Clumber Spaniel

About the breed

The Clumber Spaniel is the heaviest member of the spaniel family, as the UK Kennel Club puts it: under the FCI standard, dogs should ideally weigh 29.5–34 kg and bitches 25–29.5 kg, on a long body with short, strong legs. It comes from Great Britain, the FCI places it in Group 8, Section 2 (flushing dogs), and its job is to flush game from heavy cover slowly, quietly and thoroughly.

What sets it apart from the Springer or Cocker is a slower pace of work, a more aloof temperament and greater weight.

From Clumber Park to the modern flushing dog

According to the FCI standard, Clumbers are said to have come from France to Great Britain over two hundred years ago, brought by the Duke of Newcastle and bred at the family home at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire, from which the breed takes its name. The UK Kennel Club adds that the breed first appeared in Britain at the end of the 18th century and that the 2nd Duke of Newcastle is credited with introducing it.

Size and appearance: what the standard says

The FCI standard sets no height at the withers; it gives only an ideal weight: dogs 29.5–34 kg, bitches 25–29.5 kg. Height comes from the American standard (AKC): 18–20 inches for dogs and 17–19 for bitches, roughly 43–51 cm. The AKC also gives heavier weights (70–85 lb for dogs, 55–70 lb for bitches), so the standards do not fully agree.

In its historical summary the FCI notes that dogs have grown ever heavier since around the 1950s and that, although the top weight for dogs now stands at 34 kg, some exceed it; it urges breed lovers to make sure great size does not encourage weakness in the hindquarters. The standard describes a large, square head, well-developed flews, dark amber eyes and vine-leaf-shaped ears. The coat is abundant, close, silky and straight, with feathering on legs and chest; a plain white body with lemon markings is preferred, and orange is permissible.

Slow, quiet work in the field

The Clumber works more slowly than other spaniels: the FCI describes a very heavy dog with a more leisurely working pace and a silent worker with an excellent nose. The UK breed club writes that it pushes into the thickest cover “like a tank” and leaves no cover unexplored; originally it was a beater's dog.

Temperament, stubbornness and training

The FCI and the Kennel Club describe the Clumber as stoical, great-hearted, highly intelligent, reliable, kind and dignified, but more aloof than other spaniels; the standard allows no tendency towards aggression. The UK breed club adds that the dog is independent and can seem wilful or stubborn, yet is easy to train because it wants to please its owner. Its wild and loving youth, the club says, lasts two to three years.

In practice that means short, varied sessions with rewards, scent games, consistent rules and early socialisation with people and dogs, since the breed is aloof by standard. Typical problems are stubbornness, an exuberant adolescence and poor tolerance of being left alone, not sharpness.

Family, children, apartment and time alone: conditional

The Clumber can be a good family dog, but only conditionally: it needs company, space and a household that copes with drool, hair and stubbornness. The Clumber Spaniel Club of America stresses that it thrives as a family member and should never live with minimal human company. The sources give no specific data on children; with a dog weighing up to about 34 kg, supervision in both directions around small children is sensible. The UK club says it mixes well with dogs of other breeds; the sources give no data on other species.

The UK breed club states plainly that the Clumber is not suitable for a small or top-floor apartment or a house with a small garden; the Kennel Club describes it as suiting a “large house” and a “small/medium garden”, so the sources differ slightly on garden size. A apartment is a weak choice. The club also warns against leaving the dog alone all day, because it will be lonely and may become destructive.

Exercise and growing up

The Kennel Club lists up to one hour of exercise a day. The UK club writes that the Clumber is very active for its weight, while its general health overview notes that it is a heavy breed not designed for daily ten-mile hikes (about 16 km). The club advises that a puppy spend its first months growing on plenty of good food and sleep, with only limited exercise and training, both of which can be increased gradually after six months of age.

Drool, snoring and a white coat

The Clumber drools, snores and sheds: the AKC presents it as a friend for those who can handle some shedding and drooling, and the UK club adds that it is very good at snoring and sheds its white coat over everything for most of the year. Snoring is not necessarily a sign of a short-faced breed: a British study (McMillan et al. 2024) classes the Clumber as mesocephalic, and whether an individual dog has an airway problem is a matter for the vet.

The Kennel Club lists grooming more than once a week. Neglected feathering tangles and mats, the club warns; it recommends trimming the hair between the toes and cleaning eyes and ears. For the ears it names poor ventilation as a common cause of infection; regular checking and cleaning, with excess hair cut away from inside the ear flap, should prevent it.

Weight and heat

Weight needs watching: among the points of concern for judges (Breed Watch, Category 2) the Kennel Club lists a dog that is too fat.

The sources give no breed-specific data on heat; the British VetCompass study explains, in general terms, that obesity limits heat conduction and radiation from the skin and can limit effective cooling through breathing.

Eyes, ears and hips: what the clubs report

The UK breed club writes that the most common eye problems affect the eyelid margins: entropion (the lid rolls in) and ectropion (it rolls out). The club adds that entropion quite often corrects itself as the head develops and that corrective surgery may be necessary; treatment is for the vet to decide. It also reports progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) in the breed: two dogs have been confirmed as clinically affected, the variant is recessively inherited (RPGRIP1), a DNA test exists and the club runs a screening project.

Hip dysplasia is known in the breed; the club encourages scoring under the BVA/Kennel Club scheme (each hip 0–53 points, the total is the sum of both hips, lower is better), and the breed median is 12 over 15 years of data and 11 over the last five. A comment in the club's general health overview adds that radiographic dysplasia is very common but rarely causes trouble. On elbows the club currently sees no evidence of a problem, while the Kennel Club still recommends the test.

Spine, collapse after exercise and PDP1

The UK club reports that general surveys showed more spinal problems than in most breeds, which led to a 2018 survey of intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) with the Royal Veterinary College. Among 204 dogs reported by owners, 33 (16.2%) had diagnosed or presumed IVDD, the median age at first signs was 4.8 years. Respondents were owners who chose to take part, so it cannot show the share in the whole population.

Exercise-induced collapse (EIC) and pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase 1 deficiency (PDP1) are both recessively inherited. The Kennel Club writes of a high prevalence of EIC in the breed; the club lists weakness and collapse after 5–20 minutes of strenuous, highly excited exercise (a description from research on Labradors). PDP1 was described in the late 1970s: affected dogs become extremely exhausted after very limited exercise, and among the American dogs screened, 25% were carriers. A carrier, the club says, is not affected; the disease appears only when a dog inherits two faulty copies.

Health tests: recommendations and Slovenian rules

As good practice the Kennel Club strongly recommends at least hip and elbow testing (BVA/KC), an eye examination and, from December 2025, the EIC DNA test; the PDP-1 test falls under “best practice”. These are recommendations of the British club, not FCI requirements.

The Slovenian Kennel Club (KZS) breeding rules for spaniels (FCI VIII/2) require the PDP1 test for the Clumber: the result must be negative or a healthy carrier, and mating a carrier is allowed only exceptionally, for a breeding animal of importance and with a healthy partner that tested negative. Spaniels with ectropion or entropion and dogs with two faulty PDP1 alleles are excluded from breeding. Hip radiographs are not compulsory but recommended (the committee may require them if it suspects dysplasia); when done, the HD grade must not exceed A or B. The dog must be at least 15 months old at mating; the bitch at least 15 months at her second heat and no older than 8 years.

How long does a Clumber Spaniel live?

Breed-specific data are scarce, so a range is fairer: the AKC gives 10–12 years, the Kennel Club “over 10 years”. A large British study (McMillan et al. 2024) estimated a median survival of 12.3 years for the Clumber (95% interval 11.7–13.9), but its sample held only 85 deceased dogs, and the difference from crossbreds (12.0) was not statistically significant. The 10–13 year range on this page is therefore approximate and no guarantee for an individual dog.

Clumber, English Springer and English Cocker Spaniel: the differences

The most obvious difference is build: the Clumber ideally weighs 25–34 kg and has short legs (FCI No. 109), the English Cocker measures approximately 38–41 cm and weighs approximately 13–14.5 kg (FCI No. 5), and the English Springer stands approximately 51 cm, with no weight given, and is “highest on leg and raciest in build” of the British land spaniels (FCI No. 125). Other sources may differ. Temperament and pace differ too: the Clumber standard speaks of aloofness and slower, silent work, the Springer is described as friendly, happy and biddable, and the Cocker as merry and full of life.

What to ask a breeder

Ask for the test results of both parents: PDP1 (compulsory for breeding under KZS rules), hips, elbows, an eye examination and EIC status (clear, carrier or affected). The UK club warns that “unaffected” can mean an untested dog or a carrier. Ask too about a written contract and how the puppies were socialised, and meet adult dogs before buying.

The UK club says that registrations there usually fall between 160 and 220 puppies a year, so a waiting list or a search for a litter abroad is likely. Find a breeder and put these questions to them.

Who the Clumber suits, and who less so

It suits people with a house and garden, time for walks of up to about an hour a day, patience with an independent dog, tolerance for drool, snoring and a white coat, and readiness to watch weight and arrange the tests. It suits less those who are away all day, live in a small apartment, want a fast sporting spaniel or do not want regular care of coat, ears and eyes. That is a general assessment: an individual dog may differ, so base the decision on a visit to the breeder and a talk with your vet.

Pros & cons