History of Gundogs

Water Spaniel c 1850

When Christians took their hounds to the Holy Land, they found that the Arabs were equally obsessed with hunting. So dogs were exchanged. Crossed and subsequently back-crossed with the Peat Dog thrown into the mix, they created a new type of dog designed for a more specialized form of hunting, called Falconry. This involved capturing birds in a net. Falconry gave rise to what we know today as Land Spaniels and Water Spaniels. From the Land Spaniels came the Setters.

History of Spaniels

The Spaniel was a type of dog used for catching birds and small game. In the first Century BC, when the marshes and banks of the Nile abounded with water fowl, small birds and migratory quail were hunted with spears and by throwing sticks[1]. In 1387AD, a writer-sportsman Gaston de Foix, wrote of Spaniels in his 'Book of the Chase' ... »» Read more...

History of Setters

The historical use of Setting Spaniels or Setters was first described in French in the 'Hunting Book of Gaston Phoebus' of France in 1387 AD and was translated into English by Edward, Duke of York into a book called 'The Master of Game' between 1406 and 1413. Dame Juliana Berners also described them in her 'Book of St Albans' published ... »» Read more...