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Clumber Spaniel Dogs

An adult clumber spaniel with a beautifully soft, white and brown coat An adult clumber spaniel with a beautifully soft, white and brown coat A clumber spaniel sitting beautifully, waiting for some attention A beautiful, young clumber spaniel pup with a lovely soft coat A healthy adult clumber spaniel with a long, thick coat A lovely clumber spaniel enjoying some exercise outside A mother clumber spaniel with her three beautiful puppies

Breed Rating (6 Reviews)

Appearance
Friendliness
Hardiness
Garden

History


The Clumber Spaniel was first developed in England during the latter half of the 18th century, making it one of the oldest spaniel breeds around. The exact origin of this breed is unknown, but it is thought that they are the result of cross breeding between an Alpine Spaniel and a Basset hound. The first concentrated breeding program began at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire. The Clumber is the heaviest and stockiest Spaniel around and is adept at hunting and retrieving game through even the thickest undergrowth. They were originally popular amongst English Nobility as keen-nosed hunters and expert retrievers. They are one of the earliest breeds to make an appearance in competitions.

Behaviour


The Clumber Spaniel is a loving and easy going breed. Within a family setting they will be docile and happy to sleep away the day. They may even need some extra encouragement to go outside. They are gentle dogs and will be affectionate towards people, children and other pets and usually will pay little attention to strangers, unless they are posing a threat towards the dog’s family. They are protective of their family, but will rarely bark unless they feel the need to. They’ll be no use as a watchdog because most of the time they’ll be asleep, this being said, when out and about the hunter instinct in them will come out. Once they get outside they love it, games of fetch can last for hours as they love retrieving. They will often bring you gifts such as sticks and other items they may find. This can be a downside as they may accidentally swallow something they shouldn’t which may cause a blockage. They are active dogs, but only need a moderate amount of exercise per day. A longer walk once a day will satisfy their needs. They have sensitive noses and may run off in pursuit of a scent, this is why recall training is important. When it comes to training they will learn at an average pace, despite their above average intelligence. They will like to please their owners but, like many other spaniels, they can be greedy so treat based reward systems will work best with them. Also make sure not to leave any food out, as this dog can jump up onto counters and tables and wolf down the remnants of your meal. At times they can be stubborn and may need reminding who is boss. Clumbers are social animals and will be happy when around other people/dogs. They dislike being on their own for long amounts of time. As puppies they will be curious and may chew up items that they find on the floor, so keep this in mind. Just like with any other dog, early socialisation will help them grow into a friendly, well-rounded, happy dog.

Clumbers will drool and break wind quite a bit. They also tend to shed quite a lot of fur so regular brushing is needed if you don’t want your house top be filled with fur. Major health concerns that these dogs are prone to are Intervertebral Disk Disease and eye problems (especially Entropion - inward rolling of the eyelid).

Temperament


Clumber Spaniels have a gentle and loving temperament. These dogs will be very calm in and outside of the house. They will also get along with children and other dogs - especially fellow Clumbers.

Health Problems


Clumbers can suffer canine hip dysplasia (CHD), entropion (inward rolling of eyelids, irritating the eyeball), and spinal disc herniation (putting pressure on the spinal cord, which can lead to paralysis).

Breed Details


  • Status: Common
  • Life Expectancy: 9 - 12 years
  • Weight: 55 - 86 pounds
  • Height: 17 - 20"
  • Rare: No
  • Coat: Medium
  • Grooming Requirements: More than once per week
  • Town or Country: Country
  • Minimum Home Size: Large House
  • Minimum Garden Size: Small to Medium Garden
  • Breed Type: Gun Dog
  • Size: Large
  • Energy Level: Medium
  • Exercise Required: Up to 1 hour

Clumber Spaniel Pictures

Latest Reviews For Clumber Spaniel (5 of 6)



Expensive - Sharon,

We are lucky enough to own two handsome boys and they are a beautiful loving pair. They are clumsy, headstrong, cover everything in hair or mud. A dog shower is a must, they are smelly, they will get in any water or mud to cool off as they not good in hot weather, they jump at people as so eager to greet, they love everyone. They need far more exercise than the recommended hour a day, mine definitely don’t lounge around the house all day like it said in the books, they get bored really easily then look to cause trouble. They are a ridiculously expensive breed to own and the vet bills come thick and fast and never end, my youngest boy had had a full face lift and 2 eye surgeries, 2 metal plates in his front leg and has both hydro and a dog physio comes to the house every month to keep him mobile, he is currently 5 years old and this is a life long problem his vet bill has been HUGE my other boy was diagnosed with lymphoma last year and had 20 weeks of chemo to put him in remission this should last 12/18 months that bill was also HUGE and ongoing as he goes to specialist once a month for checkups. We adore the pair of them BUT we will never be able to afford to own another pair I honestly had no idea that any breed could be this expensive.


Clumbers are great - Vanessa,

We have a Clumber spaniel bitch she is nearly 18 months old. She chews, she chewed the skirting board the gate, her bed and ang bedding. She is though the most loving, friendly and cuddly dog ever. Great with other dogs, these dogs are everybodys best friend. She will do anything for treats, her recall is fantastic. She is very loyal, clumbers do shed but no more than yellow labradors. As the hair is white you do tend to notice it more. If I keep her head up on walks then she will walk to heal. They are bred to flush out game though and like to walk with the head and nose to the floor, if you let them do this yhen they will pull and they are strong. Good training and time and patience is all that is needed. Clumbers like to dig but so do other dogs. She does not bark much and does not see the postman as a threat. They are clumsy but adorable. She is my first Clumber Spaniel, we have a Labrador and a Spanish Water dog. The Clumber spaniel is my favourite I love her to bits. They truly are fantastic dogs.


The gentleman who wrote about “ my mum clumber “ is right about everything he wrote. - Steve,

I just lost my Chloe of 11 years to back problems walking and pain issue. . Chloe was an expensive to keep because the physical problems we had with her. But if I had to do it all over again I would get another one in a minute. Chloe spoiled me to love her. But they are to be owned by the faint of heart.


Clumbers are great! - Nicky,

We’ve had our male Clumber Spaniel for nearly three years now. He’s our first dog and we thought long and hard before getting one. We researched loads of breeds - we wanted one that was good with kids and good with cats. Our lad is fantastic. He’s kind, good with our daughters ( including our eldest who has Asperger’s and really didn’t want a dog due to the change it’d bring), has learned to leave the chickens and pet rabbits alone, gets on with the cats, is handsome, friendly and is great as a watch dog. We live in the middle of the country side and having a dog with a big bark is a bonus! Of course we’ve worked with him to make him into the lovely boy he is. We did training classes with him as a puppy and did loads of socialisation with him, we also restricted his exercise when he was a puppy. As a result he’s a happy, friendly confident boy, who is happy to walk for miles around our farm, and I can’t see us ever having a different breed. I think you can’t been too house proud with a Clumber - he’s white and has short legs so brings mud and hair into the house. He can be stubborn but his good points far out way that. I think to own a Clumber you have to be relaxed, have a sense of humour and a heart full of love. He has changed the life of my autistic daughter and we couldn’t love our boy more if we tried!


My Mum's Clumber - Barford,

My family has had a few dogs over the years inc. Spaniels. This dog is the most unhealthy breed imaginable. First advice mum and her husband were given was For eighteen months: -'Do not walk properly only 10 mins because of her spine being so long and out of proportion.' -'Do not allow to jump or use stairs' -'Her eye was hurt by a sibling on her way to you'. This was actually the very common in-rolling eye lids so the eyelashes were causing damage to the eye. She has had to have numerous eye ops. The dog cannot even manage to get on a train because it cannot navigate even the smaller gaps. The huge dog can't even manage to jump into a carboot even though she can reach. She is a few years old and not walking nicely on a lead despite going on group training courses. She pulled my fit healthy mum over breaking her ribs. She is not interested in the needs of or pleasing her owner esp when out. She is in her own world much of the time. She will tap her water bowl with her paw if she wants water so she is capable of engaging. We have a Parson's Jack Russell who is well behaved and we have to domineer her but Clumber is a whole other level. If your dogs are your babies and you want your dog to engage with you this is not the breed. You must be super assertive. Expect them to lay down disengaged from you in the home. The dog can play but is totally disobedient. She is playful rather than plays with you & mum cannot trust her on her own in the garden or off lead during walks. She will jump up people and is about 6 foot tall so people don't like it. She is not aware of non verbal signals and disobeys clear verbal signals. Much of this is because my mum is not strict enough with her which is why I stress you need to be. Main points ~does not live to please & engage with you like most dogs would ~extra ordinarily unhealthy breed. I would go as far as saying it is an intentionally bred to be disabled breed. Inturned eye lids & lashes are a major issue as is the spine not allowing the dog freedom to play, walk and physically engage with everyday obstacles. ~not good for walking. Spine means no walking until they're adult plus they're naturally disobedient. It could be linked to not walking them to train them as a puppy. Huge dog and it pulls way too much ~you will have to be extremely domineering and tell them off alot as you train them. ~they really do eat anything and if you are not really strict can reach your dinner plate at the table. ~mum's dog is crate trained happily (by the breed) but it takes up more room than a chest of drawers ~you will need a large home ~ I don't think that the dog is smart enough or passionate enough to bite. ~The hair is an issue if you are house proud. She has has a habit of getting extra ordinarily filthy. Mum has her wet room next to her front door so you would need to consider how you would clean your clumber up if you have stairs as the dog is too big to carry up stairs safely. ~the dog takes up a whole boot so you would need to consider this if you like to take your dog away with you. Also not a great dog to take with you as a visitor.