The Welsh Springer Spaniel

Appearance

This ancient and rare breed of Spaniel, with its distinctive Red and White colouring, traditionally has superb working ability and wonderful temperament. Males being 19 inches and Females being 18 inches tall.
The Welsh Springer is symmetrical (*length of body should be proportionate for length of leg), compact,not leggy obviously built for endurance and hard work. Quick and active mover, displaying plenty of push and drive.
(*measured from withers to start of tail and withers to ground)

The key ingredient in the Welsh Springers visual appeal is not so much the size and colour but the way in which the total package is, in a good speciment, all put together for maximum effect. Handsome heads of substance carried on long graceful necks, are supported by compact strong bodies, standing on well muscled and good boned legs. The overall effect should be a balanced blend of speed and strength.

The Welsh Springer is an attractive dog of handy size, exhibiting substance without coarseness. He is compact, not leggy, obviously built for hard work and endurance. The Welsh Springer Spaniel gives the impression of length due to obliquely angled forequarters and well-developed hindquarters. Being a hunting dog, he should be shown in a well-muscled working condition. His coat should not be so excessive as to hinder his work as a flushing spaniel, but should be thick enough to protect him from heavy cover and weather.

History

The first registered litter was bred in 1974. There have been references in British texts on the history of the breed, to the export of Welsh Springers from the UK to Australia between the wars. At least one publication in Australia alluded to the fact that the breed had been present in Australia prior to 1973 and there are numerous anecdotal reports of Welsh Springers being seen, and used for work or kept as pets, as far afield as Tasmania and Queensland. However none appear to have been registered with any Canine control.

In about 1973 Mr and Mrs Jeffrey of Lindfield, a Sydney based suburb had imported Plattburn Pi and Plattburn Paceman when they returned to Australia from the UK. At about the same time Arthur Odell of Sydney, fell for the breed and managed to track down the Jeffreys as the owners of the only registered Welsh in Australia.

Temperament

Kindly disposition, not showing aggression or nervousness. The great gundog virtues are docility, trainability and readiness to serve, and our breed is well-endowed with these qualities. Loyalty and faithfulness, shown by a great desire to keep you company, are yet another prime attribute. They enjoy human company terrifically, even when they have the edge taken off their solitude by other canine friends. A wagging tail and a happy cheerful impression is a reasonable expectation

Care / Grooming

Grooming is minimal with a weekly brush being sufficient, this would remove dead hair, tangles and other debris from the coat.
The ears can be checked weekly, Healthy ears will generally clean themselves but wiping the accessible part of the ear with cotton wool will lift off any residual dirt.

Thinning scissors should be used to clean out some of the excessive coat growth around the neck, throat and shoulders, the tail. The feet of the Welsh Springer should look neat and compact, Hair will grow upwards between the toes, so gently pull the surplus of this upwards and carefully trim off the excess along the shape of the foot using the straight edged scissors. Trim off the excess around the circumference of the foot and cut it level with the pads under the foot. The tail feathering should be trimmed to maintain a tidy tail, the backs of the lower parts of the hind legs (the hocks) should also be trimmed of unwanted feathering.

Health

We are all hipscoring and eye testing all our breeding stock, there are a few cases of higher hip scores in Australia over the years and responsible breeders are hipscoring and not breeding with anything over the breed average which as at January 07, the average is 17.

There are the odd case of Epilepsy in the breed, within the last 20 years in Australia we have been made aware of at least 5 cases.

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