choosing a springer spaniel

YOU ARE CONSIDERING A SPRINGER SPANIEL

If you are reading this before you go out and buy a puppy may I congratulate on taking the first and most important step to acquiring a puppy, and that is doing your research and finding out if a Springer spaniel is the dog for you and your family.

This site is all about giving clear and sensible advice to Springer owners, and the most important start of that is the big decisions you need to make BEFORE going to look at some puppies and getting your family all excited.

1. 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
They make great hot water bottles if you let them all crash in bed with you.
They will make every walk you take enjoyable somehow.
They adore everybody they meet so you make lots of friends in the park.
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 are stubborn when they want to be so you can never take them for granted.
They have a naughty streak, so that no matter how obedient they are they will rebel for the sake of a muddy puddle

"I don't think they ever lose that puppy cuteness somehow, maybe it's because they're still all soft and floppy eared even when they're grown up" (Kath)

"They are the cutest pups you can get !
They are smart and learn quickly and are very eager to 'do the right thing'
They make you laugh when you are feeling down, with their stupid antics"(Julie)

Points to seriously consider (don't like to call them bad points but they may bother you!)

Springer's are mud magnets, if there is a small puddle of mud anywhere in the park one of mine will find it. Have lots of towels and and easy clean car where the upholstery is well protected. That said nothing is more funny than seeing the look on your Springer's face as they splash in glee through a puddle or stream.
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.
They need exercised every day come rain or shine, a quick walk round the block is not suitable.
Like most pedigree breeds they have some health problems, go to HEALTH
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, see HEALTH
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.

"several shoes, ripped the wallpaper in the hall, chewed through the phone wiring for the Sky connection (I had BT out 5 times to investigate why phone line kept going dead everytime it rained only for it to be finally found that the fault was sheaf around wiring was split after having been chewed!) Cost £60 for BT visit. Bathmat ripped. Toilet rolls unravelled. Son's Gucci glasses chewed. Washing off the line dragged around the garden. Holes dug in the lawn. Plant containers on patio dug up and plants destroyed. Skirting boards and bannisters gnawed. The list is endless!" (June)

"numerous shoes, including one of my expensive Ted Baker shoes today which I had to beg other half for last summer.
socks, knickers, bras
newspapers
dog beds (x3)
carpet
alarm clock
kids toys.....I could go on but I'll stop for now" (Kay)

Most Springer's love water, especially muddy puddles, be prepared by having a car and home that are easily cleaned, and a big supply of old towels ready. Here is Decoy doing what Springer's do best, getting muddy and wet

2. Welsh or English??

The Welsh Springer and the English Springer are 2 separate breeds according to the Kennel Club, they were developed along similar lines originally but are now completely different, with different traits, health issues and looks.

The Welsh Springer Spaniel is a strong merry, active spaniel easily identified by its rich red and white coat and comparatively small ears. It is smaller than the show-bred English Springer. In 2000 The Kennel Club registered 424 Welsh Springer's and 12599 English Springer's. This shows why the Welsh Springer is not as well known as its cousin. One description I liked says "One way of describing the difference between a Welsh Springer and its English cousin is that the English Springer will work cover "for the sake of it", whilst the Welsh will only do so if there is something there! To translate this into what it means to live with a Welsh Springer, they have exceptional noses and will often find a morsel of food trapped somewhere, and stand in front of the location and bark until you rescue the lost item! They also love to see what is happening outside. This means that if they have access to a glass door, they will spend hours looking out of it. Otherwise they will either stand on their hind legs staring out of the window, or if the window sill is wide enough, they will sit on it!" The Welsh Springer is a stunning looking dog but as it is limited in numbers it can be harder to get a good puppy, you will need to be prepared to wait for a good Welshie puppy, breeders of Welsh Springer's are normally very particular who gets one of their pups, there are not that many litters available so they can afford to make sure that their puppies go to good homes that will appreciate the breed, this can also mean a long journey to a particular breeder.

Rufus, the Welsh Springer, looking gorgeous!!

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.

Paddy the English Springer and wrestling partner Dillon the Welsh Springer

3. Show or Working??

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.

Pippa, working strain Springer just doing what comes naturally. Its all in the genetics and you just have to encourage them. Pippa is retrieving a gundog dummy, weighted and soft to simulate game. You don't need to have anything to do with dead birds to have a lot of fun with gundog training, its simply a great way to harness your Springer's natural hunting skills, and is ideal if you have a Springer that just wants to run off and hunt instead of walk beside you in the park.

FINDING A BREEDER

The aim of this site is not to recommend a particular breeder, however if you are looking for someone in your area feel free to post on the forum. My aim 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. To that end the first thing you should do is have a look at the excellent site which has been set up to help people avoid puppy farmers by giving you good informed advice about what to look for.

Excellent Website, have a look