Finding a Springer Spaniel Puppy

If you are reading this before you go out and buy a puppy you doing the most important thing by finding out if a springer spaniel puppy is for you.

This website is all about giving clear and sensible advice to Springer Spaniel owners. One of the biggest ways we can do that is by giving you advice on the big decisions you need to make BEFORE going to look at some puppies and getting yourself and your family all excited.

A springer spaniel is not for everyone, below you will find information about the breed.

Is a Springer the dog for you??
Good Points

• Most English Springer's are great dogs for kids
• Playful, gentle and energetic
• Usually good with other pets with the possible exception of birds
• Very trainable, excel in any tasks like agility, obedience, flyball, gundog trials etc
• Great fun, they are up for anything, you are never bored when you have a Springer Spaniel
• They will make every walk you take enjoyable somehow.
• They adore everybody they meet so you make lots of friends in the park and at training classes nobody forgets my springer spaniel.
• They are so cute when they are fast asleep, its something to do with the ears and the nose and the freckles.
• They can make you laugh to matter how glum you are feeling they have the funiest expressions and actions.
• They never seem to loose the puppy cuteness
• In my opioion they are the smartest puppies you can get
• They learn very fast and are eager to do the right thing

Points to consider

• Springer Spaniels are a magnet for mud, if there is a small puddle of mud anywhere in the park one of mine will find it, oh yeah and walk through it enen if it not the quickest route. Have lots of towels and and easy clean car where the upholstery is well protected. All though the mud is a pain the look on their faces makes it worht while cleaning it up.
• A Springer Spaniels Coat needs to be kept clean and free from mats, they need regular grooming, and then their coat needs clipped or stripped to remove dead hair.
• They shed, not only hair but all the mud and leaves and grass they collected in their ears and feathers while playing outside.
• Selective hearing, if they are not receiving the right kind of training, or they are bored, then they can run away into the woods after rabbits etc, pretending not to hear you until they are exhausted. Good training can help with this but take more work than some other breeds
• They need exercised every day come rain or shine, a quick walk round the block is not suitable neither is a quick run in the garden, they need to go for a proper walk.
• Like most pedigree breeds they have some health problems.
• They can be prone to obsessive behaviours if bored, for example light or shadow chasing, or a fixation on certain toys.
• If not properly socialised, like any breed, they can be aggressive with other dogs, make sure you meet the bitch and speak to the breeder, a nervous and aggressive bitch can produce nervous or aggressive pups, slight risk of rage in show strain. Going regularly to a training night can help - my dog has gone from as soon as she was cleared by the vet after jobs and loves everydog she meets.
• Bitches can be prone to submissive urination when excited, normally when you walk through the door.
• They can be destructive, especially when young and left alone, they don't even need to be left for long to have a little destructive moment or two.
• You need to give them constant attention when young as if they aren't playing with you, you can garentee they have got something they shouldn't
  Kitchen paper & Toilet roll can not be left where they can get it, somehow they can sniff it out even a tissue in a pocket they will grab and shred.
• Shoes - hide them - hide them all - they love a shoe especially you best leather ones!

The English Springer on the other hand is a fabulous all rounder with wide variation within the breed allowing you to selectively find your ideal companion. English Springer's love to find ways to please you and if you give them a task they will relish every minute of it, no matter if it is obedience, agility, fly ball, gundog trials, beating at a shoot or even heelwork to music. An English Springer will great you every day with a "what are we going to do today" enthusiasm, and problems arise when your answer is, stay at home in the kitchen for 8 hours while I go to work. If you walk an English Springer he will enjoy every minute of his walk, and as a consequence so will you, I have yet to finish a walk with my Springer's without having had a good laugh somewhere along the way. The English Springer loves to share its happiness with everybody it meets, and a well socialised dog will simply walk up to everybody expecting them to think he is wonderful.

Show or Working Springer Spaniel

The breed standard for the English Springer is for the show strain, the side of the breed that has been selectively bred to create a stunning dog in the show ring which is a biddable and easily trained family pet. Their constant enthusiasm for life is impossible to repress no matter how graceful they may look in the ring. The colours allowed within the breed are liver and white, sometimes with tan markings, normally around the face, and black and white. Secondly there is the working strain, those Springer's that have been bred to `spring` game for the gun, and work all day on a shoot, they are full of energy and enthusiasm for life, and love a challenge, normally liver and white or black and white (for some reason the tan markings are mostly show dogs), also working strain Springer's can be predominantly white, with just a bit of liver, or a bit of black which is not something you will get in the show dogs as it is not correct for the breed standard. Then there are the ones in between, which are best described as pet Springer's, mostly bred by private homes, sometimes a cross of show and working, normally registered as pedigree with the Kennel Club, but not nearly close enough to the breed standard to show, and with not enough working blood to make them natural working dogs. These pet Springer's are the type most found in the private newspaper ads etc, and when looking about for a pup don't be surprised if you ask if the dog is show or working strain to be greeted with a "I don't know, its just a pet", this does not make the dog any less of a Springer, but be aware that if you want your dog for a purpose such as having a go at showing, or doing a bit of shooting, then you must make sure you get a dog with the right genetics for the job in hand. If you just want a family pet then I wouldn't worry too much.

FINDING A BREEDER

The aim of this site is not to recommend a particular breeder and is not something we will do however if ou are looking for a Springer Spaniel please feel free to post on the Springer Spaniel Forum. The aim of this website is to make sure that people who decide to get a Springer go a reputable breeder who will give them all the help and advice they need, have health checks done to make sure their dogs are healthy, and be willing to help if it goes wrong and you can no longer keep your Springer.

Got a question? Don't forget to visit the Springer Spaniel Forum.