Connecting with cocker spaniels

My connection to cocker spaniels comes from my father. My dad loved the breed and what they brought to his hunting. He owned several during his youth and even named my sister a variation of the name of one of my dad’s favourite dogs, Paddy. Sadly, by the time I was born, Paddy — that brick red-coloured cocker, lived only in curling black-and-white photos and hunting stories told between a father and wide-eyed son. As I became old enough to hunt, finding good working field cockers proved all but impossible in the pre-internet world. Sadly, the breed seemed to have been relegated to old yarns by aging hunters and dusty old calendar art. So, I satiated my hunger for hunting with alternative breeds like Brittanys, setters, and labs. I enjoyed them all, but as a wood-cock hunter, I confess to being more than curious and a little romantic about the breed. Cocker spaniels back in action Any field sport enthusiast is all too aware of the fashion trends that influence our sports from time to time. Wing shooters who have lived long enough have witnessed various shotgun gauges and actions rise and fall in popularity like rivers in the spring. As with guns, hunting dog breeds are not immune to this rise and fall. Breeds like Nova Scotia duck tollers and large and small Munsterlanders experienced resurgence in popularity in and out of the field of late. Some breeds, however, seem stuck in obscurity. Flat-coated retrievers, and Clumber spaniels are examples. Fortunately, for hunters like me, the English cocker spaniel is emerging from that fog and is taking its place once again as an excellent choice for the modern-day hunter. The origins of spaniels, or spaynels, date back to the 14th century. It wasn’t until the 1800s however, that moniker of cocker or “cocking spaniel” came into the vernacular of hunting-dog enthusiasts. As the name implies, this small flushing spaniel was first intended to hunt European woodcock. Those who developed the breed did so with that sole purpose in mind. To develop a small, yet biddable, dog of solid confirmation and coat. One that could handle the rigours of the hunt and terrain while being well mannered for its owner. As the breed developed, the goal was to produce a dog that would flush game from under thick bramble and brier for a falconer and trained hawk. As guns developed