Quick Links: Table of Contents
- French Spaniel Breed Overview
- History of the French Spaniel Breed. Where French Spaniels came from
- What the French Spaniel Looks Like
- How Much is the French Spaniel Puppy?
- Best French Spaniel Breeders
- French Spaniel Growth
- What Colors do French Spaniels Have?
- How Long French Spaniels Live
- Health Problems in French Spaniels and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of French Spaniel
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to French Spaniels
- Other Things to Know About French Spaniels
French Spaniel Breed Overview
The French Spaniel is a medium-sized dog.
The adult French Spaniel stands 21 to 24 inches..
The French Spaniel belongs to the Sporting Dogs group.
Dogs in the Sporting Dogs group, like the French Spaniel, were bred to help hunters catch and retrieve feathered game. Some sporting dog breeds such as Retrievers, which were built for swimming, were bred to hunt waterfowl in water.
Whereas sporting dog breeds like setters, spaniels, and pointing breeds were bred to hunt quail, pheasant, and other game birds nest on grasslands.
Many Sporting Group breeds have thick, water-repellent coats that protect them from harsh hunting conditions.
The fact that French Spaniels belong to the Sporting Dogs group is one of the reasons why French Spaniels have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the French Spaniel is generally described as:
- Adaptable
- Calm
- Energetic
- Intelligent
- Loving
- Tough
History of the French Spaniel Breed. Where French Spaniels came from
The French Spaniel relates to the Dutch Partridge Dog and German Small Munsterlander.
Like all the spaniels that became the first pointers in the world, the French Spaniel comes from a distant lineage of the Chien d`Oysel (setter), a middle-aged dog.
In the 1600s, this breed was used extensively as a game bird hunter.
Its numbers declined due to competition with English breeds.
However, Father Fournier revived it in the nineteenth century.
J.
de Connick wrote the first standard in 1891.
The breed was described as more robust than Brittany Spaniel in the standard.
Even in France, the breed is very rare.
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What the French Spaniel Looks Like
French Spaniel`s head is proudly held, with a well-sculpted and unburdened appearance that reflects the breed`s characteristics.
The head is average in length and size.
It has prominent brow bones and a sloped stop.
The skull is slightly shorter than the slightly domed nose bridge.
The upper lip doesn`t cover the lower lip.
The brown nose has good nostrils and is broad.
You can bite either straight or level.
The eyes are large, oval and dark amber.
They have a gentle and intelligent expressions.
The ears are well placed and aligned with the eyes.
They are long and have feathering at their top.
The muscular neck is oval-shaped, medium in length, and has a signally arched shape.
The withers are prominent and pronounced.
The back is slightly sloped, hard, and sustained.
The length of the thighs is medium, with well-muscled muscles.
Croup (thighs) are muscular and well-rounded.
The chest is full of large capacity and has a good depth.
The tail is full length and not docked.
It`s tapered, low-set, and held in slantwise curves.
The skin is flexible and close to the body.
The coat is dense, close, water-resistant, and feathered along the legs` belly, tail, ears, and back.
The head is short and flat.
The coat color is white with liver markings.
The markings can be either minor or dominant and are often irregular.
Acceptable is speckling.
According to the written standard, this breed has some faults: Too short or wide head, clear eyes, and tail off center.
Other colors than white and liver.
Solid white or liver-colored body.
Solid white head.
There is very little or no feathering.
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How Much is the French Spaniel Puppy?
The average price of a French Spaniel puppy is $4250. The price of a French Spaniel puppy ranges from $3875 to $4625.
A lot of factors determine the price of the French Spaniel. These factors include what health records the French Spaniel puppy has, the lineage of the French Spaniel puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy French Spaniel based on the many factors that determine the price of the French Spaniel puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the French Spaniel puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the French Spaniel breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best French Spaniel Breeders
We have researched reputable French Spaniel breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable French Spaniel breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
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Woodland Family Pets
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
French Spaniel Growth
New French Spaniel owners need to know about the growth of their French Spaniels. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the French Spaniel will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their French Spaniel early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your French Spaniel puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the French Spaniel at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your French Spaniel
What Colors do French Spaniels Have?
French Spaniels come in the following beautiful primary colors:
French Spaniels come in the following lovely secondary colors in addition to their primary colors:
How Long French Spaniels Live
The lifespan of the French Spaniel is typically from 10 to 12 years..
French Spaniels live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
Health Problems in French Spaniels and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The French Spaniel is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a French Spaniel puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your French Spaniel breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen French Spaniels for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for French Spaniels here.
How to Take Care of French Spaniel
To take good care of your French Spaniel, you need to make sure that you groom your French Spaniel regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your French Spaniel regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your French Spaniel`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your French Spaniel daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your French Spaniel.
Also, you need to feed your French Spaniel high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your French Spaniel from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the French Spaniel and how much food to feed the French Spaniel at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your French Spaniel has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your French Spaniel needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to French Spaniels
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the French Spaniel.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the French Spaniel:
- Dutch Shepherd (80 percent match with French Spaniel). Learn more about the Dutch Shepherd here.
- Saint Berdoodle (78 percent match with French Spaniel). Learn more about the Saint Berdoodle here.
Other Things to Know About French Spaniels
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the French Spaniel that you need to know about the French Spaniel breed: