French Spaniel - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin
The French Spaniel was developed from first Spaniel dogs documented in the 14th century. Back than, these dogs were mostly used for falconry and net hunting. The French Spaniel quickly became favourite hunting dog of French Royalty. ​

2) Almost extinct
In the 20th century, the French Spaniel almost went extinct. The main reason was a competition from foreign, mostly english hunting breeds. Luckily, a french priest Father Fournier gathered some of the remaining French Spaniels and decided to save the breed. And he was succesfull and today, the French Spaniel is not on the verge of extinction anymore.

3) In Canada
French Spaniel has its roots in France, there is no doubt about that. But it is also an important breed of Canada. The breed was almost unknown outside the France before the 1970s, but in 1970s, they were introduced to Canadian province Quebec, where they quickly became popular for hunting woodcock and grouse. Canada became the second home for this breed and their numbers grew quite quickly.

4) Versatile hunter
The French Spaniel is just an amazing hunter. And they are very versatile hunters, because they are good at the pursuit, tracking, pointing and retrieving. They can retrieve from both, land and water. They are very strong and athletic and they can hunt even in hard terrain. These dogs have good working ethic and strong prey drive, which is why they just love the hunt.

5) Companion
When the French Spaniel is not on the hunt, they make excellent family companions. This breed is known as calm and intelligent companion who is quite patient and gentle with kids. They also typically have no problems with other dogs in the family, especially if they are raised together from the puppyhood. This is a very social dog who creates a strong bond with its owner and family and is totally devoted to them.

6) Size
The French Spaniel is one of the larger, if not the largest, of all Spaniel breeds. The average height is between 21-24 inch which is 54-61 cm and weight is typically between 45-60 pounds, which is 20-27 kg. Females tend to be slightly smaller than males.

7) Coat
Not only, that the elegant French Spaniels coat looks good, it also serves an important purpose. It is pretty dense coat which is somewhat water resistant and it is protecting the dog from cold water and weather, which helps them to retireve game from icy waters. You can find this breed in white color with brown markings.

8) Exercise
Being a hunting dog, the French Spaniel is an athletic and agile dog breed with great stamina. So as you can probably guess, these dogs need quite a lot of daily physical exercise. They love exploring and just being outdoors where they are very active. On the other hand, when they are indoors, they tend to be pretty calm and laid back. Several longer walks a day are a must with this breed.

9) Maintenance
Great fact is, that the French Spaniel is pretty low maintenance breed. You should brush their coat once or twice a week to maintain the coat in top condition. No other grooming is needed. Just like with all dogs you should regularly check the dogs ears, eyes, nails and teeth and clean them or clip them if needed.

10) Health
This is usually a very healthy dog breed with average lifespan between 11-13 years. One of the health concern associated with this breed is a dermatological condition known as acral mutilation and analgesia. Minor health concerns include hip dysplasia, ear infections and eye problems.