 At the turn of the 20th century the area around the mouth of the River Somme was considered a paradise for hunters interested in wildfowl . Because of quarantine restrictions in the United Kingdom , British shooters would board their dogs in the Picardy area , near the mouth of the Somme . This caused the infusion of English Setter blood into the local Spaniel population and developed the Blue Picardy Spaniel . 
