text: field spaniel the field spaniel is a medium - sized breed dog of the spaniel type . they were originally developed to be all - black show dogs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and were unpopular for work as a hunting dog . however , during the mid - 20th century they were redeveloped as a longer - legged dog that was more suitable to be used for field work . they are now considered to be a rare breed , and are registered as a vulnerable native breed by the kennel club . their fur is darker than other spaniels and have no undercoat . their coats come mostly in solid colours with some occasional markings on the chest . they can make good family dogs and are patient with children , but can require some sort of purpose , be it hunting or agility work in order to prevent them from becoming bored and destructive . history the field spaniel was originally developed for the show ring by competitors who were attempting to develop an all - black spaniel . some of the breeding methods of those early developers were criticised ; one of the first breeders of the field spaniel , thomas jacobs , said of the origin ; " much has been written and said on the purity of the breed ; deprecating the means i have adopted to produce them as calculated to alter a presumed type , and frequent missiles have at me and my dogs from behind the hedge . but where is the pure bred black spaniel we hear so much about ? proof of the existence of the pure bred one ( if there ever was one ! ) has not been forthcoming . like most sporting dogs , they are the result of different crosses . " they were unpopular with sportsmen as the dark colours of the breed did not show up in hunting conditions , and the elongated and short shape of the early breed was not very practical for moving easily through cover . the low - slung variety of field spaniel were developed by phineas bullock from dogs previously owned by sir francis burdett , the secretary of the birmingham dog show . burdett was said to have owned a variety of black cocker spaniels . bullock crossed the field spaniel with the sussex spaniel and the english water spaniel . in the 1870s he was very successful in the show ring with his variety of field spaniel ; however , it resulted in a dog that was almost exactly like a sussex spaniel with the exception of the head itself . the dog who is considered to be the father of the modern english cocker spaniel is ch . obo , who was born in 1879 to a sussex spaniel father and a field spaniel mother . obo 's son ch . obo ii is considered to be the father of the modern american cocker spaniel , who was described as being only ten inches high with quite a long body . by 1909 , the average weight of a field spaniel was 35 – 45 pounds ( 16 – 20 kg ) . further mixing of the breed occurred with elements of the basset hound introduced . various genetic health issues arose and action was taken in order to correct the problems within the breed . english springer spaniels were used to introduce healthier elements into the breed and resulted in the longer legged spaniel that we know today . most of the modern breed can be traced to four dogs from the 1950s ; colombina of , of , teal , and ronayne regal . the field spaniel remains a rare breed , even in the uk . in 2009 , a total of 51 dogs were registered with the kennel club and has been in steady decline since 2000 . out of all the spaniel breeds registered with the kennel club , the field spaniel has the lowest numbered registered year on year , with only the sussex spaniel coming a close second with 60 registrations in 2009 . this is compared to the english springer spaniel with 12 , 700 and the english cocker spaniel with 22 , 211 registrations in 2009 alone . in order to promote the breed , they have been registered as a vulnerable native breed by the kennel club . description appearance the standard size for a field spaniel is 17 – 18 inches ( 43 – 46 cm ) tall at the withers , and a weight of between 40 – 55 pounds ( 18 – 25 kg ) . this places it roughly between the english cocker spaniel and the english springer spaniel in size . its long , silky coat comes in solid colours of black , liver , or roan . tan points , white markings on the throat and the chest can be ticked or the same colour as the rest of the body . they have a moderately long single coat with no undercoat . of the fur appears on the chest , belly , ears and on the back of the legs . the coat is not as heavy as that of a cocker spaniel but will require grooming in order to prevent mats from appearing in the fur . docked tails were often used in working dogs , as poor blood flow left healing of the non docked tail difficult . temperament the field spaniel can be a good family dog while it has a job to do . they are suitable for dog agility and hunting . without some sort of purpose , the dog can often try to amuse itself and cause mischief . however , they are patient with children and like to stay close to their family . when socialised , they are good with other dogs . they are generally docile and independent , and are not as excitable as cocker spaniels . stanley coren 's the intelligence of dogs lists the breed as being above average in working intelligence . health there are a few ocular conditions to which the field spaniel has a predisposition . these include cataracts , retinal atrophy and retinal dysplasia . hip dysplasia has appeared in british lines of field spaniels . in a health survey conducted by the kennel club ( uk ) , the primary cause of death in field spaniels was cancer , with the second most frequent cause being old age . the median lifespan for the breed was found to be eleven years and eight months , which is five months higher than the median age for all dog breeds .