[onscreen action] Dog sniffing camera. Dog walking through tall grass. Dog with several tennis balls in mouth. [Narrator] A blue collar dog of royal descent. A sporting dog that's anything but sporty. Hardly a household name, but a champion nonetheless. The aristocrats of spaniels and the spaniels of aristocrats are guaranteed to slobber their way into your heart. [onscreen action] Dogs sitting while on leash. Dog going into water. [narrator] The Clumber Spaniel. According to author and historian Peggy Grayson, they've been favored by dukes, princes, and kings for over 200 years. [onscreen action] Woman speaking. Person writing on paper. [woman] There's no record of where the first Clumbers came from, but there is a quotation in the book that I wrote from Queen Victoria's diary that she went out with Prince Albert to see his lovely Clumber Spaniels working with a funny old keeper. [onscreen action] Dog walking through tall grass. [woman] So he must have had quite a few of them, and it did seem to be the thing for the nobility to have Clumber Spaniels. [onscreen action] Dog walking through forest. [Narrator] The Clumber Spaniel's unique construction made them the ideal hunting dog for the royals' rough, wooded country estate. Their keen sense of smell allowed them to sniff out the game. [onscreen action] Dog in tall grass chasing bird. [narrator] They were bred long and low to go through the brush, not around it, so they burled through the underbrush to flush the game out of hiding for the gunmen. From there, they would retrieve the game with their soft mouth, a term that refers to the heavy flues that keep them from marring the game. [onscreen action] Dog shakes and slobber flies everywhere. [narrator] Of course, it's those big lips that also make them pretty good at slobbering. [onscreen action] Dog walking through forest. [narrator] To protect them from branches and thorns, the Clumber's loose skin moves with the underbrush, rather than tearing. All in all, they're a perfect fit for rough terrain. [onscreen action] Dog with several tennis balls in mouth. [narrator] Clumbers always seem to have a look of, "Ah, who cares? Nothing could excite me." [onscreen action] Closeups of dog's droopy faces. [narrator] All that skin tends to make them appear somewhat lethargic, so while they come from the sporting group of dogs, you might get the feeling that there's nothing sporty about them. [onscreen text] ED PRESNALL. Clumber Spaniel Owner. [onscreen action] Man speaking, sitting next to dog. [man] These are Clumbers; they eat and they sleep. (laughs) [onscreen action] Dog going into water. [Narrator] While Clumbers are known to be protective of children, their versatility allows them to have something to offer just about anyone. Royal hunting dogs and loyal and affectionate companions. [onscreen action] Dog playing tug of war. Dog with several tennis balls in its mouth. [narrator] Though they might frustrate you with their hardheadedness, they'll make you laugh with their antics. [onscreen action] Man sitting with dog. [man] All of the Clumbers tend to be clowns at times. They kind of have their own agenda. There's been a lot of situations where they've been in a show ring and they simply decided it'd be more fun to be up in the stands, and they go over the ring and up into the stands. [onscreen action] Dogs playing. [Narrator] Clumbers can be a bit unpredictable, but we'll predict that once you latch on to one of these guys, you'll never let go.