I have always felt that Spitfire taught me far more about what a Spaniel could do than I ever taught her what a spaniel should do. I don't think anyone ever really trained her. She always seemed to innately know what she was supposed to do. All she needed was experience so she could figure out how to handle various situations. I feel incredibly privileged to have witnessed over several years this very special spaniel handling some of the most challenging working situations a working spaniel could face. John DeMott was brought from America, in 1975, to Talbot Radcliff's famed Saighton Kennel of Wales to train English Springer Spaniels for US and Canadian field trials. Previously, John had trained, handled, and titled springers in the US - as well as judged some field trials. Over the years, he bred and trained some of the most influential spaniels to reach American shores. Many of the American field champions and great hunting dogs are descended from the Saighton bloodline. Although retired from training spaniels, John still resides in Wales. Page 7 | Spaniel Journal | First Page | Previous Page |