King Charles Spaniel

“ The origin of some of these manias must have been whimsical enough; but our concern is with the fact that in the reign of the first Charles there became prominent as pets in England a race of small dogs known as the King Charles spaniel, and that at a later period the Blenheim spaniel came into notice. Both races were and are aristocrats of the first water, connected in the very names of the species with royal and ducal houses.
I speak as an ignorant woman ”

“ King Charles Spaniel.
Color.—Varies with the breed. The King Charles is a rich, glossy black and deep tan, without white; tan spots over eyes and on cheeks, and the usual markings on legs, are also required. The Blenheim must on no account be whole-colored, but have a ground of pure, pearly white, with bright, rich chestnut or ruby-red markings evenly distributed in large patches; ears and cheeks red; a blaze of white extending from nose up to forehead, and ending between ears in a crescentic curve ”

“ Still, there is the long ear, and the silky coat, and the beautiful colour of the hair, for which characters the breed is still much prized. The Spaniels which were the special pets of the heartless voluptuary after whom they are named were of the black-and-tan kind. Charles I. preferred a black breed.
THE BLENHEIM SPANIEL is very similar to the King Charles; and, like it, is almost exclusively a drawing-room pet.
THE CHINESE PUG-DOG is an interesting variety, which has been produced by those indefatigable people, who love anything queer, and seem to think nothing perfect until it is deformed. ”

“ Ladies’ toy dogs—King Charles spaniel, the Blenheim spaniel, the Italian greyhound, the pug dog, the Maltese dog, toy terriers, toy poodles, the lion dog, Chinese and Japanese spaniels. In 1894 Modern Dogs (Rawdon B. Lee) was issued, the simple classification of sporting and non-sporting dog—terriers and toy dogs, being adopted ”

“ Youatt infers, from a comparison of an old picture of King Charles's spaniels with the living dog, that "the breed of the present day is materially altered for the worse:" the muzzle has become shorter, the forehead more prominent, and the eyes larger: the changes in this case have probably been due to simple selection. The setter, as this author remarks in another place, "is evidently the large spaniel improved to his present peculiar size and beauty, and taught another way of marking his game. ”

“ The Prince Charles Spaniel.—Another variety is known as the Prince Charles, and the points of this again are the same as of the King Charles, except in colour, which is white with a good deal of black and tan markings. When evenly marked, and well formed in other ways, they are very attractive little fellows. ”

“ The English spaniel is a superior and very pure breed. The King Charles' dog is a small variety of the spaniel used as a lapdog. The Maltese dog is also a small species of spaniel. 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. Spaniels possess a great share of intelligence, affection, and obedience, which qualities, combined with much beauty, make them highly prized as companions. ”

“ Still more significant is the evidence furnished by the skull of a King Charles's spaniel, which, if we allow three years to a generation, and bear in mind that the variety must have existed before Charles the Second's reign, we may assume belongs to something approaching to the hundredth generation of these household pets. ”

“ They are very good house-dogs, intelligent and affectionate, and have sympathetic, coaxing little ways. One point in their favour is the fact that they are not noisy, and do not yap continually when strangers go into a room where they are, or at other times, as is the habit with some breeds of toy dogs.
Those who have once had King Charles Spaniels as pets seldom care to replace them by any other variety of dog, fearing lest they might not find in another breed such engaging little friends and companions, "gentle" as of yore and also "comforters." ”

“ In one painting, Prince Charles is the central figure; one hand hangs idly at his side; the other rests on the head of a huge mastiff, near which frisks a tiny spaniel. The same spaniel probably, and another that might be its twin, act as “supporters” in a second painting to the three oldest children.
When, after many vicissitudes, Charles finally reached the throne, his devotion to pets was more marked than ever, and he gave them a good deal of attention that by rights belonged elsewhere. ”

“ In fact, there seemed to be no serious element whatever in the monarch's character. He was, for instance, very fond of dogs, and cultivated a particular breed, since called King Charles's spaniels, which he kept at one time in great numbers, and in all stages of age and condition, in his palace, and in his very bed chamber, making all the apartments around very disagreeable by the effluvia. Rewards were constantly offered for certain of the king's dogs which had escaped. They were always escaping. ”

“ The legs should be short and strong, well flewed to the foot, before and behind. The feet, which are nearly always good in a Spaniel, should be round, well arched, and abundantly furnished with feather. The loin should be very strong, the back ribs very deep and round; the tail, docked to about nine inches, and well-feathered, should be set low, and have a downward action. The proper carriage of the tail marks the Spaniel's purity, as much as anything. The coat should be waved, not curled, and as already said, of a golden liver colour. ”

“ The beautiful breed of Spaniels known as King Charles’s, are highly prized for their diminutive size and length of ears. They are found of all colours, but those which are black, with tanned cheeks and legs, are considered the purest breed. ”

“ A beautiful black-and-tan spaniel, of Charles the Second's breed, popped its short snubby nose and long silken ears out of each coat-pocket. A pug was thrust into his breast, and he carried an exquisite Blenheim under either arm. At his feet reposed an Isle of Skye terrier, and a partly cropped French poodle, of snowy whiteness, with a red worsted riband round his throat. This person, it need scarcely be said, was a dog-fancier, or, in other words, a dealer in, and a stealer of, dogs, as well as a practiser of all the tricks connected with that nefarious trade. ”

“ The Pointer is so called from its habit of standing fixed when it scents game, while the Setter crouches down when the scent of game is in the air. The Spaniel is another hunting dog, much liked by sportsmen. It is a beautiful dog, with very long ears and wavy and beautiful hair, red and white in color. It is fond of swimming and knows well the art of fish-catching.
Beagle Hound Chasing a Rat
Working dogs include such kinds as the Eskimo dogs, that drag the sleds of the Eskimos and of polar explorers, and the dogs of Kamtchatka, swift, powerful animals, used for the same purpose. ”

“ I often see what I may call "the Field Spaniel proper," the old glossy black, kept as a companion; the very long backed, and short-legged type, now in favour, don't strike one as [Pg 76] being able to stand so much hard work, in the covers, as the more old fashioned sort, but they are, many of them, very beautiful dogs, and of high quality, and, what is also of importance to breeders, they command very high prices. I heard of an instance, not very long since, when a buyer was found for five or six specimens of the Black Field Spaniel, at £1,100, and another gave £400 for a single dog. ”

“ There are, however, said to be many good specimens not in any way related to that particular strain, the colour of which was tricolour, black, tan and white. This variety is heavier than their English or Irish brethren, and shows more of the Hound and less of the Spaniel. The head is stronger, with deeper and broader muzzle and heavier lips, the ears are also somewhat longer, and the eyes often show the haw; the black should be as jet and absolutely free from white. ”

“ Sporting Spaniel Points.—I will here give the show points of the several Sporting Spaniels, commencing with the Clumber. The points of this breed are as follows:—He should be long, low, and heavy, weight varies, but averages about forty to forty-five pounds. Colour, white, of a creamy shade, with orange or lemon markings; actual liver colour, or the very pale lemon, once made a point of, are now objected to by some [Pg 78] [Pg 77] [Pg 79] breeders of the present day. Height should not be over eighteen or twenty inches. ”

“ THE WATER-SPANIEL is larger than any of the Spaniels already mentioned: it is also a stronger Dog, and has closely-curled hair, and ears proportionally much shorter than in the preceding breeds. It is used in shooting, having first to find the game, and then, when a bird falls, to bring it to its master without mangling. ”

“ The breed has always had a good character for work, and most of the older writers who mention them speak of Sussex Spaniels in very eulogistic terms. They are rather slow workers, but thoroughly conscientious and painstaking, and are not afraid of any amount of thick covert, through which they will force their way, and seldom leave anything behind them.
A well-bred Sussex Spaniel is a very handsome dog. Indeed, his beautiful colour alone is enough to make his appearance an attractive one, even if he were unsymmetrical and ungainly in his proportions. ”

“ When a regular retriever can be constantly employed with spaniels, of course it will be unnecessary to make any of them fetch game (certainly never to lift anything which falls out of bounds) , though all the team should be taught to 'seek dead.' This is the plan pursued by the Duke of Newcastle's keepers, and obviously it is the soundest and easiest practice, for it must be always more or less difficult to make a spaniel keep within his usual hunting limits, who is occasionally encouraged to pursue wounded game, at his best pace, to a considerable distance. ”

“ They should be set low on the head, and be heavily feathered. In this respect the King Charles is expected to exceed the Blenheim, and his ears occasionally extend to 24 ins. Size.—The most desirable size is from 7 lbs. to 10 lbs. Shape.—In compactness of shape these spaniels almost rival the pug, but the length of coat adds greatly to the apparent bulk, as the body, when the coat is wetted, looks small in comparison with that dog. Still, it ought to be decidedly "cobby," with strong, stout legs, broad back, and wide chest. ”

“ Although I sometimes see some of the old liver and white, roan, blue and black Spaniels about, I certainly think they are not so popular as they were some years since. As a rule they are tractable, good tempered, "born sportsmen," particularly fond of a ramble amongst country lanes and hedgerows, and capital companions for all, attaching themselves readily to ladies and children, and making themselves "at home" as members of the household, though always ready for their own proper work, outside, when called upon. ”

“ Hartshorn has already told you about the English toy spaniels, so I will omit those.
"In the early days, the breeds weren't divided up as they are to-day, but were known as large and small land spaniels and water spaniels. The oldest of the land spaniels of England now in existence is the Sussex spaniel. You won't see any in the United States, I think.
"The clumber spaniel you can see in our shows, but he also is more popular among the sportsmen and fanciers of England than here. He is the heaviest of the spaniels. The cocker spaniel is the most popular kind in this country. ”

“ The good sheep-dog has a duty to perform that he likes, and he does it well, but ask him to do anything besides, and he objects, and gets his way. The spaniel’s business is the most taxing of all, and requires the best breaking, except when the retriever is broken to do spaniel’s duty as well as his own, as he can. That is to say, he can find live rabbits in their seats and turn them out to the gun, and stand still as they go. This is far more of a tax on any dog than steadiness in pointing, when the breaker turns out the pointed game. ”

“ Though spaniels are sporting dogs, they have always been enjoyed quite as much for their companionship, and they have an enviable reputation for fidelity. There is a story told of a spaniel of the time of the French Revolution which reminds one of Greyfriars Bobby. This dog belonged to a magistrate who was condemned for conspiracy and was thrown into prison. By means of his coaxing and pretty ways, the spaniel at last won the heart of one of the jailers and managed to get in to his master. ”

“ I do not propose to enter into this controversy at all, personally I have had more to do with the Irish Water Spaniels (of which my brothers and I have had a great many amongst us since we were lads) , and Poodles, of which I have had a good many and handled and judged hundreds, and I think I can see traces of the Irish Water Spaniel and the Poodle in the modern Curly-coated Retriever, but more of the former than the latter. I think, undoubtedly, the Curlies are the hardest to breed approaching perfection, but they are wonderfully "fetching," when up to the mark. ”

“ When shooting, the sportsman prefers spaniels, particularly certain “strains” of black and brown cockers—untiring little workers with a keen, true power of scent—which for many years have been common in the neighbourhood; and the farmer's sheep-dog is unfitted for any sport except rabbiting. Here and there, among the poaching fraternity, may be found a mongrel fondly imagined by its owner to be a terrier—a good rabbit “marker,” and wonderfully quick in killing rats, but no more suited than the sportman's spaniel for “lying up” with a badger. ”

“ Spaniels in cover are merry and cheerful companions, all life and animation. They hunt, they frisk about, watching the movements of their master, and are indefatigable in their exertions to find game for him. ”