One of the most exciting experiences for anyone while bird hunting is to see a well-trained gun dog of any breed, display their long time inherited genetics, while incorporating the use of wind direction along with their uncanny nose. They show us the art of perfection in locating small game, hidden in the dense underbrush!
For many of us enthusiasts, the enjoyment of watching our sporting dogs seek out and locate game is truly what the sport is all about. Have you ever watched a good dog track down and force a running cock pheasant into flight? The “dog work” is more exciting than the actual shooting end of things during small game hunting. Many of us that have been hunting small game over good dogs become more and more memorized by the exceptional dog work that occurs during an average day in the field.
There are more than 35 different breed types in the sporting dog group today. One of which is the Spaniel or flushing dog group. The Spaniel is the 2nd oldest hunting breed known to mankind today. The earliest written record of the Spaniel was logged in the year 948! The early gamekeepers used the Spaniel in the role of today’s “beaters”. During the shoot, the Spaniels were also used to flush game on the Europe estates. Working in teams as small as 4 and up to as many as 10. Spaniels forced game into flight from the thick undergrowth of brambles, thorns and rough grass for the tenants and syndicate shooters. European countries, where the Spaniel originated, called them the land or flushing Spaniel. Many feel the Carrihagean word “Span” meaning rabbit, seems to have proper meaning for this breed! Even to this day in Europe the Spaniel, when tested during field events, must work both fur and feather. Whiling working, all flushed game, whether it is rabbit, hare, pheasant or partridge, shall be shot. It is required that the Spaniel finds and retrieves all the different sorts of game. Thus, maintaining the Spaniel as a versatile all-around breed for small game hunting.
Among the Spaniel group there are ten different types of Spaniels with the English springer and English cockers, being two of the most popular amongst small game enthusiasts. Authorities such as Henry Davis, David Michael Duffy, and others, (these people who have a world of experience with all types of gun dogs), have concluded that the English springer spaniel is a leading contender for the title of “all-around gun dog” for the one dog-sporting enthusiast!
English springer spaniels have always been known as GREAT pheasant dogs. What unique characteristics give the English springer spaniel such an elite statue to be a contender? Let’s look at the Spaniel and its’ different expertise of versatility both in the field and the family environment. The Spaniel when released to hunt will travel 10 to 15 yards to one side, quickly reversing direction to the opposite side of the hunter, while maintaining a distance of 10 to 15 yards in front of the hunter. This breed travels with a great spurt of speed and hunting desire, working in a windshield wiper pattern and using the wind direction to their favor. The Spaniel gives his nose every advantage at locating game in the dense cover.
The Spaniel is a beater who covers all the ground to either side in front of the hunter, never leaving any game undiscovered. He always stays within shotgun range for the on foot hunter to take his quarry at his own pace. When a Spaniel is making game he will quickly drop his head and put his nose to the ground in a hound-like fashion. He will stubbornly “nose” the foot scent of the quarry, increasing his speed while closing the gap on a bird or rabbit as the scent trail gets “hotter.”
All the while his tail beats furiously from side to side as his whole body seems to come alive with animation. The dog follows his nose as he sniffs every step made by wild game. When scent becomes very hot and his nose tells him the scent has changed from foot scent to body scent, he will raise his head, take to body scent and move with phenomenal speed driving game out of its hiding place.
Naturally, we find the elusive pheasant that would rather scurry away on the ground instead of being forced into flight, sometimes taking the Spaniel out of gun range. The well-trained Spaniel will respond to the hunter’s whistle command stopping him immediately in his tracks. The dog will then patiently wait for the hunter to move back into range. Once given the “hunt on” command he will continue to work the scent trail until he finally forces the running pheasant to take flight! The English springer is by far the ultimate pheasant hunting dog.
Upon the flushing of game he will automatically “hup” or sit instantly on the sight of the flush. Anxiously, he will be watching the flight pattern of the fleeing quarry, in anticipation of hearing the sound of gunfire. Once the game has been dropped, the Spaniel will mark the area of the fallen quarry while awaiting a “command” from his owner to retrieve the downed game! Then quickly traveling to the area of fallen game he will scoop up the quarry. Holding it gently in his mouth, he will return it to the hunter for his game pouch. This makes retrieving the shot game easy for the hunter. All he has to do is send the dog for the retrieve. The Spaniel does all the work even in those thick wild berry brushes! Hey, why should we get all scratched up! Let the Spaniel do it, they love to work in this type of “birdie” cover. In cases where game has been missed, simply giving a “gone away” command to tell the Spaniel he should resume his hunting pattern and seek out future game.
Spaniels can hold their own in a duck blind as well. Although the Spaniel is not popularly known for waterfowl, they do have webbed feet and love to swim and retrieve on water. With their three different layers of hair, varying length of coat and a good undercoat, they can withstand hardships on the coast and in the marshes. Naturally, it appears to be the waiting in freezing water that will paralyze them in these frigid conditions as with many other types of gun dogs. However, keeping the Spaniels high and dry will help them to continue making repeated retrieves on cold marshes and lakes. The Spaniels are as much at home in the marshes as they are in the field.
A vintage, well trained, well breed gun dog of this type will not only fill your game bag, but will provide many exciting memories for you and your hunting partners. A true sportsman who thinks the thrill of the hunt is equally as important as the conservation of shot game will never hunt without a well-trained Spaniel.
Along with a strong field savvy, the Spaniel makes an excellent family pet at home with children, as well. With a natural characteristic of “wanting to please” his family members, training this breed can be easily accomplished. I have been a Spaniel person for close to twenty years and I can honestly say that if you are looking for a sporting dog with plenty of love and devotion to offer, a lot of heart and a strong desire to please, besides being a great family dog; you really can’t go wrong with a field bred English springer spaniel!
