What Are the Different Types of Spaniel Breeds, and Which Is Best for Me?

Shelter worker, animal rescuer & advocate, Jan has become a well-regarded source of insights & know-how on pet care & behavior nationwide.

Spaniels

With over twelve different dogs included in the spaniel breed, we can be sure that there are many overlapping traits, qualities, and even issues among the group as a whole.

That being said, as with any group, it is still made up of individual dogs and therefore there are many differences as well as exceptions to the ‘rule’ so take the information provided as a general background to give you the basic starter information you need in your search for the perfect dog for you and your family.

Now let’s dive into this sporting group of canines and see what we can find...

The Different Types of Spaniel Breeds

The Tibetan Spaniel

We will get this one out of the way up front: the Tibetan Spaniel is not technically a spaniel. You heard that correctly. They are a small dog coming from Tibet and may have been given the spaniel moniker due to its slight resemblance to the lap size versions of hunting spaniels (like the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel).

They are assertive, independent, bold, and stubborn. But they are also happy, playful, extremely loyal, and enjoy games with their families. They make great house dogs and can live just about anywhere as long as they have plenty of contact and attention from their humans.

They are affectionate and protective of children while being reserved towards strangers. They tend to be empathetic to their owners and they try to match moods with the owner's mood.

The English Toy Spaniel

This regal and proud dog is extremely discriminating and can be willful, but is also bright, loving, and willing to please. They are energetic, exuberant, and curious while also being well-behaved and easy to train. These dogs are playful, attentive, and devoted to their families while being a bit reserved with strangers.

English Toy Spaniels do well in apartments and adapt to just about any lifestyle as long as they are not left alone for long periods of time. They are also not temperamentally suited to live outside away from their families.

The breed comes in several different coat colors including black & tan (King Charles); white, black & tank (prince Charles); red (ruby); red & white (Blenheim). If you’re looking for a friendly, loving dog for your family the English Toy Spaniel = lap dog par excellence.

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

One of the better-known spaniels, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is devoted, easy to train (though likes shorts sessions), and is smarter than some others. They are affectionate, work well with children, and get along well with other dogs and pets. This is a social breed so they need a lot of interaction with their families.

This breed is very intelligent, loves to travel, has an amiable personality and is friendly to strangers, and is famous for the ‘body wiggle’. Aggression & shyness are very rare in this breed. They love to explore, sniff around & chase things.

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel comes in four coat colors: chestnut & white, tricolor, black & tan, and ruby. They live between 10 to 14 years on average and will fill your family's life with love and joy the entire time.

The Welsh Springer Spaniel

The Welsh Springer Spaniel is a bit less exuberant than the English Springer and some may be timid and reserved with strangers. This is a sensitive breed that requires ample socialization from an early age.

They are also steady, easygoing, and devoted to their family. They are gentle around children that they grew up with or were exposed to while young and the same holds true for their interactions with other dogs and pets. Though they may see any bird pets as prey.

Welsh Springer Spaniels have flat and straight coats that are dense enough to protect them from thorns, etc in the brush. They are slightly longer than they are tall and are compact dogs with powerful strides.

With a life span between 12 to 15 years, you will have plenty of time to enjoy the companionship of this Spaniel breed.

The Sussex Spaniel

The Sussex Spaniel is one of the more laid back of the Spaniel breed. They are even well suited for city life, though they still should be given the chance to go outdoors for some field play or hunting for birds.

Not all hunters use this dog as they can be stubborn when it comes to training and may be noisier than other spaniels when they are out hunting. Though, the extra noise they make does help to keep track of where they are in the field.

Sussex’s coats are straight (or slightly wavy) and should be brushed 2-3 times each week. Along with brushing, this dog should have daily exercise which can easily be met with just a walk or short play session in the yard.

Their life span is generally 11 to 13 years which is within the general span of most dogs in the Spaniel group.

The Field Spaniel

The Field Spaniel seems happiest when they have a specific job to occupy them. They are independent, devoted, sensitive, and willing to please. They are generally cheerful dogs and affectionate with their families.

These dogs have the bodies and the stamina to hunt in both dense cover and water. They need daily exercise to keep them happy and calm and do best when they can live in the house with their family while getting plenty of yard time.

Their coat is flat (or slightly wavy) and moderately long and needs brushing twice weekly. You should also clip the hair inside their ears and between the footpads. While you’re at it you can check & clean their ears and you should be good to go with their basic care.

The English Springer Spaniel

The English Springer Spaniel is cheerful, energetic, and playful. It tends to do everything with a bit of gusto and can get overly enthusiastic at times, especially if not give plenty of exercise.

They make an ideal family companion and are alert, kind, and trusting. They tend to do well with kids as long as they are brought up with them and the same goes with other pets (Socialize, socialize, socialize).

This breed lives between 10 to 14 years and should be given daily mental & physical challenges/exercise. Hunting seems to be their first choice and that would satisfy both needs.

They have medium-length outer coats that either lies flat or wavy with a soft and dense undercoat which should be brushed 1-2 times per week.

The English Cocker Spaniel

English Cocker Spaniels tend to be balanced in their temperament, merry, affectionate, cheerful, loyal, demonstrative, devoted, playful, friendly, and always eager to please.

They are inquisitive, curious, like to investigate, and are tireless in their pursuits which makes them excellent in the field. They are also excellent retrievers with delicate mouths for bringing back their prey.

With a life span of 12 to 14 years, lots of stamina and energy along with their friendly, loving natures, they make great family dogs that are small enough to be lap dogs.

As a side note: English Cocker Spaniels are taller and larger than their American cousins. English Cockers have medium-length coats to their American cousins' longer coats. The English Cocker has a much stronger prey drive as they are still used for work in England (where their American cousins are bred more for companions and show). The English Cockers also tend to be more energetic and active than their American cousins.

The Cocker Spaniel

The American Cocker Spaniel is gentle, affectionate, amiable, and sweet. They love to please their owner, make great companions, and are extremely loyal and committed. They are very active dogs and want to play all day.

They tend to live between 12 to 15 years, but even with as active as they like to be they can tend to become overweight so make sure to give them plenty of exercise and room to run.

"Every time I told my cocker spaniel, Taffy, my very first dog, that we were going for a walk, she would launch into a celebratory dance that ended with her racing around the room, always clockwise, and faster and faster, as if her joy could not be possibly contained. Even as a young boy I knew that hardly any creature could express joy so vividly as a dog."

— Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson

The Clumber Spaniel

The Clumber Spaniel is quite the outdoorsy dog. He enjoys walks, swimming, and fetching among other pastimes. The Clumber is definitely a hunter at heart. He is large by weight and medium by height, his body is long and low and his coat is primarily white with sparse lemon or orange markings. They shed and drool and sometimes snore.

They are very sweet, affectionate dogs who are easy to train and eager to please. They can be wary around strangers, but still friendly. They tend to only bark when they have something to say.

The American Water Spaniel

The American Water Spaniel is a skilled retriever and a versatile hunter and loves, you guessed it, the water. This dog is fun-loving, friendly with kids, faithful, and willing to please, although he can sometimes be timid.

Barking can be an issue with this dog and some of them whine and/or drool. They are not great at being alone and get bored without regular training/exercise.

This dog, with a life span of 10 to 13 years was ‘made’ in Wisconsin.

Other Spaniel Dogs

• Blue Picardy
• Boykin
• Drentse Patrijshond
• German Spaniel
• Irish Water Spaniel
• Kookikerhondje
• Markiesje
• Papillon (Continental Toy Spaniel)
• Phalene
• Picardy
• Pont-Audemer
• Russian Spaniel
• Stabyhoun

Lots of Variety

As you can see, the spaniel breeds have several traits in common, being affectionate and eager to please, are some of those traits. They also have their own unique combinations of traits that lead to various personalities among this sporting group of dogs.

They range in physical size from small to medium, but the personalities of all of them are large and lovable.

How much do you know about spaniels?

For each question, choose the best answer. The answer key is below.

1. Which Spaniel breed is known as ‘The Comfortable Spaniel’?
   • English Cocker Spaniel
   • Welsh Springer
   • Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
2. Which Spaniel has the nickname the ‘Continental Toy Spaniel’?
   • Tibetan
   • Papillon
   • Boykin
3. Which Spaniel breed almost went extinct at the beginning of the 20th century?
   • American Water Spaniel
   • Sussex Spaniel
   • English Springer Spaniel
4. Which Spaniel breed is the dog on the Coppertone bottle?
   • Cocker Spaniel
   • Tibetan Spaniel
   • Field Spaniel
5. What Spaniel bred was President Ronald Regan’s Rex?
   • Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
   • American Water Spaniel
   • English Cocker Spaniel
6. Which Spaniel was bred to retrieve from boats?
   • Clumber Spaniel
   • Sussex Spaniel
   • American Water Spaniel
7. George Clooney has which Spaniel breed as a pet?
   • Welsh Springer Spaniel
   • Cocker Spaniel
   • Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Answer Key

1. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
2. Papillon
3. American Water Spaniel
4. Cocker Spaniel
5. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
6. American Water Spaniel
7. Cocker Spaniel

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2021 JanMarie Kelly