spaniel - Breeds

A sporting dog belonging to one of several breeds originally developed to assist hunters; bred to retrieve game, especially birds; usually small, affectionate, with long pendulous ears; now popular pets.

Spaniels are generally smaller dogs with longer coats and drop ears whose job is to assist with bird hunting. At one time, spaniels were subdivided into Land, Field, and Water spaniels, according to the terrain in which they worked best.

There has been so much interbreeding of various gun dogs over the centuries to achieve additional breeds for new subniches that it is sometimes difficult to determine whether a breed is a spaniel, a retriever, both or neither.

Not much has changed about spaniels in general over the years, as can be seen in this 1921 entry in Collier's New Encyclopedia:

Their distinguishing characteristics are a rather broad muzzle, remarkably long and full ears, hair plentiful and beautifully waved, particularly that of the ears, tail, and hinder parts of the thighs and legs. The water spaniels, large and small, differ from the common spaniel only in the roughness of their coats, and in uniting the aquatic propensities of the Newfoundland dog with the fine hunting qualities of their own race.

Breeds

Spaniel breeds include:

American Cocker Spaniel American Water Spaniel Blue Picardy Spaniel Boykin Spaniel Brittany Spaniel Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Clumber Spaniel Deutscher Wachtelhund (German Spaniel) Drentse Patrijshond (Dutch Partridge Dog) (possibly) English Cocker Spaniel English Springer Spaniel Field Spaniel French Spaniel Irish Water Spaniel King Charles Spaniel Kooikerhondje Small Munsterlander Large Munsterlander Papillon Spaniel Picardy Spaniel (Epagneul Picard) Pont-Audemer Spaniel (Epagneul Pont-Audemer) Portuguese Water Dog (possibly) Spanish Water Dog (possibly) Stabyhoun Sussex Spaniel Welsh Springer Spaniel