The English Springer Spaniel Dog
Breed in Brief:
 Origin:
British IslesHeight: 19
- 20 inches
Weight: 49 - 53 lbs
Exercise Needs: High
Grooming Needs: High
Life Expectancy: 12 - 14 years
Good With Kids: Yes
Trainability: Easy
Common Misspellings: English Springer
Spanial, English Springer Spanials
Alternate Names:
The Springer Spaniel was a popular choice,
even as far back as 1800, when the English
Spaniel Club was first founded and these dogs
were recognized as popular favorites. One
little-known fact about the English Springer
Spaniel is that, for many years, the Springer
Spaniel and English Cocker Spaniel were actually
considered one in the same, but simply dogs of
varying sizes. A female could give birth to
puppies that would go on to be classified as
both “springers” or “cockers,” in the same
litter, depending on how large they would
eventually grow to be (in order to have a
“springer,” the dog would have to be at least 28
pounds, with anything smaller being a Cocker
Spaniel). With the founding of the Kennel Club,
in 1902, the English Springer Spaniel and
English Cocker Spaniels would be separated, and
each would go on to claim their own breed
status. By the year 1924, the breed would gain
even more recognition when the English Springer
Spaniel Field Trial Association was formed,
further promoting the breed.
 A
beautiful dog to behold, the English Springer
Spaniel comes in three distinct color
combinations: the black or liver with white
markings, the liver colored or blue roan, or the
tricolor, which consists of either black and
white or liver and white, with additional
markings of tan. It is also quite common for the
dog’s beautiful white markings to be flecked
with color or ticking, not unlike a ticked
hound. The Springer Spaniel also possesses a
beautiful coat that can vary from being either
flat to wavy, but serves a purpose in that it
keeps the English Springer Spaniel virtually
waterproof, as well as helping to protect him
from thorns and brambles, when he is working the
field. This means that there is a bit more work
to keeping a Springer, but hearing someone
comment on his beautiful coat is usually enough
incentive to keep most owners happily spending
those few hours, every week, ensuring their dog
is tangle and mat-free.
The English Springer Spaniel is a very sweet
and affectionate dog, with a gentle temper and
pleasing disposition. Not inclined to fight with
other dogs, he is generally considered the
family class clown and tend to be an
over-achiever, when looking for his master’s
praise. While many Spaniels tend to be
ill-suited for homes with small children, more
often than not, the English Springer Spaniel is
very patient with the smaller members of the
family and will endure far more ear-tugging and
tail-pulling than other breeds. If anything,
care should be taken with the Springer Spaniel,
in the company of other dogs, so as to protect
them from more aggressive animals. The English
Springer Spaniel may be a capable field dog but,
in truth, he’s definitely a lover and not a
fighter.
As a hunting breed, the
English Springer Spaniel was bred for the
field, and would receive a good deal of
exercise in his intended capacity. As a
family pet, the English Springer Spaniel
still needs plenty of exercise. This is not
a breed for couch potatoes! Active families
with lots of energy and time to play with
their dog are perfectly suited for this
exuberant breed. In the right setting, the
English Springer Spaniel is a delightful dog
breed, but if allowed to become bored due to
lack of exercise, he'll find something to
entertain himself (like chewing up the legs
of your new coffee table - or pulling the
stuffing out of the sofa!)
As with all Spaniels, the English Springer
Spaniel grows a long coat, which requires
regular grooming to keep it's distinctive look.
In between visits to the groomer, it's also
important to brush your English Springer Spaniel
daily to prevent the soft, silky coat from
becoming tangled and matted. The ears also need
attention; they should be inspected regularly
for dirt, mites and yeast, and then cleansed
thoroughly with an acidifying ear cleanser made
especially for dogs. Nails may need to be
trimmed regularly as well.
Intelligent and athletic, the
English Springer Spaniel was bred for
hunting, and, as such, is a very trainable
dog that excels in obedience training. Start
early, from puppyhood, taking obedience
classes with your English Springer Spaniel
puppy, and you'll end up with an extremely
well-behaved dog that is an absolute
pleasure to live with. Find a qualified dog
trainer near you and enroll your puppy for
classes as soon as he is old enough.
This breed loves "doing stuff"
and will jump (literally) at the chance to
participate in dog sports such as agility,
flyball, obedience and field trials - a
great way to ensure that he gets plenty of
exercise.
A naturally sweet and
affectionate breed, the English Springer
Spaniel also is an excellent candidate for
therapy work with disabled and elderly
people.
English Springer Spaniels can
be prone to a number of hereditary health
problems. That is why choosing a responsible
breeder from which to purchase your English
Springer Spaniel puppy is very important.
Responsible English Springer Spaniel
breeders will be well educated about the
breed and carefully screen their breeding
dogs for disorders that can affect these
dogs.
Health concerns in the breed
include:
You can find more detailed
information about these conditions and testing
that should be performed prior to breeding
English Spaniels on this page:
http://www.essfta.org/essfta/health_research.htm
If you're an active, fun-loving family with
lots of time to spend with your dog, and you
don't mind visiting the groomer 2 to 3 times a
year, then the English Springer Spaniel is a
great choice. This affectionate, fun and
intelligent dog breed will provide you and your
family with many years of love, laughter, fun
and companionship. Whether you live in a city
apartment or a country acreage, the English
Springer Spaniel is well suited to almost any
accommodations, provided he gets the exercise he
craves. English Springer Spaniels are usually
good with small children, but, as with any dog
breed, children should always be closely
supervised around the English Springer Spaniel.
Small hands can wield big toys (or small,
scratchy ones) that can easily harm this patient
pooch.
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There are a wealth of resources online that can help you learn
more about the English Springer Spaniel dog breed. We've compiled a
list of Irish Setter information sites to assist you in quickly
locating quality information about the English Springer Spaniel dog
breed, while avoiding the "garbage" sites that are nothing more than
poor attempts to capitalize on the popularity of dog breeds in
general. If you know of an English Springer Spaniel information site
that offers unique, quality information and photos of the English
Springer Spaniel breed, please contact us with the URL and a brief
description so that our editors can consider it for inclusion in our
list below.
English Springer Spaniels are a very photogenic dog breed. By
looking at Irish Setter pictures, you can usually gain more insight
into what these dogs and puppies are like as a breed, and this can
help you decide if you really want to become an English Springer
Spaniel owner. The following sites below offer pictures of English
Springer Spaniel dogs, English Springer Spaniel puppy photos, funny
English Springer Spaniel photos and more. Enjoy!
 Now
that you have decided that the English Springer Spaniel is the right
breed for you, it's time to start the process of finding a
responsible Irish Setter breeder from which to buy a healthy,
well-socialized puppy. Not all breeders are alike; there are good
breeders - and bad breeders. Don't be in a hurry to buy the first
English Springer Spaniel puppy you find at the cheapest price
available! To buy a puppy from a responsible English Springer
Spaniel breeder, you may need to pay more and wait longer. The
additional money and waiting time will be well worth it. Buy a puppy
in haste from a newspaper ad, pet store or "backyard breeder", and
you'll likely also purchase a great deal of additional expense and
heartache, since you will likely end up falling in love with a puppy
with health and behavioral problems that will likely need special
care, plenty of veterinary visits, regular medication - or even
euthanasia. But do your homework and find a responsible, caring
English Springer Spaniel breeder who home-raises their puppies with
love, screens their breeding dogs for health problems, offers a
health guarantee and post sale support, and who genuinely loves the
Irish Setter breed and is in it for the love of the breed, rather
than profit, and you can be fairly well assured of getting a
healthy, happy, long lived and affectionate family companion that
will provide you and your family with many years of joy, laughter
and companionship.
Here are a few breeder directory sites that we recommend. These
sites attempt to screen advertisers to ensure that the breeders
listed are responsible and sell healthy, home-raised English
Springer Spaniel puppies to carefully screened buyers. There are
many, many sites now online that advertise dog breeders - many are a
Mecca for puppy mills and backyard breeders. We recommend that you
steer clear of these resources in favor of sites that are more
selective in the breeders whom they allow to advertise.
We Highly Recommend:
English Springer Spaniel clubs and rescues web sites can help you
learn even more about the English Springer Spaniel dog breed, help
you locate a responsible English Springer Spaniel breeder, or help
you find an English Springer Spaniel dog or puppy in need of a
second chance for a loving, forever home. We've compiled the
following list of English Springer Spaniel clubs and English
Springer Spaniel rescues web sites for your convenience:
Choosing a name for your English Springer Spaniel puppy can be a
daunting task! There are so many names to choose from that it can
take a lot of thought and research to find just the right name for
your Irish Setter. Usually, it's best to get to know your puppy for
a few days or weeks. Often your puppy's personality will help you
decide on just the right name to choose. Does he have a sense of
humor? A serious side? A goofy way of cocking his head to one side?
A strange love of cantaloupe? By observing your new English Springer
Spaniel puppy over the first days or weeks, you should at least have
a clue about what type of name you want to give. There are a ton of
dog names and pet names web sites on the internet. Some are
wonderful information resources, while others, unfortunately, are
just "garbage" sites set up with the sole purpose of cashing in on
visitor hits for this popular subject.
We recommend the following sites to assist you in choosing a name
for your new English Springer Spaniel puppy. These sites offer
inventive, unique, original and creative pet names suggestions that
have helped thousands of new puppy owners in selecting just the
right name for their new baby!
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