Overview
The Field Spaniel is the spaniel family's quiet middle child: bigger and calmer than a Cocker, smaller and steadier than a Springer, with a solid black or liver coat and a gentle, sensitive nature. Nearly lost in the 20th century, the breed was carefully rebuilt as a functional gundog and companion — and remains a connoisseur's choice rather than a common sight.
Temperament & personality
Gentle, sensitive, and fun-loving in equal measure. Field Spaniels are devoted and somewhat reserved with strangers, playful at home, and noticeably attuned to their owners' moods. They respond to kind, consistent training and shut down under harshness. A Field Spaniel wants to be included — in the walk, the room, and preferably the sofa.
Appearance
A solidly built, elegant spaniel with a long, silky, liver or black coat — self-coloured, without the white markings of its Springer and Cocker cousins — and gentle feathering on the ears, legs, and tail. The head is long and lean with a kindly, intelligent expression. Field Spaniels look like what they are: serious, handsome working spaniels.
Care & daily life
One to one and a half hours of exercise a day, with chances to use the nose and retrieve. The silky coat needs brushing two or three times a week and tidying of feathering; check ears weekly. Field Spaniels are sensitive, people-attached dogs — train kindly, socialize well, and do not expect them to thrive on long daily solitude.
Health & lifespan
The Field Spaniel is generally known for the following health watch-points:
- Hip dysplasia — the main structural concern; breeding stock should be hip-scored
- Eye conditions including cataracts, progressive retinal atrophy, entropion, and ectropion
- Hypothyroidism
- Ear infections, as in all drop-eared spaniels
- Generally sound; the breed's small population makes choosing a health-testing breeder especially important
Living with a Field Spaniel
A Field Spaniel suits families and singles who want a spaniel's affection in a steadier package and can offer daily exercise and near-constant companionship. They are sensitive, home-loving dogs that do badly with harsh handling or long isolation. Town or country both work if the exercise and company boxes are ticked.
History
Field Spaniels began as the black show spaniels of Victorian England, bred so long and low that they nearly lost their working ability — and then nearly vanished altogether after the Second World War. A handful of breeders rebuilt the breed in the 1960s, outcrossing to Cocker and Springer stock to restore a functional, moderate spaniel. It remains rare on both sides of the Atlantic.