 The first French Spaniel is speculated to have appeared following the Crusades of the 11th century , and it was these breeds of dogs that were described in Gaston III of Foix @-@ Béarn 's 14th @-@ century work Livre de Chasse . Following the French Revolution the commoners in France were allowed to raise and keep their own hunting dogs . This in turn meant that the pre @-@ existing French Spaniel split into several types specific to their own regions , which were classified according to physical appearance and hunting abilities . 
