| Clumber Spaniels: the most honest dog breed review you'll ever find. Information about Clumber Spaniel personality and behavior. |
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My book, Your Purebred Puppy: A Buyer's Guide (published by Henry Holt & Co.), includes a full-page profile of the Clumber Spaniel, including these excerpts:
The mild-mannered, almost imperturbable Clumber Spaniel sometimes puts on aristocratic airs, yet he also plays the clown, greeting people with two tennis balls stuffed into his mouth and his entire rear end wagging.
Adults spend much of their time lying around and looking sleepy, but this massive dog needs regular exercise to stay fit.
Outdoors he comes alive and moves with great determination -- he has been called "a great bustling creature."
Fetching and ball playing are good sources of exercise, though too much twisting and jumping could injure a disk in his long back.
Most Clumber Spaniels are friendly with strangers and other animals. This is not a guard dog.
Though stubborn, he does respond to persuasive, persistent, motivational obedience training, especially if it includes food. He resists harshness or force by refusing to move.
He does have a mischievous streak, but because of his easygoing approach to life, he is seldom a problem even when he doesn't obey very quickly."
History
This dependable bird dog, named after England's Clumber Park, has been called "the portly gentleman's shooting dog" and "the ideal choice for the man who doesn't like to hunt in a hurry."
Size
17-20 inches and 55-85 lbs |
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Clumber Spaniels
What's good about 'em
What's bad about 'em
- Is an unusual-looking spaniel -- built long and low to the ground, and very, very heavy
- Is somewhat phlegmatic indoors -- a true couch potato
- Comes alive outdoors and romps about with enthusiasm
- Is polite with everyone
- Is uncommon
A Clumber Spaniel may be right for you.
| If you don't want to deal with... |
- A HEAVY dog who wants to sit on your feet, lie on your lap, and lean his weight against your leg
- Providing enough exercise to keep his big body in shape
- Stubbornness
- Regular brushing and combing
- Constant heavy shedding
- Slobbering and drooling
- Gassiness (flatulence)
- Serious health problems and a short lifespan
- Waiting lists (hard to find)
A Clumber Spaniel may not be right for you.
| If I were considering a Clumber Spaniel... |
My major concerns would be:
- Providing enough exercise and mental stimulation. Clumber Spaniels were developed to run through the fields seeking game birds. An occasional walk around the block, isn't enough. They MUST have regular opportunities to vent their energy with a vigorous romp. Otherwise they will become bored -- which they usually express by becoming destructive. Clumber Spaniels are big-time chewers who can make a shambles of your home in no time at all.
| If you simply want a pet for your family, and don't have the time or inclination to take your dog hiking or swimming or running in the field, or to get involved in hunting activities, or tracking, or a similar canine activity, I do not recommend this breed. |
- Stubbornness. Despite their easygoing nature, Clumber Spaniels are not Golden Retrievers. They are not pushovers to raise and train. Most Clumber Spaniels are extremely stubborn and can be manipulative. You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say.
- Grooming. To keep their silky coat free of mats, Clumber Spaniels require regular brushing and combing, and occasional trimming.
- Heavy shedding. Clumber Spaniels shed a LOT. You'll find white hair and fur all over your clothing, upholstery, carpeting, under your furniture, on your countertops -- even in your food. Frequent vacuuming will become a way of life. Make sure you're REALLY up for this.
- Slobbering. Most people are not prepared for how much Clumber Spaniels slobber and drool, especially after eating or drinking. When they shake their heads, you will literally be toweling saliva and slime off your clothes, furniture, and walls.
- Gassiness (flatulence) that can send you running for cover. Fortunately, Clumber Spaniels who are fed a natural diet of real meat and other fresh foods have much less trouble with gassiness. See my Clumber Spaniel Health Page for more information.
- Serious health problems. There is a virtual epidemic of hip dysplasia in Clumber Spaniels. They also suffer from eye problems.
- Finding one. In the United States, only about 200 new Clumber Spaniel puppies are registered each year. (Compare that to over 60,000 new Golden Retriever puppies!)
| Not all Clumber Spaniels are alike! |
- There are energetic Clumbers, and placid Clumbers.
- Hard-headed Clumbers, and sweet-natured Clumbers.
- Serious Clumbers, and good-natured goofballs.
- Introverted Clumbers, and Clumbers who love everyone.
| If you acquire a Clumber Spaniel puppy, you can't know for sure what he or she will grow up to be like. Because a good number of purebred puppies do NOT grow up to conform to the "norm." |
| If you're considering an adult Clumber Spaniel... |
There are plenty of adult Clumber Spaniels who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics. If you find such an adult, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you.
When you acquire a puppy, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important. But when you acquire an adult, you're acquiring what he already IS.
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Copyright © 2000-2008 by Michele Welton. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without the permission of the author. |
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