Welsh Springer Spaniel
Tarfgy, Welsh Cocker Spaniel, Welsh Springer
The Welsh Springer Spaniel is a spaniel, a gundog which is used for flushing prey. They search for game birds, which in turn panic when found and appear for the waiting hunter. Once the prey has been shot they will retrieve the birds on command.
Welsh Springer Spaniel Standards
- AKC (Herding)
- FCI (Group 1)
- KC (Pastoral)
- UKC (Herding)
- 17-19"
- 35-45 lbs
- medium-sized spaniel
- small ears are lightly feathered
- tail is traditionally docked where legal
- coat is flat and soft with feathering
- rich red and white, may have ticking
History of the Welsh Springer Spaniel
The Welsh Springer Spaniel originated in Wales and was once known in its homeland under the name Tarfgi, which means ‘the dispersing dog’. They are closely related to the English Springer and Cocker Spaniels, which at one time all fell under the title of Land Spaniel. There are many theories on how their ancestors came to Britain, although the most widely accepted of these is that they developed from dogs brought from Spain. Their own name seems to add credence to this as the old French world ‘espaigneul’, means ‘Spanish dog’. Some other theories include:
• They are the result of French knights breeding their hunting hounds and pointers to Arabic Greyhounds while they were in the Holy Land in the 11th century.
• Ancient Romans importing spaniel-type dogs to Britain by trade routes in Asia. With this theory spaniels would have descended from the same short-faced ancestors as those shared by the Pekingese, Pug, and Shih Tzu.
• Specifically that the dogs from Spain were brought by Celts moving into Britain as early as 900 BC. Supporters of this theory suggest the Agassian hunting dog as the spaniels’ ancestor.
The Welsh Springer may be the oldest of its cousins, as it mentioned in texts dating from the early part of the 10th century, long before any documentation of spaniels in England. Once this is taken into account it seems likely that the Celts originally brought these dogs to Wales; although the French theory could also be true, with the Brittany sharing common ancestor with the Welsh Springer Spaniel.