French Spaniel

The French Spaniel, or épagneul français, is a setter-like spaniel developed as a hunting dog in France and later in Canada. It is one of the largest of the spaniels, usually white with brown markings, and it descends from dogs known in France since the 14th century.

History

Spaniels are first mentioned in France in the 14th-century hunting book of Gaston III of Foix-Béarn. In the Middle Ages these dogs were used in falconry and for setting game to be taken with nets, and they became favorites of the French royal court. In the 1850s it was crossed with English Setters to produce the Brittany.

James de Connick wrote the first breed standard in 1891. Around the turn of the 20th century French hunters turned to English breeds, and the French Spaniel came close to dying out. A priest, Father Fournier, gathered the remaining dogs at his kennels and built up the lines from which today’s dogs descend.

The breed was little known outside France and its neighbors until it reached Quebec in the 1970s, where it quickly became popular for hunting woodcock and grouse. The Canadian Kennel Club recognised it in 1985. It is also recognised by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale and the United Kennel Club. The Kennel Club in Britain does not recognise it, and the American Kennel Club has placed it in its Foundation Stock Service, the first step toward recognition.

Appearance

The French Spaniel is one of the two tallest spaniel breeds, taller than the English Springer Spaniel. Males stand roughly 55 to 63 cm (22 to 25 in) and females slightly less, and dogs weigh 20 to 27 kg (45 to 60 lb). The build is muscular, with a deep chest and strong legs.

The coat is dense and of medium length. It lies flat on the body, with some wave on the chest and long feathering on the ears, the backs of the legs and the tail. The usual color is white with brown markings in shades from light cinnamon to dark liver. In earlier times the coat was white with black markings only; the brown came in when other spaniels were mixed in during the 19th century.

Temperament

The French Spaniel is friendly, outgoing, even-tempered and patient. It is not naturally aggressive, and its eagerness to please makes it easy to train. As a working dog it forms a strong bond with its owner. It has a great deal of stamina and needs vigorous exercise.

Care and health

This is a robust breed with few health problems, and it copes well with wet weather. One condition that may affect it is acral mutilation and analgesia, a recently recognised disorder first reported in thirteen dogs in Canada. Signs appear between three and a half months and one year of age. Affected dogs lick, bite and injure their own paws, causing ulcers and infections, and in extreme cases the loss of claws, toes or footpads.

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