The Clumber is a massive spaniel.
The Clumber spaniel is the heaviest of spaniels. Dogs can approach 80 or 85 pounds. That is about the size of a big male golden retriever. But a male golden retriever can be 24 or 25 inches at the shoulder, with some individuals reach 26 or 27 inches. The Clumb dog stands only 17 to 20 inches at the shoulder. It is a much more massive dog than virtually any other gun dog breed.
As a result, the Clumber is the slowest of the spaniels. Those used to using springers as flushing spaniels would find the Clumber to be quite an adjustment.
The dogs always reminded me of Peter Ustinov, avuncular, sly, and chaming. Or maybe a little bit like Homer Simpson, if Homer had a bit higher IQ. (Homer after the crayon got pulled out his brain.)
The breed was always heavily built, although the dog show has increased the Clumber’s lumber.
The breed is said to derive from French stock. Louis, the 4th Duc de Noailles, is said to have sent the dogs to the Duke of Newcastle, who used them at his estate called Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire. The dogs are said to be derived from crosses between spaniels, including an “Alpine Spaniel,” which may be a St. Bernard or a St. Bernard/spaniel hybrid.
It is a strange dog. Unlike all the other French spaniels, the Clumber does not point. Unlike any of the British spaniels, the Clumber is almost entirely white. It is also a big. slow dog. However, much of this lumber is the result of show breeding.
The originals were a bit lighter in build, and they had slightly longer muzzles. They look like big spaniels, rather than mastiff/basset/spaniels.
In the UK, they are breeding the working-type Clumber, and as a result, they are using a bit more lightly built dog than the show-type. You can find out more about them here. The orgiinals bred at Clumber park look like these dogs.
Once again we have a change from a functional working dog into a really heavy show variety.
