Overview
The English Springer was bred to spring game from cover ahead of the guns, and it does exactly that on your walk whether there is game or not. Springers quarter: they sweep from side to side across a field or through a wood, nose down, at a speed that leaves a walker standing. It is a dog that would rather be busy than anything else.
Like the Cocker, the breed has split into show and working lines, and the working type is the one that will test you. Both are friendly, soft dogs that love people and other dogs and are miserable when bored.
Exercise and walking needs
Two hours a day for a working-type adult, a little less for show lines, and the quality matters as much as the length. A Springer needs cover to work and somewhere to run; a lead walk around the block is a holding pattern, not exercise.
They are prone to going until they are exhausted, particularly in water. Build in rest, carry water, and in hot weather keep the dog out of the midday sun. Young dogs need their distances built up gradually.
On the walk
- Recall: Good in a trained dog, but the nose is in charge. Use a whistle if the owner has trained one, and call early, before the dog is at full stretch.
- Pulling: Enthusiastic rather than strong. A harness and a long line give the dog room to work without dragging you.
- Other dogs: Sociable and playful. Springers make good group dogs as long as the others can keep up.
- Water and mud: Assume both. A Springer will be in the river before you have seen it, and the feathered coat carries half the wood back to the van.
- Scent: Everything is interesting. Hedgerows, long grass and woodland keep the dog busy; open parks bore it.
Tips for professional walkers
- Give the dog cover to work and let it quarter on a long line if recall is unproven; it is what the breed is for.
- Carry a whistle and use the owner's signals.
- Dry the ears after every wet walk and check for grass seeds between the toes in summer.
- Plan rest into the walk; Springers do not stop by themselves.
- Towel, towel, towel. Then towel the van.
What to ask the owner
- Working or show type, and roughly how far does the dog go on a normal day?
- Is there a whistle or recall cue, and is swimming allowed?
- Any ear trouble? Springer ears are long and heavy and get sore after water.
- Does the dog chase birds or livestock, and are there places to avoid?