What is interesting about Welsh springers in terms of British gun dog history?
Welsh springers are interesting in that they are red and white spaniels, and red and white spaniels are probably the oldest form of spaniel. Spaniels derive from red and white herding dogs that belonged to the Celts, who brought them into Britain and France from southern Germany. (Source). The original Irish setter was a red and white dog derived from this spaniel, and one doesn’t have to look too far to see a similar coloration in the French Brittany. The original spaniels were used to flush birds for the falconer’s raptors. In France, they were called Chien d’Oysel. The photo comes from Drury’s British Dogs: Their Points, Selection, and Show Preparation. Drury writes about the red and white coloration: But the English red-and-white breeds have died out long ago; and South Wales seems to be the only region that has cherished and preserved them to the present day, which fact goes far to justify the claim of their fellow-countrymen that these Spaniels shall be for the luture called Wels
