Once you have decided that you want to share your life with a dog, the next question is: which breed is it going to be? You must determine which breed suits you best in temperament and in lifestyle, and what do you plan to do with your new puppy? Do you want to work on your shape and physique with your dog? Would you like to do agility or obedience training or are you so fortunate as to be able to take a dog on a shoot?

English Springers are often the hunting dogs of choice because they are skilled workers with gentle mouths as well as pleasant companions. They are intelligent dogs and, thus, easily trained.

A Springer Spaniel is a happy, even-natured dog. Like all the other spaniels, he has the innate desire to please, which makes him a good dog to work with as well as a lovable companion. His is a faithful and cheerful personality. He is happy to work and happy to play; he is the ultimate optimist. He gets up every morning in the joyful expectation of another lovely day, with lots of fun, hopefully a lot to eat because he loves his food, and who knows what new and exciting adventures! If you take him on a walk, he will expect to find game behind every blade of grass, and in the show ring he will give his all for you. He loves to share his happiness with everybody, and if this means that he jumps up on you with four muddy paws, you have to understand that in the spirit with which it was done! His happy, easygoing temperament also makes him a fatalist. If he cannot come with you, he will express his great sorrow (and he can look very sorrowful!), but he will accept the situation and make the best of it. If his feet are to be trimmed, he will try to wriggle out of it; but if you are firm he will give a mental shrug and go to sleep on the grooming table. This behavior makes it very important that you are gentle but firm with him, because he is clever enough to realize that if he gets his way once, he may get it again and again.

Although your Springer may think that every guest to your house has been especially invited to please him and will therefore be loved by him, he is very loyal and affectionate to his own people. He not only shares your house he also shares your life, your joys and your sorrows. He has a special antenna for your moods. The bond between you and your Springer can become incredibly strong to the point that no words are needed.

ARE YOU A SPRINGER PERSON?

Other distinctions of the Springer that deserve mention is that he is the oldest of the sporting gundogs and that his original purpose was finding and springing game. Nowadays he is used for finding, flushing and retrieving game and he not only is very good at it but also loves to work for you.

This means that you have to provide an outlet for his active and lively nature. You must be prepared to give your Springer, when he has matured, at least an hour of free exercise every day. While he will enjoy a walk through the park on the lead, or even a shopping expedition, he needs to have the opportunity to stretch his legs, run at full speed and be able to pick up exciting smells that appeal to his hunting instinct. Woods, fields, dunes, he loves them all, but he especially loves water. If the idea of a soaking wet and muddy dog doesn’t appeal to you, you have to teach him right from the start to stay away from the water. Don’t think that will be easy! In the eyes of a Springer, a walk without a swim is only half a walk but, if necessary, a romp in a deep, preferably muddy puddle will also do!

Springers love the water! Walks and runs are great exercise, but the Springer will always welcome the opportunity to go for a swim.

The Springer’s energy is endless. He will walk the same distance as you do two or three times over, at full speed, without resting—and it only takes the ten-minute drive home in the car to restore him. Once home, he would like you to play with him, throw a ball for him to fetch or other activities to get rid of his energy.

In recent years the working ability of the breed has been extended and performances have improved in speed and style. This may bring the risk of exaggeration and you may end up with a hyperactive dog who is more difficult to train. For the average owner, such a Springer is just a bit too much to cope with.

You have to make up your mind beforehand: will you want to train him for field trials? Then very likely a good Springer from sensible trainable lines will be the best all-round gundog for you

Do you want to show? Then find a breeder who breeds lovely and healthy Springers of good quality and you’ll have a gentle companion who will love his outings with you and whose will to please makes him the perfect show dog.

Do you just want a pet? Then you can choose either but bear in mind that a Springer as a pet needs all the exercise and training a show or working Springer needs.

Although a sporting dog by nature, the Springer makes a wonderful pet and is a popular choice for many families.

If you live in an apartment or in the center of a city, I would not recommend a Springer. They can adapt to any environment, but as working dogs they need open areas where they can have proper exercise and use their normal instincts for hunting and enjoying the scents of the countryside. Town parks and recreation fields are not enough.

Now that you have decided on a Springer Spaniel, there still are a few questions that need to be answered before you can go to a breeder. What color would you like? Will it be a dog or a bitch? It is often said that a bitch is sweeter than a dog, but in my experience the dogs are just as sweet as the bitches and very easygoing. It is very important that you explain all your preferences to the breeder so that he can help you pick the puppy that is best suited to you.

If you have a family with children, it might be wiser not to buy a dominant puppy because the puppy will have several “masters” and will end up not listening to anybody. In a slightly dominant dog, that may cause problems! In a litter the personalities of the puppies may differ slightly. Explain to the breeder what you prefer: the softer, sweeter one, or the outgoing, feisty puppy?

If you have the time and dedication to train your puppy and treat him consistently at all times, there is no better pet than an English Springer Spaniel. By choosing an English Springer Spaniel, you have chosen a companion with a very happy temperament, who thinks life is wonderful and who will love you indiscriminately.

COAT COLORS

Dr. Caius mentioned in his Treatise of Dogges (1570), the Aquaticus or Spanyell who finds game in the water and who is either red and white, solid black or solid red. In 1803 in the book The Sportsman’s Cabinet, springing spaniels and cocking spaniels are mentioned in the colors black and white, liver and white and red and white.

In 1933 the English Springer Spaniel Club decided that all the colors of the original land spaniels would be permissible with the exception of the typical red and white which is restricted to the Welsh Springer Spaniels. Thus the official colors for the English Springer Spaniels are black and white, liver and white, black, white and tan and liver, white and tan.

Regardless of the color of the Springer puppy, this is an adorable beautiful breed of sporting dog.

Although either black and white or liver and white (with or without tan markings) is allowed, the popular color has always been, and still is, liver and white with or without ticking.