Other names/Nicknames:
- Welsh Cocker
- Starter
Country/Date of origin:
- Great Britain
- 1500′s
Height:
- Females: 17 to 18 inche
s
- Males: 18 to 19 inches
Weight:
- 35 to 45 pounds
Personality:
- The merry ways of the spaniel are firmly fixed in this Welsh charmer.
- It is hard to resist the loving attention a Welsh Springer will lavish on you.
- Gentle, although able to take correction better than the other spaniels which fold under criticism.
- Willing to please and moderately intelligent.
History:
One of the group of spaniels that works before the gun, springing or flushing birds for the hunter. The ancestors of this breed are thought to have been brought to England with the Gauls in pre-Roman times. Its similarity to the Brittany Spaniel is evidence for this theory. Until 1900, it was little seen outside of Wales. Originally shown as a Welsh Cocker, it was granted separate breed status in England in 1902 and shown as the Welsh Springer Spaniel. A breed club was formed in the United States in 1960 to promote the interests of the Welsh Springer.
Body Type:
- Similar to the English Springer Spaniel, but shorter and more lightly built.
- The tail is always docked to two thirds of the original length.
- The fringed ears are small and hang close to the head. They are not altered.
Coat:
- The flat, straight coat is thick and silky.
- The only allowed color is dark, rich red and white.
- Moderate grooming required.
Health and Wellness:
- Hip dysplasia.
- Subject to epilepsy.
- Progressive retinal atrophy.
- Cataracts.
What you should know:
- A rarely seen breed in the United States. It is overshadowed by its English Springer cousin.
- Finding a puppy will be difficult.
