving, especially if they find sometime, like a stick; they will want to bring you presents. This can be a down side, as they often swallow things they shouldn't, causing blockages. They are active dogs, but only need a moderate amount of exercise. A long daily walk should be enough to keep them happy. Their noses are very sensitive and they can dash off in search of the smell, so recall training is important. With regard to training, they learn at an average pace despite their intelligence. They like to please their owners and, like many Spaniels, can be greedy, so food based training will usually work. Hide all food in the kitchen as they have been known to get on to work tops in search of a treat. They can be stubborn at times so do need a reminder every so often they you are the boss. Clumbers like being around people and other dogs and dislike being on their own. As puppies they can chew incessantly and are curious and playful. Early socialisation, as with any dog, is important to get them used to their surroundings and new situations to produce a well rounded, happy pet.
Clumbers drool, and fart. Not for the house proud as they tend to shed quite a bit of fur too. Brushing 2 - 3 times a week with help control the amount of fur in your home. The major health concerns are Intervertebral Disk Disease and eye problems (specifically Entropion - inward rolling of the eye lid).
Temperament
Clumber Spaniels have a gentle and loving temperament. These dogs are very calm both in and out of the house. They are good with children and other dogs - particularly others of the same breed. Being instinctively friendly they do not make good guard dogs. Enjoying plenty of exercise they will set their own pace which is usually quite slow and methodical as they explore their surroundings.
Health Problems
Health problems that may affect Clumber Spaniels includes canine hip dysplasia (CHD), entropion (inward rolling of eyelid which irritates eyeball) and spinal disc herniation (spinal disc puts pressure on spinal cord which can cause some paralysis).
Breed Details
- Status: Common
- Life Expectancy: 9 - 12 years
- Weight: 25 - 39 kg
- Height: 17 - 20"
- Rare: No
- Coat: Medium
- Grooming Requirements: More than once per week
- Town or Country: Country
- Minimum Home Size: Large House
- Minimum Garden Size: Small to Medium Garden
- Breed Type: Gun Dog
- Size: Large
- Energy Level: Medium
- Exercise Required: Up to 1 hour
More to love
Clumber Spaniel Pictures
Latest Reviews For Clumber Spaniel (5 of 6)
Expensive - Sharon,
We are lucky enough to own two handsome boys and they are a beautiful loving pair. They are clumsy, headstrong, cover everything in hair or mud. A dog shower is a must, they are smelly, they will get in any water or mud to cool off as they not good in hot weather, they jump at people as so eager to greet, they love everyone. They need far more exercise than the recommended hour a day, mine definitely don’t lounge around the house all day like it said in the books, they get bored really easily then look to cause trouble. They are a ridiculously expensive breed to own and the vet bills come thick and fast and never end, my youngest boy had had a full face lift and 2 eye surgeries, 2 metal plates in his front leg and has both hydro and a dog physio comes to the house every month to keep him mobile, he is currently 5 years old and this is a life long problem his vet bill has been HUGE my other boy was diagnosed with lymphoma last year and had 20 weeks of chemo to put him in remission this should last 12/18 months that bill was also HUGE and ongoing as he goes to specialist once a month for checkups. We adore the pair of them BUT we will never be able to afford to own another pair I honestly had no idea that any breed could be this expensive.
Clumbers are great - Vanessa,
We have a Clumber spaniel bitch she is nearly 18 months old. She chews, she chewed the skirting board the gate, her bed and ang bedding. She is though the most loving, friendly and cuddly dog ever. Great with other dogs, these dogs are everybodys best friend. She will do anything for treats, her recall is fantastic. She is very loyal, clumbers do shed but no more than yellow labradors. As the hair is white you do tend to notice it more. If I keep her head up on walks then she will walk to heal. They are bred to flush out game though and like to walk with the head and nose to the floor, if you let them do this yhen they will pull and they are strong. Good training and time and patience is all that is needed. Clumbers like to dig but so do other dogs. She does not bark much and does not see the postman as a threat. They are clumsy but adorable. She is my first Clumber Spaniel, we have a Labrador and a Spanish Water dog. The Clumber spaniel is my favourite I love her to bits. They truly are fantastic dogs.
The gentleman who wrote about “ my mum clumber “ is right about everything he wrote. - Steve,
I just lost my Chloe of 11 years to back problems walking and pain issue. . Chloe was an expensive to keep because the physical problems we had with her. But if I had to do it all over again I would get another one in a minute. Chloe spoiled me to love her. But they are to be owned by the faint of heart.
Clumbers are great! - Nicky,
We’ve had our male Clumber Spaniel for nearly three years now. He’s our first dog and we thought long and hard before getting one. We researched loads of breeds - we wanted one that was good with kids and good with cats. Our lad is fantastic. He’s kind, good with our daughters ( including our eldest who has Asperger’s and really didn’t want a dog due to the change it’d bring), has learned to leave the chickens and pet rabbits alone, gets on with the cats, is handsome, friendly and is great as a watch dog. We live in the middle of the country side and having a dog with a big bark is a bonus! Of course we’ve worked with him to make him into the lovely boy he is. We did training classes with him as a puppy and did loads of socialisation with him, we also restricted his exercise when he was a puppy. As a result he’s a happy, friendly confident boy, who is happy to walk for miles around our farm, and I can’t see us ever having a different breed. I think you can’t been too house proud with a Clumber - he’s white and has short legs so brings mud and hair into the house. He can be stubborn but his good points far out way that. I think to own a Clumber you have to be relaxed, have a sense of humour and a heart full of love. He has changed the life of my autistic daughter and we couldn’t love our boy more if we tried!
My Mum's Clumber - Barford,
My family has had a few dogs over the years inc. Spaniels. This dog is the most unhealthy breed imaginable. First advice mum and her husband were given was For eighteen months: -'Do not walk properly only 10 mins because of her spine being so long and out of proportion.' -'Do not allow to jump or use stairs' -'Her eye was hurt by a sibling on her way to you'. This was actually the very common in-rolling eye lids so the eyelashes were causing damage to the eye. She has had to have numerous eye ops. The dog cannot even manage to get on a train because it cannot navigate even the smaller gaps. The huge dog can't even manage to jump into a carboot even though she can reach. She is a few years old and not walking nicely on a lead despite going on group training courses. She pulled my fit healthy mum over breaking her ribs. She is not interested in the needs of or pleasing her owner esp when out. She is in her own world much of the time. She will tap her water bowl with her paw if she wants water so she is capable of engaging. We have a Parson's Jack Russell who is well behaved and we have to domineer her but Clumber is a whole other level. If your dogs are your babies and you want your dog to engage with you this is not the breed. You must be super assertive. Expect them to lay down disengaged from you in the home. The dog can play but is totally disobedient. She is playful rather than plays with you & mum cannot trust her on her own in the garden or off lead during walks. She will jump up people and is about 6 foot tall so people don't like it. She is not aware of non verbal signals and disobeys clear verbal signals. Much of this is because my mum is not strict enough with her which is why I stress you need to be. Main points ~does not live to please & engage with you like most dogs would ~extra ordinarily unhealthy breed. I would go as far as saying it is an intentionally bred to be disabled breed. Inturned eye lids & lashes are a major issue as is the spine not allowing the dog freedom to play, walk and physically engage with everyday obstacles. ~not good for walking. Spine means no walking until they're adult plus they're naturally disobedient. It could be linked to not walking them to train them as a puppy. Huge dog and it pulls way too much ~you will have to be extremely domineering and tell them off alot as you train them. ~they really do eat anything and if you are not really strict can reach your dinner plate at the table. ~mum's dog is crate trained happily (by the breed) but it takes up more room than a chest of drawers ~you will need a large home ~ I don't think that the dog is smart enough or passionate enough to bite. ~The hair is an issue if you are house proud. She has has a habit of getting extra ordinarily filthy. Mum has her wet room next to her front door so you would need to consider how you would clean your clumber up if you have stairs as the dog is too big to carry up stairs safely. ~the dog takes up a whole boot so you would need to consider this if you like to take your dog away with you. Also not a great dog to take with you as a visitor.