English Springer Spaniel dog - a medium size dog

The English Springer Spaniel is generally regarded as the oldest of the spaniel breeds, brought to England from Spain, around 1570.  The Springer Spaniel is a hunting dog, who works on land, getting his name by the fact that they used to "spring" game for the hunter's net and then later on for the hunter's gun. As different strains of Springer Spaniels began to develop at the beginning of the nineteenth century, one in particular, the most popular, was bred by the Duke of Norfolk. His dogs so influenced the breed, that they became known as Norfolk Spaniels. The name was changed to Springer Spaniel in 1900 and the kennel Club recognized it as a distinct breed in 1902. It gained in popularity as a versatile hunting dog, capable of hunting, retrieving both on land and in water and very eager to work.

The English Springer Spaniel is a medium size dog, well proportioned and nicely balanced.  His moderately long outer coat is glossy and dense, either flat or wavy, usually liver and white or black and white.  The undercoat is soft and thick.  It is well protected from harsh underbrush and inclimate weather.  The coat sheds an average amount and so he should be groomed about three times a week.  The English Springer Spaniel is the highest on the leg of all the land spaniels.  The American Springer has evolved along a different path than the English Springer which has remained much lighter in type, an unexaggerated working spaniel. The American Springer type now has a shorter back, sloping topline, higher tailsets and the tail itself is carried above the level of the back. The head, eye and expression, coat, rear angulation, more flamboyant styling all add up to a lot of discord in the two countries to the point where separation from the American breed has been seriously contemplated.

In addition to being very friendly, loyal and affectionate, the English Springer Spaniel is intelligent and easily trained, although it can be headstrong.  Rated excellent with children, it tends to bond to the whole family.  Although this spaniel has a very high energy level and thrives on lots of outdoor exercise, it also wants, and needs to be indoors socializing with the whole family.  Consider an English Springer Spaniel puppy as a worthy addition to your family, but be sure to question the breeder about a health guarantee and what testing is done on the breeding stock, and whether or not the lines have had any incidence of rage syndrome, an increasingly worrisome outburst of aggression which suddenly appears in some dogs.  Vicious temperaments are certainly not typical nor condoned in this breed