“A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things-a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.”
English Springer Spaniels are the only breed that has competed in dual competitions. The Field (hunting) and the Show (conformation) lines diverged in the early 1940's leading to differences in type and trialling ability while both lines retained the Springer zest, lovely coat, and loyalty. A healthy dog is typically 35-45 pounds at adult weight. They can be liver and white, black and white, or tri-colored, all with or without freckles (spots). You can read more about their history here: http://www.essfta.org/english-springers/spaniel-manual/a-short-history-of-english-springer-spaniels/
Likewise regular exercise and/or a fenced yard are musts. Concentrated running should be saved until the dog is about two because then their bones are hard enough to join you as waiting protects their hips (more on bone formation here https://www.dogworksfitness.com/single-post/2017/12/28/The-1-and-2-common-injury-factors-for-puppies---and-its-not-just-about-hips-and-elbows?fbclid=IwAR3zySJzTLpBxlWRkiBwCl8j6zCdkdIP9KOAwhWK8ufGL5LGILEkaFJn_8k ). They will then love running with you! Our dogs are our constant walking companions.
Young dogs should be crate trained to aid in housebreaking. Make sure water and dog safe toys are accessible. Care of their coat and ears is important for their comfort and to protect against rashes and ear infections. More on care can be seen in this video: https://youtu.be/ErNBZxFw218
But most importantly of all - enjoy your new companion!
― John Grogan, Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog
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| Jim and Addie |
A Bit of Springer Spaniel History
So what is it about dogs and humans? It's been shown that having dogs is good for our health and helps to lower our blood pressure. Spaniels have been recorded as human companions as early as 300 AD in Britain. It is believed Spaniels traveled throughout Europe with Roman soldiers. As hunting companions they became separated into land and water spaniels with the smaller land type becoming the known as Cocker Spaniels, and the larger land "springing" type becoming known as Springer Spaniels.English Springer Spaniels are the only breed that has competed in dual competitions. The Field (hunting) and the Show (conformation) lines diverged in the early 1940's leading to differences in type and trialling ability while both lines retained the Springer zest, lovely coat, and loyalty. A healthy dog is typically 35-45 pounds at adult weight. They can be liver and white, black and white, or tri-colored, all with or without freckles (spots). You can read more about their history here: http://www.essfta.org/english-springers/spaniel-manual/a-short-history-of-english-springer-spaniels/
Care of Springer Spaniels
Springers are joyful dogs that LOVE people. They have been called velcro dogs because they tend to stick to their owners. They thrive on positive training and socialization. Springers typically are very eager to please and train easily - though we recommend owners sign up for training classes with a trainer who uses a positive reward system (click training or positive love - see our link page for suggestions). They are friendly, cheerful, affectionate, cheery, and good with children and elders if trained properly.Likewise regular exercise and/or a fenced yard are musts. Concentrated running should be saved until the dog is about two because then their bones are hard enough to join you as waiting protects their hips (more on bone formation here https://www.dogworksfitness.com/single-post/2017/12/28/The-1-and-2-common-injury-factors-for-puppies---and-its-not-just-about-hips-and-elbows?fbclid=IwAR3zySJzTLpBxlWRkiBwCl8j6zCdkdIP9KOAwhWK8ufGL5LGILEkaFJn_8k ). They will then love running with you! Our dogs are our constant walking companions.
Young dogs should be crate trained to aid in housebreaking. Make sure water and dog safe toys are accessible. Care of their coat and ears is important for their comfort and to protect against rashes and ear infections. More on care can be seen in this video: https://youtu.be/ErNBZxFw218
But most importantly of all - enjoy your new companion!
