Spaniels

Spaniels are a class of dog that were initially developed in Spain (hence the "Spanish dogs" becoming "Spaniels") and later refined in England.

Spaniels were one of the first classes of dogs developed to complement the hunting of small game with rudimentary firearms. Given the limitations of the weapon, the hunter had to be close to the game before it flushed.

Spaniels are bonded to their human(s) by a very short distance. They have been selected over hundreds of generations to be happy when they are no farther away from their human than a scant 20-to-25 paces. Some call that "needy" or "clingy". While descriptive, those terms put a perjorative spin on the bond. In the beginning, the bond was functional and it only became pathological when puppy-mills churned out puppies.

Springerpoos and Cockapoos are on the list of dogs we will consider when the time comes. We are both in the last quarter of our lives. Chasing after a dog holds no joy or glory for us any more.

It would be delightful if we could take our dog out to the garden, tell him/her to sit in a shady corner while we pulled weeds and have them stay. Hunting-drive is nice but having a switch to turn it on-and-off is nicer. 

Springerpoos tend toward a little larger than our optimum size. A "Standard" SP is 30-to-60 pounds with the bitches being lighter than the males.

Cockapoos tend to be a little smaller than our optimum size. A "Standard" CP runs 25-to-35 pounds. The males tend to be larger and would be more likely to hit our 30lb-to-40lb sweet-spot.

A cladogram of some common dog breeds. The farther the breeds are apart the greater the potential hybrid advantage.

Red highlight are the common spaniels. The magenta highlight shows poodles. The aqua colored dot is for chihauhau (used in a lot of designer crosses) The tangerine colored dots are "Asian" dogs, also used in a lot of designer crosses.

One random fact is that different places took their local dogs and selected for specific purposes. For instance, many British Isle terriers which LOOK like German Schnauzers are in fact are very different genetically...while Boston Terriers were selected from Boxer-like dogs and so on. 

Brittany Spaniels are really not spaniels. They are pointing-dogs and don't have the same invisible leash holding them close to their humans. 

Both crosses will be magnets for burdock burs.