Dog Breed Guide
English Springer Spaniel
Profile
- Size
- Medium
- Country of origin
- United Kingdom
- Origin
- 19th century
- Bred for
- Bird hunting
- Height
- about 51cm (20in)
- Weight
- 18 - 25kg (40 - 55lb)
- Life span
- 12 - 14 years
A medium-sized spaniel with long drop ears, a wavy coat and a lean, muscular body. Liver (brown) and white and black and white are the classic colors.
Bright, friendly and very hardworking, the Springer is affectionate with its family and plays well with children. It is smart and loves praise, so it takes to training well. It has tireless stamina and an excellent nose.
It needs a great deal of exercise, and daily runs and games of fetch with balls and toys are essential. When bored, it can get into mischief. Keep its long ears clean, watching for dirt and ear infections.
Good to know
The name Springer refers to its job of making birds spring into the air. Its original work was to find birds hiding in the brush, flush (spring) them, and then retrieve them after the hunter shot.
Today, thanks to its superb nose and persistence, it works around the world as a police drug detection dog, explosives detection dog and search and rescue dog. In Britain in particular, it is one of the leading breeds of detection dog working at airports and with the military.
The breed has also lived in the White House. President George H. W. Bush had Millie, and his son, President George W. Bush, had Spot, one of Millie's puppies, making two generations of presidents who owned English Springer Spaniels.