English Springer Spaniel
The English Springer Spaniel is a compact, hearty medium-sized dog with long pendant ears. They should be sturdy and neither too light nor too heavy. The tail is generally docked (and wagging!). The dog should have a proud bearing, with a level back approximately the same length as the height at the withers (never longer). The front legs should he straight. The feet are compact.
The English Springer Spaniel sprang from the original Norfolk Spaniel. the Duke of Norfolk kept a kennel of these fine hunting dogs with liver and white coloring who were noted as “Springers” because of their usefulness in “springing” game for the hawk or the gun. Of all of the land Spaniels, the Springer was longer on leg and a taller dog. It has always a popular hunting dog in England and widely used in the field as a dog to roust up the birds and also to retrieve.
Spaniels came from Spain to England, probably with the Romans, and there diverged into two types — land and water spaniels — and several different breeds. Pups in a litter of land spaniels were often divided by size; the small ones became the cockers or woodcock dogs and the medium-sized ones became the springers, which hunted by flushing or “springing” birds for the hunters, and the larger ones eventually became the setters, .
Size: The English Springer Spaniel has a shoulder height of approximately 51 cm (20 in) and weighs 18-25 kg (40-55 lbs). It has large lips, long ears, oval eyes, and a moderate stop (depression where the muzzle meets the forehead). English Springer Spaniels have sloped shoulders and a tail which is normally docked. Working English Springer Spaniels and show English Springer Spaniels can vary significantly in appearance, as most work and show lines diverged over 50 years ago.
The Welsh Springer Spaniel is happy and willing. He is less outgoing than the English Springer. Somewhat independent, but also sensitive and reserved with strangers. Socialize this dog well to avoid timidity. Some may be protective. The Welsh Springer needs to be included in family activities. He must be trained early to hunt so he learns not to wander.
English Springer Spaniels and Cocker Spaniels were originally born in the same litters; the smaller “Cockers” hunted woodcock while their larger littermates were utilized to flush, or “spring,” game. In 1902 the Kennel Club of England recognized the English Springer Spaniel as a distinct breed (separate from English Cockers). The Springer Spaniel became even better known in North America after 1924, when the English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Association was formed and field trials were started for the first time.
