Norfolk Spaniel facts for kids
Dash II, a Norfolk Spaniel show dog, competed in 1886 and placed second.
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| Other names | Shropshire Spaniel |
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| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Breed status | Extinct |
| Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) | |
The Norfolk Spaniel, also called the Shropshire Spaniel, was a type of dog that is now extinct. It disappeared in the early 1900s. People once thought this breed was created by a Duke of Norfolk, but this idea was later shown to be wrong.
The name "Norfolk Spaniel" was used for certain spaniels that weren't Sussex or Clumber Spaniels. Later, people tried to make it a specific breed. This breed eventually became known as the English Springer Spaniel.
Norfolk Spaniels had coats that were either liver (brownish-red) and white, or black and white. They were described as looking like a bigger Cocker Spaniel. The Spaniel Club even created a breed standard for them. However, Norfolk Spaniels looked quite different from each other across England.
These dogs could be tricky to train. But they loved their owners very much. They were great at hunting on land and in water. The breed officially stopped existing after 1903. At that time, The Kennel Club decided to group all similar spaniels under the new English Springer Spaniel breed.
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History of the Norfolk Spaniel
People once believed the Norfolk Spaniel came from mixing spaniels with the Black and Tan Terrier. They thought an unknown Duke of Norfolk developed them. However, later historians disagreed with this idea. They said the Duke of Norfolk's spaniels were of the King Charles Spaniel type. They also said terrier dogs had nothing to do with the Norfolk Spaniel's beginnings.
A 19th-century spaniel breeder named James Farrow investigated this theory. He wrote to Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk, to find out the truth. The Duke replied, saying he had no connection to the breed. But he did mention that his grandfather, Henry Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk, owned Sussex Spaniels. This letter was printed in The Kennel Gazette in 1899.
Another idea about their origin came from Rawdon Briggs Lee. In his 1897 book, he suggested the Norfolk Spaniel came from mixing a curly-coated English Water Spaniel with a Sussex Spaniel. Or perhaps it was mixed with another type of land spaniel.
Spaniel Types in the 18th Century
In the 1700s, spaniels were divided into three main groups. These were land spaniels, water spaniels, and toy spaniels. Land spaniels were then split into two more types: the Cocker Spaniel and the springer spaniel. The Norfolk Spaniel was placed in the springer spaniel group. This group also included the Sussex Spaniel and the Clumber Spaniel.
By the 1860s, the Norfolk Spaniel was called the "commonest breed in England." But their descriptions varied so much. The only consistent feature was their average height. They were about 16 inches (41 cm) tall at the withers (the highest point of the back at the base of the neck).
Recognizing the Breed
The Spaniel Club was formed in 1885. It created a breed standard for the Norfolk Spaniel. This recognized it as a specific type of spaniel. However, most people still saw it as a general land spaniel.
By the 1890s, the breed was common across England. Dog writers like Rawdon Briggs Lee questioned if it was a true, single breed. He doubted if all the liver and white spaniels were really one type. He wrote, "Personally, I do not consider the liver and white spaniel any particular variety at all, nor do I believe that it has ever been indigenous to Norfolk." He noted that similar dogs existed in Devonshire that had no connection to Norfolk. He also said liver and white spaniels existed before the Black and Tan Terrier was mixed with other spaniels.
F.H.F. Mercer wrote in 1890 that the breed was "virtually extinct in its purity." He meant that its liver and white colors were found in many mixed spaniels. He also disagreed with the idea that the Duke of Norfolk created the breed.
Becoming the English Springer Spaniel
In 1902, The Kennel Club (UK) decided to call all medium-legged spaniels that were not Clumber or Sussex Spaniels by a new name: English Springer Spaniels. The Norfolk Spaniel was included in this new group. The name "Norfolk Spaniel" was considered for these types of dogs. But it was rejected because the Club believed the breed was always liver and white in color.
The change in names was not quick or easy. In his 1905 book, The Dog Book, James Watson still referred to the Norfolk Spaniel as a breed name. Today, the Norfolk Spaniel is often thought of as the earlier name for the English Springer Spaniel. This was before The Kennel Club (UK) officially recognized the new name.
Norfolk Spaniel Temperament
Norfolk Spaniels would often be sad when separated from their owners. This was because they formed very strong bonds. Compared to other springer spaniels of the 1800s, they were sometimes more ill-tempered. They could be stubborn and willful if not trained well.
Some Norfolk Spaniels could be noisy. They were described as "babbling" and making sounds while hunting, like hounds. Others were much quieter.
These dogs were used for many types of hunting. They were good at hunting both on land and in the water. They became popular in America, especially around Boston, in the early 1900s. The Spaniel Club of America said they were as good in the water as the Chesapeake Bay Retriever.
Appearance of the Norfolk Spaniel
The Norfolk Spaniel was a white dog with freckles and either liver (brownish-red) or black markings. In 1859, the breed standard set their height at 17–18 inches (43–46 cm) at the withers. They had long legs and feathered ears. A white area on their forehead was said to "add a great deal to his beauty."
They had some differences from the English Springer. For example, they had a broader skull and a shorter neck. They were also compared to the English Setter in their body shape and proportions. However, they were much smaller. While other spaniels of this time came in different colors, the Norfolk Spaniel only came in liver and white or liver and black. The specific qualities of the breed varied a lot. This was because some breeding lines were not kept pure. They had been mixed with Sussex and Clumber Spaniels.
By the late 1800s, the description of a Norfolk Spaniel had changed a bit. The Spaniel Club's breed standard in 1897 described them as having a coat that was black and white or liver and white, and not curly. They had a fairly heavy body and legs that were longer than other field spaniels, but shorter than the Irish Water Spaniel. They also had a deep chest with long, sloping shoulders, and strong backs and loins. They had typical spaniel features like floppy ears. This standard also required their tails to be docked (shortened). In short, the standard described the Norfolk as simply looking like a large cocker spaniel.
