KENAI
Clumber Spaniel

The breeds · gun dog · flushing

AKC Sporting · UKC Gun Dog · FCI standard 109

Clumber Spaniel.

Long, low, substantial flushing spaniel with the power and endurance to move through dense underbrush in pursuit of game; the white coat lets the hunter see him as he works within gun range.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

12.3YRMedian lifespan11.7 to 13.9, measured on real dogs.
19 / 18INHeightdogs 19, bitches 18. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
55–85LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 77.5 lb (70 to 85); breed bitches 62.5 lb (55 to 70).
1HRSExercise, every dayUp to 1 hour per day. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 19 in (18 to 20) · bitches 18 in (17 to 19)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2001

Center is the midpoint of the standard's range.

Weight

dogs 77.5 lb (70 to 85) · bitches 62.5 lb (55 to 70)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2001

Center is the midpoint of the AKC range. The UK standard's ideal is bitches 25-29.5 kg (55-65 lb) (rkc_std); the UK club's 2019 survey found an average of 25.02 kg for bitches (csc_2019_survey).

Coat

Body coat dense, straight and flat, weather resistant and soft to the touch; ears slightly feathered with straight hair; moderate feathering on legs and belly; good neck frill; primarily white with lemon or orange markings, mostly on the head and ears

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2001

The UK standard: abundant, close, silky and straight, legs and chest well feathered (rkc_std).

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

2 of 5 · Dense, straight, flat, weather-resistant body coat with moderate feathering on legs and belly and a good neck frill; the parent club's hunting description calls the coat very heavy with an undercoat

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2001

Derived from the standard's coat description plus the undercoat named in akc_hunting_style (2 = heavy double coat), on a heavy-bodied, low-built dog. Not a measurement.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

12.3 years (11.7 to 13.9)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

Small sample for this breed; the wide interval reflects it. The breed is not among the 18 breeds in Teng et al. 2022, so no life_expectancy_yr partner is recorded.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

Up to 1 hour per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: up to 1 hour = 60. The AKC standard still asks for a dog that can hold a steady trot for a day of work in the field.

Exercise need

Up to 1 hour per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

3 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · More than once a week (RKC grooming band); coat length medium; sheds

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: more than once a week = 3. The AKC standard allows only tidying of feet, rear legs to the hock and tail feathering; a shaved throat is penalized.

Grooming

More than once a week

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Long, low, substantial flushing spaniel with the power and endurance to move through dense underbrush in pursuit of game; the white coat lets the hunter see him as he works within gun range

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2001

The UK standard: 'capable of a day's work of beating in heavy cover' (rkc_std); the RKC page calls it the heaviest of the spaniels, used to flush game from heavy cover (rkc_breed).

Primary game

Upland game birds in heavy woody cover (hedgerow and gorse in England; hardwood thickets, briars and swamps that are grouse cover in America); flushed and retrieved for the gun

Breed clubAKC, 2006

The AKC standard says the muzzle is broad and deep 'to facilitate retrieving many species of game' but names none.

Range

Close: works within gun range, which the AKC spaniel rulebook defines as effective shotgun range, about 30 to 40 yards

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2001

Gun-range definition from akc_sht.

Search pattern

Hunts at a trot it can hold all day; a tracker that uses its nose more than its feet, moving slowly to catch the faintest scent and calmly discarding scentless cover rather than covering every square inch; 'comes alive' on bird scent and works it out with painstaking persistence; stalks the located bird and often stops before pouncing (the English-style hesitation flush)

Breed clubAKC, 2006

The parent club's consensus description for hunt test judges; the AKC spaniel rulebook recognises that some breeds cover less ground less rapidly but must still find, flush and retrieve efficiently (akc_sht).

Field trial standard

AKC spaniel hunting tests (Junior, Senior, Master): find, flush and retrieve birds to hand on land within suitable gun range, plus marked water retrieves; Master dogs must be steady to wing and shot, retrieve from water at 40-45 yards, run a 30-40 yard blind water retrieve and 'hunt dead' at 55-60 yards, and hunt with a logical pattern and experienced independence

Breed clubAKC, 2013

The rulebook tells judges that various spaniels perform differently and that they must know the hunting characteristics of the breeds they judge; the parent club's hunting style document is written for that purpose (akc_hunting_style).

Water work

Most Clumbers swim well with a deliberate entry and moderate speed; water retrieving should be adequate for close decoy hunting; every AKC spaniel test level includes a water retrieve

Breed clubAKC, 2006

The parent club knows of no historical record that water work was required of the breed but wants the water ability kept (akc_hunting_style); test requirement from akc_sht.

Cold water

3 of 5 · Heavy coat with an undercoat that protects from cold water; most Clumbers swim well with a deliberate entry and moderate speed; hunters report the breed breaking ice as a duck dog, but the club knows of no record that water work was required of the breed historically

DerivedAKC, 2006

Derived from coat plus the breed's water work as the parent club describes it: water retrieving 'adequate for close decoy hunting', not a water specialist. Placed at 3.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

38.8% · 38.8% dysplastic of 1,538 OFA hip evaluations on record (all data through Oct 2026); 60.5% normal (4.8% excellent, 42.1% good, 13.7% fair); mild 11.4%, moderate 17.2%, severe 10.2%; breed rank 16

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: radiographs are submitted by owners, so affected dogs are under-reported and true prevalence is higher. Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock. The UK club has tracked hip dysplasia in the breed since Dr Malcolm Willis's reports of 1985-1992 (csc_surveys); its 2019 UK survey found hip dysplasia with lameness in 10% of 118 dogs (csc_2019_survey).

Elbow dysplasia

10.4% · 10.4% abnormal of 892 OFA elbow evaluations on record (grade 1 8.6%, grade 2 1.7%, grade 3 0.1%); 89.1% normal; breed rank 47

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Same voluntary-registry caveat as hips. The UK club's 2019 survey reported elbow dysplasia with lameness in 14.4% of 118 dogs (csc_2019_survey).

Most common disorders

Clumber Spaniel Club (UK) 2019 survey, 118 dogs: ear problems 24%, anal gland problems 17%, entropion 14.5%, elbow dysplasia with lameness 14.4%, umbilical hernia 14.4%, dry eye 12%, hip dysplasia with lameness 10%, undershot bite 9.3%, allergies 9.3%, ectropion 6.8%, skin problems 6.8%, heart murmur 6.8%, slipped discs 5.9%, osteoarthritis 5.9%; 35% of dogs had one or more eye condition. Royal Veterinary College owner survey (2023, 204 dogs): 16.2% diagnosed with or presumed affected by intervertebral disc disease (rvc_ivdd). The club's PDP1 and exercise-induced collapse work is reflected in the UK Kennel Club schemes: EIC testing moved to good practice from December 2025 because of its high prevalence in the breed (rkc_breed). OFA DNA table: pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase 1 deficiency 10.9% carrier of 431 tested; OFA eye table 8.2% abnormal of 935 exams (ofa_stats).

Breed clubClumber Spaniel Club (UK), 2020

Owner surveys of club-connected dogs; percentages are of surveyed dogs, not a population prevalence. No VetCompass paper on the breed was found. The Royal Kennel Club lists the breed under Breed Watch category 2 (points of concern for judges) and as a vulnerable native breed (rkc_breed).

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 4; Barking Level 1; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 4; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 4; Affectionate With Family 4; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

No KENAI kennel lists the Clumber Spaniel yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 10 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Clumber

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