English Springer Spaniel is an active and cheerful dog that lives to its name and is one of the three purebred Spaniel dogs. The other two include Cocker and King Charles Spaniel. Spaniel-type dogs are supposed to have originated in Spain and hence the name. The Romans may have taken these dogs to other parts of the world centuries ago. Spaniels were mentioned in the Welsh law around 1700 years in Welsh law in 300 AD. Also, Spaniels that look similar to today’s English Springer Spaniel are depicted in 13th and 14 century artworks. English Springer Spaniels were initially known as Norfolk Spaniel. These canines were known for their hunting skills and desired for their big, floppy ears.
In the 19th century, puppies of the same litter were classified into two types, Springer Spaniels and Cocker Spaniels. Small dogs of the litter were used for hunting and called cockers. Larger pups of the litter were used for flush games. They became “Springers” because of how they spring at the game to flush it for the hunter. A Canadian breeder imported the Springer Spaniel breed in 1913. And ten years later on, this breed became the most popular breed registered by the American Kennel Club.
In the early 1940s, breeders started breeding dogs with the qualities to bring the best result. The English Springer Spaniel makes an excellent show dog apart from a lovely family dog. Breeders started breeding them separately. One as a field dog for working ability, sense smell, and speed, and another as a show dog for style and showcase. These two were not interbred. Though English Springer Spaniel can be both working dog and show dog, it is scarce to find a Springer Spaniel with both qualities lately. English Springer Spaniels are fun-loving dogs and love to be around their humans. An ideal family companion and best partner to spend a relaxed evening after a long day at work.
Table of Contents
English Springer Spaniel Basic Information
Name: English Springer Spaniel
Origin: England
Group: Sporting, Gundog
Size: Medium
Height: Up to 20 inches
Weight: 40 – 53 pounds
Coat: Straight, medium length
Color: Black or liver with white, blue or liver roan, tri-color
Bench Type: Designed for shows, has a thicker coat with more feathering
Field Type: Designed for hunting, has a lighter coat and a docked tail
English Springer Spaniel Overview
English Springer Spaniels are happy and energetic dogs that love to play in fields or parks. They are bred as hunting dogs and were used to chase birds into flight to shoot. Springer Spaniels and Cocker Spaniels are from the same litter. Smaller pups of the litter were called cockers as they hunted a type of bird called the woodcock. The larger puppies were named Springers and used in dog shows. English Springer Spaniels are exceptionally good at being show dogs. Celebrities like George W Bush, George H.W.Bush, Princess Grace, and Oprah Winfrey owned English Springer Spaniel. They are very active and perfect for families who love the outdoors.
English Springer Spaniel Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Friendly and loyal
High exercise need
Athletic and playful
Barks a lot
Easy to train
Chatty and vocal
English Springer Spaniel Highlights
They are a combination of an excellent family dog, watchdog, and hunting dog.
They are bouncy, cheerful, enthusiastic, and easy to train
These canines have a high energy level and need lots of activities and mental stimulation to avoid boredom.
They seek frequent attention from the family.
Improper breeding leads to an unstable temperament, including excessive barking, hyperactivity, and aggression.
English Springer Spaniel Personality
English Springer Spaniels are medium-sized built for hard work and hunting skills. They don’t fit for excessive speed. The English Springer Spaniel has an average height of 10 inches, weighs around 35-55 pounds, is a sporting dog, and lives up to 9-15 years. They have compact bodies and long legs. They are double-coated with a flat, wavy topcoat and a short, soft, dense undercoat. The coat is made to be weatherproof, thornproof, and waterproof. Show-bred Springers have more coats compared to field-bred springers. They are not hypoallergenic and shed during the summer and spring months. The skin has feathers on its legs and tails. The coat colors are liver and white or black and white, but tricolored and ticking are variations. Their head is proportionate to the body, a medium-sized skull flat on the top. The length of the body is the same as the length of the neck. The ears are floppy and droopy. They have medium-sized eyes with hazel color. As friendly as they are, their tails are docked and always wagging!
Friendliness Overview
Affection level
High
Family-friendly
High
Kid-friendly
High
Dog-friendly
High
Stranger-friendly
High
Adaptability Overview
Good for apartment living
Low
Good for new owners
Medium
Sensitivity level
High
Tolerates being alone
Low
Cold tolerance
Medium
Heat tolerance
Medium to high
English Springer Spaniel Physical Features
Head: The head of the English Springer Spaniel is in proportion to the body. They have a medium-sized skull, flat on the top. The length of the head and the neck are equal and the same.
Neck: The neck is long, slopes down to the chest, and is the same size as the head.
Topline: The topline of the English Springer Spaniel isfirm and slopes gently. The body is short and compact. The chest is deep and matches the levels of the elbows with a developed fore-chest.
Body: The body of these Springers is small, strong, and compact. The chests are well developed, and the back is straight and strong. The hips are rounded and blend well with the hind legs.
Tail: The tail is docked and is horizontal and slightly elevated. It typically displays a merry and happy mood.
Forequarters: The forequarters are perfect and proportionate. The elbow is close to the body. Forelegs are straight, and the bones are strong and slightly flattened. The feet are round and oval, compact, well-arched, and well-feathered between the toes.
Hindquarters: The hind quarters are designed to be strong and muscular. The hips and thighs are well developed. The feet are the same as the ones in the front, except for the size. They are compact and smaller.
Feet: They have webbed feet and thick coats. This helps them to be good swimmers, field dogs, and hunting dogs.
Coat: The English Springers aredouble coated. The undercoat is covered with a topcoat, and the top is medium-sized, flat, and wavy. The undercoat is short, soft, and dense. The ears, chest, legs, and belly have featherings.
Color: The coat color comes intheliver and white or black and white, but tricolored and ticking are variations.
Gait: The gait is smooth and effortless. The elbows, legs, and shoulders are balanced, and movement is proper.
English Springer Spaniel Temperament
English Springer Spaniel is a cheerful doggie that fits your home perfectly. They are very affectionate and always eager to please the owners. They crave attention from their owners. These dogs are highly energetic and need lots of activities to be happy and healthy. They are loyal, affectionate, and friendly with strangers. They are the happiest when they are at home with their humans. They are people-friendly and always eager to please. They are kid-friendly and a perfect family dog. However, the field bred English Springers good at hunting while Shoe bred English Springers excellent show dogs.
English Springer Spaniel Training
English Springer Spaniels are obedient dogs and people pleasers. They are easy to train and adaptable to different kinds of environments. They have required socialization and positive reinforcement training at a young age. If not properly trained and socialized, they become aggressive and bark a lot. Still, early socialization helps the puppy to be a good doggie when they grow up.
Trainability Overview
Easy to train
High
Intelligence
High
Prey drive
High
Mouthiness tendencies
Medium
Barking and Howling tendencies
High
Wanderlust tendencies
High
English Springer Spaniel Exercise Needs
English Springer Spaniels are active, and high-energy dogs made for work or play. They need proper exercise to keep their mental stimulation busy. They have high stamina and enjoy outdoor games. Several hours of exercise daily are required to keep up their energy level. They can also retrieve work to help keep their mind and body busy.
Exercise Needs Overview
Energy level
High
Exercise needs
High
Intensity
Medium to low
Playfulness
High
English Springer Spaniel Grooming
English Springer Spaniels have silky smooth fur and double coats. They are not hypoallergenic and shed a lot. They need to brush more than once a week. Bathe them when required to keep the folds clean from dirt and debris. It is essential to keep the skin dry thoroughly after a bath to prevent infections from moisture. Check their eyes regularly for irritation, redness, or discharge. The nails need to be trimmed periodically. Brush the teeth without fail daily to prevent dental problems. Ears accumulate dirt and must be washed and cleaned to avoid bacteria and other ear-related issues.
Grooming Overview
Easy to groom
Low
Drooling tendencies
Low
Amount of shedding
Medium
English Springer Spaniel Health
The English Springer Spaniel is a healthy and active dog. Yet, it’s always wise to be aware of the health conditions they are prone to.
Health Overview
General health
Medium to high
Weight gain tendencies
Medium to high
Size
Medium
Eye Problems: Some canines are susceptible to several eye diseases, including progressive retinal atrophy and cataracts. As a result, their descendants will likely inherit it as well.
Diabetes: A dog can become diabetic in two forms they are:
When a dogs’ pancreas is damaged, he doesn’t produce enough insulin. This condition leads to insulin deficiency. Hence, the deficient insulin has to be replaced with insulin shots. This type of diabetes is the most prevalent among canines.
When the glucose in a dog’s blood is not converted to energy despite the proper insulin secretion, your dog is said to suffer from insulin resistance diabetes.
Here are some of the symptoms to look out for in diabetes in dogs.
Spay or Neuter: In spay, the ovaries or uterus in females is removed, and in the neuter, the testicles of the male dogs are removed. It eliminates the possibility of pregnancy or fathering unwanted puppies and decreases the likelihood of certain types of cancer.
Cardiac Problems: Dogs often suffer from cardiac problems. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the signs or symptoms that could lead to cardiac problems in dogs. The most common cardiac issue is left ventricular hypertrophy, an enlarged heart’s left ventricle. This enlargement can be caused by many factors, including high blood pressure, obesity, and old age. Owners need to know how to recognize these symptoms and take their dogs to the vet for treatment. Dogs with a history of heart disease may show signs like coughing or breathing problems, fatigue, lethargy, and vomiting. These signs are often accompanied by decreased appetite and weight loss.
Auto-immune Haemolytic Anemia: A condition where the canine’s immune system destructs the oxygen carrying RBCs. It causes pale gums, lethargy, abnormal pulse rates and breathing.
Von Willebrand’s Disease: The most prevalent hereditary bleeding problem in dogs is Von Willebrand’s disease (VWD). It’s caused by a lack of a specific protein that helps platelets (blood cells that aid with clotting) adhere together and form clots to close damaged blood arteries. Von Willebrand factor is the name of the missing protein (VWF).
Cancer: Cancer in dogs is treatable if detected early. Although certain dogs show no symptoms initially, some of the warning symptoms to watch out for include:
Skin Problems: The continual scratching or licking paws can be annoying, but don’t blame your dog for his bad behavior; the skin issue is to be blamed. Skin diseases including scaliness, greasiness, itching, and occasional hair loss are possible. This also may be due to genetic factors. Parasites, allergies, and underlying sickness are all possible reasons. The following are the symptoms of skin problems:
Skin Sores
Dry Skin
Rashes
Lumps
Redness
Dandruff
Bumps
Sunburns
Hair Loss
Dental Issues: Dental issues like bleeding gums, gum inflammation, tartar buildup, bad breath, cavities are common in dogs. Regularly brushing their teeth can prevent oral infections, gum diseases, and other dental problems.
Obesity: English Springer Spaniels are prone to obesity, exacerbating hip and elbow dysplasia. This disorder negatively hits a dog’s health and durability. Obese canines exhibit an increased risk of heart disease, digestive disorders, diabetes, joint problems, and hypertension.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy: A degenerative eye disorder that causes blindness from the loss of photoreceptors at the back of the eyes. It can be detected earlier. A very later stage is blindness. Dogs with this condition can survive for several years since they have other senses to compensate.
Hip Dysplasia: Hip dysplasia is outwardly a painful disease that occurs when the bones of the back legs do not fit properly in the joints. While some dogs will exhibit symptoms, the majority of canines will not. Hip dysplasia is primarily genetic, although other causes such as accidents, excessive weight gain, and inappropriate training can also cause it. Even though this disease is fatal, therapies range from medicine to hip replacement surgery. To avoid this problem, avoid breeding dogs with hip dysplasia parentage and get annual examinations.
Epilepsy: This is also called idiopathic epilepsy, causes seizures for no reason, and is less dangerous.
Entropion: The lower lid folds inward towards the eye resulting in chronic eye irritation. This can be treated with surgery.
Ear infections: The pendant-shaped floppy ears are prone to infections. The best way is to keep the ears clean and dry.
English Springer Spaniel Diet and Nutrition
English Springer Spaniel requires a daily amount of 1.5 to 2.5 cups of high-quality dog food divided into two meals. They are active dogs and need the right amount of nourishment. However, every dog’s diet depends on size, age, metabolism, and activity level. They love to eat and are prone to obesity. Springer Spaniel can be kept healthy and in shape with the nourishing and right amount of meals.
English Springer Spaniel Living Condition
The English Springer Spaniel loves to be around people and is an outdoor dog. They are eager to please people, fun-loving, and have huge stamina for outdoor activities. They can adapt to any family and love to be near their owners. They require large spaces and a yard and don’t fit in apartments. They are sensitive and suffer separation anxiety when left alone. They tolerate both cold and hot temperatures moderately.
Did You Know?
They spring up while chasing birds during hunting and thus get the name “springers.”
Springer and cockers are puppies from the same litter.
They appear in 16th-century artworks.
English Springer Spaniel Club Recognition
ACA = American Canine Association Inc.
ACR = American Canine Registry
AKC = American Kennel Club
ANKC = Australian National Kennel Club
APRI = American Pet Registry, Inc.
CCR = Canadian Canine Registry
CKC = Canadian Kennel Club
CKC = Continental Kennel Club
DRA = Dog Registry of America, Inc.
FCI = Fédération Cynologique Internationale
KCGB = Kennel Club of Great Britain
NAPR = North American Purebred Registry, Inc.
NKC = National Kennel Club
NZKC = New Zealand Kennel Club
UKC = United Kennel Club
Adding an English Springer Spaniel to Your Family
Things to remember before adding an English Springer Spaniel to your family
Getting an English Springer Spaniel from a reputable breeder is best to prevent unavoidable circumstances like health and vaccination. It is best to check with the puppy’s parents to cross-check its health and happiness.
Cost of an English Springer Spaniel Puppy
The English Springer Spaniel puppy ranges in price from $800 to $1800.
