The Clumber Spaniel (or, officially and more simply, in France, the Clumber) was highly appreciated by the English aristocracy in the eighteenth century, as evidenced by a painting by Francis Weatley dating from 1788 and representing the second Duke of Newcastle, Henry Pelham Clinton, hunting on horseback with three Clumbers. This race owes its name to the castle of Clumber (in the Nottingham Shire), which belonged to the dukes of Newcastle. However, opinions differ on the history of the Clumbers.
According to an article in the Sporting Magazine published in 1807, it was the Duke of Noailles who, around 1760, had offered three of these rather original Spaniels to his English peer, who, seduced by this noble gift, would in turn have installed a kennel in his Clumber property. This version received in 1870 the guarantee of the great cynologist Stonehenge. But as sympathetic as it may be, she has nevertheless puzzled many French cynologists, who have sought in vain in the breeds and canine types, both among those who have disappeared and among those who have survived, a dog French with some resemblance to the Clumber. As for the English amateurs, no less perplexed, who also carried out research on the origins of this dog, they found no indication of the existence of a dog breeding undertaken by the Duc de Noailles. We must therefore ask ourselves if this story does not belong to a genre too often cultivated by the imagination of the "canine specialists" of the past, that of fables and legends.
This imagination is also illustrated in a theory of some British cynologists: struck by the broad skull, the massive aspect and the strong skeleton of the Clumber Spaniel, they wanted to see there similarities with a race which began to be known in the England of the nineteenth century, where it was first called "Mastiff Alpin", and which was none other than the famous St. Bernard. But, as it was nonsensical to believe that the enormous St. Bernard could be crossed with Spaniels in order to create a hunting dog, these "specialists" imagined that the mountain dog must have a hunter cousin, although massive, which they named "Alpine Spaniel". A race which, needless to say, has the defect of never having existed.
More reasonably, one must agree with those who, seeing in the Clumber a purely British dog, suggest that he was selected from various local dogs. This thesis, however, lacks precise arguments. Thus, the line of Clumber would suggest that a heavy hen or a ponderous basset were put to contribution for its genesis; but then, these ancestors would not have transmitted in the inheritance the beautiful voice of the common dogs, because the Clumber hunts silently.
What is certain, in any case, is that, whatever its origins, the Clumber Spaniel was not long in being adopted by the English nobility, as is shown by a painting by C. Hancock dated 1834, which represents Lord Middelton, accompanied by several Clumbers, then by the royal family, who, from Prince Albert to Edward VIII, did much for his popularity.
The Clumber also distinguished itself with the sportsmen, by obvious qualities cynegetic. Towards 1900, this flattering portrait of him was drawn up: "He belongs to one of the most useful varieties, the most appreciated varieties of hunting Spaniel. He is also one of the oldest, the most dignified, and yet the most docile. Very bold, it is very easy to character. In the first field trial held by the Sporting Spaniel Club in January 1889 at Sutton Scardscale, where all Spaniels varieties competed together, the Clumbers came in second and third place. In the last years of the nineteenth century, a female Clumber, Beechgrove Bee, led by Winston Smith, made a name for itself by dominating all the field trials of the time, and was the first Spaniel to be crowned champion of labor.
Around 1910, the popularity of Clumber began to decline. More and more, indeed, one preferred Spaniels more ardent and of smaller format; who had, it must be said, made great progress. The famous Cockers and Springers pointed the tip of their noses. The decline, which seemed to have been at the end of the 1930s, could only be confirmed during the last war. Quantitative decline, of course, because the breeding of Clumber knew no interruption; we even notice; is rare enough to be noted; an absolute continuity in certain lineages. Thus, that of one of the greatest breeders of the beginning of the century, William Awkright, residing in Sutton Scardscale, is always pursued by a breeder in the same place, and most of the Clumbers of Europe are in fact from this breeding. No doubt we can say, with Paul Meunier, that "the Clumber is the Spaniel which has undergone the least modifications since its creation".
The Clumber was virtually unknown in France when, in 1972, a female from England revealed the breed to exhibitors and fans of Spaniels. From this date, several subjects, imported mainly from Great Britain, came to form the modest French livestock, maintained thanks to the few litters born during the last years. By testing the Clumber in the field trial, French amateurs were able to check the inherent qualities of the race already recognized by the Anglo-Saxons: fine nose, slow search, silent and methodical.
The Clumber Spaniel may seem in France a little marginal case in the world of the hunting dog, as it seems especially intended for fans of British breeds. This dog has none the less undeniable qualities. The French Spaniel Club gives him besides this beautiful satisfecit: "It is undoubtedly the easiest to train of all the members of the family of Spaniels. He does not have a hard head and once he has learned his lessons, he remembers. The Americans, discovering the Clumber after the war, had addressed him with similar compliments: "The Clumber is very brave, obedient, good-natured, enduring, and persevering. In fact, these qualities are mainly about hunting behavior. Now, in Europe, especially in Great Britain, the Clumber has become essentially a pet dog. This dignified dog, sure of himself, with the expression often dubitative, is endowed with an excellent naturalness: nothing counts more in his eyes than to please his masters and to be a full member of his human family.
If he likes napping and makes no noise, one should not take this discretion for apathy; on the contrary, it is a dog full of life, stirring in his hours, merry companion with the familiar: ready to all the antics to seduce his entourage, this regular of the "high society" and large English properties, far from 'to be handled, is irresistible when, abandoning his thoughtful air, he begins to clown. On the other hand, he welcomes strangers with restraint and does not give his friendship to the first comer without being aggressive. Sociable with other dogs, loving children very much, it is part of the hunting dogs that adapt perfectly to the sweet idleness of the house dog.
Do we need to talk about its traditional role as a hunter for memory? It is certainly not by chance that this slow and calm Spaniel has been supplanted by faster and more active cousins, adapted to the necessities of modern hunting. In our country, the country Braques and the heavy Spaniels hunting under the rifle have likewise been neglected for a long time. However, if it is brought back to its hunting ground, the Clumber Spaniel is always an efficient bushman, which can be used successfully in the busiest areas; undergrowth, dense grove; where his perseverance and method, combined with excellent flair and endurance, will be appreciated.
This stubborn and resistant hunter also loves water, and his talents for game hunting and research, which are great for wild game, can also be applied to ducks, pheasants and woodcocks. The maintenance of his coat is similar to that of the Springer. He is less subject than the Cocker to earaches, because he has shorter ears and less loaded hair. On the other hand, one must watch one's eyes, which are quite sensitive because of the apparent conjunctiva: regular cleaning with physiological saline is a necessary precaution. |
Aggressive or overly shy.
English (United Kingdom)