A breed standard expressing concern: the Clumber Spaniel’s FCI standard notes increasing weight since around the 1950s. The male upper limit is now 34 kg, with some dogs exceeding even that. Enthusiasts are urged to ensure that size does not lead to weak hindquarters.
| FCI | Group 8 (Retrievers, Flushing Dogs, Water Dogs), Section 2 Flushing Dogs, Standard No. 109, with working trial |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Great Britain |
| Size (height at the withers) | not specified in the FCI standard |
| Weight | ideal males 29.5 to 34 kg, females 25 to 29.5 kg |
| Life expectancy | median 12.3 years in a UK analysis of 584,734 dogs, including 300 Clumber Spaniels (McMillan et al. 2024) |
| Coat | abundant, close-fitting, silky and straight; legs and chest well feathered |
| Colours in the standard | white body with or without lemon markings, orange markings permitted, slight head markings and a freckled muzzle permitted; all other colours undesirable |
From the Duke to Clumber Park
The standard says the Clumber originally came from France over two hundred years ago. The Duke of Newcastle brought the dogs to Great Britain and bred them at the family estate, Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire, which gave the breed its name. The FCI definitively recognised it in 1954.
Quiet, persistent and a little reserved
The standard describes stoicism, generosity and high intelligence, with a determined working attitude. Hunting silently with an excellent nose, the Clumber is calm, reliable, friendly and dignified, but generally more reserved than other spaniels. Any tendency towards aggression is undesirable.
A leisurely pace, a long day
The working pace is more leisurely than that of other spaniels, according to the standard, yet the dog should remain firm, fit and capable of a full day in the field. Long, calm walks, searching games and retrieving suit better than sprints. Keep the dog lean, as every extra kilogram strains joints and hindquarters. Compare the breed with the Sussex Spaniel and English Springer Spaniel in the encyclopedia.
White silky hair
The abundant, silky coat with feathering on legs and chest needs brush and comb two to three times weekly. White shows every trace of woodland ground.
Eyelids, metabolism and births
Clumbers reached a median of 12.3 years in the UK longevity study, versus 12.0 for crossbreeds (McMillan et al. 2024). Eye findings are more striking: 6.34 percent of Clumbers attending UK practices had inward-rolling eyelids (entropion), around 33 times the risk in crossbreeds (O’Neill et al. 2025). The standard tolerates some visible lower-eyelid conjunctiva, but not excessively. Inherited PDP1 deficiency causes severe exercise intolerance; around 20 percent of Clumber and Sussex Spaniels carried the mutation, and a genetic test exists (Cameron et al. 2007). A UK survey placed the breed among the ten with the most caesarean sections (Evans and Adams 2010).
Best with
calm, outdoors-minded people seeking a gentle, rather measured hunting or family dog, with time for grooming and long walks. Ask breeders for the parents’ eye findings and PDP1 tests.
Less suitable
if you want an athletic jogging or dog-sport partner. Anyone unwilling to brush a white coat frequently should also look elsewhere.
The breed quiz helps assess whether a heavy, calm spaniel suits you; our book “Which Dog REALLY Suits You?” (book in German) goes deeper. For early puppyhood, there is the free Puppy Starter Pack. White with lemon markings looks lovely as a poster in a wooden frame; find more formats among our dog portraits.
Further reading
- Cocker Spaniel: cheerful, led by the nose and prone to ear trouble
- Is my dog overweight? Assessing body condition and ideal weight
- Older dog, new rules: how to give your senior their best years
Sources, accessed on 20.10.2026: FCI Standard No. 109 Clumber Spaniel (fci.be, English version dated 06.10.2026, valid standard published on 08.09.2026, no German version); McMillan KM et al., Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death, Scientific Reports 2024; O'Neill DG et al., Conformational eyelid disorders in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK, PLOS ONE 2025; Cameron JM et al., Identification of a canine model of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase 1 deficiency, Molecular Genetics and Metabolism 2007; Evans KM, Adams VJ, Proportion of litters of purebred dogs born by caesarean section, Journal of Small Animal Practice 2010.
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