The Standard Folder, Done Properly
A Field Spaniel puppy should leave the breeder carrying a signed contract, registry paperwork, a lineage tracing at least three generations, a litter veterinary record, and microchip papers ready to transfer. The contract should pin the puppy down precisely — sex, black, liver, or roan colouring, and chip number — and should state the health guarantee, the return clause, and any breeding conditions without vague language. Field Spaniels sit in the middle of the spaniel family for size, and good breeders are correspondingly methodical: expect a folder that reads like it was assembled by someone who knew you would check it.
Hips, Eyes, and Thyroid: the Field's Screening Trio
Ask for hip evaluation results and a recent eye examination for both parents, with copies that name the same dogs as the lineage. Many Field breeders also run thyroid screening, since thyroid problems are discussed in the breed, so if a result exists it should be filed alongside the others rather than mentioned in passing. Ask how the breeder chose this pairing — in a breed with a modest population, the explanation of how two lines combine is part of the breed record, and a thoughtful answer tells you the screening was a plan, not a formality. Keep the certificates; your vet will use the parents' picture to judge what deserves watching in your puppy.
Ears and Feathering Need Written Instructions
A Field's long ears and silky feathering are beautiful and genuinely high-maintenance, and the breeder's care sheet should treat them that way. Look for guidance on checking and cleaning ears after wet walks and swimming, drying feathering so it does not knot, and the brushing rhythm the puppy already tolerates. The litter vet record should note ears clean and checked at the final examination, along with heart, bite, hernia, and joint entries. If the breeder has started the puppy on a grooming table or with gentle ear handling, that progress should be written down so you and your groomer continue the same routine instead of starting over.
Temperament Notes From a Sensitive Breed
Field Spaniels are known for a devoted, sometimes sensitive nature, and the early-life record is where that story starts. Ask for the breeder's notes on the litter: how each puppy handled visitors, household noise, first car rides, and time alone in a crate or pen. A puppy described honestly as the cautious one of the litter is not a problem — it is an instruction to go steadily with new experiences in the first weeks. Parents' temperaments belong in this conversation too, and a breeder who has lived with the dam can describe her character in a way no lineage chart ever will.
Building the File Once the Puppy Is Yours
Transfer the microchip into your name, complete the registry transfer, and take the whole folder to your vet within the first few days so vaccinations continue on schedule and a baseline weight is recorded. After that, file each addition — grooming visits, ear rechecks, training milestones, later screening — in the same order, so the record reads as one continuous history. Spaniels pass through many hands across a lifetime of vets, groomers, and holiday carers, and each handover goes better with a complete file. Collected in KinsLe, the Pet Passport holds a Field Spaniel's lineage, parent screening, and ongoing vet notes in a single packet ready for any of those handovers.