"The Clumber's 'hesitation' flush is the hunter's best friend. Often when they locate game, they will hesitate in their motion to flush the bird with their head down staring right at the bird. What they're telling you is, 'The next move is up to you. Start reaching for the safety.'

Ch. Creswick Cameo Simply Red MH WDX ("Red"), one of Bob and Julie Wickwire's Clumbers, also has many placements in conformation shows.

"The other benefit of this type of flush is that it makes for relatively short falls, typically 30 yards or less. This is an advantage because Clumbers are not typically good long distance markers as they do not seem to possess the best long-range vision. On longer falls, you need to be able to direct the dog to the area of the fall with casting commands just as you would a retriever. Once you get them in the general vicinity, their naturally excellent noses will take over."

Dan Connell, who has Cameo Clumbers, agreed that hunting with a Clumber requires the hunters to stay alert. "Clumbers hunt very methodically. They search out birds where they live, in the bushes. They will go from bush to bush rather than running in an absolute 'windshield wiper' pattern. They use their noses to locate game from a distance. When they're on a bird, they slow down their search and they work the scent cone to the location. This makes it good for shooting as long as you recognize these signals and get ready for the shot."

Clumbers are tougher than most other spaniel breeds in more ways than one. "Clumbers are beautiful to watch work and they really enjoy busting through the toughest cover," said Froman. "We call them the Hum-Vees of the spaniel world. Generally they take quite readily to field work. They are quite biddable and most are very birdy. However, learning to mark can be an issue with them. For one thing, they often forget to look up when they flush a bird as they are still so busy scenting the roost."

While the breed has a reputation for being very docile and tractable, that reputation may be more a result of its looks rather than its actual temperament. "The Clumber is very appealing with its deep-set, soulful eyes and its soft, silky coat. But, behind that sweet exterior is often a willful and independent-minded dog," said Wells.

"There is some DNA evidence that the Clumber is more closely related to the scent hounds than to the other spaniels which would explain the stubbornness and the excellent scenting ability. This has to be taken into account when you are training a Clumber. The breed is not necessarily 'difficult' to train but they need a reason to do what they are told.

"They do not take well to endless repetition. In general, they don't enjoy making retrieve after retrieve. You can't let training become routine with a Clumber and despite their stubborn streak, they tend to be a sensitive dog. This means techniques such as ear-pinching and shock collar corrections are usually only mildly effective if they're effective at all."

She added that Clumbers are not necessarily a good choice for families with very small children. "The dog's size and its propensity to believe that all toys are fair game can lead to some serious misunderstandings between a toddler and a young Clumber."

Wickwire noted that there are some things you need to keep in mind when training a Clumber. "I think Clumbers are unique in that they don't generally have an automatic need to please like I've seen in other breeds so you do have to keep the training interesting and fun. They are very intelligent and as long as you make sure the training is interesting and fun, they will excel.