Keith Erlandson

1931 – 2004

Keith Erlandson, of Wales in the U.K., was involved as an active trainer and field trialer of both English Cockers and Springers from 1958 to 1991. He made up over twenty British field trial champions; he won the British Cocker Spaniel Championship three times in a row, in 1972, 1973 and 1974, with the bitch, Speckle of Ardoon. He was a leading force in structuring a breeding program for the working English Cocker in the late 1950s and through the 1960s. Two of the foremost cockers bred by Keith were F.T.Ch. Rhu of Migdale and F.T.Ch. Gwibernant Snake, who became the foundation bitch for Cyril Gwynne’s “Wernffrwd” Cockers. The omnipotent F.T.Ch. Jade of Livermere goes back to Championship winner Speckle of Ardoon. The progeny from Keith’s dogs are to be found in the pedigrees of our successful working English Cockers today and it was the export of this caliber of dog which brought about the “rebirth” of the working English Cocker in America. Keith was a UK Kennel Club A Panel spaniel field trial judge, he judged Cocker Open Stakes in the U.S.A., plus judged the Irish, European and Swedish Spaniel Championships. In addition to judging in the USA, he had many personal relationships in this country, and a deep interest in our cocker trials. He was a prolific writer, contributing regularly to the Shooting Times and other British and American hunting and country journals. He authored two highly regarded books on the working spaniel (Cocker and Springer), their history and training: “Gundog Training” and “The Working Springer Spaniel” (which contains extensive chapters on the English Cocker.)

Keith was, and still is, regarded as the leading world authority on the working spaniel (both Cockers and Springers). His knowledge base was second to none. He was a true sportsman, he accepted the outcome of any field trial, whatever the result, with true grace and was always ready to congratulate his fellow competitors. He was the most willing of mentors, he would take phone calls from Cocker enthusiasts all over the world and spend hours on the phone helping them out. He was most exact in determining an appropriate breeding and it was always a match he considered would better the breed. His pups were superbly reared. Keith had a strong emotional attachment to all his Cockers which could only be observed by spending time with him. His dogs stayed with him for their entire lives and were buried in graves on Keith’s “mountain.”

The statistics are memorable: twenty UK Field Trial Champions, five time winning handler at the British championship, and seventy-four first place Open Stakes awards. His contribution to bettering the quality of the working Cocker is recognized unequivocally by those with a sound knowledge of the breed. His contribution, in the form of progeny exported to America, is to be found in the ancestry of all of our successful working Cockers. There are only a handful of breeders that have made a significant contribution to the evolution and ongoing development of the working English Cocker and Keith Erlandson is one of them. In addition, his writings and personal mentoring have helped many in the sport of field trialing develop and hone their skills to become better handlers. His legacy to our sport is so valuable; he is supremely worthy for induction into the English Cocker Spaniel Field Trial Hall of Fame.