Field Spaniel
Gentle, cheerful, active and devoted. From England.
Sportingmedium breedEnglandStandards checked
Standards checked: this profile's facts are checked against the breed standards of the AKC, The Kennel Club and the FCI, as described on our methodology page.
Gallery
Real photos from licensed sources only, each credited to its creator.
Photos show different individual dogs from licensed libraries, not one dog growing up. Stage labels are approximate, the way a careful editor would judge them.
About the Field Spaniel
The Field Spaniel is a medium sized English spaniel built for the same close flushing work as its springer cousin, quartering hedgerows and cover and retrieving what falls. A spaniel's nose runs its day: give it country walks and scent games and you get a merry, settled house dog in return.
History
Described as gentle, cheerful, active and devoted, the Field Spaniel was not shaped for the show ring first: it was kept in England to work close to the gun, flushing game from hedgerows and cover and retrieving it. The AKC recognizes the breed today, and its standard is the reference most US breeders work to. The adult stands 17 to 18 in at the shoulder and weighs 35 to 50 lb. Silky coat of medium length, flat or slightly wavy, with feathering on the chest, belly, legs and tail.
Personality
Gentle, cheerful, active and devoted is the record's Field Spaniel, the sturdy, long bodied member of the spaniel family: once among the most popular show spaniels, then nearly lost to fashion, and kept alive by a devoted few. Fields are sweet natured, sensitive and independent minded for spaniels, working cover thoroughly and living as affectionate, level headed companions. Spaniels are busy little optimists who bond hard to their people, and the Field adds an unusual dignity and calm. Puppies are glossy, waggy charmers; adults are merry, devoted partners with a spaniel's joy and a statesman's steadiness. Owners describe the best spaniel nobody has heard of.
Temperament and traits
Energy (4/5)
Trainability (4/5)
Grooming needs (3/5)
Shedding (3/5)
Barking (3/5)
Good with children: Good with children
With other dogs: Good with dogs
With strangers: Friendly with strangers
Apartment life: With enough exercise
Coat and care
Coat: Silky coat of medium length, flat or slightly wavy, with feathering on the chest, belly, legs and tail. It sheds moderately and needs brushing a few times a week.
Colors: The standard accepts a range of colors and patterns, and individual markings vary a lot.
Measure meals rather than free feeding; this breed does best on a routine of consistent meals, training in short sessions and daily exercise matched to its type. Brush weekly and check ears, teeth and nails as part of the routine. Check the long ears after every wet walk and keep them clean and dry inside; spaniel ears are the breed's one predictable weak spot.
Exercise and grooming
Exercise
Sixty to ninety minutes a day of proper spaniel work: country walks with scenting rights, retrieving, swimming and training games. The Field Spaniel is the big, substantial cousin among the smaller spaniels, a tireless worker in dense cover bred to hunt independently, which translates to real stamina on the daily round. A spaniel's nose runs its day, per the overview: give it country walks and scent games and you get a merry, settled house dog in return. Puppies build up gradually. Check the long ears after every wet walk, per the care notes. A worked Field is a gentle, devoted companion; an unworked one is a project with a nose.
Grooming
Brush weekly and check ears, teeth and nails as part of the routine, per the care notes, working through the silky single coat and the feathering. Check the long ears after every wet walk and keep them clean and dry inside, exactly as the notes insist, because spaniel ears are the breed's one predictable weak spot. Baths follow muddy work. Nails need trims and teeth benefit from brushing. The Field's coat is genuinely lower fuss than a Cocker's, which owners count among its quiet advantages: a handsome, practical jacket for a handsome, practical dog.
Training and daily life
Training
Field Spaniels are capable, willing pupils that learn gundog handling, steadiness and retrieving well under reward based, structured training, with a sensitivity that punishes harsh handling and an independence that rewards patience. The priorities are recall, proofed carefully against scent; a reliable delivery to hand; lead manners; a settle; and socialisation that keeps the steadiness confident with the wider world. Many Fields enjoy working tests and tracking. Owners who train with this sweet, substantial spaniel rather than at it describe a partnership of spaniel joy and unusual reliability.
Living with a Field Spaniel
The Field Spaniel suits active, gentle households that want a substantial, steady spaniel with a calmer gear than the Cocker. Gentle, cheerful, active and devoted in the record's words, good with children, good with other dogs and friendly with strangers, it rates flats as possible with the full gundog programme genuinely delivered. Expect a merry, affectionate shadow with a working nose and a fireside soul. The breed nearly vanished and remains rare, owned by a small, devoted following who consider it the spaniel connoisseur's spaniel: sound, sweet natured and beautifully made.
What a Field Spaniel costs
Food cost
About $29 per month for a typical 42 lb adult eating roughly 2.7 cups a day of a standard quality food ($1.60 per lb). Full breakdown in our food expense calculator.
Activity and exercise
Plan 60 to 90 minutes a day of walks, play and training. Under exercised dogs of most breeds invent their own projects, and they rarely pick good ones.
Insurance cost
Typical US range $34 to $61 per month for accident and illness cover. Estimate only, based on market ranges for this breed's risk profile; see the insurance estimator and the insurance guide.
On the monthly figures above, a typical adult year runs to about $345 for food and $408 to $732 for insurance, before routine vet care, grooming and gear. Year one costs more: vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, a crate, bedding and training all land at once.
Growth: puppy to senior
How weight typically builds with age for a medium breed, and when full size arrives.
| Stage | Age | Typical weight |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy | 8 weeks | about 5 to 7 lb |
| Puppy | 4 months | about 11 to 16 lb |
| Young | 6 months | about 18 to 26 lb |
| Young | 9 months | about 26 to 37 lb |
| Adult | 12 months | about 31 to 44 lb |
| Adult | 18 months | about 35 to 50 lb |
| Adult | Full grown | 35 to 50 lb (standard range) |
| Senior | From about 8 years | Healthy weight stays in the adult range; watch for slow gain or loss |
Growth pattern follows the size class growth curves published by the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, applied to the adult weight range in the breed standard. Individual puppies vary; steady growth matters more than hitting any single number, and your vet's growth checks come first.
Life stages
Puppies need socialisation, ear care habituation, gradual exercise building and early retrieving games. Adolescents are energetic and increasingly independent minded, and gundog work plus training carries the household through. Adults enjoy a long, steady prime: keep ears guarded after wet walks, weight lean and the work coming. Twelve to thirteen years puts senior status around nine to ten: twice yearly checks with hip and eye awareness, joint friendly exercise and continued gentle retrieving. Old Fields stay gentle, merry and devoted, their dignity intact to the end.
Health
Hip screening and eye checks are the standard panel for this small, sound breed. Ask to see health test results for both parents before you commit to a puppy; a good breeder will offer them before you ask.
Conditions to know about
- Hip dysplasia: Hip screening is part of the standard panel for this small, sound breed, per the record. Ask for both parents' scores in writing.
- Eye conditions: Eye checks complete the standard panel named in the record. Ask to see health test results for both parents before you commit to a puppy; a good breeder will offer them before you ask.
- Ear infections: Spaniel ears are the breed's one predictable weak spot, per its care notes: check them after every wet walk and keep them clean and dry inside. Head shaking and ear odour book the vet visit.
Facts follow the Field Spaniel breed standard (AKC, The Kennel Club and FCI standards agree on the essentials for this breed). Health notes summarize the conditions breed clubs and veterinary bodies most often flag for this breed. They are general information for choosing and caring, not a diagnosis or a substitute for your vet.
Gear for Field Spaniel owners
Our team is hands on testing products for this guide right now. Recommendations will only appear here after real testing, and this module will always carry a plain affiliate disclosure at the top.
Field Spaniel questions
How long do Field Spaniels live?
A typical lifespan is 12 to 13 years. Weight control, dental care and screening for the breed's known conditions give a dog the best chance of reaching the top of that range.
How much does it cost to keep a Field Spaniel?
Food for a typical adult runs about $29 a month at a standard quality tier, and accident and illness insurance usually falls between $34 and $61 a month in the US. Try the full cost calculator for a complete year one and yearly picture.
Are Field Spaniels good with children?
Good with children. As with every breed, supervise dogs and children together and teach children to respect the dog's space.
How much exercise does a Field Spaniel need?
Plan on 60 to 90 minutes a day, split between walks, play and training games. Puppies and seniors need gentler, shorter sessions.
Field Spaniel or Cocker Spaniel, what is the difference?
The Field is the larger, longer bodied, calmer cousin, historically one breed family's substantial branch. Cockers are smaller, busier and more popular; Fields are rarer, steadier and more independent workers.
Are Field Spaniels rare?
Yes: among the rarest of the spaniels, nearly lost more than once and saved by devoted breeders. Expect a search and a wait, and puppies worth waiting for.
Do Field Spaniels shed?
Moderately and steadily. Weekly brushing keeps the silky coat handsome and the house hair at spaniel normal levels.
Breeds similar to the Field Spaniel Compare this breed with another