English Springer Spaniel
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ACR
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AKC
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ANKC
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APRI
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CCR
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CKC
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CKC
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FCI
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KCGB
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NKC
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NZKC
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UKC
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Caring for a English Springer Spaniel
Feeding: This breed gains weight easily and should not be over feed.
Living with a English Springer Spaniel
Temperament: The English Springer Spaniel is a gently, friendly, even-tempered, playful, cheerful, courageous dog who typically loves everyone the meet.
Family Dog: The English Springer Spaniel makes a wonderful family pet and is great with children and other household pets with the exception of birds. Some tend to have trouble getting along with other dogs of the same sex.
Shedding: The English Springer Spaniel is a constant average shedder.
Grooming: The coat of an English Springer Spaniel needs regular grooming. They should be brushed with a stiff bristle brush paying close attention to the feet which will mat and pick up burrs and foxtails easily. They can be cleaned with a dry shampoo and should be bathed only when necessary. The coat on the head, ears, neck, feet and tail may be trimmed to remove excess feathering or dead undercoat to enhance the dog's appearance. The appearance must remain natural.
Training: They are skillful, intelligent and obedient dogs who are eager to please their owners and able to learn new commands quickly. They need a soft, yet firm hand in training so they know who is in control.
Exercise: English Springer Spaniels love to exercise. They need to be taken on daily long walks and given off-leash play time daily. They also enjoy swimming, retrieving, agility, skills and obedience competitions.
Living Conditions: The English Springer Spaniel will make an excellent apartment dog provided they are properly exercised. They are fairly active inside and thus can adapt well to rural or city living.
English Springer Spaniel Appearance
Appearance: The English Springer Spaniel is a medium-sized dog with a sturdy, balanced, compact body, strong, muscular legs, docked tail, pendulous ears and gentle expression. The body is covered in a moderately long coat with feathering on the ears, legs, chest and brisket. The English Springer Spaniel carries its head proudly. The body's overall appearance should suggest power, endurance and agility to undertake the most difficult hunting conditions.
Size: The English Springer Spaniel is a medium-size dog with the ideal height being 20 inches at the withers for males and 19 inches for females with an average weight of 40 to 50 pounds.
Companionship: Springers make wonderful companion dogs and needs lots of human attention and interaction.
Head: The head of the English Springer Spaniel is impressive due to its strength and refinement. The skull is of moderate length and width, flat on the top and gently rounded on the sides and back. The stop, eyebrows, flat cheeks and chiseling around the eyes give the face its natural beauty and alert, kind expression. The head should be proportionate to the size of the dog's body. When viewed from the side it appears approximately the same length as the neck blending nicely into the shoulders.
Nose: The English Springer Spaniel's nose should be fully-colored in liver or black depending on the color of the dog's coat with broad, well-opened nostrils.
Eyes: The medium-size, oval eyes of the English Springer Spaniel are one of their characteristic features. They are set well-apart and deep in the sockets with the color of the iris harmonizing with the color of the dog's coat. They should be dark hazel in the liver and white dogs coated dogs and black or dark brown in black and white coated dogs. The eye rims should be colored to match the dog's coat in color with tight lids.
Ears: The English Springer Spaniel's ears are set level with the eyes and not too far back on the head. The ears hang close to the head with no tendency to stand up or out. They are thin and of moderate length, reaching to the tip of the nose if extended forward.
Muzzle: The length of the English Springer Spaniel's muzzle is about equal to that of the skull and approximately half of its width. The topline of the skull and muzzle are approximately parallel to each other. The nasal bone is level having no downward at the tip.
Teeth/Bite: The jaws of the English Springer Spaniel are square, lean, strong and long enough to allow the dog to carry game easily. The upper lip hangs down squarely covering the lower jaw. The teeth are moderately sized and strong meeting in a close scissors bite.
Neck: The neck of the English Springer Spaniel is muscular, clean, moderately long slightly arched at the crest blending smoothly into the sloping shoulders.
Body: The short-coupled, strong and compact body of the English Springer Spaniel is slightly longer than it is tall giving it a more rectangular appearance. The body should appear well-knit and sturdy with a good solid build, never coarse. This breed is built to cover rough terrain with agility and speed as the overall appearance should suggest. The topline is firm with a gentle slope. The deep chest with well-developed forechest extends to the elbows. The ribs are long, springing gradually to the middle of the body, then tapering as they approach the end. The underline has slight tuck-up. The back is level, straight and strong. The short, strong loins are slightly arched. The rounded hips blend smoothly into the rear legs. The croup gently slopes into the tail following the natural line of the body.
Forequarters: The shoulder blades of the English Springer Spaniel are flat with the tips close together blending nicely into the body. The upper arm is approximately the same length as the shoulder blades and meets them at a right angle setting the elbows directly beneath the shoulders and close to the body. the front legs are straight and set squarely underneath the body. The leg bones are strong and slightly flattened. The pasterns are short, strong and slightly sloping.
Hindquarters: The English Springer Spaniel has hard, muscular, well-developed hindquarters which provide the dogs driving power. The strong stifle joints are strong. The hock joints are slightly rounded. The pasterns are short, strong and parallel to each other. The angulation of the hindquarters should not exceed that of the forequarters and not be significantly less.
Gait: The English Springer Spaniel has a long stride covering maximum distance with each step. The back is firm without tendency to dip. The legs should move straight forward in a free and easy manner with the elbows moving freely. There should be no tendency to cross or interfere. The rear legs reach well underneath the body following right behind the forelegs. At increasing speeds their legs converge toward a center line of travel under the center of the body.
Feet: The English Springer Spaniel has compact, well-arched, round to slightly oval feet. The rear feet are smaller and more compact than the front feet. They have thick pads and are covered in a well-feathered coat between the toes. The dewclaws are typically removed.
Tail: The tail of the English Springer Spaniel should be carried horizontally or slightly upward with lively action, especially when the dog is in motion.
Color: The coat of the English Springer Spaniel can be Black with white markings, liver with white markings, white with black markings, white with liver markings, Blue, liver roan, Tricolor consisting of black & white with tan markings or liver & white with tan markings. The markings are usually found on the cheeks, eyebrows, inside the ears and under the base of the tail. The white portions of the coat may be flecked with ticking.
Coat: The English Springer has a waterproof, weatherproof, thornproof double coat consisting of a medium length, flat to wavy outer coat that is easily distinguishable from the short, soft, dense undercoat. The coat has a clean, glossy appearance. The thickness of the undercoat changes with the seasons. The ears, chest, legs and belly are covered in a heavy, medium length feathered coat. The coat on the head, front of the legs and below the hocks is short and fine. The tail is fringed and well feathered.
English Springer Spaniel Facts
Category: Gun Dog, AKC Sporting
Life Expectancy: The average life expectancy of the English Springer Spaniel is about 12 to 14 years.
Characteristics: There are two types of English Springer Spaniels the field type which are bred for hunting and field trials and the bench which are bred for showing. The field is more energetic with a lighter, whiter coat than the bench Springers. They love the water and have a tendency to play in the mud. Their talents include hunting, tracking, retrieving, agility, competitive obedience, performing tricks and being a watch dog.
English Springer Spaniel Health
Health: The English Springer Spaniel is prone to hip dysplasia, epilepsy, HD, PRA (an eye disorder) and PFK (a blood disorder).
Ear Health: Dogs with longer hair on the under side of their ears are prone to chronic ear infections. They should be kept free from excess hair and checked often for any signs of infection.
English Springer Spaniel History
History: The English Springer Spaniel is the ancestor of all the English hunting spaniels. They were kept as companions by the European hunters during the Renaissance. Their popularity did not reach America until the 1700s where they are still a popular breed today. This breed got its name from the way they flush game from their hiding places by springing forward and scaring them out. They hunt well on land and in the water and also make great retrieving dogs.
