Going a long way back, history suggests the spaniel was first documented in Spain and was introduced thereafter to the Britons by Roman Legions. They were mentioned by name in ancient documents found in Wales dating back as early as 300 AD. The English Springer Spaniel was originally known as Norfolk spaniels until English dukes in the 16th and 17th century decided to split the litters between the smaller legged and longer legged dogs and breed them separately. The smaller spaniels would be known as “cocker” spaniels and used to hunt woodcock. The longer legged spaniels were used to flush game therefore rightly named “Springer” spaniels. It wasn’t until 1902 however until the Sporting Spaniel Society of Britain officially decided upon the name “Springer”. When the Mayflower arrived in America in 1620 among the passengers were two dogs written about in historical documents. One was a Mastiff and the other an English Springer. Since their arrival to North America there may have been many Springers running around but the first English Springer Spaniel whose lineage was traceable was brought from England to Canada in 1913 with the desire to be breed. After only 15 years the English Springer Spaniel had grown to be among the most well-known and popular breeds to be registered for the American Kennel Club. During this time, the English Springer was breed very selectively to compete in conformation competitions (conformation refers to the structure and physical traits of a dog and how well they conform to the breed standard. Today, an entire dog show may be referred to collectively as a conformation show.) Their durability and duality found them working long days in the field only to be entered into a conformation competition the next day. This impressive duality earned these types of springers the label “Dual type” springers and earned them much praise by the 1940’s when the last dual championship had taken place. At this point in English Springer history breeders began taking a more split approach where those dogs with outstanding qualities that lent themselves to the field were bred, while others with show qualities were bred for perfect symmetry, soundness, and beauty in terms of the breed standard. Today the English Springer remains as one of the most popular breeds worldwide both for their athletic prowess and loving attitudes.