Boykin Spaniel

The breed club's version says that a Mr. Alexander L. White found a small dog when he was leaving a Methodist church in Spartanburg, South Carolina, around 1900. White made it his family dog. Finding that it was a good hunter, White hired a trainer named Lemuel Whitaker "Whit" Boykin. From now on, the breed will take his name. The Boykin is believed to be the product of crossings of several breeds: the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, the English Springer Spaniel, the American Cocker, and the American Water Spaniel. It is likely that the dog White found was an American Water Spaniel; it is certain that crossings with this breed continue until the 1970s. The official breed register is not established until 1979. One should definitely not confuse the Boykin with the American Water Spaniel. The Boykin is slightly smaller, its coat is less curly, and its tail is docked. The new United Kennel Club standard says nothing about the undercoat. On the contrary, the Boykin Spaniel club standard mentions the undercoat; this will be the standard of the American Kennel Club. The Boykin is a medium-sized dog. It is a game flusher and retriever. It is well adapted to the warm waters of the southeastern United States. It is a good swimmer, docile and active. The Boykin is not recognized by the International Cynological Federation nor, in France, by the French Kennel Club. In the United States, the United Kennel Club recognizes this breed. The American Kennel Club (AKC) gives it a provisional registry as foundation stock which does not allow it to participate in conformation competitions. The project for registering the Boykin with the AKC is at the center of a controversy between the two breed clubs (see external links).