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Russian Spaniel

History

The Russian Spaniel originated in Russia during the late 1800’s. In that year, an English Cocker Spaniel was shown in the country for the first time. Afterward, the breed began to be imported in large numbers into the country so that they could be used for hunting. Once in Russia, the English Cocker Spaniel began to be tinkered with to improve its skill in this area. After careful natural selection, the Russian Spaniel was born. The breed was standardized in 1951 and since then the breed has been carefully maintained through selective pairings. The Russian Spaniel made its way to North America when its owners moved to the U. S. and Canada.

The Russian Spaniel Club was formed in the US in 2002 with a mission of the non-profit Russian Spaniel Club is to unite Russian Spaniel owners across the United States and Canada, promote the breed, establish and keep track of the breeding stock on the North American continent, control and document all breeding activity, maintain Russian Spaniel registry, and award RSC official pedigrees to planned or imported Russian Spaniel puppies.

General Description

The Russian Spaniel looks similar to many other more common spaniels, such as the Cocker. The breed’s distinctively small head is square with a long square muzzle. Like other spaniels, this breed has big, expressive eyes. Most noticeable about this breed is its huge ears which are larger than their heads and are covered in wavy fur. Their wide neck leads down to a broad chest and sunken in belly. They have short, skinny legs and small feet which are good for running after game. Their coat is extremely short and sleek except on their ears and legs. This breed’s coat colors are white with many colors, such as black, red, or brown.

Russian spaniel is a dog with a strong, well built, slightly elongated croup and long muscular legs. The coat is skintight, not too long, with wavy fringes on the back of the legs and on the ears.They are slightly taller than the English Cocker spaniels, mostly due to longer legs.Its colors are usually white with dark (black, brown, or red) spots and speckles. Head and ears are usually dark in color as well. Other coloring is allowed, and can vary from solids to tricolors. Russian Spaniels' tails are docked to the half of the length.

Character

The Russian Spaniel is an extremely friendly dog. Family members will always feel loved by this loyal companion. Strangers and children will get affection and love from any Russian Spaniel. This breed always has a pleasant nature with dogs of all kinds. Intelligent, easy to train, and always eager to please are the main traits of this wonderful family dog.

The Russian Spaniel has all field qualities necessary for a gun dog: stamina, great sense of smell, energy during the search, persistence, and an inborn willingness to retrieve. These dogs start to work early in life and do not require a lot of training. The goal of a Russian Spaniel during the hunt is to seek out the bird, to flush it up into the air, and to retrieve the game on command after the shot. They are well equipped for the hunt of a marsh, field, woodland, aridland birds and waterfowl as well as rabbits and other small game.

Size 15-18 inches Weight5 pounds 20-35 Lbs health The only health concern this loving dog has is an inclination to obesity which means what they eat should be controlled. The Russian Spaniel lives about 14 years. Ears must be checked and cleaned regularly 28-3.

Grooming is easy and only involves brushing and bathing on occasion. Like most spaniels, special attention should be given to their long, heavy ears. Heavy ears need to be cleaned out and trimmed more often than thin ears because they do not get cleaned out by wind. Exercise is important to all hunting dogs, especially spaniels. Walks and play sessions are important for this active breed. However, their favorite activity is running off leash. Training should be done with these dogs, but with their intelligent nature they learn quickly and excel at all training. There is no need to trim the ears, just regular combing through would be enough. Ear cannals need to be cleaned regularly. Crate training is strongly recommended at the early age since these dogs are very active as puppies.

Russian Spaniels love both their family and strangers. Being around children or other dogs is fine for this sweet and gentle dog. An apartment life is good for this breed, but they do enjoy having an area to run off leash like a yard or dog park. Owners should have time to spend with this breed and also time to train or play with the dog. Grooming is very simple for this dog which makes them a good choice for families with little time for grooming. Theis the perfect addition to almost any family. Russian Spaniels develop a strong bond with the family and do not do well living in a yard and a dog run.