English Springer Spaniel

The first description of an English Springer Spaniel came from Dr. John Caius in 1576 but the breeds of Spaniels were not separated by function until 1801. According to the AKC, when the Spaniel was brought to England from Spain, they divided them between two types: land and water Spaniels. Americans discovered the Spaniel in the 1700s, started the American Spaniel Club in 1880, and they separated the breeds into the Cocker Spaniels and Springer Spaniels by size. 

The Cocker Spaniel and English Springer Spaniel were both born of the same litter (land Spaniels) but they were separated by size to perform different duties. The smaller Cocker Spaniels would hunt the woodcock. Once found, the larger English Springer Spaniels would chase the woodcock so a trained hawk or falcon could bring them to the hunters. Later, the litter would be divided further and the largest would be called Setters. 

In the 19th century, more Spaniel breeds were developed, named after the areas they originated such as the Shropshire Spaniel and Norfolk Spaniel. Although the Spaniel club was started in 1899, it was not until 1910 that the American Kennel Club (AKC) acknowledged the breed. One of the most famous Springers was the Norfolk Spaniel, which was bred by the Duke of Norfolk and this type of Spaniel was named the Norfolk Spaniel because of this occurrence. They are friendly and energetic dogs that work hard and play harder so they need plenty of exercise every day. Although they like children, younger kids should be supervised. Also, they can become nuisance barkers if left alone too long with nothing to do.