Devon English Toy Spaniel

1. Auflage 2007
ISBN: 978-1-62187-021-0
Verlag: CompanionHouse Books
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 155 Seiten

The treasured companion of kings and aristocrats, the English Toy Spaniel has graced homes and palaces around the world for over five hundred years. As in centuries gone-by, the English Toy Spaniel makes a charming and sophisticated companion for the right owner or family. The Charlie, as the breed is affectionately known-in honor of King Charles II, the breed's most famous ally-is distinctive for his well-domed head, flat and feathered ears, and his pug nose. Owners are spoiled for choice, as the breed comes in four distinct color patterns (solid ruby, chestnut and white, black and tan, or tricolored). This Comprehensive Owner's Guide opens with a chapter on the breed's history, retelling the breed's beginnings in England and featuring a special section on the history of the breed in America, written by breeder and artist, Michael Allen. The chapter on the breed's characteristics is focused on helping a potential owner decide whether or not the Charlie is the right toy dog to bring into his or her life, considering the breed's personality and physical traits, health concerns, and special requirements. For most responsible dog owners, the Charlie fits well into a home with well-behaved children and makes an amenable, easy-to-live-with canine chum for all members of the household. New owners will welcome the well-prepared chapter on finding a reputable breeder and selecting a healthy, sound puppy. Chapters on puppy-proofing the home and yard, purchasing the right supplies for the puppy as well as house-training, feeding, and grooming are illustrated with photographs of handsome adults and puppies. In all, there are over 135 full-color photographs in this useful and reliable volume. The author's advice on obedience training will help the reader better mold and train into the most well-mannered dog in the neighborhood. The extensive and lavishly illustrated chapter on healthcare provides up-to-date detailed information on selecting a qualified veterinarian, vaccinations, preventing and dealing with parasites, infectious diseases, and more. Sidebars throughout the text offer helpful hints, covering topics as diverse as historical dogs, breeders, or kennels, toxic plants, first aid, crate training, carsickness, fussy eaters, and parasite control. Fully indexed.

Chelsea Devon is the author of English Foxhound and English Toy Spaniel.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Devon, Chelsea

Leseproben

The English Toy Spaniel is a true combination of beauty, dignity and personality. Known as a toy dog throughout the world, this diminutive spaniel with an aristocratic past is a popular and charming companion.

A toy dog through and through, the English Toy Spaniel is classified in the Toy Group of breeds in the UK and on the Continent as well as in the US and Canada. While in North America he is known as the English Toy Spaniel, in the UK and Europe he is known as the King Charles Spaniel. Whatever his name, this is a delightful toy spaniel from England to whom we will refer in this book as the English Toy Spaniel.

Working dogs have been around for centuries, bred to assist humans with various jobs and chores. The pastoral dogs would herd and guard the sheep and cattle, and the hounds coursed after deer, rabbits or whatever could be put upon man’s table for a meal. The terriers, large and small, evolved into fast, spirited dogs who could rid a farm of foxes, woodchucks and badgers and who could rid a home of rodents and vermin. The gundogs evolved early on to assist the hunter in bringing home his quarry for the family’s table. All of these dogs had a purpose and were bred to make humans’ lives easier. The dogs that were unable to do the job for which they were bred were disposed of, and those who could do a good day’s work were bred.

An early illustration of “Blenheim Spaniels.” Bred and kept by the Duke of Marlborough, the chestnut and white variety was named for his family’s place of residence, Blenheim Palace.

Over the generations, talents and abilities were honed and perfected: the dogs became keener of eyesight and scent, swifter of leg and quicker at the hunt. These were the dogs that lived and worked side by side with man, becoming part of his workforce but not always members of his family.

ABOUT OUR BREED’S NAMESAKE

The interests of King Charles II included the theater, gambling and horseracing. His court was worldly and extravagant, and there was no secret about his many mistresses or the rumored 17 children that he had by them.

Toy dogs have been around for centuries as well, belonging to the aristocrats and the royalty, whether in England, France, China or Egypt. Dr. Johannes Caius wrote in Of English Dogs, written in Latin in 1536, “These dogs are little, pretty and fine, and sought for to satisfy the delicateness of dainty dames and wanton women’s wills, instruments of folly for them to play and dally with, to trifle away the treasure of time. These puppies, the smaller they be, the more pleasure they provoke, as more meet playfellows for mincing mistresses to bear in their bosoms.”

Champions of the 1930s, left to right: Eng. Ch. Ashton-More Domino, Eng. Ch. Cystal, Eng. Ch. Ashton-More Crusader, Eng. Ch. Ashton-More Wildflower and Eng. Ch. Barritone.

From the early 1930s, this illustration was reproduced from a pastel drawing specially made for Hutchinson’s Dog Encyclopaedia by the famous animal artist Mrs. G. Shaw-Baker. Shown are the Blenheim and Prince Charles varieties of the English Toy Spaniel.

COMFORTERS AND FLEA TRAPS

The toy dogs were sometimes called “Comforter” dogs. In the 16th and 17th centuries, bathing was not done on a regular basis and personal hygiene was poor compared to modern standards. Dogs were often held on laps with the thought that the dog would become host to the fleas that were on the mistress or master. These dogs were also referred to as “living flea traps.” In addition, the dogs were used for warmth in the drafty palaces and mansions.

Two English Toy Spaniels owned by Mrs. A. H. Bradley were among the participants in the Ladies’ Kennel Club show of May 1931, held in Olympia, England.

As civilization advanced, man realized that dogs could be bred for pleasure as well as for work, and, as the Industrial Revolution began to lighten man’s workload, he had more of an inclination to bring the dog inside and to make it his companion. For the lofty role of companion dog, it was difficult to find a better pet than a toy dog. With the toys, one would have the choice of a smooth or long coat, a long or cobby body, a pushed-in or elongated muzzle and short or long legs. Whatever the toy dogs’ physical construction, they all have affectionate natures and a longing to be close to their masters or mistresses.

Eng. Ch. Ashton-More Baronet, bred by Mr. F. G. Borryer, was exhibited in the early 20th century and was an important sire.

Born in 1927, Eng. Ch. Ashton-More Nebo won his first Challenge Certificate in 1929. He weighed 9.5 pounds and is considered to be exemplary of breed type at that time.

’TIL DEATH DO US PART

Mary, Queen of Scots was said to have had a small dog hiding in her skirts at the time of her execution. When discovered later, the dog was covered with his mistress’s blood.

When Charles I was put to death, a spaniel walked beside him to the place of his execution and the little dog was put on display that night by the soldiers.

Because of the diminutive size of these dogs, few weighing much over 10 pounds, the toys have been referred to by big-dog owners as fops, mutants and neurotics, and their owners were thought to be individuals who only liked to sit around with a dog up their sleeves or on their laps. On the contrary, although most toy dogs like to sit on or near their masters or mistresses, they can be tough little tykes who can stand their ground, take a good walk through the park or jump the hoops in agility or the hurdles in obedience, just like the big dogs. The toy dogs, whether it be the Maltese in his glorious white coat, the Yorkshire Terrier with his steel-gray flowing coat, the English Toy Spaniel with his glorious colors and “pug” face or any of the other delightful small breeds, all are great pets and highly competitive in the Best in Show ring.

A drawing from around the turn of the 20th century of “Lord Tennyson,” a noted winner of his time.

The toy spaniel was originally believed to have come from the Far East, specifically China or Japan. The pushed-in nose and the protruding eyes are reminiscent of the very old Eastern breeds, the Pekingese and the Japanese Chin. Some thought has been given to the possibility of the dog’s originally having come from Spain, the home of the “spaniels,” and then arriving in the East, where eventually it was exported to England via Holland or France. There is a possibility that Captain Saris, a British naval officer, took a pair of dogs back to England with him in the early 1600s as a gift for King James I from the Japanese Emperor, as the Japanese always included dogs with their royal presents.

THE KING SPEAKS

In 1903, King Charles fanciers tried to change the name of the breed to the Toy Spaniel but King Edward VII, an ardent supporter of the breed, objected to the name change. Thus the breed in the United Kingdom has remained the King Charles Spaniel.

The history of these wonderful little spaniels has been recorded quite well in England through the work of superb portraitists, especially Van Dyck’s paintings in the17th century. The dogs often were pictured with both King Charles I and King Charles II, thus becoming known as the King Charles Spaniel, even though the dog had been known in England since the 1500s. The spaniel remained very popular with the royals through the reign of James II and it was also popular in France during the reign of Henry III. With the fall of the house of Stuart, the English Toy Spaniel lost its place of favor, as William and Mary preferred the other popular toy, the Pug.

Some believe that the toy spaniel originated with dogs from the Far East. The face and eyes of the Pekingese, shown here, certainly bear resemblance to those of the English Toy.

The Pug, shown here, was also popular with royalty in the early days of the English Toy Spaniel.

The original English Toy Spaniels were only black and tan in color, with the other three color varieties being developed at later times. Some confusion about the dogs developed over the years because of the different names that were given to the various color combinations. Although the toy spaniels were all of the same type, different names were given to each classification of coat color. The original black and tan variety was called King Charles, the solid red coloration was called Ruby, the tricolor pattern was called Prince Charles and the chestnut and white pattern was called Blenheim. These names are still applied to the colors, though all varieties are regarded as English Toy Spaniels and shown in the same classes at shows. The King Charles and Ruby varieties are considered whole colors, while the Blenheim and Prince Charles are parti-colors, as they have white in their coats.

The original English Toy Spaniel was the black and tan; at one time no other colors existed. Thus the black and tan variety has retained the name “King Charles,” as the breed is known as the King Charles Spaniel in its homeland.

The English Toy Spaniel, although primarily a companion dog, originally was used as a hunting dog, as were all of the other, larger, spaniels. John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, was an avid fancier and used his dogs for hunting woodcocks and other small game birds. The use of these small dogs for hunting waned, as the dogs tired quickly. The larger spaniels took over from the small dogs, as they were able to work a whole day in the field alongside their masters.

The Duke bred the chestnut and white spaniels, thus the name Blenheim, for the family’s residence. At Blenheim Palace can be seen a portrait by Sir Godfrey...