The original idea in the breeding of the field spaniel was to produce a long, low spaniel with short legs and an elongated body.  That succeeded somewhat and led to the breed’s nickname, the ‘drainpipe spaniel.’

Why sportsmen of the mid 19^th century would want a dog of such proportions is unclear.   It may have been to emulate the cocker spaniel that was at its height around this period in time.  Many breeders consider that it was the cocker and the Sussex spaniels that were the originators of this breed.  One of the effects of crossing the breed with the golden liver coloured Sussex spaniel, was the loss of the black  and white variant of the field spaniel.  It was the black and white that was considered to be the true field spaniel variant.

Today, liver and white and orange and white are accepted as the colour variants of this breed, which appears to have a mixture of most of the spaniel breeds flowing through its veins.