Tweed Water Spaniel was so named because it was developed on the estate of Lord Tweedmouth, and in fact was simply the original name for a breed of dog that later became the Golden Retriever. However, this theory is against the documented evidence, as the early development of the Golden Retriever was fully documented and listed the three Tweed Water Spaniels involved specifically by breed. Appearance and temperament The Tweed Water Spaniel had a long tail and a curly, liver-colored coat, and looked similar to the Irish Water Spaniel except it had a heavier muzzle and a pointed skull. The dog also had thick, slightly feathered, hound-like ears, droopy lips, and fore legs that were feathered, but hind legs that were not. Their size was that of a small retriever, with a liver-coloured curly coat. Instances of offspring which were liver-coloured but tan below the knees were noted in Hugh Dalziel's 1897 work British Dogs: Their Varieties, History, Characteristics, Breeding, Management, And Exhibition, although the author speculated this may have been due to Bloodhound ancestry in one of the parents of the litters. The breed was known for its intelligence, courage, and sporting ability. Legacy Golden Retriever Towards the end of the 19th century, Sir Dudley Coutts Majoribanks, Lord Tweedmouth, was developing a breed which was known at the time as a "yellow Retriever". This was unusual, as typically during this period all Retrievers were black. The main pairing from which the modern Golden Retrievers are said to have descended were from a dog named Nous that was a rare yellow Wavy-coated Retriever, and a female Tweed Spaniel named Belle that was given to Majoribanks by his cousin David Robertson. Four yellow puppies were produced from this pairing, named Ada, Crocus, Primrose and Cowslip. Belle was not the only Tweed Spaniel in Majoribank's kennel. A further dog simply named Tweed was kept, although records show he was never bred, as he died at an early age. A second dog named Tweed was bred, to Cowslip from the previous Tweed/Retriever pairing which produced a further yellow puppy named Topsy. The two breeds were only crossbred two or three times, but began the development of the modern Golden Retriever. Curly Coated Retriever During the formation of the modern breed known as the Curly-coated Retriever, several breeds were used to bring their characteristics into this new breed. These included Poodles, Wetterhouns, Barbets, Irish