One of the reasons I gave up Clumbers magazine was so I could dedicate more time to getting together a few Clumber book titles, here is an outline of what I am planning, the design and concepts are still fluid, so if you want to stay up to date, please join the mailing list.
These books build on The White Spaniel and Clumber Spaniels and my mother’s relevant books such as The Five Cs , Raise Your Own Great Dog, and Dog Breeding and I think I will release them by theme so you can collect and build your own unique and dedicated library if you don’t feel some of the titles will be of use.
I am looking at 8 x 10 inch format (same as Great Dogs Amazing Artists and Enjoying the Clumber) full colour interiors, softcover, and available through major retailers such as Amazon
The Clumber Spaniel Series by Jan Irving
none of these titles are the absolute answer to anything, they are MY reflections on an ancient breed that is the scorn of many of the modern world because of how breeders and other influences have shaped it since it lost favour with shooters in the early 1900s. Yes, society has changed too, and today’s society demands breeders and owners have innately healthy dogs and not hide behind ‘traditions’; if the Clumber is to survive we need to address many factors in this breed. The scientists have not managed to live up to their promises of help with appropriate DNA screening – so BREEDERS must and breeders will only do so IF judges and puppy buyers demand better and better dogs. These books are my token towards this event, I have spent a literal lifetime with this breed, in isolation in many ways, but with an inquiring mind and the power of a trained observer mind.
- Visually Assessing Conformation and Understanding Type
- Which Type is Best, Why Type Matters, How Type Makes a Good Clumber for the Field (and one would hope the show ring!) – this is about form. conformation, type, and soundness which are crucial for many years of happy and healthy field work and as I said I would hope this would apply to the show ring too, I don’t know that it always does. Temperament and attitude may be also discussed but only briefly as I don’t work my Clumbers as we do not have field conditions that come close to paralleling Clumber Park OR modern UK field trials; but I do have Clumbers that are fit, active, nimble, live to good ages, and live happily in groups. It is not about prepping Clumbers for field work, or even selecting your field working Clumber, BUT it is an explanation why some physiques will be better in the field for particular terrain than others
- Training the Clumber (It may work well with all dogs too!)
- Grooming the Clumber for Day to Day Life and the Showring (Not the Glamour Hour)
- Selecting your Puppy – How to see the adult form in the young puppy.
- Choosing to breed and Selecting the Best Mates for a Good Litter
- Making your home Clumber safe!
- How art can help us understand the breed (photos and artworks of the past)
- Make your own Clumber Art (and learn even more about Clumbers!)
- a very slim chance of a book on Clumber artworks in general, not sure, I know Ricky Blackman has one ‘in preparation’ (permanent preparation I suspect!), but we have some grand artworks not enjoying ‘the light of day’.
I am sure other topics will come to mind, and I may shuffle some topics into existing titles and lose some of the nominated titles, so if you want to stay up to date on formats and when titles are available please join the mailing list.
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