One of a breed of small dogs having long and thick hair and large drooping ears. The legs are usually strongly feathered, and the tail bushy. See Illust. under Clumber, and Cocker.
A Spaniel is a group of gun dog breeds. Spaniels are generally smaller dogs with longer coats and drop ears whose job is to assist with bird hunting. Spaniels have the primary purposes of flushing game from dense undergrowth and retrieving game after it has been shot.