Spaniels
are great hunters. About 2000 years ago, their
forefathers came to the British Islands from southern
Europe or the Middle East. The first mention of
Spaniels in the British Islands was found in the Law
Code of the year 948. It says that Spaniels were
great hunters and worth the same amount of money as a
saddle horse. There was a very high financial penalty for killing this
breed of dog.
A Welsh
springer is one of the oldest original Spaniels.
It’s red and white colouring is considered to be
the original one. In the 18th century Spaniels were
pushed back to Wales, where they lived separately and
therefore could retain their typical colouring and
character.
The
most important breeder, A.T. William’s family
from Neath valley, was breeding Spaniels for
centuries. In 1899 one of William’s Spaniels won
at the dog show in Birmingham and the Field Trials
competition as well.
There was a Welsh Springer Breeder Club founded in
1902. However, it took 85 years until the standard of
this breed was approved by FCI on 24 th June 1987
with the number 126d.
Spaniels
are strong dogs, built for hard work. They are full
of energy, fast, tough and very active. Over the
centuries they have kept their excellent hunting
ability and can become very useful hunting dogs.
Thanks to their intelligence and nice character they
are great companions. We should not forget that with
enough exercise and friendly handling they also need
a consistent training and discipline.
The
history of Spaniel breeding in the Czech Republic
began in 1963 when Frantisek Limml brought the first
dog, Hinckeldeyn‘s Aara, from Hamburg. After a
female dog Brigit Poppet of Hearts was brought to the
Czech Republic in 1964, the first breeding station
Grunda was founded. Over the last years there were
other Spaniels brought from Holland, Germany, France,
Sweden and recently from Finland as well.
